Alyssa Caldwell, a 12-year-old from Odessa, Texas, was elk hunting with her father in New Mexico in late November when she shot a mountain lion, which stalked in to 5 yards from the girl and crouched down as if to attack. "I didn't hear him or see him until he was really close," Caldwell told Lone Star Outdoor News. "I didn't know exactly what it was but I knew it wasn't a bobcat. I raised my gun when he crouched down."