TWRA confirms...it's a cougar (mountain lion)

We had one reported 2 months ago here in north Georgia.

From 2008 west point Ga


From 2012

a reply to: cmdrkeenkid
I'm not so sure about the wolf hunt. I think the people in the lower peninsula should not have had a say because they (myself included) don't have the problem. From what I hear from the people I know up there the wolves are a serious problem. Heck, my dad lives down by Detroit and he won't let his dog go out alone because the coyotes down there were swiping little dogs last year. I wouldn't wolf hunt but if I'm in my deer blind and a wolf comes around he's hunting too and if it comes down to me or him I will drop him. Last year I was snow showing in Wilderness State Park and I found some huge dog tracks that I thought might be wolf, there were no human tracks anywhere around, it creeped me out. I was carrying, as I continued on I found a spot where a small animal was killed and eaten, I decided to leave. I didn't want to run into a big dog, especially that big.

We have heard them around our house in East Tn, and they have been seen in Citico. I am surprised TWRA actually admitted it, and usually the cougar could be dancing in front of a wildlife cam for them and they would claim its a groundhog or chipmunk. Hell, they would rather claim its bigfoot than a cougar.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
They are like a giant housecat in many ways, unpredictable, will attack and kill for fun, and most of the time you'll never see them until they drop out of a tree 10 feet away from you. I'll happily deal with a half dozen brown bears on a river lined with salmon than have to walk through a forest with a cat.

Same here... we have one of the largest populations in North America and they are seasonally devastating to farmers but are protected. Bears are destructive but we find if we tree them and make them stay up for hours they never come back. Cougars... stay in the house and pick up the pieces later.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have re-established in the east as they have absolutely huge territories and live stealthy for the most part so they could travel over many generations with out being recorded. As for the conspiracy...?

a reply to: TNMockingbird

That's not true.

First of all,
This is from Alabama hunting laws and regulations:

GAME ANIMALS
The following are designated as game animals in Alabama: bear, beaver, coyote, deer, fox, opossum, wild rabbit, raccoon, squirrel, nutria, mountain lion (cougar), groundhog, bobcat, feral swine (wild hog). *SEE PROTECTED SPECIES on page 10.
*PROTECTED SPECIES
All birds except English sparrows, crows, starlings and blackbirds are protected by state law. Game birds and game animals may only be taken during open season for hunting. There is no open season in Alabama for BEAR, MOUNTAIN LION (COUGAR) AND RUFFED GROUSE. Other wildlife species are protected by the nongame species regulation.

www.westalabamahuntingtrail.com...

2nd: I have personally seen trail cam pictures from two separate properties in northeast Louisiana which show Cougars.

A friend of mine who is a Federal Wildlife Agent, whom I hunted doves with only a few weeks ago, has assured me there are Cougars throughout the state of Louisiana.

If it is a known fact they are in Texas and Florida, why would you doubt they exist in between the two?

The last one I saw in person was black in color, in southwestern Mississippi, in the early-mid 90's.

By the way, I love these creatures. Keachi is the word for panther in the language of the Caddo Indians. I am part Keachi / part red tail hawk.

a reply to: TNMockingbird


They are everywhere. Them pole cats will get you.
Really though a 300lb cat in the wild is scary
I seen one black one with an 8 ft tail in central tx.
I couple yrs ago a hunter in n.e. txwas being scented by a cat but he managed to get the drop on it. weighed 280


ha I just searched and found it.
www.snopes.com...

same pic as in the local newspaper but I have read now that the pic has been featured as a kill in 3 different states
either way that is a huge cat in the link I gave

a reply to: deadeyedick

A polecat can refer to many creatures, including ferrets and skunks, but never an actual cat.

en.m.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: KEACHI
yes
you are correct

a reply to: KEACHI

That's not true.

Which part? The two statements I made about what "I" think?

people would just think they were crazy old timers. LOL!

Or, the statement I made (above) being deliberately facetious?
Did you follow the thread at all?

The following are designated as game animals in Alabama: bear, beaver, coyote, deer, fox, opossum, wild rabbit, raccoon, squirrel, nutria, mountain lion (cougar), groundhog, bobcat, feral swine (wild hog). *SEE PROTECTED SPECIES on page 10.
*PROTECTED SPECIES
All birds except English sparrows, crows, starlings and blackbirds are protected by state law. Game birds and game animals may only be taken during open season for hunting. There is no open season in Alabama for BEAR, MOUNTAIN LION (COUGAR) AND RUFFED GROUSE. Other wildlife species are protected by the nongame species regulation.

