Jack Russell terrier trees SD lion

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http://www.argusleader.com/article/2010 ... 20319/1001
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Small dog traps big cat in Colman
Farmer shoots mountain lion after terrier trees animal



Small dog traps big cat in Colman
Farmer shoots mountain lion after terrier trees animal
JOHN HULT • JHULT@ARGUSLEADER.COM • NOVEMBER 12, 2010
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Virtus and Chad Strenge couldn't figure out what Jack was barking at.

The 17-pound Jack Russell terrier chases squirrels around their Colman farm every day, but he made such a fuss Tuesday morning that Virtus, Chad's father, had to step out of the shop to investigate.

They could hardly believe what Jack had found.


"He comes running back in saying, 'Get the gun, there's a mountain lion out there,' " Chad Strenge said. "I said, 'Yeah, right.' "

He grabbed the closest gun he could find - a 12-gauge shotgun - and took it outside. Sure enough, there he was: a full-grown, 150-pound mountain lion, up a tree and staring down at the barking terrier.

"He trees cats all the time," Chad Strenge said. "I suppose he figured it was just a cat."

Chad fired a shot that knocked the lion to the ground, and it ran through the trees toward a slough near County Highway 16.

"The dog was biting on the side of him, chasing him out there," he said. "He's got no fear, I guess."

The humans lost the mountain lion, but Jack found him again. This time, the cat was hiding in a culvert under the highway.

Virtus heard a growling sound and a yelp from the dog. Moments later, he saw both animals run across the road and into the neighbor's slough.

Chad ran after the lion, shooting it twice. The animal turned and ran toward the farmer, but another round of 8-shot turned him away again. Jack chased him in and out of the slough, barking and biting. Finally, Chad got close enough for a kill shot.

"I looked through the cattails, and he was right in front of me, 4 feet away," he said.

He fired one more shot into the animal's face, and it went down for good. Chad and Virtus dragged it out of the brush and called the state Game, Fish and Parks Department.

Conservation Officer Brandon Gust came from Lake County to pick up the animal and take it to South Dakota State University right away. Gust didn't ticket the farmers, Strenge said, because the mountain lion was threatening their property.

The 29-year-old warden directed questions to the Sioux Falls GF&P office, which was closed along with other state offices Thursday for Veterans Day, but he did say the call about a downed mountain lion was unusual.

JOHN HULT • JHULT@ARGUSLEADER.COM • NOVEMBER 12, 2010
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"This was the first time I've had to come out and get one," Gust said.

The professor who got the animal at SDSU, Jonathan Jenks, has followed big cats and tracked migration patterns in the Dakotas for years. Occasionally, an adult mountain lion will appear on the far eastern side of the state.

Jenks studied the yellowing on the animal's teeth and put its age between 3 and 4 years old. It had battle scars on its ears, suggesting fights with other lions.