It was the ultimate case of a guy covering his buddy’s back.

Steve Tintzman of Corvallis, Mont., and Barry Lemon of nearby Hamilton have been hunting partners for 20 years. The two were bow hunting for elk earlier this season when, Lemon spotted a mountain lion stalking his partner.

Tintzman, who was cow calling, had no idea that a cougar was about to pounce. It was looking right past Lemon at the calling hunter.

“It was crouched down low and heading right at Steve,” Lemon told the Ravalli Republic. “My mind was racing. All my experience in the outdoors told me the lion could cover 15 yards to zero in a matter of seconds. It was moving fast.”

Lemon, who was hunting with a longbow, drew the string back and released an arrow.

The cat turned and ran about 40 yards away where it fell down dead. Lemon began yelling for somebody in their hunting party to bring him his pistol.

“When I got down there, Barry was white as a sheet,” Tintzman told the newspaper. “He told me he’d just killed a mountain lion. It was hard to imagine. I’d only seen three of them in my life and here was one this close. I didn’t even know it was there.”

Tintzman figured the lion had been tracking the two bull elk the men were hunting when it changed the focus on the man’s cow calls.

The hunting party packed the lion out and contacted the local game warden with the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The warden cleared the men of any wrongdoing in the incident, which left Lemon shaken.

“A mountain lion is one of the greatest hunters in the woods,” he said. “I really didn’t want to have to shoot it. The whole thing shook me up. It’s pretty startling to see one that close and headed straight for someone you know.