When real cougars arrive in Virginia, they will leave real evidence
What I am about to write may offend some of you.
I know this because when I’ve said it before it has offended some of you.
There aren’t cougars in Virginia.
Well, maybe there’s been a released wildcat or two running around out there. But wild mountain lions? Sorry. I’m not buying it.
Now, I know there have been a boatload of “cougar sightings” in the state. Some of you may have even thought you’ve seen cougars. (Several of my friends are in that category. They remain my friends, even if my skepticism rankles them.) But I maintain that if even a fraction of those sightings were legitimate there would be hard proof.
(Here’s where the conspiracy theorists launch into their diatribes on how the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and co-conspirators are squashing such evidence. Yep. And Elvis is still alive, too.)
All this said, I think it is only a matter of time before there are actual wild cougars in Virginia. These are amazingly mobile animals that can range far and wide. They have been confirmed throughout the Midwest and are moving this way.
When they get there they will leave behind solid evidence. Sightings, yes. But also tracks. Scat. Photos. Blood.
I hope I’m still doing this when it happens because it’s going to be a fun story to cover. In fact, my buddy at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, outdoors reporter Chris Niskanen, is getting to cover it right now. To get an idea how much actual real evidence a cougar leaves behind, check out his latest story.
August 19, 2010 - 12:57 PM
They are pretty awesome animals. Saw a show on Nat Geo the other night that had a segment on the Yellowstone cougars. Pretty much the same physical traits as your common house cat…on a MUCH larger scale. Beautiful animals, cunning predators.
Like you Mark, I ain’t buying it. Not only do I believe there are no mountain lions in VA, I also think there are none in the entire Appalachian chain. I also have several friends that say they’ve seen them. Just recently a friend claims he had one chase a young fawn into the Watauga River in TN, while he was floating the river. Other friends have reported seeing them at various locations. They are still my friends – well maybe not since they obviously are not sharing the hallucinogenic substances.
I have seen quite a few cougars on the prowl for prey in our area.
Specifically at bars downtown late on weekend nights.
Hiyoooooooo!
I’m here all week, folks…….
My buddy in Minnesota said that the headline of his story — “Cougar spotted in Twin Cities, Wisconsin has roamed far and wide looking for love” has prompted many, many, many, many jokes.
Mark,
I just had this discussion with some fellow employees at lunch on Tuesday. They all believe that cougars are in VA. I have not seen one, personally. As you, I know people who claim to have seen cougars. I told my co-workers, until one is killed (on the road or shot), and the newspaper is called BEFORE the authorities (police or VDGIF) get there, no one will be able to ‘PROVE’ they exist here in VA. Trail camera’s could and have been faked. Scat or hair can be brought in from out of state. Only time will tell…
OK I HEAR WHAT YOU ALL ARE SAYING ABOUT THERE NOT BEING COUGARS IN VA. BUT I HAVE BEEN A HUNTER ALL MY LIFE AND I KNOW WHAT ONE LOOKS LIKE AND SEVERAL YEARS AGO I SAW ONE STANDING IN AN OLD LOGGING ROAD IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN AMHERST COUNTY. IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE WAS A FEMALE COUGAR KILLED IN THE ROAD ON RT 60 IN THE LONG MOUNTAIN SECTION OF AMHERST COUNTY AND THE BODY OF THIS ONE WAS TURNED OVER TO THE GAME DEPT.THAT KILL WAS ALSO A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO. I KNOW OF SEVERAL RELIABLE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAID THEY HAVE SEEN THEM NEAR COVINGTON IN ALLEGHANY COUNTY.
GREAT TOPIC! I too am of a firm belief that there are NO mountain lions in Virginia!
But I know many people, (and some are very good outdorsman!), who Swear up and down they have seen the big cats or know someone who has! This is a very common topic amongst my buddies at work and my stance is always the same…… I’ll believe it when I see PROOF!
