Turkey Hunter Comes Face-to-Face with Hungry Mountain Lions in Butte County

Billy Driessen, known for being a fishing guide in the area and catching giant bass, recently had a run-in with a pack of mountain lions in Butte County. His story is terrifying and will leave you keeping your head on a swivel next time you’re in the outdoors.

Driessen was turkey hunting in Butte County near Ord Bend when he hit a big turkey. The turkey became crippled and the hunters took off in pursuit. Once they got near the turkey they encountered three full-grown mountain lions who claimed the Tom for themselves.

“The smallest cat, the size of a Great Dane, caught wind and charged in 2 bounding leaps closing the gap between us and stopped 10 feet shy and remained in pouncing position,” Driessen wrote on Facebook “I had tried to scramble backwards and fell right on my ass, all the while I see the larger cats devouring the turkey while feet away one remains twitching its tail and staring at me with its mouth wide open.”

He was able to make it back to his feet and slowly back away from the cats, who seemed to focus on their new turkey meal. He was able to snag a photo from a video he was taking on his cell phone:

Lamenting the growing mountain lion problem in the area, possibly due to displacement from wildfires, had Driessen sending warnings to other outdoor enthusiasts.

“This is not the first cat encounter out here this month, my neighbors young children had a run in with them as well. No one has been hurt yet but it’s only a matter of time with encounters like this,” said Driessen. “This is a growing problem and concern that needs to be addressed before it’s too late for someone. Pretty soon there will be more predators than prey and it almost seemed like those cats came to the gun shot like a dinner bell.”

Here is the full description of the event:

https://www.facebook.com/Bdriessen2010/posts/2446275505396428

Stay safe out there!

Active NorCal

Telling the Stories of Northern California
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