|
A cougar was sighted in Ct. My neighbors said that there was a large cougar seen by neighbors up above us.... (I live on the low part of a slope, backed up to a large wooded forest with a small river that runs through it.). I wasn't surprised because I had seen one myself last year coming off a rocky slope next to RT 395 in Lisbon. I am an artist, one of my subjects is cats, big cats, so I can tell the difference between a long tailed cougar and the stubby tailed bobcat.What I saw last year was a cougar. (I've done quite a few paintings of large cats, by going to zoos, (Central Park Zoo in NYC had a black jaguar who was blind, many years ago, and in Boston as a kid I saw the lions and tigers, numerous times, travelling in the wild, in South Africa (I saw numerous Cheetahs at a kill,and lions, and I've seen the Fla. panthers crossing, I think it was Tamiami Trail around 1980 or so, and I've been to many places over the years, where there were stuffed or live cats, (nature centers in most of the New England States I've travelled too. And I can say there is a big difference between a coyote, and a cougar, too (I'm not sure how anyone could confuse the two! What I saw last year, looked to be about a two hundred pound animal! It stood about 3 and a half maybe four feet high. The paws were very large (not like a coyote or even a wolf, but much bigger!), Cougars also move much differently than any other animal, but closest to a lion, although the head is boxy like a lion, not a pointed snout like a coyote or wolf, and the noise they make is a much deeper sound than a bobcat. Also closer to a lion, the bobcat makes a higher pitched "rahhhrrr" sound. The cougar is much more gutteral between a lion's roar and the bobcat. The cougar's body is longer, and much thicker with a stomach that lie's lower than a bobcat. Someone else told me they saw two cubs (bigger than housecats) eating a young blue heron (not likely a housecat would mess with heron!) about three weeks ago about twenty minutes south of here. And the other thing, is that some of my own cats are missing, along with a few of the neighborhood feral cats. I haven't seen any deer in the last few weeks around here either (which I usually do), and I noticed a number of posters up, people looking for their "lost "cats, which leads me to believe there are just too many missing animals around here, and our dogs have been barking like crazy!! ----- I was participating in an archaeological dig along the Pee Dee River east of Society Hill, SC early one morning. It was about 6 am and we had parked right next to the river which was flooding at the time. While we were preparing to ford the swollen river a loud woman-like scream echoed across the swamp making all of us stop in our tracks. I have hiked all across the US and am often the one that my friends consult when they want to know what they heard or saw and I was baffled. Even the hunters that were with us did not know what we had heard. Eventually, when telling my story to one of my aunts who is also interested in nature, I was informed that I might want to check to see if it was a cougar. I had not given the possibility any thought as there are not supposed to be any in SC, let alone the low country. I pulled up some cougar audio from the internet and the same hair-raising scream came across my speakers. Whether or not they are native is one thing, but the experience made this skeptic into a believer. Eric A. Billings ----- On the evening of July 19, 2008 at around 7 pm, I was travelling a country road in Harnett County, North Carolina about 5 miles outside of Lillington. As I was approaching an area where woods were on both sides of the road, I observed a large, cat-like animal trotting across the road from one wooded area to the other. This animal was tannish or light brown in color, had short ears and a long tail which was curled at the end. I immediately called my daughter whose house I had just left and described the animal to her saying "I know this sounds crazy but it looked like a cougar or mountain lion". Upon telling her what I had just seen just a few miles from her home, she informed me that she had seen an animal fitting that same description a couple of weeks earlier on another road about 5 miles from her home. This evening, July 21, 2008, my daughter, her husband and a friend were in the area of Bunnlevel, NC on there way to a softball game. Once again they saw an animal fitting this description run across the road in front of them. All of these sightings have been within a 10-15 square mile area of her home which is a rural area with small farms and woodland. I am not sure if cougars exist in this state, but if not, this one is sure a long way from home! Sherry Simonson ----- We live in a remote area in the country outside of Greenville, NC. called Grifton. Contentnea Creek runs through our property. Several weeks ago my wife and I heard a crying sound on the other side of our road coming from the woods. After walking over to see what it was, I saw a large brown animal of about 2 ft. tall by about 2-1/2 foot long with a long brown tail. It went off running and still crying. I could have sworn it was a Cougar but it went off too fast. ----- My husband found a dead cougar cub this morning on the side of the road. Just east of Marion IL. They say they do not live on this part of the country. We took pictures of it, and reported it to the Marion law inforcement. ----- i live in connecticut near foxwoods casino. southeastern part of CT. theres a bunch of woods around me. i was riding my quad through a gravel bank and came upon a big ol' cat. it was about the size of a large dog..maybe german sheperd size. i saw it from behind and it was quite a distance away. it was a dark golden tan-ish brown. it turned to look at me and had the face of a cat. i immediatly thought bobcat. but upon my research, bobcats have a pattern..and this creature had no pattern. it reminded me of a smaller lion. same dark tan color.. i wonder if it was a mountain lion. my cousins dad saw one in the area a few years ago and told me its possible. so it just stood there for a good 15 seconds and then walked off into the woods. i didnt dare follow because i had my child with me. Two days later my boyfriend was riding our quad through a corn field (not far from my sighting ) and he must of caught it off guard cause it took off running in front of him. for a lil ways it was like he was chasing it..and then it turned off into the other cornfield and went running. he didnt dare stop to take a look because once again, he had our child with him. he said it def. had a cat head but it was a dark dark brown, almost black with a LONG tail. and it was larger than our dog but not much bigger. our dog is a pitbull weighing in at 55lbs. Rachel from CT ----- Appx 6:00pm tonight (June 12, 2008) I was traveling north bound on Terryville Rd (72) between Rte 6 and Rte 4 in CT, close to where the road crosses Bristol Reservoir, and saw what I believe was a mountain lion crossing the road. The animal was approximately 50 yards in the distance. Having some very large dogs and knowing their weights, I would guesstimate the animal in the 100-120 lb range. Best Regards, ----- I live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Have a good friend that owns about 80 acres that backs up too a state a park in Lebanon, Tennessee. He told me one afternoon right at dusk he was walking back from his deer stand and up on the woodline of a hill saw a large black cat with long tail. He hasn’t seen it again. ----- This afternoon, May 21, 2008, driving home from work at about 4:30 pm, I had turned onto the 197, near Ashville, N.C., heading to Barnardsville and home. I initially thought it was a large dog running into the road ahead of me, but it had an incredibly long and graceful stride and looked like at first a hairless dog, no rippling fur. I'm from the Pt Reyes area in California, we have Bobcats there and I thought, boy that sure doesn't look like a bob cat to me. It was huge, compared to the little bob cats I've seen. No tufted ears, all tan, long and lean and fast. Three bounds, across the road and straight up an embankment. Just about the exact same spot I almost hit a deer about 5 months ago. I guess it has a local food supply. There are a few scattered reports of big cats sighted out here, but unless you see one, no one really believes it. It was pretty amazing and very startling. Robyn Harter ----- A few years ago while I was doing some inspection work in very rural WV, I noticed an animal up in the road about 50 yards ahead of me. It crossed the road and went into a thicket. I slowed my car down to see if I could get a better look at it. To my amazement, it was there about 15 yards from me and looking right at me. I started to drive off and thought, dummy, you have a camera take a picture. So I backed up and it was still there. I got a few pictures of it. For a long time I thought it was a bob cat but then I found out bob cats have practically no tail. Well this cat had a long tail. That was the first thing I noticed about it. Unfortunately, my pictures were all lost in a hard drive crash and I do not have any pictures today. Cleve Phares ----- On May 4th, 2008, at about 5:00 p.m., myself and 3 others were finishing a weekend canoe camping trip in the Smoke Hole Canyon of WV. As we were shuttling