The Interaction Between Mountain Lion and Deer Population

Deer are naturally a mountain lion’s biggest food source because the mountain lion takes down and kills the deer and then hides it so it can continue to eat on it for the course of a couple of days. Mountain lions usually do not kill for sport and only kill for food sources and survival. This article will focus mainly on mountain lions and the interaction between the mountain lion and the deer populations.

Mountain Lions

Mountain lions are large and tan. They usually have white, grey, or whitish-grey chests and bellies. They are also known as catamounts, cougars, panthers, and pumas. Depending on their location, mountain lions vary in their huge sizes. Males usually range from 115-220lbs, and females usually range from 64-114lbs. Wetlands, forests, deserts, and obviously mountains are the types of areas that mountain lions inhabit. Their species needs a large-sized habitat to live and thrive in. They are also very territorial animals. Mountain lions reside mainly in North and South America.

Deer

There are more than 40 different types of deer. Some deer species include white-tailed, elk, caribou, and moose. Southern pudu is the smallest deer species. It only grows to about 14 inches and weighs about 20lbs. The moose is the largest deer species. A fully grown moose can be 6.5 feet from their shoulders to their hoofs and weigh more than 1,000 lbs. Rainforests, wetlands, mountains, and grasslands are some of the areas a deer species would inhabit. Different deer species are found all over the world.

What Do Mountain Lions Eat?

Raccoons, feral hogs, porcupines, and coyotes are some of the animals that a mountain lion will feast upon, but they mainly eat deer species. Ranging from dusk to dawn, mountain lions usually hunt alone. When the species takes down its prey, most likely a deer species, it takes the prey down from behind. A mountain lion is a carnivore. You will rarely find a mountain lion eating vegetation, but on rare occasions, they do. If you see a mountain lion moving around vegetation, it is most likely that it has a kill nearby and is attempting to cover it with leaves, pine needles, or grass to protect it from other animals and help preserve the meat.

Can Mountain Lions Eat Elk?

Elk is a part of a mountain lion’s diet. Some scientists and hunters say that they have observed mountain lions and seem to think they will favor targeting an elk than targeting another species of deer or a smaller animal. Some may argue that cougars are picky and primarily prefer elk. Some studies suggest that a mountain lion might seek out an elk in the winter months because of its size.

Can a Mountain Lion Kill a Mouse?

Although mountain lions mainly eat prey in the deer species, they are also known to hunt and kill smaller animals. Rabbits, porcupines, skunks, turkeys, occasionally livestock, and yes, even mice are some of the smaller animals that a mountain lion may prey on.

How Often Does a Mountain Lion Kill a Deer?

A deer that a mountain lion has killed will have puncture wounds around the neck and head area because the mountain lion bites these areas frequently while taking down the deer. Mountain lions usually begin eating directly behind the deer’s ribs in the stomach area after killing the deer. A whole deer can be consumed within two days, but a mountain lion usually kills a deer-sized animal every six to twelve days.

How Many Deer Will a Mountain Lion Eat?

Mountain lions hunt and kill different animals, but they hunt and kill a deer-sized animal about once a week. There are about 52 weeks in a year, so a single mountain lion kills about 52 deer a year. Out in the wild, a mountain lion is said to have a lifespan of 8-10 years, and a mountain lion held in captivity has a lifespan of up to about 21 years. A wild mountain lion that lives its whole lifespan will kill about 416-520 deer in its lifetime.

Can a Deer Outrun a Mountain Lion?

Both mountain lions and deer can run up to about 50mph, but that depends on the deer species. Mountain lions can jump up to 18 feet, and most of the time, they can outrun a deer but only for a short period of time.

What Ratio of Bucks Do Mountain Lions Kill?

Mountain lions eat both does and bucks. It is statistically shown that a mountain lion kills bucks more than does, though. The recorded number of does killed by a mountain lion a year is around 13, and the recorded number of bucks killed by a mountain lion a year is about 39. So the number of bucks a single mountain lion will kill in its 8-10 year lifespan would be around 322-390 bucks.

Mountain Lion Kill Success Rate

Mountain lions have a higher success rate than wolves with deer and elk. Research shows that wolves’ kill success rate for deer is about 30%, while mountain lions have a kill success rate of around 82% for deer and elk. However, winter deer and elk kills were only recorded for about a 25% kill success rate for both wolves and mountain lions.

Facts In This Article About the Interaction of Mountain Lion and Deer Populations

A mountain lion eats other animals, but the deer species are their main prey and food source.

Mountain lions kill one deer every six to twelve days. This means that a single mountain lion usually kills 52 deer a year and 416-520 deer in their 8-10 year life-span.