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I was thinking that if he really didn’t feel safe, he wouldn’t have ‘hobbled’ himself by constantly recording the encounter. Once again, a YT opportunity trumps personal safety.
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The problem is bending down reduces your height and makes you look less intimidating…while this indeed appeared to be a case of :get outa here" rather than predation, the cat was wary enough. If he had been less of a perceived threat (like if it had been a small animal, a fox perhaps) I think the cat would been more deliberate in her actions.
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ya, I was thinking “if only he had a laser pointer” 
Cougars are less scared of water than house cats, though; they swim regularly. I don’t know how bear spray works on them; it was sort of effective for this guy, but I’ve seen another video from the same area and the same situation ( a runner ) where the guy had a couple persistently run at him, getting bear spray each time and not being too deterred.
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The other thing he could have done is stand tall with his arms upright over his head, which has been proven (unscientifically, by Steve Irwin) to scare away lions in Africa.
As someone else said, had he put the phone away grabbing rocks would have been easier. I think grabbing a rock could have been done in a quick and efficient manner before the cat got any bright ideas, but that’s armchair YouTubing.
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Tell me about it. 
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It is supremely dumb to approach the young of any kind of large animal, as even herbivores can be dangerous - get the fuck away the second you spot one. The most harrowing story I’ve heard from experienced hikers was not stumbling across an adult bear, but across a bear cub - and then realizing they were between it and its mother, the most dangerous situation you can be in.
Although apparently the best approach for dealing with being confronted by a bear depends on the type. For brown and grizzly bears, play dead. For black bears, run like fucking hell, or if that’s not possible, look as big as possible and prepare to fight.
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Ha, ya, but ya gotta serve the IG. Having a technological talisman in hand might have been comforting, too
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Works fine for black bears, not at all for grizzlies. I don’t ordinarily hike in grizzly country. I understand that grizzlies see humans as prey but won’t eat something that’s already dead, so play dead.
Black bears often charge when they’re threatened, and are bluffing. Running away can look like prey. It also helps to sound human - just shouting, “hey, BEAR!” will often spook them.
All bets are off if you get between Mama Bear and the cubs, but that’s really unlikely. Black bears are basically timid. I see them a lot, but mostly all I see is the arse end of a bear running away from me.
And please, for the bears’ sake, store food (and trash, toothpaste, anything else that a bear might think is edible) responsibly. A fed bear is a dead bear.
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The runner was in little danger of “mauling”. The cat was “escorting him off the premises” with the same exaggerated actions a kitten uses to bluff a larger cat. Fluff up, make horrible noises and bounce sideways to look as big as possible. The paw-slapping is also a defense move.
When a cougar wants to maul you, you might see a tan streak coming, but you won’t get that much warning.
He did the right thing, not running, but walking backwards, but should have been waving his arms, making loud noises and breaking off branches to throw … perform your best imitation of a poo-flinging shrieking monkey
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I think her cubs were following her, which made her xhase him further than if the cubs had stayed behind.
Cougars are impressive cats. I saw one while I was on a early morning hike in Arizona. I stopped to rest and he strolled to the other side of the creek, looked at me and lapped up water.
They will also follow hikers and horsemen, but on a path parallel to the humans, to take advantage of any critters the hikers scare up. If you are ibn cougar territory, keep an eye on the brush to either side of the trail and you might spot one.
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I’m seeing a lot of incorrect information about bears.
Grizzlies are generally herbivores and not likely to predate you, unless you threaten their young or look like you are trying to steal their food. The notion that they don’t like dead meat is utterly wrong, they will defend a carcass. They are huge and scary but actually not particularly aggressive - they don’t have to be as the biggest thing around. That is why playing dead is a viable option with a grizzly, because they aren’t trying to eat you.
Black bears (and their cousins brown) are similar and will almost always run away if they see you. However, once in awhile one of them decides to see what people taste like and become predatory. There are a few harrowing videos of black bears stalking a hiker with lunch on their mind. If a black bear attacks you, fight back with everything you have (as the sign in my neighbourhood says).
That being said, there is a black bear that literally lives in my neighbourhood and has for years, since the big sow that was here until about 5 years ago disappeared. It is possible to live safely near bears.
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Bears rarely prey on cougar cubs. Most likely cause of death would be hunting or car collision. But yes that would be ironic. Quite unlikely but ironic.
Exactly… hammer meet nail head. It’s all about being calm! (Can’t believe this oblig’s had to be posted so far down the comments)
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Even ordinary cows can get quite aggressive if they think you’re threatening their calves.
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I always like Mr. Murderbritches. Rawr! 
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That area was pretty exciting!
Now that makes sense. Cougar cubs normally know to stay behind in a den, but if they were actively following their mother at the time the jogger showed up, they might continue to do so. Or she thought they did.
They are beautiful animals and my favorite of the big cats. The prospect of being stalked by one, however, terrifies me. When I lived in California, I would not go walking in the hills alone.
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