Mountain Lion on Trail Cam Spotted 11/24/2015

[Spiffy]

-just saw this on facebook.  If confirmed, it will be the 2nd sighting I am aware of this year.  The TWRA will have to change their tune.   :pleased:

 

Or they will tell you it's a 7 foot house cat like they told that guy in Florida a few years ago.....and he had a body.

[Capbyrd]

A single cat does not a population make.  

[Just2Honor]

dawgdoc:  Florida Panther is different from a Mountain Lion like a Turkey Vulture is different from a Black Vulture.   Look at a FL Panther crossways and you're in deep dodo just like with a Bald Eagle. 

[dawgdoc]

Florida panthers are the same species as mountain lions, cougars, pumas, catamounts--Puma concolor; it is further classified but disputed as a subspecies.  In other words, it is currently treated as "more special" than other populations, even though it may not be. 

 

If any population of Puma concolor was discovered east of the Mississippi outside Florida, it would basically automatically be classified as endangered since the USFWS used to recognize a separate eastern cougar subspecies as different than the Florida panther subspecies.  So any confirmed eastern cougars would either be the last know individual of a near extinct population, or it would be classified as a Florida panther outside of Florida.  They would have admit they were wrong at that point, and would we put it past our government to punish an individual who brought such concrete evidence to light? 

 

I would still advise not to shoot one without a good reason because of the legal reprucussions.  

[camp]

Not a panther but it is a cat
http://www.newschannel5.com/news/twra-warns-of-cougar-spotted-on-trail

[Monkeybat]

That is one big cat!  I'd need a change of cloths if I ran across that.

 

That would be really awesome if they re-establish.  

 

Can you hunt these anywhere in the country or are they protected everywhere? 

[raildog]

Ok most important thing to know about all of this is if i see a big cat while in the woods do first : run like hell, knee cap my older brother, or change my drawers just asking because I've never seen a real predator in the woods and that would scare the you know what out of me they are big fast and can climb a tree you are not going to get away from that thing if it has it out for you unless you kill it just saying

[Oh Shoot]

 

Can you hunt these anywhere in the country or are they protected everywhere? 

 

Several western states have seasons for them.

 

- OS

[tercel89]

I have been in Tennessee my whole life. I have seen Lynx and  Bob cats but never a Cougar but I am sure they are here and doing well. But it's funny how the news get all exciteed about this but not about how the Armodillo population is  exploding here in Tn . Big cats have always been here but Armodillos have never been here until around 8 to 10 yrs ago. Just thought about that and thought I'd share . I guess the news just likes to latch onto anything they can and blow it out of proportion.

Edited December 3, 2015 by tercel89

[Omega]

Ok most important thing to know about all of this is if i see a big cat while in the woods do first : run like hell, knee cap my older brother, or change my drawers just asking because I've never seen a real predator in the woods and that would scare the you know what out of me they are big fast and can climb a tree you are not going to get away from that thing if it has it out for you unless you kill it just saying

Don't run, just backtrack and keep an eye out for it.  Running triggers their chase response, since they are probably well fed they more than likely will not attack.  I grew up in CO and have crossed paths with these a few times, though I was not ever chased, I had one follow me back to my truck once. 

 

I have been in Tennessee my whole life. I have seen Lynx and  Bob cats but never a Cougar but I am sure they are here and doing well. But it's funny how the news get all exciteed about this but not about how the Armodillo population is  exploding here in Tn . Big cats have always been here but Armodillos have never been here until around 8 to 10 yrs ago. Just thought about that and thought I'd share . I guess the news just likes to latch onto anything they can and blow it out of proportion.

There have been reports about big cats out here for some time but were always dismissed.  I bought a welder off a guy out past Cadiz, KY more than 5 years ago and he had big cat tracks all over his back 40.  The game wardens said they could of been something else...I seen them and I know cougar tracks since I have seen a cougar standing in them when they were made back in CO.  Now they have indisputable evidence which they could not hide so they had to get out in front of it.  I don't know why they tried to hide the fact they were out here but now the cougar is out of the bag.