There are many reasons to discredit the mountain lion thing but I always come back to this….. TRAIL CAMERAS! Almost everyone who hunts now has a camera or two out on thier hunting grounds. With the abundant use of these handy gadgets sooner or later a local would get a photo of a cat if they were out there!!!! The law of averages say it would have to happen eventually! Also remember the predator study that was done, (may still be ongoing?), along the Applachian trail in Virginia using trail cameras? They systematically placed multiple cameras and used scents to attract predators to the camera’s view. Not a single Mountain Lion was captured on the cameras! And the study area along the AT is in some of the most rugged and remote mountains in the state….. if the cats truly existed this would be a prime area.
And I’ll add this as a final thought, in defense of the persons who have “seen” mountain lions. I am not saying that they are untruthful…. I am sure they did see “something”. The eyes can definitely play tricks on us and a fleeting glimpse of some unidentified critter in the woods could easily look like a lion. I’m living proof of the eyes not always telling the truth! You should see how many “Big Bucks” I’ve seen that turned out to be “not so big” after I put em’ on the ground LOL!
Don’t care whether or not you’re “buying it”. I know what I saw coming out of the brush, and across the road out past Catawba. It wasn’t a wildcat, it wasn’t a wolf or a coyote. It was a Cougar. It was tall, and had the face of a lion, as it glanced at me with a look of utter indifference.
Can’t figure out the basis for the “official” denial on this.
Mark
Not to total rehash my story of the Blood pool I found while hunting in Jefferson National Forrest when I went to my ground blind I had set up days previous to a hunt.
Just after I got in the Ground blind I heard something make an awful noise after 30 minutes I kinda of ignored it. Continued the hunt Just as the sun peaked a couple of deer ran in front of my ground blind a made the shot field dressed it got it back to my vehicle.
Then I found this blood pool where something was dragged up into the woods.
Whatever it was I made an hasty retreat.
One thing is certain about Mountain Lions if you seen it Sunday evening on Animal Planet where the Jogger was killed and partially eaten by a Mountain Lion in West Virginia or Kentucky can’t remember.
These Cats are losing their fear of people so if you see one it’s because of two possible reasons.
1)Luck
2)Or it’s actively staking you.
Here is a youtube video you may not have seen yet…..
Mountain Lion Attacking a Deer in Divide, Colorado 8/8/08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGfxD5hcInw
Ralph Barton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QrYe1Srv6I
CaughtOnTapeTV | May 13, 2010
A police dashboard camera caught on tape a cougar roaming a Champlin, Minnesota neighborhood, a suburb of Minneapolis. (12/6/2009)
I love ya man…but in defense of those eyes when I was stationed Mayport that have a pond open for fishing near the golf course. I called base Recreation Services could I fish the pond they said yes.
I asked them were their gators in the pond. They said every year people ask them that question they have dragged that pond scuba divers been in that pond there is no gators in that pond.
So I fished that pond a young kid came by asked me have I seen the gator in the pond. I told him theirs no gator in the pond. He said yes it is not to dismissed the kid I said okay.
He stayed out their with me for about an hour until my lure got snagged. The kid said it’s hooked in the grass by that gator right there. I left the rod in at the pond.
A week later a 10ft gator was killed at the pond. Why???
The pond backed up to a day care that had a fence extending toward the water. The gator dug a half hole beside the wire fencing.
So I never err caution or words from the mouth of the experienced and babes.
To believe that Virginia Forrest couldn’t support a Mountain lion would be disingenuous. We have an abundance of deer and soon elk. We have all the qualifications for Mountain Lions.
Yet if you got to the Mountain Lion Fact Sheet..http://www.aws.vcn.com/mountain_lion_fact_sheet.html
Mountain lions usually attack small children or people of small stature. Or unsuspecting people so if someone do come across one it may be the fight of their lives to survive it.
