Could be, box is about 3x3 (maybe)

That is true. I was thinking of that scene in Jeremiah Johnston where he finally gets the .50 cal Hawken from the guy that died from a grizzly attack, "i killed the bar that killed me..."

I know that in the country you are talking about the smallest wound/attack can be tragic--it can happen any place but up north more so.

Hate guys shooting at animals without an adequate round.
If you are going to shoot it, kill it quicly and humanely

Once when My Bud and I were night diving off the power plant in Hawaii (know the place MJrob?) We kept seeing the silver flashes JUST at the limits of our lights and they kept circling us. After about 10 minutes, one got closer and they were Barracuda!!!

I would have pooped my pants for sure. Scariest for me was when I walked up on several copperhead snakes that had just came out for the spring--several more under the dead foilage. I was hunting with a shotgun and I worked that sucker quick. Would not have been so bad except a couple went up and on top of my boot. Thank the Lord I had a good kick, and the pants tucked in.

Me too, but in the case of the mt lion I would be suspect that someone was hunting squirel or rabbit and the cat came up on them. IIRC, the world record grizzly, might still be it, was taken by an older lady from Canada with a single shot .22lr. IIRC, she was on her way home from church and it was following her so climbed a boulder and basically stuck the brl down the bear throat. Talk about a lucky .22lr bouncing around.

That would be cool, I took diving lessons but didn't pass as I cannot equalize due to an inner ear problem (actually it is the tube going from the ear to the throat

Heck no. I have messed with alligator and bottle nose gar and that was enough for me--and cuda's do like attacking humans where a gar will swim if need be.

I think it was in the grizzly's ear but no matter it is a good story none the less.
In terms of self defense I'd use what ever I had at hand, so yes if I thought a cougar was stalking me and I only had a 22 I'd shoot

Ear hole makes sense too since that cavity has less barrier for the bullet to penetrate.

When we got back topside I asked my bud if he had put a "FREE LUNCH" sign on the back of my air tank! Yeah, I was still sorta tense.

I have always wanted to visit Canada to fish, hunt, sight see, and gold prospect. Now the winters, after our little blizzard here I think I could live without LOL.

One thing I don't ever plan on hunting is a bear. To me, the bear is the most majestic animal, to the point that I have a bear tat on my arm, a lot smaller now than it used to be--the arm LOL, and my bro has a bear head dressed Indian tat on his arm. We were told by an Indian medicine man our spirits are like a bear. It is true, the older I get the more cranky I get LOL.