Trail Cam Takedown: Mountain Lion Takes Deer in the Blink of an Eye

Randy Spade, a hunter in California, had no idea what he was about to witness when he reviewed trail cam footage captured in late May.

In the video, a mountain lion quietly approaches a deer as it’s eating. Before the deer has any idea it’s in danger, the moutain lion tackles it and launches several feet into the air before gitting the ground. Spade doesn’t typically see mountain lions on his cams, so this was a first.

“Bears are the main thing we see,” he said. “So I was surprised by how fast the lion struck.”

As for the future, Spade is going to make sure he’s ready the next time something like this happens.

“I’m going to pay more attention to cleaning the lenses of my trail cams…because you never know when you’re going to get that lifetime shot.”