BOZEMAN \u2014 A quiet evening walk turned into a startling wildlife encounter for a longtime Figgins neighborhood resident who came face to face with a mountain lion a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n
Jennifer Grace, who has lived near Morning Star Elementary for more than a decade, said she walks her dog, Obie, \u201caround three to five times a day\u201d when working from home. The trail she frequents wraps around the Figgins neighborhood \u2014 a path she knows well. But on April 30, she met an unexpected visitor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have worked as a wildlife biologist for decades. I grew up in mountain lion habitat all throughout the West. I\u2019ve never seen a mountain lion,\u201d Grace said.<\/p>\n
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Grace recalled walking to the exact spot where the encounter happened. Obie barked in a way she immediately recognized as unusual.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was halfway between me and those bushes right there, and he was barking. I had the sixth sense like, \u2018uh-oh,\u2019 that’s not a normal bark,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
When she realized her dog was face-to-face with a cougar?<\/p>\n
\u201cI was scared. It\u2019s one of those things, like, do I protect my dog? Do I protect the cat? Do I protect myself?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The mountain lion eventually ran off. Grace called her husband to bring bear spray \u2014 a precaution she says was necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been around enough animals to know that just because you see it leaving doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s gone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In the days following her encounter, multiple social media posts surfaced from other residents reporting mountain lion sightings in the area. That prompted Grace \u2014 and others \u2014 to contact Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP).<\/p>\n
Morgan Jacobsen with FWP confirmed that one of their game wardens checked the area but did not locate a mountain lion. \u201cWe\u2019ve been monitoring that area,\u201d he said. Jacobsen informed me that FWP is monitoring the area to determine whether the cougar needs to be removed.<\/p>\n
Jacobsen explained that mountain lions in populated areas are often younger cats establishing their home range. Urban deer can also attract them into towns.<\/p>\n
He advised residents not to feed neighborhood deer and offered safety tips: travel in groups, make noise, carry bear spray, and keep it easily accessible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you do encounter a lion, make yourself big, make a lot of noise, and defend yourself by whatever means you need to,\u201d Jacobsen said.<\/p>\n
Grace tells me bear spray was a necessity on her next walk.<\/p>\n
Although the encounter was frightening, she called it a reminder of life in Montana.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe live in Bozeman. We come here for the wildlife. That\u2019s just part of life here,\u201d Grace said.<\/p>\n