Mountain Lion sighting in Aliso this morning

I'm about 95% sure what I saw was a mountain line on an early morning ride this morning in Aliso. I was about 6:30 am and I was heading from Cholla to TOW along the ridgeline. I saw what I thought was a coyote on the steep climb just before the top of Mathis. Then I realized it was too big for a Coyote and thought it was a large dog. It was dark brown in color. As I got closer it turned and looked at me then jumped into the bushes. As it jumped it was definitely cat like and I saw a very long tail float around as it moved.

I saw all this from before the climb so it was about 50 yards away I would guess. There was still a little early morning haze in the air but I'm pretty confident what I saw was a mountain lion.

I kept on climbing, yelled a couple times and looked over my shoulder a few times as I road away from the spot where it jumped into the bushes.

 

it was probably looking for a place to sit...

 

"There are no mountain lions on that side of the 405", it must've been a Liger.

 

I wouldnt be supprised. There is an abundace of mountain lion food in Aliso right now.

 

Did you report it to the rangers? There are many people walking their dogs (and small kids even) along the ridge, if it was a lion it'd be a good deed to put it on record so they can keep an eye out and warn if they deem necessary.

 

Lucky man! Some go a lifetime of outdoor rec and never see one.

I've seen two in AW. Probably the same one twice, actually. Off Coyote Run in the 90s. Recently saw another on Live Oak Cyn Road near the fire station. Saw some lion scat with deer hooves in it while hiking off trail in CNF.

So bitchin that we have these gorgeous animals around. Thanks for the share

 

From another forum (i did not instigate these emails, just passing along info),: emails from various biologists, working for the US mountain lion study, among others:

"Since I've been working in O.C. in 2000 there hasn't been a 100% confirmed mountain lion track (in the san jouaquin hills). There was one track in the southern Aliso Woods Cyn that suspiciously looked like mtn lion in 2005. I sent the photo, which USGS didn't take, to Linda Sweanor and she said she gave it a 70% confirmation... for whatever that's worth... as we all know they can look like large dogs and that's what she also said. There have been some "fairly reliable" reported sightings to Barbara Norton at Laguna Coast Wilderness, but nothing confirmed either even after when went out to confirm. You should see what Trish Smith says as she probably has the longest running institutional knowledge of the area.

then from trish: I don’t know of any confirmed lion sightings in the San Joaquin Hills. I saw one in 1992 in Laguna Coast which even then was crazy/unbelievable.
Kevin Crooks got a mountain lion DNA sample from a hair snare in about 2000/2001 in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. There have been credible sightings since then, but none confirmed.

Based on what Lisa and Trish relate below, and our research into how mt lions move across roads and urban areas, I would say that any sightings in the coastal range are highly unlikely but not totally impossible. Young male lions make occasional appearances in weird places due to their explorations at the edges of terrain that is unknown to them as they search for territory. However, those explorations are usually brief because areas like the coastal range in OC are not nearly large enough to support them or be a territory (those are often 75-150 sq mi in size) – also just to get there from the Santa Anas would be highly hazardous and dissuasive to the lion, so regular back and forth use between the two ranges would not be likely at all.

I don't know of any confirmed sightings (by confirmed I mean
sightings by a ranger or other very credible source or a trail camera pic or
a track confirmed by a knowledgeable tracker) even as late as 2004. What
was the source of the sighting you refer to then?

USGS ran extensive trail camera systems in that area for years and never got
a pic. I'll cc Lisa Lyren of USGS to see if she knows of the last confirmed
presence of a lion in the coastal reserves."


... ...From what I heard from the rangers a few years ago, they think there might be just one left in all of the san jouaquin hills, but no 100% confirmed sighting. and its getting old (about 8-10 years old) and all of the (unconfirmed) sightings have been around emerald canyon.

 

"...highly unlikely but not totally impossible"

Methinks they underestimate the prolificness of cats.

 

Four or five months ago I got to the bottom of Rock It and over heard a guy tell his buddy a story about how he saw a mountain lion in a tree branch that hung over Coyote Run.

 

They are out there.
I saw a mtn lion in O'neil around 2004, and the tail end of one in san Clemente single track a few years ago.

In whiting, pretty sure I saw a cub a couple years ago, but not 100% positive. It was definitely not a bobcat, or house cat. The medium-dog size Cat was hiding in a
ravine behind bushes watching me. I stopped to see what it was and off it went....

 

Danimal, the issue here is mountain lions in the san jouaquin hills (aliso/lcwp/el moro), which is an "island' ecosysem separated from the santa ana mountains by an urban expanse. oneil, whiting, and scst are part of the santa ana mountains area, and nobody doubts the existence of lions there.

 

Thanks, on that point you are correct.
The OP just states that they saw a mountain lion in Aliso, and I was sharing my experience in having encounters also, so I am on topic.


But of course cougars may have taken up road biking as a way to get to Aliso,:?:
or stealth ninja back yard hopping....

 

I highly doubt that there are mountain lions out there.

 

Where and when was this taken?

 

This morning at Aliso!

 

I definitely saw some Cougars at Aliso this morning. Beautiful creatures they were. But no mountain lions.

I never thought much about the theory I have read about the unlikeliness of lions in Aliso / El Morro as I don't really care that much, but I just looked at an aerial (Google) map of OC and it is pretty hard to believe that a mountain lion could get from Cleveland National Forest to Aliso, there's just too much development between. I don't doubt that lions could, and most likely do, travel from Cleveland into Santiago Oaks/Irvine Park, Whiting, O'Neill, Caspers, etc.

Having said that, I sure have seen a lot of deer in Aliso and whenever I see that many deer, I always wonder if there's a kitty out there stalking and I hope I'm not in the way.

 

Here is what we saw in San Clemente last weekend,I am sure it is not a bobcat or a house cat or a dog...


Scared the skittles outta me until I saw it clearly...

 

I also rode Aliso this morning, but I was on the ridge to Mathis around 8:15 or so. I am a bit paranoid so my ears are always on the lookout, but I failed to hear anything.

Nothing seen going down Mathis or up Lynx.

Regarding the deer, are there any mountain lion experts here who would be able to see if this is a mountain lion attack. I hear that they typically go for the neck and from the photo, the neck looked to be left alone. (maybe a clarity issue)

 

A friend found a fresh deer kill at LCWP within the last two years, probably closer to one year.

In some ways we (MTBers) are more in touch with what's going on out there than the "experts." How many riders report lion sightings? I never do.

 

no expert on if the pic was lion attack, but pretty sure that's not an Aliso trail (gray shale in Aliso?)

At least he has a good place in the shade to sit. That guy is nailed down good huh!