Yes, I have lived in an urban environment since the mid-1990s but I grew up in the country. When I did we had the local deer that ate my dad’s garden and my mom’s flowers. There was an occasional possum and some rabbits every now an then. One time my brother actually found a hedgehog (alive) in the pasture. I have no idea where or how that happened since they are not native nor was anyone around missing a pet. My dad said that about ten years ago, there was a cougar down in the pasture but it was a one time event.

Since we have moved to the lake, it has been a stark awakening. I talked to my neighbor as I was cleaning up the trash and he said that his can got hit too. He said that it was a first time even though it has happened on the street before. He has told me a couple of times that we are ‘on the edge of the outback’. I guess so.

I have to admit that as much as I have been at the coast including years and years of deer hunting, I must have been naïve. Not only have I rarely seen deer but never a bear or a cougar. As a local and being more in tune with the chatter, I am realizing that we are surrounded by wildlife including some potentially dangerous ones. I have been reading on Nextdoor about bears getting into the garbage in the community about five miles south but not here.

I am still in the funk of moving and I will be for many months to come. Now that the furnace is installed and the electrical work is almost complete I started working on organizing my outdoor gear last week. Not only is it camping and backpacking but also my hunting and shooting supplies. Everything is cased, boxed or split up in different locations.

Everything? Well, not quite. As a defensively oriented person I still have quick access self-defense. But, this thinking has largely been oriented toward varmints or two legged threats and no where near where I want to be when I am done organizing. For that reason, I have felt ‘safe’ for what I have expected and prepared for.

Given that the likelihood of a dangerous wildlife encounter is extremely small, I feel like this is a wake up call. I don’t know if that bear was male or female. I don’t know if there are cubs around and that takes things to a different level. Heck, I feel like I should possibly be armed if I go outside after dark.

I always wanted to live somewhere that was much closer to nature and particularly animals. I also wanted to live with a little more peace and quiet like out of the city. When we were discussing this move, I kind of saw it as the surrender of that dream. We are not in the city but we are not far either. I saw this property more like a vacation property then in the wilderness. It is kind of seeming more like what I wanted, just without the wide open spaces and ponderosa pine.

You might be wondering if I am scared. No, not really. I will say that my wife is a little freaked out. What I will say is that I am going to be a lot less carefree. It is no longer a slim possibility that something could be happening outside at night. It makes me wonder what things we should change if using the hot tub after dark as an example. What should I do if I let the dog out after dark? It is things like that.

I think the truth is that cougars are more of a threat than bears. Bears can overpower you based on their size and defensive instincts whereas cougars can stalk and attack. Cougars are more likely to run away so as not to be seen but they are also more likely to attack as well. You just don’t really know.

End Your Programming Routine: So now we can say that we lost our cat by a suspected cougar and had a bear in the trash. I think that what I am going to do is keep an eye out for more of this type of activity. Unfortunately, with laws the way that they are, we cant just keep a shotgun propped in the corner, nor would I do that. But, I might just have think about getting stuff organized a little faster than I have been doing.