A woman out hiking in woods says she scared off a cougar by playing Metallica music from her phone to it.

Dee Gallant said the sound “saved the day” when the animal approached her.

The 45-year-old was walking with her dog, Murphy, in Vancouver Island, Canada, when she spotted that they were being “stalked” by a cougar, CNN reported.

As it approached, Ms Gallant yelled, and the big cat stopped moving forward but did not retreat.

She waved her arms and shouted at the animal, saying things like “bad kitty!” and “get out of here!” but the cougar stood its ground.

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She filmed the animal as it watched her during their stand-off.

Then she opened her phone and chose music from Metallica, the loudest band she could think of, playing a track called Don’t Tread On Me.

Cougars, also known as pumas and mountain lions, are secretive and rarely seen, adapting to extensive human encroachment on their territories.

Attacks on people are extremely rare although earlier this year one attacked a Colorado runner, who choked it to death.

Male mountain lions usually weigh 60-80kg but a large one can weigh up to 100kg.

After the first few notes of Metallica, the mountain lion took fright and ran away.

Ms Gallant said she wasn’t scared. “I actually thought it was really cool that I got to see a cougar for so long,” she said. “I thought it was exciting.”

She kept the song on loop for the rest of her walk, keeping her dog close.

“I definitely think Metallica saved the day there, for sure,” she said.