Mountain lion

Utah mountain lion video highlights human/wildlife conflicts

Video of a mountain lion following a hiker near Provo, Utah, made its way to news stations across the country, Tuesday, reigniting discussions about sharing space with wild animals.

Days earlier on the Front Range, Deer Creek Canyon as well as access to Black Bear Trail were closed on Saturday due to reports of mountain lion activity. It reopened Tuesday morning after wildlife officers attempted to locate the lion from the reports, but were unable to track it down.

While mountain lion sightings are less common in Mesa County than other areas of the region, they still have a presence in western Colorado.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Randy Hampton said there have been 691 mountain lion reports submitted to the agency this year. Of those, 197 have come out of the western region and 35 out of Mesa County. There have not been any mountain lion attacks or aggressive behavior reported in the northwest region of the state so far this year.

While he said cats on the Western Slope are seen most often in the Glenwood Springs, Aspen and Vail, they do migrate across the state.

“Typically the winter time is when we tend to see more (mountain lion activity),” Hampton said. “In the summer, there is more places for the critters to be. When winter hits deer and elk migrate to lower elevations at valley floors.”

With Colorado towns typically built on valley floors, lion/human interactions increase as the lions’ food source moves to winter range.

Of the sightings in the area, Hampton said there have been a few in the Fruita area, on the Grand Mesa and Colorado National Monument.

“The west side of Grand Junction all the way to Fruita has had the most reports this year,” Hampton said.

As far as finding the animals after reports are made, Hampton said it can be a difficult process.

“I ask people all the time ‘how many of you have been on the Monument and seen a mountain lion?’ It’s often very few. I respond, ‘well a mountain lion has seen you,’” Hampton said. “Mountain lions are very elusive. We can go and take a look and investigate but a lot of the time the cat has moved on.”

On top of that, most of the reports end up being false alarms.

“In January someone found mountain lion tracks out by their dumpster in Glade Park. We went up, took a look and confirmed them to be dog tracks,” Hampton said.

Colorado State Patrol also took a report from someone who said they saw a lion on River Road in Palisade earlier this year.

Mountain lion sightings can be reported to the Grand Junction CPW office at 970-255-6100.

If you see a mountain lion, you’re advised to stand your ground and not run. Be big, loud and use anything at your disposal to maintain space between you and the lion.

In the video out of Utah, the mountain lion follows the hiker for over six minutes down the trail until he throws a rock at it, making it run away.

“The individual was a lot more calm at points than I would have been,” Hampton said. “He did a good job of making noises, backing away and not turning and running.”

CPW recommends to always be alert when hiking and recreating in mountain lion country. Hiking and biking with a buddy, keeping ear buds out, having dogs leashed and making noise while out in the wilderness can all reduce the likelihood of an encounter. To learn more visit: https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Education/LivingWithWildlife/LivingWithLions.pdf.