By Casey Saxton – What began as an ordinary father and son hunting trip for Kellen Lancaster and his son Adam on October 7, quickly turned into an experience that most people will thankfully never have.

The two began their day by traveling on Highway 89 into Salt River Pass at the south end of Star Valley. They pulled their pick-up over at the entrance of Water Canyon, unloaded their horses and started riding.

During the trip into the canyon the two talked of other hunting adventures they have had in the same area. “I pointed out where my dad had taken a big bull elk and where I have had success as well,” said Kellen.
After riding well into the canyon, the two got off of their horses to try and spot some deer. To begin with, they spotted a herd of about 15 elk around 1,200 yards away. Though they were not hunting for elk, the sight certainly got them in the hunting mood. “It was a picture perfect morning and a great day for hunting,” said Kellen.

Adam spotted some deer not far away from where they were standing and decided to move to a place where he could see the deer better. Kellen began riding through the trees to push the deer out for Adam to get a better look.

Adam saw several does and a small buck come out of the trees but decided to pass them up. Kellen then rode up to the top of a nearby ridge to get a view of the surroundings and he spotted three horseback riders coming toward them. Kellen radioed his son and told him to stay put to see if the riders pushed some more deer out of the trees in the area.

Their simple plan worked as a deer entered the space between them. Adam decided to take the first shot at the three-point buck as it was crossing over the ridge. “Adam let out a big war hoop. I could tell by that, he had been successful,” said Kellen. “I started to make my way over to the deer to help Adam field dress it.”
They boned and field dressed the deer to get it ready to pack on their horses. The two both took each other’s picture with the deer and then proceed to cut off the antlers just before they left.

After the last cut was made they went to get their horses so they could load the meat. Before he left, Kellen stepped up on the hill just above the carcass to check and see if they had left anything behind. “Out of the corner of my eye I saw something. I turned around and on the downhill side of the carcass, stood a cougar,” he said. “I yelled to Adam, Adam, Look!.”

“The cat had its eyes fixed on me, never looking away once to notice Adam or other surroundings,” Kellen recalled.

In an instant Kellen was transformed from being the hunter to being the hunted.

“I turned my back toward the deer and not 15 feet away from me was standing a mountain lion. I turned and bolted toward the guns. While I was running for the guns, my dad was trying to back away from the deer and the cat,” said Adam. “He tripped over a rock and into sagebrush onto his back. In a moment’s time, the cougar jumped and was within inches of my dad’s feet. My dad tried to kick dirt at the cougar and covered his head and neck with his arms.”

“Immediately the cat’s face was at my feet,” said Kellen. “His snarling teeth were at the tip of my boots. I didn’t know what my next move would be, but I was certain, I knew the cat’s.”

Kellen said that in the midst of the commotion he had a confidence that he was going to be okay. His son had demonstrated steadiness his whole life when facing struggles.

“I heard the crack of the rifle to my left,” said Kellen. “At this point, everything moved in slow motion. The right side of the cat contorted inward. Fur puffed into the air. The cat was forced sideways by the impact of the bullet. I knew it was over.”

Things may have been moving in slow motion for Kellen, but for Adam everything had to happen fast.
“After I had grabbed the .30-30 rifle, I flipped around and cocked it while running back to the cat,” said Adam. “I had my back turned when the cat had jumped to attack my pops. All I saw was the cat pawing at my dad with her ears pinned and teeth showing. I can still hear my dad so vividly saying shoot, Adam, shoot! I pulled back and shot the cat through the heart. She took two leaps away and dropped dead.”

Kellen said his legs were rubbery as Adam went to help him up after he shot the cat. “You saved my life. You saved my life,” Kellen recalled saying to Adam. The two staggered down the slope, each with a rifle in hand, to view the now lifeless cat.

“We went a few yards up the hill, and on bended knee offered thanks to God,” said Kellen. “Adam acted as a voice. An amazing feeling overcame us both and we felt protection and safety. I hugged my six-foot son and said again, You saved my life.”

Then it was back to the business at hand for the two men.

“We loaded the deer onto the pack horse and took off,” Adam said. “The seriousness of the situation didn’t really hit me until I was on the way out of the canyon. I have become a lot more thankful for my blessings and for my father.”

When they got home they took care of the deer meat and Adam went to the Game and Fish office to file a report.

According to Lucy Wold of the Game and Fish Department, Kellen and Adam handled the situation in the correct way. “We’ve done a lot of research, and this type of situation is very rare. They did the right thing. They protected themselves and notified the game warden,” she said.

Game Wardens Todd Graham and Neil Hymas investigated the scene after Adam filed the report.
“The Lancasters did the right thing. They weren’t hunting alone and they were aware of their surroundings,” said Cokeville Game Warden Neil Hymas. “The Lancasters left the mountain lion carcass at the kill site and immediately contacted Game Warden Todd Graham.”

The Game and Fish did not consider the situation to be an “attack” because no one was injured in the incident. They are considering it an “encounter”.

The only reasoning that Kellen and Adam can come up with for why the cougar acted the way it did is that it followed the scent of the blood and because Kellen was standing just over the carcass.

“The woods are their home and when we go into the woods, we are on their terms,” said Kellen. “That first night of sleep was hard. I saw yellow teeth every time I closed my eyes.”