Hunter Stalked by Mountain Lion

Claim:   Photograph shows an elk hunter being stalked by a mountain lion.

FALSE

Example:   [Collected via e-mail, October 2010]

This is freaking scary. As you know I was alone when I downed this elk in ND. I was using my camera's timer attached to my shooting stick to give me enough time to get into the picture. I knew there were a lot of cats in the area but had no idea they would come in this close to people. He had to be within 10 feet of me and I didn’t even know it. I about crapped my pants when I looked at the pictures the next morning and
saw he was there.

Origins:   We don't know the identity of the hunter pictured above with a downed elk, but the backstory that accompanies this image (i.e., that the hunter snapped his own photo using his camera's timer and only later noticed that a mountain lion had been stalking him at the time) is false. The image is a composite; the original photograph of the mountain lion was taken by a wildlife biologist in California in February 2008 and shows no trace of hunter or elk:

Last updated:   19 October 2010