Night Fishing Advice

[Bryce_Fishin24]

Hello everyone (:, as some may know I live and fish in the San Bernardino mountains, and I mostly night fish, and I've encountered wildlife once but I always want to be prepared.

One time I was fishing with my friend around 3am at silverwood lake, and we encountered something growling at us in the brush but could never make it out, honestly it sounded like an aggravated pig but I've never heard of wild pigs or hogs around but either way luckily whatever it was didn't attack us because we had nothing not even lights because it was stupid of us.

I was wondering what do you guys typically carry? And I'm not 21 so I can't carry in California, but any other things I should buy to help protect against if I was to encounter a mountain lion or bear? It's summer so I'd assume they'll all be out more often and I just want to be prepared because where I fish you have to hike quite a ways so if anything happens it's not like I can just go to my car I'm far from it. Everywhere I fish I hike to deep creek, silverwood, etc. I just want to be prepared to be safe if anyone knows of the best solution to help protect against wilife please let me know

[scaleface]

If I encounter a mountain lion or a bear I will probably get some pictures before it kills me .

[Jon G]

I've seen many mountain lions around Silverwood when I use to live there and was glad that I was on a boat when I did see them. Honestly I wouldn't fish there at night only in the mornings. 

 

This is what mountain lions sound like when the cry: 

[Montanaro]

Carry some oregano. Cougars love oregano!

[papajoe222]

There isn't a lot you can do to protect yourself at night. If you were old enough to carry a gun, I wouldn't recommend shooting at noises, no matter how frightening. Your best offense is a good defense. And the best defense is to know your adversary. Determine what animals could be a threat and how active they are at night. The flash of an extremely bright light will temporarily blind most any animal. At the very least, I'd invest in a good tactical flashlight.

[WRB]

Pepper spray for bears, Amazon

Tom

[Angry John]

Just beat me to it. Bear spray will deter most animals. Volume and spray pattern are the key. Don't go cheap if its worth having.

[Bryce_Fishin24]

Thank you so much guys, I will for sure invest in some pepper spray for bears..... List of materials I was thinking since I'm not a professional at wilderness stuff is

Bright flash light

Pepper spray... Both listed above thank you

Tactical knife

And one of those canned blow horns or bright sirens things that are supper loud. The ones that look like WD-40 cans or something like that. If there's anything else I forgot please tell me

[martintheduck]

Portable spotlight, Big tactical knife in an easy to access sheath, bear mace.

[WRB]

You more likely to get bitten by a rattle snake where you fish then any of other animals.

Always let someone know where you plan to go and return, take your cell phone.

Good hiking boots and snake proof chaps.

Tom

[Jon G]

Rattlesnakes are plentiful in San Bernadino I would also bring one of those snakebite kits you could get from the outdoor departments at a sporting goods store.

[bassless]

I just did a Google search on "San Bernadino Mountains + Mountain Lions" and I got a long list of stories about run-ins with them.  Given what I'm reading in the news...I don't think you could get me to go on long hikes in the dark through that area.  

 

Here's a nice link to mountain lion behavior, with a few excerpts on how it hunts and how you are likely to die:

 

http://www.mountainlion.org/CAL_ch4.asp

 

"Cougars are ambush predators.(44) Like most cats, with the notable exception of the cheetah, they attempt to catch their prey unaware, rather than chase it down. Unlike a bear, which kills its prey through brute force, the cougar is the epitome of speed and precision. The cat is silent on approach, quick on the attack, and efficient in making the kill."

 

"The cougar fixes its gaze on the animal, lowers itself to the ground in a crouch, and begins to maneuver closer to the animal, taking care to remain hidden. It assumes an alert watching posture: head is stretched forward, the whiskers spread wide, and ears erect and turned toward the front. The cat will hold this position for minutes on end following the prey's slightest movement with its head.(13) When the prey draws within 50 feet or less, Felis concolor strikes.(38)

Flattened against the ground, the cat darts forward, either running or with several bounds, and quickly closes the distance to its prey.(13) The angle of attack is usually from the rear or side.(1) Once at its prey's side it grasps the neck and shoulders with the front paws, claws extended. It will frequently strike its prey with such force during the final charge that in the case of a large animal such as deer or elk, the prey will be knocked off their feet. Although cats will attack from elevated positions such as a tree or boulder, they almost never land directly on their prey."

 

"The prey is normally killed with a bite to the back of the neck at the base of the skull. The large canines are inserted between the vertebrae like a wedge, forcing the vertebrae apart and breaking the spinal cord.(13) The speed with which this takes place indicates that the concentration of nerves in its canines allows the cat to "feel" its way to the vertebrae in a fraction of a second.(5) In the case of larger prey such as elk, the neck may be broken by pulling the head down and back, breaking it directly or in a fall.(45) If this fails the cougar may grasp the throat, crushing the windpipe. This necessitates death through asphyxiation and takes longer, exposing the cougar to possible injury.(6, 38) The efficiency of the kill will vary, depending on prey size, cougar size, angle of attack, and other circumstances. Hornocker found that cougars were successful 82 percent of the time in attacks on mule deer and elk in the Idaho Primitive Area."

 

Here's a link to a National Parks page on Mountain Lion Safety:

 

http://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/yoursafety_mountainlions.htm

 

 

If I had to go, I'd have 4 bright headlamps (facing front, rear, left, and right).  I'd carry a Keltec KSG 12 gauge (12 shot capacity) and I'd strap two claymore mines to my backpack to protect against attack from the rear.  After that, hey relax...whats the worst that could happen?  Oh yeah...I'd also wear a thick leather collar with spikes to keep that cat from crushing my windpipe or severing my spine.  I was going to say I'd cover the neck-collar with treble hooks but that might actually make the cat get stuck to you...which would be counterproductive...so I went with spikes.

[Bryce_Fishin24]

Let's just hope there's no run ins anytime soon and I just enjoy fishing.

[Mass Bassin']

crossbow (not a firearm) with exploding arrows