Residents are advised to be aware and cautious after a couple reported seeing a large mountain lion on Venado Drive in Murieta North Wednesday night.  They may have smelled the lion before they saw it.

As Caryl and James Abshire walked toward their home with their two dogs about 10 p.m., "There was this really bad smell and the dogs were acting kind of strange," Caryl Abshire recalled Thursday. "It smelled like some sort of poop or something," her husband said.

It was Caryl who saw something in the front yard of a home at 8 Park Venado Drive. "It moved much too quickly to be like an old dog from the neighborhood. It was huge. It was bigger than a mastiff dog," she said.

The dogs reacted uncharacteristically to the animal. "They kind of jumped and startled, but they weren't pulling at the leash. They were just staying real close," said James Abshire.

A mountain lion makes tracks like the ones at right. The tracks at center are a dog's. (California Department of Fish and Game graphics)

James didn't see the animal when his wife did. When Caryl said it went into the 8 Park cul-de-sac, he went back to take a look with Cassie, their Australian shepherd. Caryl waited on the street with Libby, their springer spaniel. He was guessing it was a coyote.

"I saw it in the middle of the cul-de-sac, and I was about two car lengths from it when I finally realized what it was," James said. "When I first saw it, I thought it was just a real big dog." He estimated the mountain lion's weight at 125-150 pounds.

"Cassie was standing right by my side and I was just kind of like, OK, let's just turn around and meander on out of here. It just stood there, still looking at us. We made it home and I didn't tell Caryl what it was until we got inside," he said.

The Abshires live close to 8 Park, and, like those homes, their house also backs up to a long swath of common area that stretches from Guadalupe Lake to Puerto Drive. Beyond Puerto is undeveloped land.

This is mountain lion country and it supports a plentiful supply of the animal's preferred prey -- deer.

California Department of Fish and Game officials say Rancho Murieta has an overabundance of deer because they thrive on the landscaping and water that's available.

Usually mountain lion sightings in the community occur along the deer trails, although South resident Bobbi Belton reported a sighting in her backyard last month.

The Abshires saw their first mountain lion soon after they moved here 11 years ago, James recalled. It was where there are now homes on 9 Park Puerto Drive.

The Abshires saw the power of the mountain lion six or so years ago when they found the carcass of a deer outside their back fence after hearing noises coming from the common area during the night. "There was a full-grown deer that was ripped in half. How strong does something have to be to rip a full-grown deer in half?" James Abshire said.

According to information provided by the California Department of Fish and Game, mountain lions generally exist wherever deer are found, they are solitary and elusive, and their nature is to avoid humans.

Security Chief Greg Remson reported the Abshires' encounter on Wednesday to a Fish and Game biologist to assess the risk the animal poses. As long as a lion is not posing an imminent threat or known to be attacking or killing any domestic animals, Fish and Game takes a hands-off policy, according to agency officials. The agency's goal is to help people and wildlife co-exist.

Fish and Game provides a brochure about living in "lion country" that is available here [1] or at the Community Services District Building. Advice includes deer-proofing landscaping, installing outdoor lighting and keeping pets secure.

Residents are advised not to jog or hike alone and to carry a whistle or other noise-maker.

Should you encounter a mountain lion, Fish and Game's advice is not to bend down or crouch, and don't run away. Do everything you can to look larger and remain upright.

Security asks residents to immediately report a mountain lion sighting by calling 354-CARE or 354-3743.

There's more information about dealing with mountain lions in an RM.com story from 2005 [1].