Man Killed By Mountain Lion In Sierra Foothills

Georgetown, CA — A mountain lion attack in the Sierra Foothills killed a 21-year-old who was hunting shed antlers over the weekend in El Dorado County.

It happened near the town of Georgetown on Saturday afternoon in the remote area of Darling Ridge Road and Skid Road.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office reports that the man who was killed was with his 18-year-old brother.

The 18-year-old called authorities and reported that he suffered traumatic injuries to his face and became separated from his brother. The 21-year-old was soon located by deputies with the mountain lion nearby. Deputies shot their guns to scare the mountain lion away and began administering aid to the victim, who was later pronounced dead.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with the El Dorado County Trapper, responded and euthanized the mountain lion.

The men were from El Dorado County and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reports that mountain lion attacks are rare. The last incident resulting in a fatality in California happened back in 2004 in Orange County when a 35-year-old man was killed. The most recent non-fatal attack was in September of 2022 when a seven-year-old boy was attacked in Los Angeles County.