Summit County Man Survives Mountain Lion Attack
Aug 18, 2018, 7:37 PM | Updated: 7:45 pm
KAMAS, Utah – A Summit County man survived a mountain lion attack near Kamas early Saturday morning.
Cody Hardman said he was on his way to meet with his father for a hunting trip about three miles east of Kamas when the attack happened. He said he had just finished a snack and was walking in a wooded area not far from the Mirror Lake Highway when he heard a noise.
“I hadn’t taken 10 steps and I heard a growl,” Hardman said. “It went on for a second and got louder and pretty soon I heard that thing roar and it was right there. It was 10 feet away.”
Hardman said the mountain lion was crouched low to the ground as it watched him.
“Intimidating. He had that, just like you see on TV, that low stance, crouching, and his eyes were pinned on me. They were looking right into my eyes,” he said. “I had just enough time to pull back and let an arrow fly and he jumped. When he jumped he hit me right in the chest.”
Hardman said the mountain lion knocked him to the ground, but did not bite him. Instead, he said the cat moved back about 15 feet and charged him a few times, before running away. Hardman had some scratches on his chest and a puncture wound on his leg, but was not seriously injured.
Utah Department of Natural Resources officers and Summit County Sheriff’s deputies searched the area for the mountain lion, but there was no sign of it. A DNR spokesperson said animals that attack people are considered public safety threats and are typically put down.
“They are very effective predators. That’s why we take these incidents so seriously and investigate them fully. It’s a public safety issue. They can quickly and easily kill their prey, and occasionally, that can be a person,” said DNR spokesperson Phil Douglass.
According to Wild Aware Utah, if people encounter mountain lions, they should make themselves look as big as possible, talk loudly in a firm voice, and back away slowly. If the mountain lion attacks, they should fight back aggressively, protecting the head and neck.
