Just goes to show that what I tell my pooch - each time she goes to sniff a cat when we are out for a walk - is correct - pussy is dangerous.
As for why he did not use his elk hunting rifle (if he had one), maybe it had a big high powered optic on it that might not have been the best idea to try to use at that close a range. Regardless, I am fairly certain it would have been a dead pussy-cat had I been in that situation.
It is early, maybe he was a “Bow Hunter” ?