I loooove my mountain lion neighbor whose territory I share! We get along really well. Sometimes intersecting a little but always respecting each other. I can smell him at night when he walks by my open bedroom window or my tent and it always makes me extremely happy when I see his paw prints in the morning. What a gift to be sharing a space with the guardian of the mountains! I am an extremely lucky girl that he allows that! They are such benevolent beings indeed! Here is what you need to know so YOU can get along with them splendiferously as well:
"I live as an interspecies communicator and before I enter a hiking trail I silently always ask for permission to enter and tell them what my intentions are, how long I will be staying and how much I love the WILD. It is rare that I get a NO but when I do I respect that and stay away because they might have a fresh kill in that area or might be teaching their cubs how to hunt.
Mountain lions generally avoid humans, and most interactions are non-aggressive. Attacks on humans/I call them rather "defends" typically occur due to one or more of the following reasons:
Using THEIR trails. Most of our hiking trails are former animal trails that we made wider and more accessible. They are easier on their paws just like they are easier on our feet and when using those trails we will encounter them more likely. When one follows us on a trail that is not automatically "stalking". Most likely it is walking on the same trail. I step aside and let them pass. Sometimes they step aside and let me pass. Same with bears.
Prey behavior: Human actions that mimic prey, such as running, jogging, or bicycling, can trigger a mountain lion's natural hunting instinct to chase. Keep that in mind while jogging in the wilderness with ear buds in or riding a mountain bike down a hill.
Vulnerability: A person appearing small or vulnerable (like a child screaming like a wounded prey animal, an extreme sports person with a bleeding injury completing their marathon at night in the wilderness, someone crouching down, or a person alone) may be perceived as an easier target.
Surprise: Surprising a mountain lion eating their meal in peace, particularly one that is cornered or has no escape route, can cause them to attack defensively. Keep your senses honed and open and do not just step into any situation willy nilly. Or onto any situation willy nilly. A hunter in MT stepped on a sleeping bear while only having open eyes for an elk in the distance. Look UP AND DOWN. You are in THEIR HOME as a guest and they are giving you plenty of signs like fresh scat, bones scattered, etc. They also sing the most amazing song to communicate. I love that song! I love their song!
Protecting resources: A mountain lion may attack to defend her cubs or a fresh kill if a human gets too close to their den or a carcass, especially if you have dogs with you who aggravate her.
Dogs: Nobody has ever or extremely rarely killed a mountain lion without dogs that treed them so they could shoot the terrified animal off the tree. A Fish and Wildlife official in MT told me that this has happened only once in the history of the state. That hunter came upon the lion while he was eating his meal and just shot him. Many unleashed pets have hunting breeds in them and flush out an otherwise calm and composed lion who is just waiting for the hiking party to pass. Sometimes they are sitting on a tree unbeknownst to the people and dogs passing underneath. I have witnessed that. And it has happened to me. But the lion communicated with me from the top of the tree and hence I looked up and saw him. That was beautiful!
Hunger or habitat loss: In rare cases, factors like limited natural prey, a lion being sick, old, or an inexperienced juvenile forced to hunt on its own, can push them into human areas out of desperation. An experienced elk hunter once told me that an old mountain lion might have problems with their teeth and will go after easy prey like a cow because the udder is soft and does not cause too much of a tooth ache to chew and a female in heat.
Beware of those! They will wander until they have found a mate, sometimes for months and will eat your unattended pony or livestock because that is the easiest prey they can kill while on such an important mission.
And last but not least: Human fear of them thrown at them. I suspect, I do not know because I am not afraid that fear thrown at them by humans when they encounter them plays a role also, especially when she has cubs with her. Fear is an entity that does not exist in nature. When pursuit by a wolf, a deer will run away, not out of fear but because she needs to show the wolf by reflex if she is THE ONE to take out of the herd by limping or being slow. Or by outrunning them she shows her superior strength and will to live. Next time. A mother lion will have to protect her cubs from such an entity and might have to throw it back at the human.