the canoe trailers along Smoke Hole Road, the lead driver spotted the cat down by the river. We got out of the car and watched the cat as it walked along the river. Then the cat, still unaware we were there, began slowly toward the road and came within 50’ feet of us. It then spotted us and stared directly at us, then walked into a rocky lair. We had a clear view of the cat for about a minute. It was about 4.5-5.0 long with a long tail. It had dark markings on the tail, lower legs, and it’s head was a darker color. It was lean and beautiful. We are 100% sure of what we saw. We submitted sighting reports to the Monongahela Nat’l Forest and to the Eastern Puma Research Group. Steve Macdonald ----- I had our house built in the spring of 2002. The land where the house was built was created from clearing of forest/wetlands. Since our property is bounded by woods, it's not uncommon to see critters like skunk, raccoon, deer, snakes, woodchucks, foxes, etc. Imagine my surprise, when, after having lived here for about a year, I saw a *very large cat* in my rear view mirror was I was backing out of the garage at 5:15 a.m. (right around dawn) on a summer day. At first I'd thought it was a deer, but it had a very long tail and the way it slinked into the gully next to the yard it was unmistakable that this was a cat of some kind. While I wasn't at the best angle to see this cat the first time around, I saw it again maybe a month later at about the same time but this time walking across the backyard at dawn — minutes before I would've taken the dog out for a walk. It merely strolled across the yard and ran into the gully again. Don't know where it went from there. Later in the spring of 2003, I saw the cat again — in broad daylight — maybe around 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. This time I got a real good look at it. Definitely tan/brown in color, definitely a very long tail, and definitely bigger than a bobcat. I'd guess it was at least 60 pounds given its size and the length of its tail. I ran to the back deck that's about 20' up and started yelling at it (maybe not the best idea, but hindsight …). It stopped dead in its tracks and just stood there staring at me. It didn't advance or make any sound. It just stood there. I backed into the house and locked the door. The cat walked away in a moment or so. Haven't seen it since but am really curious about what kind of cat it really was. NP ----- Cougar(s?) in South Berkshire County, Massachusetts Twice I've heard the mating call of a cougar. I didn't know what it was the first time, but it was impossible to mistake for any sound I'd ever heard before. I described it and a friend told me - and he had actually seen a big cat when camping about 3 miles from where I first heard her. I subsequently read enough descriptions to recognize the call the second time. Then, in the winter, I found very large tracks with no claw marks, which seemed to suddenly disappear until I realized the animal had jumped 15 feet. So, they're here. ----- A couple of years ago while on my way to work one morning down here in the South Carolina lowcountry, a large cat crossed the country road in front of me. Naturally, my first thought was bobcat, then I realized that the tail was very long...almost as long as the cat's body. I stopped and backed down the road to try to see it again, but it had already disappeared into the woods. Just this past weekend, while searching in the woods near our home for our missing house cat, Chewbacca, we found some very cat large tracks, about 5" in width and length...seemingly too large for even a very large bobcat. I've decided that I probably should not walk the dog down the nearby trails, especially when no one knows where I've gone or even that I've gone. I feel it is important to respect the territory of local wildlife and leave it as undisturbed as possible. I certainly don't want to disturb a wildcat of any kind. Sue Woods ----- From Sumter, South Carolina: My wife and I saw a large black cat in our front yard a few years back. We were returning home and pulling into our driveway when I remotely opened the garage door. The sound startled the cat which was behind an azalea. It came onto the driveway and then ran about forty feet across our field of vision. The animal was solid black, very shiny,and large. We saw it from a distance of about forty-five feet. The time was approximately seven p.m. with plenty of sunlight. The cat's head was unlike any housecat I've ever seen. It had the shape and movements of panthers you see at the zoo. The cat was about two feet long with a tail of about fifteen inches. We have woodland at the edge of the yard into which the cat disappeared. We have not seen the cat again but we both got such a good long look at the animal we were absolutely sure we were seeing a wild cat. ----- Regarding cougar tracks — on Dec. 16, 2007, at approx. two o'clock in the afternoon. There was about 6 inches of snow and quite cold. Cold enough as to not allow the melting and enlarging of tracks. I was about 3 to 4 miles east of the Chautauqua County line and into Cattaraugus County (southwestern New York state just west of the Kinzua Reservoir, which is just west of Allegany State Park and just north of the Pennsylvania border). I was on the south side of Sawmill Run road on top of a mountain about 40 yards west of a State pine forestation area. As I was sitting on a log I heard something in the pines. Well, I heard it a second time and actually thought I smelled something peculiar (possibly unrelated). The odor was not that of a fox, coyote, mink or skunk, but something I can't easily describe. Well, after about ten minutes of hearing the sounds (one noise was like a scrapping sound and the other like an animal voice), I decided to go into the pine grove to investigate. By the way, the wind was in my favor - so whatever it was in the pines would not smell me. About 30 ft into the grove I looked down and was truly shocked by a very fresh set of tracks. I am a very knowledgeable woodsman with over 40 years of experience in hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, wildlife observation and tracking. I have never seen anything like it. It haunts me to this day. The tracks were approx. 3-3/4" in diameter, 4 toes - no claws, the stride being roughly 18" - 22" and the straddle being a very narrow 8". The tracks were also direct registered. The animal slunk under the lower dead pine boughs without breaking them off. Every bear I have tracked (do for a hobby), once it hears something, it just bulldozes its way through whatever is between the threat and freedom. This animal's escape was one of finesse. In the pine grove I found a place where the snow and ground was dug up, presumably the scrapping noise I heard. It was approx. 14" x 20" in size. Undeniably fresh. I snapped a GPS location and followed it for about 5/8 of a mile - never seeing the creature. It ran on top of logs, under blow downs and actually jumped over a 14' wide ravine. A bear couldn't do that. Nothing in these woods makes a track like what I saw. Way too big for a bobcat, no way a bear of which I have seen numerous tracks over the years. The only other animal that through my research would be a possibility would be a lynx which would be a rarer sighting than a cougar. Since I saw the tracks, several people have told me they, too, have seen cougars or cougar tracks over the past year or more. I had just purchased 54 acres of land and while I was walking with the surveyor we noticed a house cat print on my property. After seeing my cat print he stated that he had just surveyed a property very close to where I was two weeks prior and the farmer told him he had seen a cougar. He mentioned this before I told him of my experience. All of these sightings are within a 10 mile radius of each other. My friend and I went to the site a few weeks later to see if by any stroke of luck we would be able to see any signs. Surprisingly we saw tracks in the same area and about the same size, stride etc. However there was a fresh snow and we could not make any conclusions. The ironic thing about this is that about a week prior to my sighting I argued with a couple of buddies that there were no cougars in the area. Then I saw the tracks. I just don't know what in the world it could be other than a cougar. Lynx? I am well aware of all the false alarms and I agree that one would think if indeed there were cougars in the area that one would have been hit on a road or a definitive photograph or film would have been taken. I don't even know why I'm even telling this story - it has been like reporting a UFO. Kim L. Greyber
