PRESENTATION: MOUNTAIN LIONS, ELUSIVE YET PREDICTABLE

When: November 4, 2024, 6:00 - 7:30 PM

Where: Red River National Wildlife Refuge

150 Eagle Bend Point, Bossier City, LA 71112  

Sponsor: Friends of the Red River National Wildlife Refuge

Presentation Registration (limited to 100 attendees)

This presentation is part of the Animals in Winter series at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge. Twenty years ago, when I first started studying and filming mountain lions, I assumed they were elusive and unpredictable. I followed their tracks in the snow to determine if there were any natural factors that would help me pinpoint how they navigated across the landscape. After about five years of spending time weekly in their home turf, I came to realize that yes, they are elusive and yet very predictable in how they hunt and navigate across the landscape. And during the winter months they become even more predictable in an effort to save precious calories. For their size, they are one of the most predictable animals I’ve studied in North America. This combination is unique for any wildlife species and makes the mountain lion a fascinating animal to study.

The presentation will cover the following:

• highlights of 20 years studying mountain lions weekly

• correcting misconceptions about mountain lions

• unique mountain lion traits among common predators (red and grey fox, coyote, bobcat, black bear)

• finding mountain lion activity (tracks, scat and scrapes)

• examples from the field, elusive yet predictable

• the value of mountain lions as a keystone species

All of the wildlife footage you’ll see during this presentation is of completely wild behavior of truly wild wildlife in wild places. No shortcuts were ever taken. No lures, no dogs, no helicopters, no GPS tracking. Successful wildlife conservation begins with accurate education.

MEET YOUR HOST - DAVID NEILS

David Neils and Jenny Jones, sauntering somewhere in Northern Colorado.

David Neils has spent a lifetime studying elusive wildlife. Growing up in northwest Montana he was surrounded by grizzlies, wolves and mountain lions. He started venturing into the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness, without adults, for up to ten days at a time at the age of eleven. Wild grabbed him and never let go. Today he intentionally spends time, three times a week, where mountain lions are active. When he sees his first fresh mountain lion track for the day he can feel his heart rate drop because of what that track represents. His house in Loveland is simply a place to keep his boots dry for the next adventure. His home has always been in nature.

David has spent the last twenty years studying and filming mountain lions in some of the wildest country of Colorado and Montana. He developed a system, using four natural factors, which allows him to pinpoint mountain lion activity throughout the United States, Canada and Chile. He enjoys sharing this knowledge and supporting others to study this magnificent apex predator through a personalized Mountain Lion Workshop which includes mapping mountain lion activity in the client’s chosen area, up to 100 square miles.

In addition to sharing a passion for mountain lions and other wildlife, he enjoys supporting others to navigate boldly and safely in the backcountry. Through his Backcountry Navigation and Safety Workshop, he supports clients to leverage the Ten Essentials Plus system, which eliminates many of the factors that result in Search and Rescue operations. In fact, it completely eliminates the Search in Search and Rescue. He also provide hands on orienteering courses, supporting clients to have the confidence to explore the wild areas around them.

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Finding Wildlife Workshop

Female mountain lion crossing a stream, one of the best water sources in the valley. This is a place where all four natural factors are present that I use to pinpoint mountain lion activity.

Finding Wildlife Workshop
Saturday, February 1, 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Red River National Wildlife Refuge

150 Eagle Bend PointBossier City, LA, 71112 United States (map)

Workshop Registration (limited to 12 participants)

Curious About Nature?

Being curious about the connections throughout nature gets us more than 50% of the way there when it comes to filming and photographing wildlife successfully.

This workshop is also valuable for wildlife photographers and wildlife enthusiasts who want to learn some techniques to be more successful in the field finding completely wild wildlife without taking any shortcuts. For example, avoiding the use of lures, no conditioned animals to humans, no dogs, no helicopters, forcing yourself to understand the ecology of the animal you want to photograph, film and study.

My goal with the workshop is to share things I’ve learned that you can’t find anywhere else. For example, every season of the year represents unique opportunities. Green grass and forbs growing in January? Streams and rivers flooding or beginning to freeze over in December? Wildlife migration to and from winter range? The number of factors one can learn are endless. And the more we understand how wildlife species, watersheds, plant communities, latitude, elevation, aspect and more are connected, the more we’ll see when we step off the pavement and into a wild place.

The workshop will include:

• WWhy photograph and study completely wild animals?

