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  1. #21

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    My friend, Chatter, and a hiking buddy of his heard what he claimed to be the call (scream, whatever) of a panther when they were camped near Goose Pond shelter earlier this year. They scouted around and found some large scat (actually, it looked like an oversized furball) which he brought home in a plastic bag and showed to me. He is unsure as to which authority he is to show it to, afraid that it might just "disappear" due to concerns of starting a panic or vigilante response, causing widespread fear or a "lynching" of the animal (if it does, indeed, exist).
    As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn back from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11

  2. #22

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    Questions for Hunters:

    Curious, are there any laws against shooting a cougar in the east? I'm assuming they would be state laws since the feds consider them extinct.

    I know about USFWS restrictions in Florida. And I know they can extend to Georgia, but in my mind that begs a question, especially from this statement in this link: http://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2011/11-057.html

    According to court documents and other information presented in court, on November 16, 2008, Adams shot and killed a cougar known as a Florida panther while deer hunting in Troup County, Ga. At the time of the shooting, Adams knew he was shooting at a species of cougar, for which there was no open hunting season in the State of Georgia.


    Does that mean that it's illegal to shoot any cougar, regardless if there's no state law against it, because there's no hunting season for them in those areas in which they don't "exist"?

  3. #23

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    Actually, I know the answer to that question, since I started carrying on our property after I saw the mt. lion. The mt. lion WAS considered endangered at the time of my sighting, and therefore it was against federal law to shoot it. (A technicality that wouldn't have stopped me had it attacked me or my dog). It has now been declared extinct, so shoot away - no laws against shooting extinct animals! I chuckle at this since I'm also a lawyer, and I know the federal prosecutor in NH who prosecutes gun cases. I'd take that case any day of the week. And I'd have a great deal of fun defending it.
    Quilteresq
    2013, hopefully.

  4. #24
    Registered User Ladytrekker's Avatar
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    I hope there is no intent to hurt the Mt. Lion unless your life is threatened it should be respected.
    If you can’t fix it with duct tape or a beer; it ain’t worth fixing

  5. #25

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    Might not have a breeding colony, might not have the numbers to sustain but they are out there and have been for some time. I saw one walking up the AT in front of me just before Waynesboro in 1990.....walked into town and told the story and was told that I was imagining things...none in Va. Two hours later another hiker came into town with the same story and pictures on film (he had them developed in Waynesboro)....people still refused to believe the photos. 21 years later and people are still seeing them in that vicinity and people are still argueing that they don't exist. If it is just 1 cat then it is old as hell...has to be some type of breeding population out there...maybe not enough to increase numbers but certainly enough to survive.
    Spend enough time in the woods and you will see evidence. Myself and 2 friends had a visual sighting here in SW Pa along the Youghiogheny River, verified by the University of Pittsburgh biology dept in 1985...they may have low numbers but they are there.

    geek

  6. #26
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    These cats are known to travel outside of their regular range. Northwest Florida has been known to have cats, which have been documented to have come from the South Florida population base. That is over 400 miles of travel. It is likely that a few cats have wandered from their regular location to these areas, and remain for a time. But that is just speculation, based on what has been documented in Florida.
    The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny..." Isaac Asimov

    Veni, Vidi, Velcro. I came, I saw, I stuck around.

  7. #27
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    I'm of the belief that all the ones that people see have been civilized at some point.
    IIRC the forest service does not not have one documented case of non-civilized mountain lions north of South Carolina since the 50s.

  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by scissor View Post
    I'm of the belief that all the ones that people see have been civilized at some point.
    IIRC the forest service does not not have one documented case of non-civilized mountain lions north of South Carolina since the 50s.
    How many "pets" or civilized cats do you think are out there? There are far too many sightings over a 60 year span to not have wild cats traveling through areas.
    The University of Pittsburgh biology dept told me in 1985 that most large wild animals will travel to new areas along rivers due to it being better habitat to get through populated areas w/o being noticed and more plentiful food and water. They said that they have confirmed sightings or proof of passing through SW Pa. about once or twice a year.

    geek

    geek

  9. #29
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    Civilized meaning claws have been clipped. IIRC its a requirement for when big cats get domesticated and they never grow back so they are very easy to spot. We can exchange experiences and valid points back and forth all day but nothing will change the fact the forest service hasn't had any confirmed cases. To me that proves that modern day mountain lion talk isn't much more than just a wives tale.

