Hunter fights off mountain lion with pocket knife

A hunter was able to successfully fend off a mountain lion attack Friday near Kremmling with nothing but a pocket knife.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Mike Porras told our partners at KUSA that the hunter noticed a mountain lion was following him around 8:45 p.m. Friday as he was scouting locations to track elk.

Porras says the hunter faced the animal and started walking backward, keeping his eyes on the cat. He walked backward for 200 yards but then tripped and the mountain lion ran for him.

Porras said the lion swatted at the hunter’s leg and the man fought back, stabbing the cat several times with his pocket knife.

The hunter suffered minor scratches on his legs. He did everything right in that situation, said CPW. You can learn more about what to do if you encounter a mountain lion by visiting CPW’s website here.

The mountain lion, which Porras described as “very aggressive”, was shot and killed by wildlife officers the following morning.