Having seen two porcupines in Virginia, I didn’t realize that porcupines don’t live here until the DGIF informed me of this non-fact. One of them fell out of a tree and was stunned long enough for me to observe it for several minutes from a distance of one yard. There is NOTHING else in the woods that looks or walks like a porcupine, yet somehow I must have been seeing a woodchuck, because a so-called expert purports to have authoritative knowledge of what is and what is not here. This is all based not on facts but on how much work DGIF employees would have to do if they were to acknowledge the inconvenient existence of certain species.
BTW, didn’t mean to post off-topic by mentioning my own porcupine sightings.
Mark is entitled to have his opinion and to have it taken at face value as what he honestly believes. It just seems that the DGIF can’t be trusted to provide honest, accurate info. I’ve never seen a cougar here myself (well, not of the four-legged variety, anyway!) and generally lean toward the skeptical side. However, I find it much more significant that so many reasonable, intelligent, reliable people claim to have seen them than that their existence is officially denied by the DGIF.
The official denial of mountain lions in VA is utterly meaningless to me since I have already seen a different species which they claim is not here. The absence of trail camera shots only means that mountain lions are not here in large numbers. Are they here in small numbers? I don’t know. There’s only been (to the best of my knowledge) one trail camera shot of a porcupine, but they’re definitely here–and the DGIF says that this one shot was more likely a “hitch hiker” from an out-of-state logging truck than a member of a sustainable, breeding population.
You could have a trail camera shot of a mountain lion and the DGIF would probably still deny that there is a sustainable, breeding population. Why? Because acknowledging the species is naturally here would mean the DGIF would have to manage the species. It’s far easier to dismiss sightings as escaped exotic pets or mistaken reports by ignorant hicks.
Oh Mark, you just can’t resist poking a sleeping bear, can you!
John
LOL! Here’s one for you, Did you know that they have been sightings of Alligators in parts of the Mississippi River were none have been seen in over 100 years.
Some believe that they are appearing due to hurricane Katrina Flooding of New Orleans Rivers and Estuaries.
Just like that Anaconda they pulled from Orlando Florida Duck Pond, or that guy that lost a 6 or 8ft Reticulated Python in the Roanoke area it’s only a mater of time before it surfaces.
Just give it time.
At Amateur: The example of natural movement of alligators is exactly what I’m talking about. The exotic snakes are a different phenomenon–they were brought from elsewhere and put there by humans.
One last suggestion to consider: Just as most of us in SWVA know people who have fresh venison year-round (even if we’re not aware of it) or who are never bothered by a nuisance bear for very long, it’s conceivable that occasionally mountain lions roam from their usual habitats in other states and end up in Virginia but most don’t last long here. I’ve heard of one such incident, where a mountain lion had been seen multiple times in the vicinity of a remote get-away cabin sometimes visited by children. Several hunters decided to do something about it, and it was never seen again. While I wouldn’t personally condone poaching, it would be quite understandable that scared residents who are unsure of the legal consequences might take a below-radar, vigilante approach to such far-roaming animals. This could partially explain the plethora of sightings and dearth of evidence, but one would expect that sooner or later even short-lived mountain lions would leave irrefutable evidence of their presence.
Mark
Again your entitled, However, your quite mistaken. the DGIF ( whom I have worked with) does not list them as present in Va for a couple reasons. 1. makes nutty people go hog wild shooting anything tan in the forest as ‘it was a cougar, it coulda killed me!’ and innocent hikers get killed ( Cougars are more likely seen and encountered on wood edges and fields, not deep woods, they are ambush predators) and 2. There is NO PROOF a couple have settled down and raised a family, which means that those seen could just be passing through. THIS is the main reason.
That said, Bent mt, Franklin co and the Shenandoah nat. forest are the hot beds of sightings in Va.
That being said, We had a pair who liked to sun themselves on our deck on a house in Glade hill, they also liked to ‘taunt’ the new owners dogs, ours just ignored them.
