How Likely Are You To Find A Mountain Lion In Your Yard (& What To Do If You Do)

Occasionally, mountain lion sightings in backyards and front porches get featured on the local news or go viral on social media. If this happens more than once a month, even if on opposite sides of the country, it might generate some anxiety about it becoming a common occurrence and even potentially happening to you. Worry not, these sightings are newsworthy exactly because they're rare. And if you do happen to come across one, the last thing you want to do is turn and run.

Mountain lions are not interested in urban areas or any scenario that may represent a danger to their survival. Although they are known to occasionally roam outside the boundaries of their natural habitat, since, like all cats, they're innately curious, it's unlikely that they'll stick around or return unless they find food. This is something to consider if you live in areas where common cougar prey like deer, coyotes, and raccoons like to make an appearance. Keeping these animals and pests out of your backyard will also ward off their predators. Similarly, if you live near wild areas, you should be extra cautious about leaving pets or any food outdoors for too long — especially overnight. 

Mountain lion visits in metropolitan areas are unlikely. However, with conservation efforts of both the big cats and their prey, populations are on the rise. So, as the human population also expands, and more people put down roots in former cougar country like mountain slopes and woodlands, encounters are bound to become more frequent. Western states like California, Colorado, Arizona, Montana, Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming have a larger concentration of the fierce felines, making animal-human crossovers likelier. 

There are many ways to keep wild animals like cougars away from your yard. Food is the biggest attractor, so make sure that any and all possible food sources are controlled, concealed, or even removed. This includes dirty grills, trash, pet food, pets, livestock, but also plants that cougar prey may like to eat. Secondly, these are stealthy predators that like to catch their prey by surprise. By removing any nooks and crannies they can hide in, you make your backyard less hunt-friendly. Finally, to err on the side of caution, you can scare the animals away by installing motion-detecting lights, sprinklers, and alarms. You might even want to consider adding a fence to your garden, but it should be tall, since mountain lions are great jumpers.

If all of these steps fail and you find yourself face-to-face with one of these intimidating creatures, don't go near it — but don't run either. Make yourself look and sound as big and threatening as possible. Slowly back away, but never turn your back. This will most likely repel it and get you to safety, but if it comes closer or tries to attack, throw stuff at it and fight back.