As a young boy Langley’s Max Michaud set out to cross a log over the Nicomekl River which flowed directly behind his parents’ home, but the family dog would not let him continue. It turns our that a cougar was waiting in the bush on the other side of the river, and for years, Max maintained the dog had saved his life. He later grew into a crack shot, and legend has it that he could shoot a salmon leaping out of the water for a fly.
Cougar Hunt in Stanley Park
In October of 1911 Max found himself joining a Fraser Valley posse on the hunt for a cougar with an appetite for deer and goats at the Stanley Park Zoo. Vancouver police had unsuccessfully tried to track it — as had a big game hunter and other local huntsmen. The Province newspaper offered a $50 reward to the hunter who could deliver the dead cougar to its Vancouver office, so Max joined two other Fraser Valley hunters (George Shannon and Henry Hornby of Cloverdale) in the pursuit. The newspaper reported the hunters were, “of a the type which we in Vancouver know too little about — the men who live near to nature.” With the help of three foxhounds, the trio of Fraser Valley hinters succeeded. Hornby wounded the cougar near Beaver Lake and it was soon shot out of tree. The cougar, which measured more than two metres, was put on display in the Province’s front window.
The historic Michaud family home in Langley City is managed by the Langley Heritage Society. Watch our video HERE.
