Mountain lions find most of their prey near the rougher and more
inaccessible canyons, and in such places they live and breed with least
disturbance. One of the most striking things about these animals is
the distance to which they will go for food. Many have been known to
travel 25 miles or more in a night, apparently without resting for any
appreciable length of time. Because of their remarkable endurance,
hunting them takes stamina and strength. Biological Survey hunters on the
fresh track of a mountain-lion have trailed the animal for 10 consecutive
hours or longer before treeing it.
Like the bobcat, the mountain-lion relies upon its senses of smell and
sight in much of its foraging. Its smell is keener than that of the
bobcat, though less so than in either wolf or coyote. It can see its
prey for a long distance, but unquestionably it does much of its silent,
cautious stalking by the sense of smell alone, taking advantage of every
cover until within striking distance of its victim. Its sense of hearing
also is acute.
In making a kill, the mountain-lion brings its victim to the ground with
a stunning impact of its entire weight. It generally attacks at the
throat and breast.
After making a kill and taking one meal, the mountain-lion will
sometimes, though not always, bury the remainder of a carcass under
leaves, litter, or other trash, to return for a later feast. Whether it
will thus return depends to some extent upon weather conditions and on
its ability to find prey elsewhere. Its killing and feeding habits vary
in other ways also. In one instance, a lone lion attacked a herd of ewes
and killed 192 in one night. Frequently more than one mountain-lion may
feed on a single carcass. Near one cow carcass the writer once trapped
six lions, of various sizes, evidently the parents and two litters of
offspring.
The presence of a mountain-lion on a range may be indicated by its kill
of deer or other game, even though domestic stock may not have been
disturbed. If a kill is made in fall or winter, the meat may remain fresh
for many weeks.