All said, they may be passing through or they could be settled down and raising kids. Dispersal animals do not count in population studies. So until kittens are repeatedly ( a couple years worth)spotted in a region w/ mamma, and a den found to back it up,they are the same as the pair of bald eagles a Carvin’s cove, just visiting for the summer.
Apologies, you popped in that last post while I was sending mine.Your speaking of dispersals there. I’ve gone out after sightings w/ a tracker friend and scouted areas like that before. Only tracks we ever found were bob cat. But doesn’t stop us from looking.
Having investigated thousands of mountain lion/puma sightings since 1965, your comment of “when real cougars arrive in Va…will leave real evidence” makes no impression on me at all.
Cougars are NOT known as a secretive, sly, sure wildlife species for nothing. They are just that…native americans called them “ghost of the Forest”, for the little proof left behind on their presence.
In 45 years of field studies and with training from professional Native American Trackers, Eastern Puma Research Network researchers have MANAGE TO FIND EVIDENCE OF CURRENT, FREE-ROAMING COUGARS in 14 eastern states, as you will see when checking our website: http://www.easternpumaresearch.com
EPRN has and continues to be, the ONLY eastern cougar wildlife group who have consistantly stated on our website & in our newsletters that FREE-Roaming COUGARS are & have roamed the eastern U.S. mountains, valleys & swamps for 100s of years.
Would you like a pic of one taken in a yard near Crozet taken about 5 years ago? I have it and can email it to you.
4 of my co-workers saw one crossing the road after leaving the Hot Springs Airport after working there about 6 years ago.
All hunters/outdoor types, about 5pm, broad daylight.
Check the Eastern Puma Research web site.
my brother once told me he saw one on the side of the road ,near rocky mount ,va .he drives a rig for a living,he knows what they look like ,have traveled all around the usa and canada.i also had been told of reports of these cats in graig county ,va. there may not be alot of them here yet but they are out there,also had reports of a black panther slash couger in va….
also remember the large male african lion that was spotted in west va a couple of years ago ,anything is possible….
Ray — I got that photo and will try to post it.
John — I am aware of your Web site and group. I appreciate your passion for this, and the passion and insistence of the folks who have contributed information. But you must admit, the existence of a formal group or association that tracks sightings of objects does not prove the existence of those object. (There are many UFO, Sasquatch, Yeti, Loch Ness Monster groups and associations.)
I guess what I’m wondering is, what make the wild free-roaming cougars in Virginia so ghostly while the interlopers that are proved to be in the Midwest leave so much ACTUAL evidence? Was that cougar wandering around Minneapolis, leaving a trail that Inspector Clouseau could follow, just an idiot?
Anita — You make an interesting point with thinking that people would start shooting at “anything tan in the forest.” Every year in Virginia a dozen or so (I have actual numbers at my office and I’m not there at the moment) are mistaken for game and shot during hunting seasons.
Think about that. You have people who are so sure what they are looking at is a deer or turkey that they AIM A GUN AT IT AND PULL THE TRIGGER! And they can see the object well enough to actually hit it. And you’re talking about a small percentage, 10 percent or so, of the population who is out there hunting. And the busy hunting seasons are only several weeks a year.
So, let’s talk about the entire population of the state, 12 months a year. Of course there are going to be people who see something they are absolutely sure is a cougar.
I have several folks who have e-mailed me comments on this topic. The e-mails are good. I’m not sure why they didn’t post the comments on the blog but the comments are good enough that I will post them (and not identify the senders).
Holy moly, I do enjoy a discussion of mountain lions in the east!
Mark, what I would like to know is the statistic presented in Cochran’s piece back in March correct. “1. The Florida panther population is estimated at just over 100, yet there were 17 documented road kills in 2009 alone. Where are the road kills in Virginia?”
This stat is darned interesting if true, and very relevant to the number of mystery mountain lions in our area.
