Mountain Lion and Cougar Trapping

Have you ever seen a bobcat take on a rattlesnake?

It can be a crazy and intimidating experience to get a large mountain lion out of a trap. This lion is very big and lucky for these guys they got it out without incident.

Large mountain lions or cougars can be hard to handle. You can release a smaller mountain lion by yourself, but even that can be difficult.

This mountain lion was caught in a dirt hole set for coyotes or bobcats. A lot of the time a lion can get out of the trap by pulling out, but in this case it was caught very well.

Cougar or Mountain Lion
Mountain Lion and Cougar Trapping

Releasing A Mountain Lion From A Foothold Trap

A few things that will help when releasing a lion from a trap are:

  • Get help! Most people can’t do this alone. In the above video, the guy called the local wildlife officer to come help.
  • Stretch the cat out. Get a catch pole around the lion’s neck and then get a catch pole around its back leg. Pull the lion out so its legs are not coiled up because that is where the power comes from.
  • A blanket or tarp can be used to calm the mountain lion down. The lion will be super mad that he is in your trap. The trick to this tip is you have to get the blanket or tarp over the head of the lion. Be careful because in the video above the blanket gets caught in the catchpole. If a wild animal can’t see it tends to calm down.
  • A catchpole can choke out a mountain lion. This can be a good thing and a bad thing when trying to release it. The lion can be choked out for a few seconds to disorient it so you can get the trap off its foot, but if the catchpole loop chokes it for too long, it can kill the lion.
  • The last thing is to pray that you don’t get mauled by the lion, and have fun! Most people don’t get this opportunity.