What about an air horn? Would that freak mountain lions and cougars away? Everyone in my family has an air horn, not to distract from predators, but to scare the shit out of each other. I took my nephew to our local "cry baby" bridge at midnight. While he was standing there waiting to see headlights come out of the water and listening for crying baby sounds, I hit the air horn. It scared the living crap out of him. I thought we were both going to fall in the water. Me from laughing so hard and him from being so scared. Good times here in the Midwest. Anyway, carry on.