And I would like to add another question from another angle. If there are so many sightings in VA, why has not one shown up dead – not necessarily from a road-kill, but simply dead? Perhaps from a gunshot? Having grown up in the Appalachians, I know there are individuals out there that would shoot a mountain lion in a heartbeat, disregarding any potential consequence – and eventually bragging to the world.
I genuinely hope there will be mountain lions in VA, and I hope I can see one before I depart this world, but if I was a gambling man, I wouldn’t put any money on it.
I saw a mountain lion and a sasquatch fighting over the buck I killed last year that would have become the new typical B&C record book holder, They even took the antlers and I never saw hide nor hair of my trophy again!
Actually, I am with Mark on this one. Living remotely as I do (we are on thr tax maps in Bedford county, unfortunately, but you would have to be totally lost or left for dead to wind up at my house), we were asked a while back to participate in a program designed to objectively substantiate the cougar’s return to Virginia.
With all of the trail cameras out there, it seems to me that a sasquatch or a cougar would show up on one if they were here. But then, I know I have bobcats but I never get a shot of one of them either. Maybe I need to bump up to a cuddieback……
Well, I’m not an expert on wildlife, but I sure did see a creature that looked just like the photo in this article late last summer in Draper, VA. I visit my Mom who lives in that region, and take my dogs with me. There is a remote old family grave yard about 2 miles off of an access road off of I-81. I take my dogs there on occasions just to let them run and romp thru the off grave yard. I had just put the dogs back in my car. Started out the gravel road, that had trees and high weeds along side it when a heard this loud, penetrating cry. This large cat, which was not much taller than a goat, but long body and long tail, went across in front of me. The thing that struck me was how beautiful the markings on the face were, and it’s big eyes. The cry was very sharp and penetrating, because I was surprised to have heard it so loudly with only one car window down, and the engine running.. It was beautiful, and quick! I thought it was a cougar, but I don’t know the difference between a mountain lion and cougar. Know it was not a bobcat, because I have seen those before. It’s coat was beautiful.
I can’t beleive it. I saw a cougar cross the road in front of me on Gravel hikk road in catawba a couple of years ago.I lived there and hunted there all my life I knoe what I saw. Plus this summer my mo who drives a schoo bus had a cougar cross in front of her on Blacksburg road in catawba a few mils from the house. So belive what you want,
Here’s one of those cougar e-mails:
Interesting article, my parents , grandparents etc are all from Bland County.
There have been “cougar sightings” in Bland for 100 years.
One was just in the last 3 years and the guy was so adamant he finally took a picture and it was a large bobcat.
The guy at VT estimated it weighed 65 pounds. I loved that story because I saw a large bobcat in Bland that I estimated was around 70 pounds about 30 years ago.
So there are large cats in the mountains, but they are genetic freak bobcats.
Have you ever heard one “cry” at night? It will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
A few years ago my dad saw this in the local paper’s police blotter. (This was in Oregon, where there actually are cougars.)
“Caller reported seeing a cougar in her back yard. When officers arrived she said it was possible it had been a gopher.”
I live 10 miles west of Bluefield, VA. Three people in our valley have seen a tan cat about 4-6 feet long. It’s tale was as long as its body.
When I saw it all I got was fleeting glance as it leapt across a one lane paved road in one jump. I’m sorry, but I think that they are there. I have seen cat prints in muddy soil that I could put my whole fist in. I was grouse hunting. My dog wouldn’t drink from that water hole, and didn’t want to hunt grouse in that area anymore. This is all I can say.
The General consistence is that their are big cats, so how do you prove or disprove them?
I’ve met people that said they’ve killed one but buried the body for fear of trouble with DGIF.
Question would you get in that much trouble for killing a Mountain Lion in Virginia, especially when they don’t suppose to be here at all? I would think if VDGIF need proof this can be the only way to have definitive of the Mountain Lions existence within the area.
To kill or capture one to find out what it has been eating. We know these cats aren’t going to hold still for a picture so killing one may be the only way to prove they are here to stay.
