Susan C. Morse
Originally posted on May 21, 2017
Blog by Erin Hauge
On Thursday, May 18 a mountain lion was spotted on the Cosumnes River Preserve! While there were no photographs of the animal, an experienced naturalist and CRP volunteer noticed the big cat watching him from across a slough as he was tending wood duck boxes. The lion turned and faded into the dense oak forest but the volunteer noted the long, muscular tail.
Bait stations using a carcass can be attractive to a hungry lion and a great way to get photographic proof that there is a lion around. In an area with so many live deer, this lion may already have a fresh kill cached somewhere, in which case the carcass might be of little interest. All we need is a curious cat to swing by for a sniff!
Unfortunately, BLM staff wasn't notified of the sighting until the next day. The first 10 to 24 hours is crucial for setting up a bait station after a lion sighting because lions are generally on the move and don't stay in one place long. So we were running against the clock out the gate on this sighting. An email went around to volunteers reminding them: "If you think you've seen a lion, say something!"
Camera location by deer carcass - camera is cabled to tree on the left. Erin Hauge
Nevertheless, our lion team activated as soon as we got the news and placed a frozen deer carcass out near the remote area where the lion was seen along with two game cameras directed on the carcass. We'd be able to see if there was any activity in that area. The carcass had to be tied down so the lion or any coyotes in the area wouldn't drag it out of range of the camera. Then we covered the carcass with grasses, leaves and forest litter to make it look as though it might be a cache - prey that another animal had dragged there and then covered to hide from other predators so they could come back for future meals.
Deer carcass concealed under leaf litter. The carcass has been cabled to a tree so mountain lions and coyote can't drag the carcass out of camera range. Erin Hauge
Then the cameras needed to be checked daily by 10am for at least 72 hours after setting up this bait station. The first 2 to 3 days are typically the window when the lion may come around to check out the situation.
After 3 days, the carcass is decomposing to the degree that a cat would likely not choose to feed on it. Especially in an area where live deer are plentiful, as they are on the Preserve.
We'll see what we get!
UPDATE: We did not get a lion on camera near this carcass. And what we learned is that for the next bait station, we need to set the carcass up ahead of the lion, on a path where it may be likely that he or she would come across the carcass. We placed this carcass where the lion was seen, meaning that the individual had already moved through the area. If the lion doubled back for any reason, he or she could have come across the carcass but that didn't happen in this case. Coyotes, flies and beetles got the benefit of this bait station!
Lesson: Think like a predator and strive to stay out in front of possible lion movement!
© Erin Hauge 2017
