A Lion in the Camp.

[Zonie]

Nebulous post .. What people?

Obviously, people who were missing their animal and thought the road kill was theirs. Who knows? One of them might have been right.

 

[sportster73hp]

The post wasn’t clear suggesting it was the game commission/ warden. There was another showing a big cat still alive walking around a car. This one I couldn’t prove was in PA

 

[longcruise]

Makes me wonder how many pet lions are running loose in that neighborhood??

 

[MikeJW]

While deer hunting in Montana in 1983, I came upon a female cougar with 2 (3/4 grown) kittens. She was not happy with my presence and became threatening. I yelled but didn't work so I fired a shot over her head to run her off but all it did was spook the kittens of out of sight and the female continued towards me. I fired another shot into a tree beside her and she finally ran off one direction and I went the other back to my truck. Very eerie feeling throughout the encounter. They are a growing problem in Oregon.

 

[sawyer04]

Makes me wonder how many pet lions are running loose in that neighborhood??

WHOA, that's a good question. Had an alligator around here in a pond, now this is north Missouri.

 

[Crane Senior]

We live in an urban development in North San Diego, on the fringe of a valley that can‘t be developed. Last year there was a female lion with two cubs in the neighborhood. Our mail carrier saw them out during the day crossing the street. Totally out of character.

 

[Rawhide67]

I've seen cat tracks in spring snow in the adirondacks. Far to big to be anything else. But, out state officials say not possible. Must just be a well fed bobcat.

 

[Dave James]

Once saw a lion and a Golden Eagle argue over a meal, eagle won, but it was a young lion/Puma, but it was beautiful. Only up close encounters I had , where on a hunter/kill team, that tracked down a Polar bear that had killed an Eskimo Scout, biggest damn bear I have ever seen, and once on a tax collector snatch in the RVN our team came up close and personal with a Tiger how had been stalking our team. Most impressive

 

[longcruise]

I've seen cat tracks in spring snow in the adirondacks. Far to big to be anything else. But, out state officials say not possible. Must just be a well fed bobcat.

Another possibility is lynx. Their feet are way outsize for their bodies.

 

[MSW]

I had an opportunity to get our local game warden aside and we put on our "this is no b.s. " hats and had a frank discussion. I asked him why the whole game commission was so adamant about the 'there are no mountain lions in Vermont' thing. What he told me was that they weren't really sure, and that it was his personal opinion that there probably were, but he sure couldn't go around saying that since it would probably cost him his job - but the real reason that everyone was official in the State of Denial was that they didn't want a bunch of flatlanders coming up here to try and be the first one to shoot a mountain lion.

He also said that my stock dog would be more than enough protection: big kitties are predators, and predators know that being injured is a slow acting death sentence, so they won't run the risk over one meal, opting instead for something easier.

I would imagine that a few more warm winters, with a few more spikes in the deer population, and we'll actually see one in someone's back yard looking to do their chickens a mischief.

 

[Joe Wolf]

While deer hunting in Montana in 1983, I came upon a female cougar with 2 (3/4 grown) kittens. She was not happy with my presence and became threatening. I yelled but didn't work so I fired a shot over her head to run her off but all it did was spook the kittens of out of sight and the female continued towards me. I fired another shot into a tree beside her and she finally ran off one direction and I went the other back to my truck. Very eerie feeling throughout the encounter. They are a growing problem in Oregon.

I wish I had been there. I'd enjoy seeing some cougars. I heard several years ago that one was seen in our area.

 

[Joe Wolf]

I wish I had been there. I'd enjoy seeing some cougars. I heard several years ago that one was seen in our area.

 

[Joe Wolf]

At a national Muzzleloader Match in Arizona several years ago several people saw a cougar. The closest I have come to seeing one is some tracks and a pile of scat at the entrance of a cave in the rocks in north Texas.

 

[Centurion]

I’m in SW Iowa and was hunting deer in a blind last Oct with my wife. A cat glided past on a game trail maybe 20 yards away - my wife was taking up the slack in her trigger when i whispered “wait for your deer!”

The cat kept going and i have been catching hell ever since. Parts of two calves have been found by their owners 10 or 12’ up trees and another farmer is missing three newborns. We’re heading out to the same area for turkey in a couple of days with an insurance police in effect - in shoulder holsters.

Vive le kitties!

 

[Patocazador]

I've never seen one. Here they are called Florida panthers but they are a subspecies of cougar that have hung on while other surrounding populations were killed off. However, the biologist on a WMA 11 miles from me has a pair on one of his game cameras.

 

[Clueless on the Delaware]

Officially we don’t have any in PA but many have been reported on Facebook. The most curious story is when a roadkill was hung up in the mans barn and “people” came the next morning wanting their animal back. GPS tracker ?

I've been shaking my head for years about the PA Game Commisions denial over our resident Nittany lions. Saw one myself while riding 4 wheelers along the state trails in Susquehannock State Forest. Was chewing on some sort of dead critter in the middle of the trail as i came around the bend and high tailed it in to an older clear cut about 30 yards off the trail. That was about '99 or '00.

A friend in Tioga county who is connected with local game wardens explained it to me once. He said the PGC knows they're there but if they admitted it the live stock growers would panic and start pressuring for some sort of eradication. The amount of cats in the state is low enough that they can get away with officially denying they exist.

 

[longcruise]

At a national Muzzleloader Match in Arizona several years ago several people saw a cougar. The closest I have come to seeing one is some tracks and a pile of scat at the entrance of a cave in the rocks in north Texas.

You missed the chance to see one. Should've crawled into the hole.

I think the official denial thing is about avoiding having to come up with a management plan.

 

[smo]

Officials in Tn denied it for years, until several were caught on trail cameras in different Counties..

 

[Centurion]

Not sure what the law is in Iowa - some say since there’s no season, it’s open season. For years, when asked, Conservation blinked and said, “What mountain lions?” (sorry Bob).

 

[Brent]

Centurion, in Iowa all bears are killable anywhere anytime, anyway. Stupid law but it is what it is.