Lastly Mark
Did you by any chance see “Maneaters” on Animal Planet, were they said that in America backyards they are more Leopards, Tigers, and Mountain Lions kept as pets than they may possibly be in the wild.
Each Year 1-3 of these big Cats goes missing Annually only to be killed by a frighten neighbor. “I couldn’t believe that part of report”.
1)Lisbon, OH 10-yr-old girl is in good condition at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh after being bitten by mountain lion at home of family friends, who keep several full-sized lions and mountain lions caged up in their yard.
Husband says he told her No when she asked to pet the lion, but when he turned his back, she went in. The animals’ “owners” claim they’ve been approved by the government to house these animals and that they have all the required shots. (www.wtov9.com)
2)Great Bend, KS Human error results in Great Bend Zoo’s 14-yr-old female mountain lion’s death. Though she is not threat to public, zoo director requests police shoot and kill her because she has history of being aggressive. (KAKE10.com
3)Oakley, KS 1 male and 2 female lions once kept inside junkyard-like enclosure are now at Detroit Zoo. Possessor agrees to turn them over to sheriff’s office after 1 cat mauls man earlier last month. All 3 lions are checked out by vet and will remain in quarantine at Detroit Zoo for 30 days, eventually being introduced to zoo’s other lions. (Detroit News)
4)Ingram, TX Kimra, 300-lb Bengal tiger, escapes his enclosure into neighborhood but is humanely tranquilized and kept by authorities until possessor improves integrity of compound. Possessor is legally licensed to keep tiger. (www.mysanantonionews.com)
5)Natural Bridge, VA 2 6-yr-old Asiatic bears escape from pen at Natural Bridge Zoo when worker neglects to lock gate properly. Male bear, Festus, breaks into neighboring house and is shot by zoo’s owner and sheriff’s deputy several times at close range.
Female, Maggie, is found under porch outside, where she swipes at homeowner. She is shot by zoo’s owner and disappears into woods, only to be shot and killed 2 days later by hunter. USDA authorities are investigating zoo. (Washington Post)
6)Manassas, VA Escaped “pet” caracal, 20-lb native South African feline, is captured by Animal Control after it confronts German shepherd. (www.nbc4.com)
If you go to Exotic Animals for sale you will see various animals for sale as well as big cats in and other similar animals in surrounding areas….
7yr old intact Siberian Lynx pair $1200
Name: Kelliee
Posted: 8/16/2010
Email:
7 year old intact Siberian / Eurasian Lynx.
Female is a fur pillow, headbutts, mews, and purrs. Male follows you around like a dog and will jump for kites. These animals are human imprinted and tame but are not “pets.” They have been housed together (separated during kittening).
8)Location: Kentucky
Beautiful Wolf-hybrids, about 1 1/2 years old. There is one black male, one black female and one gray female. They are 90% Timber wolf and 10% German Shepard. They are friendly but not recommended for family pets due to being adults.
They would be great for an exhibit or for breeding. No shipping. We are located in southern Ky. $300.00 each.
I’m not trying to advertise for anyone, but trying to make aware to your readers a possible answer to these animal sightings. Even to myself.
I personally have not seen anything resembling a mountain lion in this area while hunting or just driving around. But I have heard people talking about seeing and hearing them. The most recent I can think of was a person who said they had one run across the road in front of them one night about a year ago. Also, there was one claimed to be spotted while a guy was turkey hunting 2 springs ago. But, like you Mark, I won’t believe it until I see one or the evidence of one.
This is concerning cougar sightings. I personally have seen an animal 120 to 140 pounds with a tail about 36 inches long cat in shape, this was in Montgomery County. You tell me what you think this was.
There is one that lives on Mill mountain…..I have seen it!!!