• Pre scouting using Google Earth, GaiaGPS, and state wildlife data

• Selecting wildlife viewing locations based on seasons, topography, air currents, prey and predator density and more

• Leveraging seasonal differences to find specific wildlife species

• The advantages of public ground like the Red River Refuge

• Questions and Answers

MEET YOUR HOST - DAVID NEILS

David Neils has spent a lifetime studying elusive wildlife. Growing up in northwest Montana he was surrounded by grizzlies, wolves and mountain lions. He started venturing into the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness, without adults, for up to ten days at a time at the age of eleven. Wild grabbed him and never let go. Today he intentionally spends time, three times a week, where mountain lions are active. When he sees his first fresh mountain lion track for the day he can feel his heart rate drop because of what that track represents. His house in Loveland is simply a place to keep his boots dry for the next adventure. His home has always been in nature.

David has spent the last twenty years studying and filming mountain lions in some of the wildest country of Colorado and Montana. He developed a system, using four natural factors, which allows him to pinpoint mountain lion activity throughout the United States, Canada and Chile. He enjoys sharing this knowledge and supporting others to study this magnificent apex predator through a personalized Mountain Lion Workshop which includes mapping mountain lion activity in the client’s chosen area, up to 100 square miles.

In addition to sharing a passion for mountain lions and other wildlife, he enjoys supporting others to navigate boldly and safely in the backcountry. Through his Backcountry Navigation and Safety Workshop, he supports clients to leverage the Ten Essentials Plus system, which eliminates many of the factors that result in Search and Rescue operations. In fact, it completely eliminates the Search in Search and Rescue. He also provide hands on orienteering courses, supporting clients to have the confidence to explore the wild areas around them.

Autumn Evening Event at the Refuge

The refuge is usually closed after dark, so this is your special chance to visit during sunset and into the night!

• Story Walk

  • Perfect for all ages!

  • Walk along the Green Trail, located behind the Visitor/Education Center on the west side of the boardwalk.

  • Read a book about nocturnal animals as you stroll the trail.

  • End your walk at our campfire for s'mores!

• Fun Along the Way

  • Discover 2-3 fun, "Halloween-related" mini-activities along the trail.

  • Costumes are encouraged! You could win candy prizes.

  • Flashlights may be needed.

• Cost & Details

  • FREE for Friends of Red River Refuge members.

  • $5 for non-members (or join Friends of Red River Refuge by paying your membership fee).

• Additional Activities

  • Fun, learning activities inside the Visitor Center.

  • The Nature Store will be open until 8:15 PM.

Free Outdoor Event for Adults and Kids

Join us for a day of fun and learning about nature! Try out different activities, including:

• Canoeing and kayaking

• Archery

• Crafts

• Live animals (bald eagle, snakes, owl, turtle, etc.)

• Food trucks

• And more!

Crafts for Adults!

We can’t let kids have all of the fun! Ranger Terri invites you to be creative and participate in the last Story Trail activity for adults.

This event is Free!

We provide the crafting materials and instruction, come and go as you please. Stay as long as you wish, bring a sack lunch to “Chat and Chew” if you want.

Make an owl lantern, paint a rock, create a bird feather mobile, design a Mardi Gras bead mosaic and an old fashion turkey feather quill to write calligraphy and more!

The Story Trail with Ranger Terri is coming to an end, be sure to catch “The Final Chapter” story trail with Ranger Terri at one of the two events!

Re-discover your favorite story books, crafts and activities. Meet live Reptiles on Friday evening and a cute Screech Owl on Saturday morning. This free event is for all ages. Terrific Prizes given away every 15 minutes! Snacks, Punch and Cookies! Activities will be set up inside the Education Center and inside the Visitor Center. 

The Story Trail with Ranger Terri is coming to an end, be sure to catch “The Final Chapter” story trail with Ranger Terri at one of the two events!

Re-discover your favorite story books, crafts and activities. Meet live Reptiles on Friday evening and a cute Screech Owl on Saturday morning. This free event is for all ages. Terrific Prizes given away every 15 minutes! Snacks, Punch and Cookies! Activities will be set up inside the Education Center and inside the Visitor Center. 

The Friends Group is meeting on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at Red River National Wildlife Refuge. All are invited!
Meet and Greet starts at 6:15 pm
Program starts at 6:30 pm inside the Education Center.

Friends of Red River Refuge invite guest speaker, Jenny Hackman to speak on Mosquitoes. Jenny is a member of a local kayaking/hiking group and she will share her story of battling West Nile virus. Mosquitoes can carry and spread disease including the West Nile virus. Learn how to protect yourself and your family.

Hey kids and parents the new book is about birds and their feathers! We have something special: Bird Banding takes place on the back porch and starts at 7:30 am and ends at 9:30 am. The regular 2nd Saturday crafts and mini-learning activities start at 9:00 am and go to noon. Meet in the Visitor Center for free crafts, new indoor scavenger hunts and mini-learning activities that correspond to the book on the Story Trail. The new book titled Feathers is up on the trail June 8 and my be read anytime during daylight hours through July 13.