benjaminearl

i read all of the stories on these forums that talk about cougar/mount lion / easter panther and such.
why? becuase about 5 years ago i got the daylights scared right outta me on my land in Oneida county NY. this is basically southern adirondacks. im sure some of you might not believe in sightings but unlike them i believe that eastern cougar are around. not many at all. but a few. i saw my sighting of one in a deep ravine side. he was in my sight for 4 seconds. thats it. he was no coyote. the three things i remember seeing: long tubular tale, low crouch but fast movement with all leg movement and very very little back movement (back seemed to stay same height off ground no bouncing) and a distinct light brown/tan color. most yotes/coy-dogs in our area are all grey with some tan and brownish color. none with this structure to them. you might ask where my evidence was. but the matter of fact is that i was about 19 years old, with a bow and arrow only. I PISSED my pants when i saw what i saw and i high tailed it outta there. never thought twice about goin back down there. i havent even really gone back to that spot since. but since then i have a deep obsession about them and i marvel the creatures even thought they are thought of as no good for dairy or herds or people. but they are a well built animal in my book and very elusive. thats what scares me and makes me like them all in the same.

so take what i say for a grain of salt. but i saw what i saw and live near one of the biggest state parks in the east. the adirondacks is large and vast with alot of unsetteled land. and like the cougar the bears are seeming to migrate south also into southern ny. they have been spotted almost all the way to the pa line now. so im sure cougar are right behind them making there come back. remember cougar were once a part of the east long before us and im sure they always remained here in small numbers. so believe what you must.

o yea and ps ( im sure that those of you that dont beleeve in eastern cougar believe in aliens though?) what with that? it can all happen!

Lanse couche couche

Not too long ago people were called crazy for believing there were cougars in Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Illinois.The folks calling the names have since had to eat crow.. It would not surprise me in the least to hear that therre are cougars in your area. However, they have a long, long range and if they ae already rare, i wouldnt worry about going back to a spot where i had seen one before. It was probably 100 miles away a few days later.

mondo104

On one of the other forums I saw a photo of a cougar that had been killed by wolves. That is my theory: the re-introduction of wolves in the West and Upper Midwest is displacing wolves from their traditional territories. 25 years ago the rumor of a cougar in WI or IL would draw laughter. SInce the more than successful recovery of the wolf population confirmed sightings, photos, road kills, live stock kills, etc of cougars has been escalating. Once again, another unexpected consequence of misguided policy by the political hacks in the DNRs and Interior Department.

trkytrack2

First: WHY would you not believe mountain lions are making a comeback to their once existing ranges? Because no-one has a confirmed sighting; ie. dead body, pictures, ect.?
Given the explosion of the deer population (their main food sorse) and their nocturnal ways plus lack of hunting pressure, I can easly see them repopulating the east.

Cal-MI

The Michigan DNR has DNA evidence from scats, but they cannot afford to admit they are here. If they did admit it, they would have to start an endangered species program for them.

There was a track and sighting a few years ago in Barry County, MI. And there are probably some at Sleeping Bear dunes.

blancobuster

In west texas mt lions are known to travel up to 40 miles in a single night they have a huge range so 10 to 20 miles is no surprise to me at all. I personally think that mt lions returning are a good thing for the hunting community. They will increase the quality of deer heards substantially by way of survival of the fitest. Thats at least my opinion from the texas hill country. There is an explosion of poor quality deer and the hogs could go to. A few years ago there was one spotted on our lease near johnson city along with scat and tracks but since then. this past summer a woman walking her dog allegedly saw one in my parents neighborhood that borders the greenbelt here in austin but thats not confirmed. I have always thought and said they would make a comeback to the hill country

DougE

In a past post you claimed the fish and game came out and got it.Are you now claiming it was black?If so,there's no such thing as a black mountain lion so most likely hit a black lab.

DougE

Last week I got a call from a guy that claimed to have a buddy that got one on his trail cam.He e-mailed it to me and it was without any doubt what so ever,a very clear picture of a very small bobcat.When I told him that,he practically hung up on me

DougE

That's another urban legend.

blancobuster

theres yellow labs as well dont forget