Had built home in country overlooking chemung valley; upstate NY, near Elmira. Family owns over 100 acres posted woods, with creeks. Heard them (the big cats) on several occ, and standing outdoors in driveway talking with relative we both saw 3 big cats across the Rd up by old barn of neighbors near their woods. Neighbors were away on vcc but, we know what we saw were real big, and each would weigh 100+. There was a tawny, and 2 jet black cats what seemed to be chasing each other around there; their long tails held high as they went. They ran around up in back of the barn and into the woods we guessed. We went up there after seeing them, and saw their paw tracks (5" width pad prints) all over in the dirt. Near as we could figure they'd been chasing the barn swallows that had nests in there. Like I said, they were big, I compared them to the male big red setter we had that I know weighed over 80 lbs and they were way bigger and stronger looking than him and, From all I've read on them since why 3 big ones tog I haven't a clue unless it was mother and big cubs maybe soon to be off on their own! Also it blows the theory of the black ones being a rarity! Others that lived there on the hill also saw them at times. The game warden had been investigating strange sounds and prints in near by Vanetten at the time, and had a biologist from Pitts up there with him. Someone had got the sounds at night on a recorder, and they were investigating trying to figure out what it was people were hearing there. I talked with the lady that recorded those sounds and she sent the warden and biologist to see me as well! They came and talked with me and that biologist told me what I saw was too big to be migrating panther from south. He said as a rule the panthers don't stay North but migrate back south in winter. However these cats set up residence in those parts for yrs, and were seen in winter. I mentioned about the cats to that neighbor where we saw the cats by her barn, when they returned from their vcc as they had 2 sm boys that would like to hide on their mother in the fields tall grass; like hide and seek often. They said conservation dept told them no big cats around any more! Okey dokey I told her I just thought for her childrens protection she ought to know what I'd seen running out of and around their barn earlier in the week! Several days later as she was working in her garden she saw the tawny one digging up a woodchuck her husband had shot and buried on side hill by their barn! Made a believer out of them, and they watched their kids real close from then on. Biologist didn't understand he said why the cats didn't seem to have fear of humans and that normally the big cats see humans long before we see them and they are long gone! My daughter was maybe 10 yrs at the time and riding her 10 speed up the rd to our home and ran into the kitchen scared and crying that there had been a very big black cat with green eyes just sitting at the edge of the rd by the creek as she flew past it on her bike. She said it was just sitting on its haunches looking at her, and that as she got past it she looked back to see it just walking off into the tall grass by the creek. My neighbor told me later after she saw the tawny that maybe they had been in her barn trying to get at a litter of feral kittens that the mother feral had hidden down in a pile of heavy wood in there. The mother cat had moved her litter by then across the Rd and down into and under a large wood pile mound in back of my MIL's house next door to me. We cought the feral kittys, and gave them to homes up there and kept one ourselves. Before the biologist had talked with me my MIL who grew up in that farm house across from us told me that when she was a girl an older german couple that lived in N chemung not too far away had brought 2 leopard cubs back from a trip abroad (that would of been back in 1918 or thereabouts) she said when the cubs got big the old couple couldn't handle them any more and had turned them loose ! So my question to the biologist was if so could the cats I was seeing be descendents of the leopards, and why was one a tawny color? Not sure.! Since the old couple long gone, and my mil also gone guess won't know for sure unless someone captures one up there to see if it is cougar, or leopard or what. I always just thought they were cougars. I moved away yrs ago and only go back there to vss my family sometimes. Last I was up there I did ask my daughter that still lives there in my house on East hill where we saw the 3 cats, and she said yes that other neighbors that lived down the rd whose back property backed a stone quarry said they see them and feel they have a den there in the quarry. Conservation tried to keep it low key so people from the city won't be going up there hunting for the cats! Since the woods up there are growing back again after yrs of foresting; it only stands to reason the cats would become more plentiful having albeit game to eat. Most the land posted, and bear, turkey, deer, etc there. Back then when I lived there before I saw the cats I used to take walks in the woods by myself afternoons, and used to feel as if I was being followed sometimes, and even would hear what sounded like a twig snap, but told myself it was just my imagination! My sons, and daughter told me 6 yrs ago that the big cats still sighted up there, and that there are now coy dogs, and wolves. My son who is an avid hunter, sportsman related to me that the yr prior he'd been down in back in our woods bow hunting and got cornered by wolves. He had made it up a tree but had dropped his bow in the scramble up the tree, and of all days didn't have his cell phone with him. He said he had to spend a few hrs up the tree till the wolves finally gave up and left. After he felt sure they were gone he got down and hurried home. My daughter tells me she can hear the wolves running in the creek bed late at nights when she is in bed. Her bedroom window is maybe 15-20 yrds from the creek. So all I can say is I guess there are more melonistic leopards, or jags than there are cougars from all I've been reading of late on internet so I'm not sure if the cats there are cougars, or leopard specie, or what. I do know they are there and have never left, and so anyone that can say they are not and haven't been for yrs in NYS or even the east coast really is speculating because they don't have tangable proof, and have never seen them up close and there for REAL! We all know what we've seen, heard and know to be there for real. By the way the gamewarden, and the biologist back then did not doubt what I told them. We had also heard sounds at dusk like a pr of something signaling with a noise they made so next time I heard it down back in woods I had the game warden come over and he walked down there with us and heard it and said even though he had his gun loaded he had no intentions of going down in there at dusk, and he admitted to us he had no idea what the sounds were, but that it made the hairs on back his neck stand up! My dad who hunted for yrs and knew animals said the closest the sounds he could describe it were he likened to what a lion makes when it makes a grunt sound to signal. We thought that totally wierd and said lions I don't think so, not possible!!!!!!! As far as talk of wildlife people seeding the cougars back into east population I doubt, but I do believe the cats themselves are making a good comeback all on their own just fine, and just like someone else said; with the forests growing up again after yrs of logging; with the regrowth also comes back the game in that habitat, and the cats will surely go where they have food, and cover. Leenie ----- We live in Elberton, Georgia, on Hwy # 77 and in the summer of 2006 we had a tan cougar that stayed around our area for about a month, with different families seeing him every so often, I was out with my dog late one night in a fenced in yard and he was just out by the fence and walked to my son's house down his driveway, which was well lite with yard light . he didn't run just walk off.. a few days latter my son was on the 4 wheeler in our woods and there he was again ..I know what I saw a ''tan cougar''... Marian S Dove, Elberton, Georgia ----- I have just heard through the neighborhood grapevine, that two horses were killed this week about two miles from my home in the Rafter area, near Tellico Plains, Tn. This is in the extreme eastern part of the state close to the North Carolina line. The rumors also are circulating that the TWRA investigated and found Cougar tracks at the site (just second hand gossip at this point). I have heard no official story on this and have not heard or seen anything on the news. Has anyone else heard anything about this incident. This would have happened at the first of this week. It is now Nov. 2, 2007. I think I saw one about three weeks ago in the same general area, but I only saw the rear end of it going under a guard rail just before daylight, but I can’t be sure, it was cat like with a thick long tail, but the front of it was already out of view. ----- Hello, Not sure where to report this but I spotted a mountain lion in Kingston, NH at about 4:15PM Sunday, October 21, 2007. I was riding my motorcycle eastbound on Rt 111 before turning right onto Danville Rd. The location was only 150 yards onto Danville Rd. The cat was slowly walking along the back of a field on the right side of road. I rode past it and could not figure out what possible dog moved like that. I then turned around, circled back and pulled over to watch the animal for at least 5 minutes. The cat moved to the far eastern edge of the field and stopped and sat upright most of the time. I did not get off the motorcycle but I was about 120 yards away during this time. when it turned and moved away onto the woods, I could see the long tail flipping only at the end (last 6 inches) Moved like a cat, I would estimate 70-90+ pounds. about 30 inches at the shoulder, 4 feet long without tail, tail 2 1/2 feet. I live in East Hampstead and was out enjoying the weather, first time