Attack stopped at close range
LOCAL NEWS
DEC 26, 2019

KIM FUNDINGSLAND
Staff Writer
kfundingsland@minotdailynews.com



Submitted Photo Gary Gorney, Minot, holds the mountain lion that attacked him during a pheasant hunt Thursday.

It was a close encounter that Gary Gorney will never forget. The Minot man was enjoying a pleasant pheasant hunt Thursday near Garrison when his afternoon changed suddenly.


“That cat got up and started coming right at me,” said Gorney. “I guess my instincts took over.”

Gorney said he was talking on his cell phone when his German shorthair, Milly, went on point. He put the cell phone in his pocket with the expectation that a rooster pheasant was about to take flight. Instead, a large female mountain lion emerged from the tall grass and came right at him.

“I dropped my dad’s 100-year-old double-barrel, I don’t even remember doing that, and went for the sidearm that I carry with me underneath my jacket,” said Gorney. “My instincts as a military law enforcement officer took over. There was no thought process. It was self-defense.”

The mountain lion was within 10 feet of Gorney when it was hit by a bullet from Gorney’s 9 millimeter handgun.

“After I shot it both of my dogs went after it,” recalled Gorney. “They were on top of it. I wanted to pull them off but I wasn’t going anywhere near that lion!”

Gorney reported the incident to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. The lion was a female that weighed more than 100 pounds. It was the first mountain lion the long-time hunter had ever seen.

“I bowhunt the Badlands and I’ve been hunting the Custer Mine for 31 years and I’ve never seen a cat,” said Gorney. “I felt like I was in Africa hunting. The grass perfectly matched it’s coat.”

Gorney was hunting in the Custer Mine hunting area, located at the southwest corner of the intersection of U.S. Highway 83 and ND 37, also known as the Garrison turn.

Wow. I have hunted that property for years. Spooky.

And the Dogs ?

Glad everything turned out ok! Always nice to carry something extra.

Ya, good thing he threw down his shotgun that has way more knockdown at close range to fight digging a pistol out.

Pretty sure I would have emptied the shotgun before dropping it. But hats off to him for defending himself.

Nice one , good job

Pretty sure I would have as well even bird shot at close range will do a lot more damage then a pistol slug and at longer range I am sure it will slow almost anything except a big bear down enough to finish it but ff with a side arm

I would have used the dbl myself....but he said instinct took over.

Was the fellow allowed to keep the lion?

Yes the season was open.

Agree.He certainly got it done,congrats.If I were in that situation,I would hope that I would use the shotgun first,but one never knows until you are in that place.I know there was at least one grizzly killed here,by a bird hunter with #6 shot,when his bird dog got chased and was kind enough to bring thd bear back,in his lap.

Onefull charge in the face with that stuff at close range,will stall abear out to where you can figure out plan B.I think there may have been a few incidences like this in Alaska,as well.