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A large /*mountain lion*/ caused quite a stir when it showed up in the driveway of a /*Bass Lake*/ home.
"It was about right here, and it was about as tall as the third step," said /*Jonathan Gerold*/. "And we were surprised, it was a big mountain lion."
The big cat would have likely gone unnoticed if not for the security cameras /*Jim Buckhorn*/ installed after having a boat stolen from his property.
Buckhorn said, "We got to a point we decided we would have to keep a close eye on our stuff, so we put up security cameras."
/*Jackie Gerold*/ said, "All of a sudden grandpa says 'mountain lion!' and we're like what?"
The surveillance system wasn't recording, but Jackie Gerold quickly grabbed her camera. "I run over, jump to the screen and I snap a shot, so I got the shot."
The mountain lion only stayed in sight for less than a minute before taking off up the trail. Buckhorn then called his neighbors to warn them.
Buckhorn said, "I've got several neighbors that walk dogs at night, and I said well don't do it for awhile."
This is the first mountain lion the family has ever seen in more than 20 years of spending summers here. The animals are powerful predators, but according to National Geographic, they rarely attack humans.
Jonathan Gerold said, "It looked more afraid of its surroundings around here than us afraid of it, so I'm not too worried."
Still, Jim Buckhorn says he won't let his family take any chances. "The kids aren't going to sleep on the decks anymore, that's what I think about it."