In the Little Creek area of Pulaski County about 15 years ago I watched a large cat make its way up a ridgeline right towards me. For about 10 min. it walked without making a sound until it was within 5 yards of me, I stood up and yelled and the cat turned back and ran back down the ridge in a very eery silent way. This cat was tan in color, had a long tail with a dark end and had a cougar face. I could not get to my truck fast enough. I know what I saw. Yes, it could have escaped from a zoo or turned free by someone but it was a cougar or panther like cat.
Yes, Mark your article brought in the comments. My initial observation is that this would be fertile ground for a physiatrist’s client list. How many need treatment for phobias? People out west live with cougars every day and even in CA where hunting of cougars has not been allowed for 20 years, human encounters with mountain lions are very rare. For those that fear a cougar is going to eat them there is good news. They will win a multi million-dollar lottery several times before that happens. The bad news is that they have already died many times in a car accident involving a deer. I recognize that several suffer from a condition known as “Source Amnesia”. This is a condition whereby myths are repeated and believed as truth but they cannot remember the source of where the myth originated.
One myth is that VDGIF is covering up and denying their existence. VDGIF is the state agency charged with management of all VA wildlife. Any changes in wildlife management plans are publicly aired and acted upon in public session. VDGIF investigated literally hundreds of reported sightings and not one of them produced scientific verifiable evidence of existence of a cougar. Even a published photo of alleged cougar in Crozet was a bobcat. Is it any wonder that they are skeptical when someone calls them about a sighting? At least part of their procedure is to question about tracks, photo, hair, or body. Only a few provide a photo or track and all have been dismissed as mistaken identity or un-verifiable. It is embarrassing to continue to repeat such myths without a verifiable source.
Another myth is that there is already a breeding population here in VA. I personally recorded and investigated sighting for a decade stopping in March 2008 with 707-recorded sightings in VA, not one of which produced any scientific evidence. Many of the reports are just too good not to be true, so I cannot say I do not believe these folks. However, many are mistaken identity. Not included in the number are the ones I investigated to find dog or house cat tracts nor the photos that were house cat or bobcat. It is possible a disperser passes through on occasion as is evidenced by track castings from Wyoming County WV, a cougar kitten killed on a road in KY, a Florida Panther shot in GA, a Cougar shot by a hunter in Iowa, and a collared cougar killed by a train in KA 650 miles from it’s origin in Black Hills of SD. Yes, search of Florida Panther will confirm 16 road kills in 2009 from a Florida population estimated at only 100 to 120. http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/dec/29/16-record-number-panthers-killed-vehicles-2009/
Much harm is being done to cougars by organizations that perpetuate untrue myths or exaggerate just to sensationalize them. An example is a photo 7/28/2010 of a long tail bobcat that is posted on Botetourt View. Many good honest reputable people that would see this cat would report seeing a cougar. But in spite of this photo being analyzed as no more than a 24 lb bobcat, a web site opined that it was a black spotted 40 lb. Jaguar or Leopard! Forty-five years of perpetuating these myths is long enough, its time to ask for the facts and the truth.
I recognize from the comments that there is much interest in cougars and concern for wildlife but there is an education void. I challenge someone to sponsor some informational town hall seminars for speakers on topics such as; About Cougars, The Role Of Predators, Biodiversity, How Quail, The Most Rapidly Declining Bird, May Be Suffering From The Lack Of Apex Predators, Can Hunters Really Control Deer Like A 24/7 Natural Predator?, Or How Many Area Plants Are Being Threatened Because There Is No Natural Predator Of Deer?
Mark, you are a much more reputable reporter for standing your ground for facts instead of perpetuating unfounded myths. I hope that our day will come when you will report on the real thing with real evidence. Thanks,
Ben Shrader
I was in Craig County today and saw a lot of different animals.Pigs,horses,cattle,donkeys,mules and whitetail deer were common place.I also saw Texas longhorn cattle and a camel,but not one mountain lion,but I never left Rt 615 or explored the vast national forest.AH
Ben — Thanks for the long and detailed comment. Among the things that really stood out was this number: 707. That’s how many sightings you investigated.