[JReedEsq]

Just a few months ago, I saw a video from a mountain biking forum where a guy found a cougar doing a pretty significant stare down for a minute or two which to him I'm sure felt like years.  He tried to yell and make himself appear big.  The cat was not impressed and didn't run away.  The cat was making some pretty aggressive noises which you could tell, made the mountain biker a little nervous.... He hopped on his bike and rode away after that. 

 

Edit-  I think it was in Northern California or Oregon.  Don't remember which.  I have done quite a bit of mountain biking out west and I imagine the cats are like Black Bears in that most of them choose to avoid people but the 1% that get aggressive could be dangerous.  I also recall one of the "animals attack" TV shows had a story about a small women mountain biking in the Southwest who actually was stalked and mauled by a mountain lion.  The attack resulted in lots of stitches but ultimately she was saved but a couple of mountain bikers who got off their bikes and threw rocks, sticks and bike tools at the cat until it ran away. 

Edited December 3, 2015 by JReedEsq

[JReedEsq]

A guy I used to talk to working out at the Y here in Knoxville was a part-time volunteer for the park service in the GSMNP.  He had pictures on his phone of large cat tracks which he swore were a cougar but he said the park service would not acknowledge large cats in the park.  I am certainly no expert, so while the presence of cats is interesting I had no opinion on the accuracy of the tracks.

Edited December 3, 2015 by JReedEsq

[raildog]

On a side note a friend of mine told me Tuesday night that he saw two black bears out at Percy Prest in Smyrna Sunday afternoon has any one heard any chater about this? I know earlier this year the TWRA tracked one north of Nashville for a few days

[Oh Shoot]

I have been in Tennessee my whole life. I have seen Lynx and  Bob cats ...

 

I do believe a wild lynx would be bigger news than a cougar. Maybe almost as rare as a Big Foot, since their range hasn't been this far south since maybe the Ice Age?

 

- OS

Edited December 3, 2015 by Oh Shoot

[Wingshooter]

There goes the deer population.

Can you imagine one climbing your deer hunting tree while bowhunting :panic:

[raildog]

There goes the deer population.

Can you imagine one climbing your deer hunting tree while bowhunting :panic:

Yea it would not get to far up a tree im in because it would have something in its eyes and would not be a arrow if you know what I mean

[Monkeybat]

Given the deer population in the area now, I wouldn't see a cougar having much trouble re-establishing a population.

 

Heck the deer in TN are almost domestic now.  

[Chris]

Saw this on New Channel 5 last night. Apparently the TWRA is declaring this an "official" sighting.

Yet another reason to strap on the glock when I go hunting.

[Sunfish]

I saw one many years ago in Lewis co. KY. I was with my Dad and his first cousin in a car. We all just looked at one another as if ran up a steep bluff. We never saw it again. Lots of people tried to dismiss it as another animal but we all knew that nothing else had a long tail like that could go straight up like it did. This would have been around 1970.

[ttocswob]

Well, it's official - Cougars in Tennessee.

 

 

The cougar (Puma concolor), also known as mountain lion, panther, painter, puma and catamount, is the largest feline animal in North America. Until very recently, there haven’t been any cougars in Tennessee since the early 1900’s. Similar to Tennessee’s wild elk and buffalo, the cougar was extirpated from the state due to over hunting and habitat loss. However, the cougar may be coming back to Tennessee. - See more at: http://www.tn.gov/twra/article/cougars-in-tennessee#sthash.FYK29uhm.dpuf

[Randall53]

Saw this on New Channel 5 last night. Apparently the TWRA is declaring this an "official" sighting.

Yet another reason to strap on the glock when I go hunting.

I always have mine on along with 3 extended mags whether just 4-wheeling or hunting.