I have ever seen one in the wild. Regards, ----- I'm writing to report numerous sightings from reliable people over the course of the past ten years. First, my sighting. I was driving to work on RT 460 West in Dinwiddie County, VA in the very late summer of I think 2001, right at the crossroads at Ford, when I saw what I assumed, in my very groggy and quite decaffinated state at 6am, was a dead dog on the side of the road. But something about it just didn't seem like all the other dogs that are quite commonly killed along that stretch of road. All I could think to myself in my decaffinated state was "Gee, that was an rather large and odd looking dead hound dog". It wasn't until I arrived at work and five minutes after I arrived, one of my co-workers arrived who drives the same route. He walks in, and the very first thing he says to me before even saying "good morning" was "Hey, did you see that dead cougar on the side of the road back in Ford?" It wasn't until then that the light bulb went off in my head and I realized why it was such a "funny looking hound". My co-worker actually recognized it right off, being from out west and having seen cougars many times working along power lines out there, and had slowed down to less than 20 MPH as he went by and got a very good look. It was then that I realized why it had the deep rich reddish/brown dark tawny color of late summer, very large feet, very long tail, and long lean muscular body. I wish I had stopped, but there is no doubt what it was. By the time I got off work in the early afternoon eager to take a close look, it was gone. In my current job, I have access to, and am one of the people that makes land management decisions, on a 40,000+ acre tract of federal land in south central Virginia near the town of Blackstone. I have daily contact with many professionals like myself, that work in the wildlife, environmental, or military fields, folks who are comfortable in the woods and work in the woods and amidst wildlife every day, and know the difference between a house cat, bobcat, coyote, or our elusive Puma concolor cougar. I have recorded at least nine credible sightings in the Dinwiddie, Nottoway, and Chesterfield county areas from these credible people. Other reports over the years, even as recently as a few months ago, have appeared in the Blackstone paper from local residents. I'm very interested in seeing this native species firmly re-established to its historical range and protected, especially in southern Virginia. Doug ----- Several weeks ago some company was doing a seismic study of this area. They were motoring through the woods and setting off dynamite charges, cutting brush. I looked out the window of my home across an alfalfa field and thought, that is a weird looking deer. Then I realized it was not a deer and I thought it was a large yellow lab. I got the binoculars and when I looked though them I was astounded. It was the biggest cat I have ever seen. It had a cat shape head, with cat ears. It had a long tail which curved before it ended. It was a kind of brawny color. It prowled along the edge of the field, stopping to sit on its haunches. I had no film in my camera. I called a neighbor, who was not home. Then the cat lay down for a few minutes before getting up and wandering back int the woods. I called several wildlife people who told me there are no "big cats" in central NY. I watched the cat for at least 15 minutes. I KNOW what I saw. It was 4:30 pm and daylight. I never expected to see a big cat like that. I suspect that all the ruckus being made by the seismic study guys over the two weeks prior had driven the cat from the deeper woods. I have my camera loaded and ready if I ever see it again. I have lived here 17 years and not seen one before. It was very exciting. I would love to know if anyone else has seen a big cat in the central NY area. Annie Hamilton, NY ----- We have a house in the Western North Carolina mountains near Highlands, NC. . We live in a gated country club community, surrounded on some sides by the Nantahala National Forest. We were the only people at home in our area when this happened. About two weeks ago -- Oct. 07 -- at app. 5 PM, I was coming back to our house in a golf cart and suddenly noticed a "cat statue" in a neighbor's yard. After doing a double take and stopping to see exactly what I had seen, I got out of the golf cart and walked a few feet toward the neighbor's yard. I had seen a big cat sitting watching me zoom down the street. When I got out of the cart he had moved to the far corner of the yard with his back to me but with his head turned toward me. He was solid colored with a cat face, upright ears with white tufts in them- his face appeared to have dark markings which accentuated the white tufts, and a very long curled tail. He looked to weigh about 40-55 lbs. We just stood there watching each other for about a minute, then he turned, and, catlike, slowly walked between this house and the one next to it. There have been some other sightings in the area, my husband had a quick glimpse of one on the other side of the street last year. Until I saw this one we really didn't connect the sightings. Karen S. Leabo ----- A friend sent me your address to report the cougar I saw on August 9th around 3:30pm. I was on Gravel Hill Road, just beyond the Ramseys' house. There is a cow path that goes up the hill on the Blacksburg side of the road and the cougar had just crossed the road, in front of my truck, and started up the path. I slowed to a crawl, to watch, the cougar turned his head to look and flicked his tail and then went on up the hill. Sue Brozovsky ----- I live in St. Catharines Ontario, near Niagara Falls, Ontario. An animal, thought to be a cougar has been spotted near my condo building several times in the last few weeks. At least 15 people have seen it, both at very close range and about 100 feet away. It was bold enough to go up to the edge of one resident's ground floor balcony and stare at the people sitting there. It followed a lady who uses a motorized wheelchair, She frightened it off by throwing cans of soup at it from her bag of groceries. It has been spotted chasing the herd of six or eight deer that graze beside our building. It has been encountered crossing the sidewalk between the condo buildings. I have seen it myself across the field by the underbrush of a small bush. Our residences are in the middle of the city. All these sightings have been half an hour before dust until half an hour after dark or in the early morning. All of the many rabbits that lived around our condo are gone. Presumably eaten. The deer are only appearing at the very edge of a treed ravine apposite to where the cougar seems to live (perhaps 400 feet away). We have not been able to get any pictures of the animal, but the descriptions reported are fairly consistent. it is described as having a very long tail, black, big eyes, erect ears. The size had been reported as bigger than a collie dog. When it encounters something it seems to sit on its haunches and look up. At 75 year of age I am not very brave. I have a miniature schnauzer which I must walk after dark and I am terrified that the cougar like animal will pounce on her. The Humane Society said to call the Police: the Police said to call the Humane Society. Government of Ontario Natural Resources said to call the Humane Society or the Police. In the meantime, I am very frightened to take the dog outside at night. I realize that this a protected animal, but who is going to protect me and my miniature schnauzer? I am so anxious that any advice would be gratefully received. Marian R. Walsh, PhD ----- I believe I saw a dead cougar on the side of I-95 in the breakdown lane southbound in the Niantic area in CT on Saturday around noon on 9/22/2007 coming home from the Connecticut College Cross Country Invitational meet at Harkness State Park in Waterford. The animal was large, tan and I saw its body laying on its side and head and face. It was not mangled. Not a deer and not a dog, bobcat, fox or coyote. I reported this to the CT DEP on Monday morning and they said they hadn't any reports of this and would send someone out. I called several times and was told they hadn't heard back from who was sent out. They did say a Mr. Lynch had also called after I called to report the same thing. I called a fellow I found on the web who is interested in cougars and talked with him about what I saw and he thought that it was a good chance the DEP would not want residents to know about a confirmed cougar in CT, so I called two local newspapers in the area hoping they could confirm or be interested in trying to confirm the dead cougar. One of the papers said they had received another call as well regarding the cougar. ----- I am fascinated by the possibility of cougars living in the Adirondacks. In 1982, a family friend found a deer (a 10 point buck) partially buried in a clear cut where he was logging. I went with my dad to see this, and found a number of large tracks and scat (which at the time I did not think was important to collect) in the vicinity of the kill. This got my interest. This was in the Alder Brook are of Altona, NY, near the Plank Rd. bordering Ellenburg near Chazy Lake. In the ensuing years, I had forgotten about this incident until the fall of 2006, when a number of sightings near our deer hunting