Think about that, people.
Based on that number, and the number of respondents here who have thought to have seen a cougar (or something that sure seemed to be a cougar), clearly there are hundreds upon hundreds of sightings.
So someone please tell me this: Are these cougars just selectively stupid? (Or selectively brilliant?) How can they be at once so visible and yet so “ghostly”?
I am hearing that they regularly show up in broad daylight where people see them. Yet somehow they have managed to avoid being hit by a car. Or being captured on one of the bazillion trailcams out there. Or being treed by one of the hundreds of groups out there hunting bears with hounds. (Despite the rumors, that hasn’t happened.) Or showing up in front of someone with a camera who can shoot an indisputable photo.
I’m not saying that the many people who think they’ve seen them aren’t seeing something. And something that looks an awful lot like a mountain lion. Coyotes? Big dogs? Deer? Bobcats? Alfie’s camel? Well, maybe not Alfie’s camel.
I’ve seen two wildcats. A few years ago I just got into my treestand during an October bowhunt in Virginia when a medium-sized bobcat walked by about 20 yards away. No mistaking it.
Another time, maybe 25 years ago, I was walking on a trail in the woods in the Oregon mountains when I rounded a bend and came face-to-face with a wildcat that was no more than 15 yards directly in front of me. That thing scooted into the woods in a flash. You know what? I have no idea what it was. It was pretty small so it was probably a bobcat. But it could have been a small cougar. Heck, it could have been a skittish domestic cat. What I’m saying is, it was broad daylight, the thing was 15 yards away and I still didn’t get an absolutely positive ID.
I continue to go back to the original post. I don’t doubt that eventually (and maybe even sooner than later) a wild mountain lion will show up in Virginia. When it does, it won’t take long for it to leave behind the positive proof all of us — yes, even me — are clamoring for.
I think you are using your readers to prove there are cougars in virginia because the dept. of game is stone walling you, and you can not prove it your self. but where there is smoke there is fire, so they, and there is a lot of smoke in these comments.
I disagree with the statement that there are no mountain lions in va. I have been hunting, fishing, and farming all my life and have seen some crazy things…. but last saturday a buddy and i were fishing when we saw… notice i said WE saw a mountain lion jump from rock to rock crossing the creek about 50 yards upstream. the tail was about 3 feet long…. and its back even with my waist – this is not the first i have seen – all the others have been while driving at night for a split second. this was the real deal. the only reason i’m on this forum is because i got on to search for more information about the mountain lions in our area…. i already know for sure they are here.
Don’t care whether you believe it or not. I’ve seen two of them in the last 5 years.
There are mountain lions in Bland VA. I have hunted all my life and know a bear, deer, turkey, dog, bob cat, coyote, hybrid wolf(owned 2) when I see and hear one. I hike the trail and woods near my home. The National Forest is my back yard. I do not recommend anyone coming into the Appalachian woods with out protection. Ive seen and heard more than enough to know they are here. Not to mention I find it funny that every check in station says we don’t have them but if you see on be sure and report it. Id rather me be wrong and safe than skeptics be wrong and me be eaten. Just sayin……..
I live in Bryce Resort, Basye, VA. Since the storm that we had on 7-6-12, my family and I have seen a black, long bodied, with long tail, and about 42 Inches high mountain cat. It has been on my property twice and once seen across our street. My husband went across the street to check out the noises I had heard, and there it was with the eyes glowing bright green when a powerful light hits its’ eyes and did not stop, but continued to walk towards my husband. ( he ran fast) It walks like it is stalking after something, low to the ground. It has been seen once during the day, and twice at night. This cat has not made a loud cry, but the sound is almost a hissing noise. I have reported this to the Sheriffs dept. here in Shenandoah County, and they are to contact the Wildlife Commissioner tomorrow. Hoping to catch this wild cat, and relocate it some where else. Kind of odd for it to keep hanging around a residential area. 7-10-12