Cougar attacks SoDak ice angler

The cougar craze just got crazier.

A South Dakota ice fishermen said he was attacked by a mountain lion last Saturday while fishing on Sheridan Lake, according to the Rapid City Journal. The attack happened in the Black Hills region of South Dakota.

Ryan Hughes, 33, said the cougar weighed 80 to 90 pounds and attacked him as he stood on the shoreline. Hughes suffered lacerations to his right forearm, punctures to his right hand and scratches on his face.

South dakota State Game, Fish & Parks Department officials consider the report credible, even though trained hounds couldn’t find the cat or its scent.

“The victim, Ryan Hughes, is believable. I don’t think he’s lying to us,” state Game, Fish & Parks Department spokesman Mike Kintigh told the Rapid City Journal. “I can’t explain why we’re not finding any physical evidence, or why our dogs weren’t finding scent in that area.”

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If Hughes’ story pans out, it will be the first documented incident with a wild mountain lion attacking a human in South Dakota. Reports are there were only 120 attacks in Canada and the U.S.

A new twist on fox hunting

Now I know where the term “sly as a fox” comes from.