camp in Belmont, NY started to show up. I also saw a photo of 2 cougars taken near Lyon Mountain, NY in 2006 on a trail camera by a local resident who I do not personally know. I still have not seen one for myself, but I believe it is only a matter of time, since the number of reports is now on the increase, and I spend a lot of time in the field in these area hunting deer. I’m packing a camera in hopes this happens! Randy Wood ----- On Tuesday September 4, 2007 I saw a cougar in my field where I was mowing. It was on the outside of my fence in heavy grass. I thought it was a bobcat and was elated to see one. I thought it was very large because it was looking at me with its head above the grass. As I mowed closer it moved and I could no longer see it. I drove about three hundred and fifty yards and turned to cut another swath, I advanced about two hundred feet and spotted it again. I stopped the mower because I have seen many bobcats and this one was behaving strangely. As I watched it advance down the fence row where I just mowed to about fifty yards from me it then turned and went through the fence into the heavy growth. That's when I noticed the longer more slender body and the long tail. The tail came down near if not on the ground and then curved back up. The end seemed to wag in a mesmerizing way. I had no camera with me. I carry one with me now but all I got was a picture of a bobcat. Still nice to see. Walter Minschwaner ----- My name is Len Darby we have a camp just east of Tionesta, PA on German Hill, Rd. Sunday evening Sept. 2, 2007 sitting around a camp fire we had a Cougar walk within 100 feet of us. It did not stop or even look at us through the yard and vanished into the forest. Big Big Big Cat with a tail approximately 18 to 24 inches long. I am not a Cougar fan..... Len Darby ----- Lately, I have heard more stories of hikers having seen mountain lions along the Appalaichan trail. I had nearly forgotten about my husband and I seeing one years ago in Millville, Pa. We had just arrived at my parents farm with our one-year-old son and our white German Shepherd. The year would have been 1988. My husband took our son and dog outside to do the usual walk around the large yard area. He ran back in the house and excitedly told us all to come outside. I was the first one out the door and only briefly saw what had to be a cougar less than 100 ft. away. It was heading for the back of the barn and my husband quietly whispered to our dog and pointed. The dog saw it and took off. My husband realized the animal could probably tear our dog up and quickly called him back. However, the cougar had already been spooked and took off so quickly behind the barn that we could not even follow it on foot. My parents who have lived there for years, had only seen the blur of the animal taking off, but said it had to be a cougar, since my husband and I had both seen its long tail, it could not have been a bobcat, which would have been more common for us to see. We surmised that it was not a full-grown cougar or it would not have ventured so near to the farm. The farm is surrounded by woodlands, hills and mountains with beautiful views. They have not seen one since. We have all seen black bears, red fox, racoons, etc. on and off over the years in the area, but the sighting of a cougar was the first for my parents who were then both in their 60's. ----- A driver being loaded at our facility in Corry, Pa reportedly heard then saw a cougar walking through the parking lot on July 13, 2006. Then on July 22, 2006 my grandson and I were out driving to watch deer and on the Northern end of Alderbottom road in Columbus Township I spotted a cougar in the field approximately 300 yards off the road. I had my binoculars on the animal and observed the rounded head and ears, the long tail. It was in my estimate body size 4' long. I would say the cat was probably 120 lbs and probably an adult. It was the golden brown color of a Cougar. I observed it probably for at least two minutes and was in the process of getting my camera out when a truck went by and spooked the cat. It was not a Coyote or a Bobcat, it was definately a cougar. As the crow flies it would have been about 3 miles or less from where the driver saw a cat in the yard where I work. The area where I observed this cat has a large swamp that is not very accessible at all and is home to at last count around 7-8 Black Bears. Tracey McMichael ----- My name is Vince Reeder, I am an avid hunter, trapper for deer, bear, turkey, coyote. I live 1 mile north of Warrensville (Pennsylvania) on pleasant valley road. And after reading your story in the paper, we may have a sighting. My wife left our house one day (April or early May 2007) and traveled towards Williamsport on Northway Rd. About 2 or 3 miles down Northway Rd. from Rt. 973 she saw an animal cross the rd. in front of her car. When she got into cell service in town she called me asking what she saw. Here is what she described. She said it was about 20-30 feet in front of the car a big cat crossed the rd. (not really in a hurry) and it ducked under the guardrail (18-24 high) and down the bank. She said "it was the size of a dog with brown spots and a long tail, it crossed the road, ducked under the guardrail and went out of sight" I am not a real believer of Mountain Lions in PA for the fact of: other states that have them, there are recorded road kills, pictures of them and valid tracks. My theory is, if they are here, there has to be one hit by a car, shot by angry hunters in the woods or valid tracks. So I told my wife, you must be mistaking the long tail for a shorter one because you saw a Bobcat, they have spots, mountain lions don't. She said she was 100% sure it had a long tail and had brownish spots. And when I read your article today I was put in my place. " Mt. Lions can have spots for 1 year" news to me !!!! I stand corrected The way a crow fly's this is not very far from Warrensville Rd. or Starr rd. I hope this helps in some way To this day she stands by what she saw, which till the article today was unsure because of the spot issue.
I myself.............. till one is killed or valid camcorder tape or I see one with my own eyes, I will be skeptical. ----- Hi - I understand you are interested in hearing about Mountain Lion sightings. My chickens started disappearing about a month ago (mid-June). I suspected a bobcat or a mountain lion b/c I saw some cat tracks in the mud but was not sure if they were bobcat or mountain lion. The other night I definitely heard a Mountain Lion screaming behind our house. It was around 10:00 pm and it was probably 1/2 mile away or so behind our wetlands up the mountain a little bit. We live on North Road in Hinesburg (Vermont) on ten acres. Our property is mostly wetlands but we also have a mountain beyond that with rocky ledges. Thanks - let me know if you have any questions. Danielle Danielle Gilbert-Richard ----- Hello Fellow Cougar lovers! I myself grew up between northern and central Maine. Being an avid mountain / woods lover I greatly enjoy the vast wildlife the Maine woods has to offer. Here in Maine as well as most other Eastern states, we are told by wildlife officials and the government that no Cougers / Puma’s are in the Maine woods at all. I Have heard numerous stories from the elders in my family about what it was like growing up 100 years ago in Maine, their were a grate abundance of wild Cats in the Maine Woods. Mainers commonly see Bob Cats and when residence come forth to report a Mountain Lion Sighting they are shrugged off with the approach they have mistaken a bob cat for a Mountain lion, even though we all know the distinctive features that separate the two are VERY distinctive. One evening driving thru the Twilight of a Mid Summers Night along with my husband in the car we saw a very very large Puma dart out around a tree onto the side of the road, when it looked up at out lights it darted back around the tree and rapidly ran thru the semi tall field of grass. The tail was extremely long hanging to the ground then came back up with a swoop, it was not hairy but it was very thick. The muscle structure and the shape of the body when it ran looked exactly like a documentary from Africa, the classic text book Puma. A few weeks later into that summer we were relatively in the same area a few miles south of the first sighting, we had another sighting, this time the cat was a lot heavier, with tremendous muscle tone, most likely 20 lbs. larger then the previous cat, and yes this was a Mountain Lion as well as the first. I have yet to have anymore sightings, but have had the pleasure of hearing some amazing Mountain Lions stories with the tragic ending of supplying the state / federal wildlife officials with the information and getting either literally laughed at or just plain ‘ol get shrugged off, as to say "Are you sure you don’t need glasses?" We Mainers now the truth about cougars in the Maine woods, What we don’t know is the total truth behind why wildlife officials just will not admit that what we are seeing is Cougars or the fact that maybe they have supplies the Maine woods with a small amount of Cougars to control the deer population in over populated areas. Either way, I wish we knew the entire story behind the Mountain Lion Denials. Erica L. Gomez ----- I live in Greenwich, NY (Washington County). It