Alabama Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources

STATUS: Extirpated. Probably was statewide in distribution in all habitats, especially remote upland woodlands, rough terrain, and bottomland swamps. Although sightings are still commonly reported in Alabama, these are likely misidentifications of domestic dogs and cats, coyotes, and bobcats. Some puma sightings have been traced back to escapees from captivity. The only known self-sustaining wild population closest geographically to Alabama is the Florida panther (P.c. coryi), which is listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

2nd: I have personally seen trail cam pictures from two separate properties in northeast Louisiana which show Cougars.

Oh, now I see where you are going! You couldn't possibly have ever misidentified a cougar on a grainy dark trail camera after all you do hunt dove?!

If it is a known fact they are in Texas and Florida, why would you doubt they exist in between the two?

When did I ever say they DIDN'T exist? I stated that they had been extirpated...NOT that they were extinct! They had been suggested to be "locally" extinct in some areas of the country, Tennessee being one of those places. TN also happened to be the basis of my thread.
The trail cam photo that I posted shows that they (the cougar) either were never extirpated (as some old timers and cougar poplulation conspiracists think) OR they are repopulating and/or moving back...
This "confirmed" trail cam photo that I posted in my original thread is the first confirmed photo in the state that I live in. It would be interesting if you would provide the links to the photos that you "personally" saw and hopefully reported to the Fish and Wildlife folks who would need to know this information.

I'm not sure why you were being deliberately nasty, butting in on a conversation,AND presuming to know that what I think is not true... and if you love them so much, as you say, then I would hope you would find the links to Cougar Network and Outdoor Alabama.com, our local news story on the cougar event, as well as the link provided to the TWRA (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency) interesting!

Have a great day!

a reply to: TNMockingbird

Heavens no! There is NO shortage of food animals. What there is is a shortage of available territory. What no one will tell you is that the environmental movement has been fairly successful, and the mountain lions are making a good comeback and re-expanding back into their normal range.

Males are wide-ranging critters. One male will cover a large territory that comprises the territories of several females with whom he will breed. So they need lots of roaming space and the flip side is that they will seem very elusive.

a reply to: TNMockingbird

I live in the east have had 9 or more cougar sightings, they probably never left, just retreated to the remoter areas.

a reply to: TNMockingbird
Thanks for the post. I had seen this report on a local tv station but they didn't bother to post the actual photo---just a stock picture of a snarling cat. (Feed the fear---right?) It absolutely amazed me that after the report was aired on the nightly news I heard people saying they were terrified to let their children play outdoors.
My parents and grandparents knew the critters still lived in the area. Friends of mine see them on a fairly regular basis in rural, wooded areas with big deer populations. There are thousands and thousands of acres like that around the lakes (Kentucky and Barley lakes) where several generations of cougars could exist and never see a human.
The Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife is stonewalling on the one killed in Bourbon County. Why would that be? They have done the autopsy....why not release the results? It isn't a criminal investigation unless the cougar was a "pet" and if it was, why not announce it was a captive? It makes no sense whatsoever---but that's Kentucky politics.
Bravo to TWRA for admitting the existence of the animals in our area.

reasons not to admit such?

I would look to federal law

perhaps something to do with the federal endangered species act and grant money???

a reply to: deadeyedick

The North American cougar isn't on the endangered species list. However, if it could be proven to be an Eastern cougar it would be a different story (that subspecies has been extinct for awhile).

a reply to: chefc14

As long as you're smart the wolves are not a problem. I've had two "close" encounters with them in the last year. Once last spring one was standing along US-2 over a deer carcass on the side of the road. It was around dusk, I was heading east and it was on the westbound side. That was near Naubinway. The second was last fall when a small pack (three to five wolves) took up residence in the park at the end of our street.

here is an interesting link
www.btcent.com...

a reply to: cryptic0void

That's kind of what I figured too!

a reply to: deadeyedick

Cool link!
That was fun, I grew up(well teenage years really) in Fauquier County, VA right along the Rappahannock river.

We were always told if you hear a baby crying or a woman screaming in the woods...don't go alone or
without a weapon!

a reply to: Athetos

You have a point but that doesn't explain the "wind" that has been heard when the missing try to make a phone call.

Anyway. I have seen several mountain lions in the greater Chattanooga area. Especially in Marion county. There are quite a few mountains and caves they could hide in if they wanted. It's a beautiful area too and pretty rural.

a reply to: TNMockingbird

Your a punk with a chip on your shoulder. I was not nasty one bit, and your thinly veiled rudeness about people in the Deep South is not appreciated.