Imagine heading out for an afternoon of ice fishing and coming face to face with a mountain lion instead. That's exactly what a Rapid City man says happened to him this past weekend. The scratches on Ryan Hughes' face and a bandaged hand are what remain of a weekend excursion he'll never forget. Ryan was ice fishing on Lake Sheridan near Rapid City when he stepped off the ice and into the woods. That's when he says he came face to face with a mountain lion with fresh kill in it's mouth. Ryan says the lion jumped on top of him and knocked him on his back. He says, "You don't really think of anything other than to protect yourself. So that's about all I could do. I just tried to get my hands up in front of my face and just started kicking with my legs in hopes it would get off."

The mountain lion left, but Ryan had to be treated at the hospital for his injuries. Game, Fish and Parks officials are now looking for the cat, because the agency's rules call for it to be killed if it's found. Ryan says "I'm not a firm believer they should kill it because it attacked me. I think I was probably infringing on its territory and just happened to startle it and it was doing what it thought it should do."

GF & P says there is no reason to panic because mountain lion attacks are very rare. As for Ryan Hughes, he is taking rabies vaccinations as a precaution.