CORBETT, Ore. — A man shot and killed two cougars in Corbett early Tuesday morning.
David Callister told KGW he was walking from a home on Larch Mountain Road to a trailer where he stays when he almost stepped on the tail of what turned out to be a cougar under his pickup truck.
Callister yelled at the cougar and was given a loud hiss in return. It was not spooked, which surprised and alarmed him.
"It was staring me down," he said.
He knew two girls were sleeping in the house and felt the need to be proactive and secure the property. Other children lived in the neighborhood, as well and pets and farm animals, he said. He got a rifle and came back out.
There were two cougars and "one was starting to tear into the chicken coop," he said. So after warning shots, he shot and killed both.
“Being that brazen, I made the decision that they had to be shot,” Callister said. “We have kids in the house, the neighbor across the street has kids and so on, so at that point it was a major hazard."
The carcasses were taken to an office of the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife. Staff will conduct a biological assessment in hopes of learning more about the cougar population in the area. They said the pair of cougars are likely siblings and are both under the age of two. The young age of the cougars could explain their behavior.
Callister made clear that the death of the cougars "was not a hunting situation."
Responding Multnomah County Sheriff's Office deputies said Callister had the right to kill the animals. No charges would be filed, said Sgt. Brandon White.
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