  10. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by scissor View Post
    I'm of the belief that all the ones that people see have been civilized at some point.
    IIRC the forest service does not not have one documented case of non-civilized mountain lions north of South Carolina since the 50s.
    http://content.usatoday.com/communit...south-dakota/1

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    Quote Originally Posted by scissor View Post
    Civilized meaning claws have been clipped. IIRC its a requirement for when big cats get domesticated and they never grow back so they are very easy to spot. We can exchange experiences and valid points back and forth all day but nothing will change the fact the forest service hasn't had any confirmed cases. To me that proves that modern day mountain lion talk isn't much more than just a wives tale.
    please provide photos, verifying your disbelief.Seems like all the sightings spoken about here are just a vivd imagination?

  12. #32

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    No - I wouldn't shoot unless my life was threatened. On the other hand, I hike alone up there several times a year, and stay there probably 30 nights. We have a yurt on the property to stay in, so no worries there. I have been surprised by two different moose in the driveway when I headed out two different mornings. And occasionally, they will pass close to the yurt during the night.

    When we saw the cat in 2009, we made a LOT of noise heading down the hill. It was one of the only times I was at the top of our property with anyone other than just my husband. I was taking my sister-in-law and nephews to our view - which was where we first spotted the cat. The cat disappeared over the small rise he was sitting on, and a few minutes later, my nephew said "Oh look, he circled around us!" Zippy.
    Quilteresq
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  13. #33
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    Goldenbear's post is good.
    There have been a number of verified mountain lions in the northeastern USA and Quebec. Where DNA has been done, they are genetically from a South American population, so almost certainly escaped or released captive animals.

    The one exception that I know of is the Connecticut mountain lion which was from the Dakotas and left evidence in the northern midwest (MN and WI?) and in the Adirondacks.

    There is a verified case at the Quabbin reservoir.

    The OP's friends need another picture to verify the size of this animal -- with the camera in the original location, put a known length at the location of the animal. I live 21 miles from Peterborough, NH, with continuous woods from here to there. I'm skeptical, but whatever it is (cougar, lynx, bobcat, or ???) your friends were lucky to get that picture.

    Tinker, your friend should probably contact Mass Wildlife; they have some pretty knowledgeable people. http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildl...dlife_home.htm

  14. #34

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    Same thing happened in Chicago a few years back.

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  16. #36
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    “This is the first evidence of a mountain lion making its way to Connecticut from western states, and there is still no evidence indicating that there is a native population of mountain lions in Connecticut,” he said.

    "That means that the animal traveled more than 1,500 miles to Connecticut, more than twice as far as the longest dispersal pattern ever recorded for a mountain lion."

  17. #37

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    Seriously, for those of us who have seen a mountain lion in the east, I can tell you I wasn't about to ask him his pedigree. The eastern mt. lion might well be extinct, but that doesn't mean mountain lions aren't around east of the Mississippi. The mountain lion killed in CT that was from the Dakotas shows that they can travel a very long way.
    Quilteresq
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  18. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tinker View Post
    My friend, Chatter, and a hiking buddy of his heard what he claimed to be the call (scream, whatever) of a panther when they were camped near Goose Pond shelter earlier this year. They scouted around and found some large scat (actually, it looked like an oversized furball) which he brought home in a plastic bag and showed to me. He is unsure as to which authority he is to show it to, afraid that it might just "disappear" due to concerns of starting a panic or vigilante response, causing widespread fear or a "lynching" of the animal (if it does, indeed, exist).
    http://www.easterncougar.org/

  19. #39

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    WILD mountain lion travels long distance to get hit by car in Connecticut: http://video.search.yahoo.com/search...in+connecticut

    For all you nay-sayers. I think he came here with a friend who is roaming around Upper Goose Pond cabin in Mass.
    As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn back from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11

  20. #40
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    I've seen two in the last 2 years - one in NC - about 40-50 pounds maybe - about 11pm - screeching loudly in a very distinctive way - I watched it for several minutes with my headlamp and then he bolted up a hill. Last year, I saw something that you might not believe (and maybe it was some other animal - like a huge fox, but I don't think so). I was sitting in the front yard of a hostel in Hancock, VT cooking some dinner (this is a town bordered by forests and a beautiful river) - across the road in the driveway a big brownish gold cat - maybe 75 pounds stalking a chicken (the neighbors seemed to have a few) - the cat pounced, grabbed the chicken its mouth, looked straight at me and bolted back into the mountains - I thought it was super cool (except of course for the chicken).

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