is a farming community between Albany and Lake Placid, not far from Vermont. While driving North on North road on Saturday, June 23, 2007, at 4:40pm a cougar ran across the road in front of my car while crossing from one field to the next. There was no question that it was not a coyote or dog. It was the typical tan coloring, with stalky legs and a muscular body. It did not appear to be mature - I did not notice the dark coloring or white underbelly - but was approximately 60-70 pounds. Just prior to the sighting my children and I were commenting on the number of turkey in the adjacent field and the deer that were grazing close to the road. Emily B ----- Hi, I'd like to report spotting an Eastern Cougar on the James Bay highway in Quebec, Canada in Aug 2006. The cougar looked young and crossed the highway in front of me before disappearing into the woods. Yesterday (June 20) an Eastern Cougar sighting was confirmed near Ottawa, Ontario. The sighting was reported in the Ottawa Citizen. JAMES SHOTTON ----- Hello again, I am writing with updates from the the Mountain Lions sightings in our back yard on 04/22/07, Buckfield ,Maine. A few weeks ago, I was out trying to get my lawnmower started, with the help of a friend. I noticed what appeared to be something lying , again at the back of the yard, the shape of a lounging large cat, beige, just watching us. I asked Cathy In Western Michigan, in Spring Lake Township on an early evening of April, 2007, I saw a large cat in the backyard of my home. I grabbed the binoculars and ran out to see it walking away about 15 yards from me. What struck me about this cat was the size of it's tail. It went to the ground and curled back up again about 1/2 the total length. The tail was uniformly thick, and not hairy like a dog, but more like a thick rope. As it got about 200 feet from me, I hissed loudly at it, it turned and looked at me for about 4 or 5 seconds before walking slowly away. It was a reddish or greyish brown with darker fur on the feet. legs, tail and head. The head was always kept low when it walked, and it swayed like it was hunting. By using branches of bushes, I determined the cat to be about 24" tall at the haunches. I couldn't tell the length. The area I spotted it is home to hundreds of deer and turkey, and adjoins the swamps and river flats of the Grand River. There are miles of riverbed, many islands, and lots of woodland to keep cats happy here. Bob Foster ----- Hello, In the summer of 2006 a cougar walked through my mothers back yard in Lavonia, Ga. My stepfather got some wildlife officals to admit that the had released several pairs of them to help control the deer populations. January of 2007 driving along Hwy 24 near Seneca, SC along with my wife, and my best friend and his family. A large cougar ran across the road in front of us. It reminded me of nature films of lions in Africa in its movments. Body and tail took up most of one lane of travel. Everyone in the vehicle saw it. It is truely amazing the abundance of wildlife that is in close proximity to human habitation. Yet, the average person doesn't see anything. ----- Not sure about scientific evidence but ... we have some footprints and there were what appeared to be two Mountain Lions in our yard in Buckfield, Maine this morning (April 22) at about 7 AM...the footprints were here in the snow last week which I thought was a very big dog but now the snow is gone and my Dtr saw two in the back yard when she got home from work..about waist high, golden/brownish, saggy bellied, cats. Not bobcats, not deer, not lynx's, big animals that went sauntering off like cats do. They did not look at her just headed for the woods. She had just visited the local game farm in Gray Maine yesterday and they looked the same as those she said. the footprints are around the deck and yard but not where they were seen this AM. The nail file is 7 inches long in the photo as of course we could not find the measuring tape in our excitement. here are some footprints ..perhaps you can help determine? Our friend, who lives 2-3 miles from here told us within the last year or so that they had seen on in their yard, and we laughed but I think they are here. Cathy S. Sorry, but we cannot display images online without the owner's signed permission. We will pass your images on to a staff member, however. ----- I'd like to submit the following story for your survey. My family & I were returning from a day at the Blue Mt. Lake Museum in upstate NY somewhere around 1995. We had passed through Indian Lake on our way home, southbound toward Speculator on Rt. 30 in Hamilton Co. It was a bright, clear, warm, sunny summer day. About 10 miles south of Indian Lake, I looked off to my right and saw a cougar standing on a small rise about 25 feet from the road. It seemed just to be watching the cars go by. I got a good look at it. Its appearance fit perfectly with photos, TV programs and videos I had seen of cougars many times. It was long and sleek, high at the shoulder, and grey in color with a cougar's characteristic thick, downswept tail. It was the size of a large dog (maybe 80-90 pounds), and the fur on its lower face and the front of its chest was white. Having hunted in the areas for many years, I can say that it was not a deer or bear or any other large animal of that type. It was much larger than lynxes, bobcats or housecats, and its body shape and size, and facial appearance, was different as well. It was a "classic" cougar. MR ----- When the story about the "possibility" of mountain lions existing in Maine was printed in our local paper, (March 12, 2007) I called the state department of Inland Fish and Wildlife to report it as the article said they would want to know. It didn't seem to me like they wanted to know and it also didn't seem like they believed me. It was in August, 1997, in Gardiner, Maine and I am 100% certain of what I saw. I was ridiculed by most people, the kinder ones telling me I was simply "mistaken". That left a bad taste in my mouth and didn't think most people deserved to know and didn't talk about it much after that. However, some of the people I told had known someone who had seen them in Maine. I was walking on a trail on private land that the public was allowed to use. It was all wooded with a maintained path. I had two dogs with me, both German Shepherds. My dogs always would leave the trail and go down into dense vegetation (at that time of year) and I could see where they were by the movement of the vegetation. But that day, they just "disappeared". It was totally silent. I called to them (loudly, at first). Then I heard a loud crack. I looked up and saw a mountain lion on a branch in a tree above me and in front of me, to the right of the trail, above where they dogs had gone. I was completely shocked, and could not believe my eyes, but I did see it and it moved (SO gracefully) along the branch. I started walking backwards and whispering to my dogs. The female, Alex, came out of the vegetation. The male, Gunnar, did not. I took off with Alex anyway, and went to the police station and asked if they would go back with me to find Gunnar. They did, I found him (and he had met with a porcupine during his adventure). I saw the mountain lions body, and side of its face, but not the tail, but it is still enough to tell. I spend a lot of time in the woods (live in the woods now) and taught biology for 33 years so I guess I know what I saw. D. Smith ----- Hello I hope you will take my sighting into consirderation in your review of the Eastern Cougar. While groundhog hunting in the spring of 1966 in Botetourt Co., VA, I saw a cougar not far from where the Appalachian Trail, where it crosses farmland. I was sitting on a small knoll, looking across a ravine, into a field on the hill across the ravine. There was a fence line in the gully that was overgrown with honeysuckle, but had a wire gate that was clean and unobscured. While watching the field across from me, I noticed a very large sandy yellow cat running in the ravine toward Tinker mountain. It was on the oppsite side of the 14 foot gate from me, so I only got to see it in the span of the wire gate. It was 1/2 the length of the gate, including its tail. As I saw the body come into view, I remember thinking that's the biggest bobcat I have ever seen. Then I saw that tail flowing out from behind it. It was so long I couldn't believe it. It was a mountain lion. CLIFF PHILLIPS ----- In 2002 I saw a cougar in Smithfield Township in the Poconos. I had just left my home in Delaware Water Gap and was driving up Foxtown Hill toward the summit where the House of Ming restaurant used to be. At first I saw just the tawny head and thought "what an ugly deer!" Then the animal bounded across route 611 and ran up the steep slope. It was unmistakeable - the head profile round ears and club like tail. I was so excited that I stopped in at the nearby SPCA and told them, "It's 11 am and I have not been drinking, but I just saw a mountain lion!" They barely looked up from what they were doing and said that many people have reported seeing them in that same area. There are huge tracts of wild land, many caves and lots of large and small prey animals. The planned future Mcdade trail will run through the area. One of my daughters lived near the state park at Camelback and 8-10 years ago had three sightings - two in the early