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With the range of a mountain lion being so big, if you have plenty of deer does a lion become a resident lion as long as the food source is strong and then move as that herd goes back to it summer grounds or are they more random than that? Any feed back is great.

Dan

I'm not a lion expert like a few of the guys on here. But my explanation of what I've seen in this circumstance. If you have a primary prey that is migratory And no other prey replaces it then the lions will be migratory also. Example you have a large mtn range with multiple tiers. At the top your supporting deer and elk. Lions will find a niche that suits them and most will have a favored prey. This niche is their Home range and they will live in it defend it etc. Winter snows drive the deer out or the elk move. Now the cats will either change from one menu to the other or move with their choice prey. But if both deer and elk migrate down. The lions will move with them and set up a home range in the lower elevation. In areas where this happens annually I believe the cats use the same upper and lower ranges for consecutive years unless displaced by age or competition. In areas of good prey densities the home ranges tend to be smaller and more sharply defined per individual. In areas of scattered intermittent prey the ranges are larger and overlapping is more pronounced. Now if the lion is primarily feeding on a few specific herds and they move but Elk replace them or a cattle operation is supplying them with beef they don't need to move. Clear as mud I am sure. Lions move for food,reproduction or are displaced. I ve seen cats that get treed or trailed by hounds often continue to maintain the same range. But if a resident lion finds its prey gone for one reason or another it will leave.

Good info Pegleg, thank you.
D

I agree with Pegleg.
One thing I noticed during a study here in Oregon. When the herds grow in the winter and hit the winter range the cats get a little more bunched also. They seem to tolerate a little more crowding, but it's also a bit easyer to kill then.

Thanks R.Severe.
D

Pegleg ,
Both you and R Severe about covered it .
Lions have two main interests, food and females , both have a huge impact on their behavior and movement

One other thing I do know for sure that can be thrown into the pot is ...lions are also very unpridictable.

Thanks Brent!!
D