animal attacks

["Blankenship, Ann" <ABlankenship@commerce.ca.gov>]

Here are two little animal attack stories from my neck of the woods.

A couple years ago, a woman runner was killed by a mountain lion on a
heavily used multiuse trail about 1/2 mile from my house.  The cat hit
her from above and behind, so a gun wouldn't have helped.  The American
River Ride was held on the same day and many riders rode right past her
body an hour or so after the incident.  The cat had dragged her a little
way down the hill so she wasn't found until  later.

A year or so later, another woman was running with her huge dog
(mastiff/lab??) that she had for protection against things like lions.
She was on the same trail as the woman above.  A buck came charging down
the hill and attacked her dog, finally getting the dog up against a tree
and goring it to death.  She tried unsuccessfully to divert the buck (a
common mule deer) who was in rut.  So, a gun would have helped in this
situation...   venison.

There is no moral to these stories.  I present them because they
happened recently and on a horse trail nearby.  I carry a small .45
called a Sidekick in a fannypack which I use as a bellypack.  (by the
way, it really hurts when you fall off your horse onto your pistol)  My
parole officer friend (a woman) advised me against a .22 or .38.  Her
words were, "if you are going to shoot someone, kill the hell out of
'em."  Makes sense to me.