morning and one in the evening.These were in the Park and as she and her fiance always walked the same area. It could have been one animal. Sceptiscism of some Rangers is annoying. I know that some people just do not see. I was walking quietly with a woman one day who complained that she "never saw any wild life - how come I did?" As she complained, she literally stepped on a box turtle and kept going! I have also seen a mink while I was riding my bike through Cherry Valley Rd near the creek. This was in the 80's. The beautifully furred little cat like creature gave a frantic squeak and vanished in the brush. Haven't seen one since. Good luck with the research will look forward to the results and publication! Sincerely, Anita Berg ----- I recall back in the winter of 1998, when a friend of mine came by my home in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. He was out on his snowmobile, in the Delaware State Forest, along route 115 in Long Pond, Pa. there is a fire tower there "Pimple Hill". It was just before dark (Dusk) when he stopped by my home, and he was quite shaken. He stated he saw a very large cat at least six feet long from head to tail, and it had to be 130 pounds, it was the tawny red brown color, along the top of the mountain where the fire tower is, as he rode along the trail. He had asked if I wanted to go out with him to see if we could view the cat. But I was not prepared to go looking for a cat that large in the deep snow of that year, on the mountain side. I Just wanted to share this story, for maybe there were other sitings of the same nature in the area I am speaking of. Thank You for your interest in the Eastern Cougar. ----- My name is Jen Kippin. Today March 19, 2007 around 1:00 in the afternoon I heard my one and a half year old chocolate lab barking madly in my back yard. Looking out my office window, I noticed she was hiding behind some fallen tree branches croutched low to the ground. At first I couldn't tell what she was barking at. I grabbed my binoculars and look through them. Then I see a large animal come out from behind a fallen tree. My back property line borders four swamp lands and forest. I have seen moose, deer, fox, ground hogs, bear, coyotes and other wild life come through my yard... What I saw was quite amazing! This animal was definitely a cat! It was almost as big as my dog! I would guess the cat was about 40 lbs, big face, large ears and the tail was almost as big as its body. The body of the cat was gray and tip of the tail was black. I was excited to see this cat and almost questioned what I saw. I was only able to get a picture of the back end of the cat as it made its way back into the woods. Hooksett, N.H. We will forward the photos to our biologists. -- USFWS ----- I live in Columbia County, Pa. a couple of years ago I was driving on Rt. 118 west when I saw one of these big cats run across the road in front of me, I distinctly remember the long tail and huge build of the big cat. We live in a natural boxed canyon in the village of Central and Jamison City. There are many stories in our little community of cat sightings. An old timer here saw a cougar kitten on the state gamelands about 6 years ago, in his excitement he jumped out of his truck to catch it, when all of a sudden he stopped dead in his tracks, as the hair stood up on the back of his neck, his old hunting skills told him to scramble to his truck, as he knew at that moment he was being stalked by Momma's watchful eye. The kitten scurried down over the bank into the woods never seeing it or Momma again. So we believe in the old stories and the new stories here in our community of the mountain lion... panther... cougar... do they exist in these parts? You tell me... Thanks, Lou Kwasny My name is Alexis Marsh. In 2004 I was living in Beech Island South Carolina. I lived on 13 acres in the middle of basic farm country. I was standing outside one evening when some movement caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I looked and to my great surprise I saw a red cougar cross the dirt road by my house. it was not moving real fast and I was able to get a good look at it. I didn't think there were any wild cats living nearby so this thrilled me. I tried to catch it again but to no avail. But I know what I saw and I only hope that these great creatures can thrive and co-exist with the encroachment of civilization. Just to let people know, they exist down here as well. ----- To whom it may concern: This morning (March 7) I had a quick glipse of a cougar on my way to work. Looked like this Tom Fundock ----- I live in the Southern Tier of New York, about 1 mile from the PA border. While going to hunt at the family farm on or about the 30th of November during deer season. When coming over a rise, still in my vehicle, in the field in PA I spotted, and had a good look of which I did not believe what I was seeing. Having lived here all my life, I was amazed at what I saw, low to the ground, buff color with a black face with a long tail, it was not until it started to run it became apparent, to me, what I was seeing. It was not only the color, but was the cat like movement when he decided to run. I would stake my life on it it was a cougar. The people who live near there say they have seen it about every three weeks for some time now. I have heard of other people within 3 miles where I live, have also seen It. Bill E. DePue ----- To Whom It may concern, There is no doubt in my mind it was a 60-70lb. Cougar just like the pictures on your website. The area of the property is just north of Va Rt. 55, where the George Washington National Forest ends. There were later sightings of this cat or a like one by my neighbors in the general area of 2-3 miles of my property. Hope this helps in some way with your surveys. ----- Hope this "sighting" report will be helpful. The next morning, I was relieved to see the bird standing in the water, but moving very slowly. After looking through the binoculars, I could see why. This poor bird had big, red scratches up and down its long neck, most of her tail feathers were gone or shredded, and one wing seemed to be badly cut. She recovered in a few weeks, and eventually brought down her two babies so they could learn how to fish. A friend of mine that works at the VA Living Museum told me he was pretty sure that it was a bobcat, and that he knew from comments from visitors to the museum that there are a lot of them around. P.S. we also have coyotes ----- I can tell you I have seen a mountain lion while deer hunting in Salisbury, CT. It was on the opening day of bow hunting season 9/15/2005. I was posted in my tree stand for an afternoon hunt it was approximately 1500 hours. As I sat overlooking a cornfield I was posted on the edge of the field where two major deer runs intersect. I saw movement in the cornfield and sat watching what I thought was going to be a deer finally exit the cornfield. That's when I realized it wasn't a deer it was a tawny colored mountain lion. I had the opportunity to watch this huge cat for approximately 5 to 10 minutes. I sat there very uncomfortably for what seemed to be an eternity trying to be as invisible as I could be. The mountain lion was no more than 50 to 60 yards away. I tried to reach for my camera that was in my pack hanging on a hook behind me. I wasn't able to retrieve my camera quick enough. I wasn't very comfortable with the idea of taking my eyes off of the big cat so turning around was out of the question. I have to tell you I was glad I was wearing my Scent Lok clothing. I have hunted for many years I know the difference between a mountain lion and a bobcat I have seen many bobcat this was no bobcat. I had the opportunity to see what I believed to be the same cat about 2 months later it was the last day of bow hunting on private land before rifle season started. I sat in a finger of trees that split two corn fields I watched this big cat exit the woods cross about 30 or 40 yards of open land and enter the other corn field I kept my eyes on it until I could no longer see it. I ran into a Game Warden the day after the first sighting and told him what I saw and he basically told me I didn't see a mountain lion. I also have a friend who says this past rifle (2006) season he sat in his stand off of a field and watched a mountain lion pounce on a doe from one of the apple trees in the field. The cat dragged the does carcass off into the brush not to be seen again. I have no reason not believe him for he is a seasoned hunter. This was in Canaan not too far from where I saw the big cat the prior year. I have heard of other sightings from other hunters. I think if there are these big cats in our area the DEP shouldn't deny the sightings and tell the people that they didn't see one of these big cats but maybe try to educate the people so they know what to do for some reason they ever came into contact with one of these magnificent creatures. I think if the people were educated it would stop the wide spread panic if the sightings were confirmed. ----- COUGAR AT OR CLOSE TO OLE BULL STATE PARK, N.CENTRAL PA TO WHOM IT MIGHT CONCERN: RESPECTFULLY, I REMAIN ----- Two years ago I saw a large cat in my yard. It was a dark color and it raised its head and looked at me in the kitchen window. I was about 20 feet away. I thought it was a dog but it had a very long tail and when