Cougars on the Cliff: One Man's Pioneering Quest to Understand the Mythical Mountain Lion, A Memoir

by Maurice Hornocker, David Johnson (Editor)

Overview

A story of redemption, this book is a memoir about the never-before-told adventures, challenges, and controversies surrounding Maurice Hornocker’s groundbreaking study of cougars in the remote reaches of the Idaho Primitive Area.

Maurice Hornocker is recognized worldwide as the first scientist to unravel the secrets of America's most enigmatic predator—the mountain lion. North America's biggest cat was once killed for bounty dollars, slaughtered with impunity and driven toward extinction. But today's cat of intrigue, despite our lingering fears and misconceptions, has returned to much of its native range in the western United States. This turnaround was triggered by one man: Maurice Hornocker. Cougars on the Cliff recounts the early years of his research (1964–1973) when he tracked lions following a dog’s nose and footprints in the snow—before telemetry was available. Thanks to Hornocker’s work, today cougars can be found throughout the West and have even started to reclaim their place in New England.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493088997
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/04/2025
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

Maurice Hornocker, PhD, is a wildlife biologist best known for advancing our knowledge of the elusive mountain lion's behavior and ecology. During his fifty-five years of research in Idaho, New Mexico, and Yellowstone National Park, he published numerous scientific papers about cougars and edited books that include Cougar: Ecology & Conservation, Yellowstone Cougars,  and Desert Puma. In 2024 he was the recipient of The Wildlife Society’s Aldo Leopold Medal for Distinguished Service to Wildlife Conservation. Hornocker and his wife, Leslie, live in Bellevue, Idaho, with their bird dogs, dressage horses, and a domestic cat named Redd.

David Johnson is a retired roving regional reporter-columnist for the Lewiston Tribune in Lewiston, Idaho. He holds bachelor's degrees in wildlife management from the University of Minnesota and journalism from the University of Idaho. Johnson lives with his wife, Linda Weiford, in Moscow, Idaho.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Maurice Hornocker is the embodiment of "boots on the ground" conservation in remote, forbidding places. He is recognized as the world's premier mountain lion expert, and his professional history coincides with the recovery of this great wild cat from near-extinction. Dr. Hornocker has mentored a number of colleagues who promise to carry on his invaluable legacy. His personal chronicle is an inviting look into a Western icon of conservation practice.” —Steven E. Sanderson, PhD President Emeritus, former Chief Executive Officer The Wildlife Conservation Society

“I have known Maurice Hornocker and his cougar work for several decades. As one who has also specialized in large-carnivore research for my career, primarily wolves, I always considered Maurice as “The Cougar Guy.” He certainly pioneered cougar studies and he and his students and associates have produced most of the basic information science knows about the big cats. I know of no one else who has come close in the amount of information Maurice has turned up about cougars.” —L.David Mech Senior Research Scientist, United States Geological Survey (USGS)

"Many animals that have been studied have a great number of people that pioneered the way. For cougars, it is mostly just one person: Maurice Hornocker. Early on in the 1960s, when virtually nothing was known about these mysterious phantoms, he went into the wilderness—using the old, tried and true methods of walking and snowshoeing the rugged mountains. What he found was ground-breaking and has stood the test of time as his hard-won knowledge is still used and referred to today. Few have had such a contribution or impact on one animal as Maurice Hornocker has had on cougars. His story needs to be told for all to know. It is remarkable."   —Douglas W. Smith Senior Wildlife Biologist, Yellowstone National Park Leader for Yellowstone Wolf Project  

Editorial Reviews

"Enhanced with the inclusion of a section of color plates, "Cougars on the Cliff: One Man's Pioneering Quest to Understand the Mythical Mountain Lion" showcases the amazing life and achievements of Maurice Hornocker in a detailed and inherently fascinating memoir (written with the assistance of David Johnson) that will have immense appeal to those interested in wildlife in general, mountain lions in particular."

Midwest Book Review

"Conversational and often humorous, the book is filled with rousing descriptions of what field research used to be like. Hornocker, admitting that technology has made studying elusive species much easier, nonetheless declares that no technology will ever be able to match the primal thrill of locking eyes with a cougar, armed only with a dart gun and tranquilizer. And Hornocker was also challenged by ranchers’ beliefs that cougars engaged in savage killing sprees, leaving countless carcasses of livestock and trophy game behind....Cougars on the Cliff is a gripping memoir about a scientist’s work to end a state’s war on cougars and bring the species back from the brink of extinction."

Foreword Reviews

"Based on the journals and field notes that the author and his partners kept during the study, this memoir documents the immediacy and excitement of pioneering research, ideas formed from following tracks and discovering kills, reencounters with tagged cougars, and the camaraderie formed during difficult fieldwork. Spiced with photographs of Hornocker and his crew with the cats, as well as maps, this reads like an adventure novel."

Booklist

Many animals that have been studied have a great number of people that pioneered the way. For cougars, it is mostly just one person: Maurice Hornocker…His story needs to be told for all to know. It is remarkable.”

Douglas W. Smith

"This a very straightforward account of the pioneering study of cougars which happened in the 1960s in a remote mountainous area in Idaho, after the author had spent time working with the Craigheads and grizzlies in Yellowstone. This was before radio collars were used, so the study took place only in winters when tracks could be followed in the snow by travelling many miles on foot, and hounds were used instead of helicopters. Acknowledging the technological advances which have since occurred, the author hopes today’s scientists will still get out to experience being in the wild. Hornocker is in his 90s now, and reading this in my 60s with a lifelong interest in wildlife, I often thought how great it would be to have these memories to look back on. The politics and divisiveness of wildlife issues in the Northern Rockies haven’t changed much (maybe it’s even worse now) and the history of dealings with people opposed to the study is included also, as well as some mistakes which were made. The book also covers his family life and the deep friendship which developed with the cougar hunter he hired to work with him during the years of the study. If the subject interests you, you’ll absolutely want to read this book. Lots of photos too!" — Dennis M., Reviewer 5 Star NetGalley Review

"I really enjoyed this nature memoir; it does everything that I was looking for!" —Kathryn M., Reviewer 5 Star NetGalley Review

From the Publisher