Mountain lion encounter at golf course
At approximately 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 23, a local resident who does not wish to be identified, was walking around Emerson Lake at the Diamond Mountain Golf Course with her dogs.
When one of them went into some bushes at the edge of the lake, she heard yelping and a mountain lion burst out of its hiding place and was chased to a nearby tree by her dogs.
After managing to get the dogs back on their leashes, she left the area and warned some approaching golfers about the mountain lion.
Bryan Sherman, who happened to be on the golf course at the time, reported the animal seemed to show no fear of humans and felt the situation was not safe. He called the authorities and remained in close proximity until they arrived.
Lassen County Sheriff’s Deputy Bryan Sullivan arrived at the scene to find the mountain lion still in the tree and a group of excited onlookers. After an assessment of the situation, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, Sullivan said, and he remained on scene until someone from the department of fish and wildlife arrived.
Byron Hernandez, game warden, responded soon after and determined the animal was not an imminent safety threat, Lt. Kyle Kroll, game warden supervisor, reported. The crowd was dispersed and Hernandez remained at the location until dark, at which time the animal left the tree and was strongly encouraged to leave the area by Hernandez through the use of hazing.
Two days earlier, Tracy Nareau, shared that about 5:30 p.m. she noticed a mountain lion lying in a pasture near her home on Gold Run Road.
The animal did not seem bothered by anything and continued to move closer and closer to the residence.
She phoned her husband, who was not home at the time, to warn him of the mountain lion’s presence, and as the time of his arrival approached, she turned on the outside light to discover the large animal on the patio right outside the door. Nareau said it stared at her for several seconds and then calmly left the patio and went under the deck.
The local trapper was notified, but was unavailable that evening. The following morning, a search of the area by Nareau’s husband showed no signs of the mountain lion.
Kroll reminds residents that we live in mountain lion habitat, and wherever there are deer, there can be mountain lions.
For more information, visit wildlife.ca.gov and check out the “Keep me Wild” brochure on mountain lions as well as other wildlife. To report encounters with mountain lions, call Cal-TIP at 888-334-2258 or text “CALTIP [your message]” to 847411. For emergency situations call 916-358-1312 or 911.