it moved off behind thre garage it moved like a panther. I took pictures of its pawprints the same day and they were 22 inches apart and 4 inches wide. I can send you a picture if you like. Other people have told me they have seen an animal like this one. Sincerely, ----- Hello there – I was asked to submit my story about a possible sighting in the Spring of 2004 of a Cougar. The sighting was on Seabrook Island, SC at 2660 Gnarled Pine. Seabrook Island is about 18 miles south of Charleston, SC. After turning off of Seabrook Island Road onto Gnarled Pine – a large animal greeted myself and my mother. The animal was sitting in the middle of the road and after waiting, then honking slightly – the animal moved ever so elegantly on his way. After parking the car in the driveway of 2660 Gnarled Pine, we entered the home, then a few minutes later, looked out the front window to once again see the beautiful creature, sitting then laying down in the driveway. Now, we had a closer look. The large cat-like animal was light in color, larger than a bobcat, more the size of a mountain lion with a long furry tail. The fur was thick and the paws were quite large. The animal was quite happy to lay in the sun for some time until it was necessary for us to leave the house, where we made a bit of noise opening and closing the front door. The beautiful animal gently rose and walked into the trees. We quickly walked to the car and drove away. The landscape of Seabrook Island is low density, lush and thick trees and brush. Kimberly M. Farfone ----- Goodmorning. lorin ----- I read about your survey in SCI publications. A co-worker just sent the e-mail below with pictures that were taken in Martin, Michigan (South Western Mich). I do not know the photographer but have asked the co-worker if she can identify them for me. Check out the attached pictures, I would be interested to hear what you think. Michael L. Timmerman Unfortunately, we cannot include photos without the photographer's permission. We will, however, forward them to our biologists. -- USFWS ----- Approximately 25-30 years ago while deer hunting in Botetourt County Va, I saw a cougar chasing a deer. I was in a tree stand which overlooked a long narrow field. I observed the medium-sized doe enter the field from the woods to my left. It was only about 50 yards away when it entered the field. It appeared to be very nervous.It ran away from me for about 50 yards and then immediately retraced its path. Within a second or two it ran full speed into the woods on my right. As soon as it entered the woods to my right a cougar ran into the field from the left in hot pursuit of the doe. The cat was as big as the deer and had a long tail. My view of the sighting was very clear. There was bright sunshine and the grass was short. All of my fellow hunters had heard the nocturnal screams of an animal that we had not heard before or since, while sitting outside our cabin. The area we were hunting was adjacent to a large road-less expanse of timber. I did not report it because I didn't want our lease over-run with biologists in the event that someone believed me. P.S I don't think the cougar caught the deer. Jimmy Collins ----- To whom it may concern: Cathy ----- In 2005 I was driving home after working night shift on interstate 81 at mile marker 127, up the 3 lane mountain grade. It was just beginning to get daylight, and in the month of Febuary. As i came up the hill, (there was no other vehicles at that time) I noticed on the right side what i thought was a large dog on the right side of the road, i came on up the hill and continued looking at it, as i came on up , i noticed it was the color of lightly wet sand, the hind legs were higher than the front legs and the long tail was curved at the end and i noticed it walking as if on "padded" like feet. I estimated it to weigh maybe 80-90 lbs. I slowed down and almost stopped, and looked at it almost from the front and saw a triangle nose pad and have no doubt what i saw was a mountain lion. i didnt have a camera with me unfortunately but i will never forget what i saw as long as i live and i have lived here my entire live in the mountains of Virginia, Montgomery County, and NO ONE will tell me Mountain Lions are not here. They Are Here. Shirlee Smith ----- Monday 26 Feb 2007 at 4:30 pm a dark grey couger was behind our house on route 11 Milo, Maine. it was only 100 feet away and walked back into our fields abd out of sight. The same day we heard of another sighting in Sebec, Maine less than ten miles distant. George West ----- Hello- My wife, children and I live on South Pine Creek Road in Fairfield, CT. There have been numerous reports of a cougar in our area. I have not seen it myself! Our street abuts about 1000 acres of open space including: marsh, woods and a golf course. The area is filled with wild turkey, rabbits, geese and deer. That thing could live on the turkeys alone, they are everywhere! These reports have been published in the CT Post and Fairfield Minuteman as recently as last fall. Local authorities dismiss the notion of a cougar and say it is a bobcat or coyote. They say there have been these reports for years. I have talked with them and I don't think they are right. I told them to hire a tracker with dogs to find it, tree it and tranquilize it. I told them that is what they do in Naples, Florida, where my Mom lives in the winter, and they have a troublesome panther. The town said that would cost too much. I told them it would cost them more if someone gets attacked and they opted to do nothing. I know of several folks who have seen the animal near our house. They do not say it is a bobcat or dog. They all say "big cat, long tail!" All accounts are the same. One of the people was my kid's bus driver, Sue. Early one morning last spring, Sue was driving her empty bus down a road near us and it walked right in front of her bus. She was shocked and notified town officials. I asked her, "you know the difference between a dog and cat"? She said "oh yeah, one big cat!" I said "long tail"? She said "real long" Not a bobcat! I play golf at the course on my street. One morning last summer I told the course starter about the sightings. He said "funny" and told me something was chasing the deer out on the course and that the deer would not go into the marsh. The geese also stay away from the woods and marsh that border the golf course. They flock in the middle of the course together. Occasionally, there are goose feathers all over the fairways early in the morning, like something got one of them. I also noticed a big pile of scat on one of the fairways near the marsh. It looked like nothing I had ever seen, certainly not from a dog. I looked like a great big cat poop to me. Two of our neighbors have also seen it and are very afraid, same type of description as bus driver Sue. One lady now carries a fog horn when she walks! I think the town said they had twenty or more sightings! I do not believe this cat would part of a long lost hidden population that you seek. I think someone had it as a pet and let it go when it got too big. Not cute at all! Although, this cat could have found its way down from another area in CT as the coyotes did. I did think you would find this of interest. Sincerely, ----- My husband and I were driving through Wesley last August in the mid-afternoon when a cougar ran in front of our car. We were astounded but able to get a good look a the animal. It was a very large, tawny cat. I noticed the extremely large paws while my husband looked at the long tail. The most striking feature of the animal was the way it ran, very fast and smooth but with a definite lope. After the sighting I called Fisheries and Wildlife to report what we had seen and the woman who spoke to me laughed out loud at the report that we had seen a cougar. She told me that someone would get back to me but no one did. I was disappointed by the rudeness of your office. Patricia Estabrook ----- I have two stories to relate and probably neither were about eastern cougars since these were certainly not six to eight feet long. They were more like the ones you describe as six months old, thirty to forty five pounds. The first contact was back during WWII. I was ten years old, living in South Freeport, and was climbing up the path through the wooded hill in town. A snarling sound over my head made me look up to see a wild cat on an overhanging branch. I quickly reversed direction and hurried home. On telling family and friends I learned that it was a mistake to recount my experience because no one believed me and laughed at my alleged ignorance. There were no such cats in Maine they said. Following my second contact I well remembered the earlier embarrassment and said nothing to anyone. It was in Wiscasset Maine about 1994. I was out for my daily walk near Ward Brook on Willow Lane when I saw two wild cats step out from the underbrush onto the shoulder nearly a hundred yards ahead of me. I stopped to watch them and they seemed unconcerned about my presence. They were a golden color, about equal in size, and they slowly and gracefully walked across the road and into the foliage on the other side. I had a tiger house cat that weighed about fifteen pounds, and I would say that these cats were two or three times larger. Needles to say, I didn't continue my walk that day. Eliot J. Chandler -----
|