Eastern U.S. Cougars

“Jay Kirk, a freelance magazine writer, is researching a story about the Eastern cougar and would like to talk to any hikers who have sighted this animal in the wild.

Kirk says that although state and federal wildlife agencies believe that the Eastern cougar is "presumed to be extinct," hundreds of sightings are reported each year. Pennsylvania tops the list with the most reported incidents.

If you have had a cougar experience, and would like to talk about it, contact Jay Kirk at 215-753-0415 or JayJirk@comcast.net.”

“You mean like a Pitt Panther???”

“Never saw one, but last year I remember a story on the news about some people in Wayne County who say they have seen a cougar in that area.”

“I think I heard Cougars in PA....”

“Thoes eastern cougars all have accents, and when they are drunk they are hard to understand.”

“That'd be great to see one.”

“I wonder how many people have seen a bobcat and think they saw a mountain lion.”

“Ive been stalked by mountain lions twice, and seen four of em on hikes before but Ive never seen a bear!”

“Actually...that is probably more likely what I heard....a Bobcat.

Big difference in size, head shape, and tail.”

“we have puma's here in arkyland, i've heard them but never seen one. i rekon they are long gone when i come hikin down the trail with buckshot the wonder dog.....”

“In '85 or '86 I saw what could have been cougar tracks in mud on Roaring Plains WVa.

BIG round kitty tracks three inches or more across.

Definitely not bear tracks.”

“ya tom, i've seen tracks before, sounds like you did too. i think tracking animals is cool....”

“we have tons of wildcats and bobcats here in southern alabama...no mistaking them for cougars...not at all..unless your blind..and there calls sound diff too..i heard a cougar once while out hiking...i had to bury that pair of jockeys”

“definately a skerry thing to hear in the dark......”

“I haven't seen any yet, but I'm hoping. There was a flyer up in a store window in Grant Co WV recently that asked folks to be on the lookout and call a number with info. Cool stuff.”

“Before I returned to bp-ing 3-4 years ago a friend at work was telling me about his hiking trip at Savage Gulf in TN. He claims he saw a large black cat 18-20 inches tall!!! He reported it to the rangers there and they told him there was no large cat like that around there. He still swears he saw it and is very trustworthy. I personally believe him, he didn't tell everyone because he knew he would be ridiculed. We do have bobcats (they were our H.School mascots) and to hear one of them at night is spooky . I will ask him to report it to Jay Kirk.”

“I live in NW Rhode Island, and our animal control picked up a cerval a few years back, which is an african cat about the size of a bobcat,no way that migrated! the folks at the pound think it was an escapee from someones house, some of the cougar sightings, if real could have a similar source.”

“..Wisconsin is in the east (anything east of "his" mountains. My father lives in Waupaca County, and tells me that every now and then people report seeing a large black cat in the area. Supposedly someone even got a not-so-good picture of it last year. So does THAT count? :-)”

“I've seen one up north, near Ludington, MI. It crossed the road behind our car, at around 3 or 4am. There's no mistaking the shape of a cougar for a lynx or bobcat. HUGE difference....esp the size and tail.

At first I thought I was crazy, but then last year the Free Press reported that there are actually several cougars up in that area. I feel really lucky that I got to see one.”

“In eastern Kentucky there have been confirmed, documented Panther sightings. One was eating a kill (a fawn) and was observed at fairly close range for a considerable length of time. This was a couple of years ago (2001 I think) near Catlettsburg on the KY/WV border. He may want to contact the Forestry Service office there and talk to them, see what leads they can give him.”

“Vermont Fish and Wildlife officials have been collecting information on cougars for years. They have evidence of at least one breeding pair in Vermont.”

“If it was large, feline, and black, it was an exotic. No such cat has ever lived in N. America.

There's a black jaguar in S. America, tho.

GA has 250,000 bobcats, yet I've seen only two in the wild... ever. Cats can be very elusive - I wouldn't be surprised if cougars have made comebacks in every state in the Union. Even Hawaii - they're very good swimmers, don't ya know.”

“http://www.freep.com/sports/outdoors/eric20_20031120.htm
can someone link that for me. To some of you folk from other parts of the country this might be no big thang...but I thought it was pretty interesting. I've hiked there a few times and now want to go back more than ever..with camera in hand. It would be so cool to be "curiosity stalked". Several of us in my area always thought it was common knowledge that the cougar were brought back into MI. by the DNR to control the deer herd so I wonder about things when I hear they deny cougar in MI.”

“love this one : "Laboratory analysis shows the scat found at various places in the state came from cougars. Does the DNR think the scat fairy is prancing around, scattering cougar poop hither and yon?"


link”

“No agencies want to admit that cougars are around because it will trigger a mass response by livestock owners to shoot them.”

“Good one Hog!”

“you make a good point Geobeet. To bad education can't be the mass response.”

“Ivygal
"It would be so cool to be "curiosity stalked""

Don't think so, very few people are aware at the time of the stalking, most attacks come as a complete surprise.
One of the few reasons I can think of for carrying either a handgun or a bloody great bowie knife, because when kitty comes to play you are on the ground already.”

“the key word is "curiosity". Wouldn't want to be stalked for dinner. Anyhoo..that's not enough scare to keep me outta the woods. But it is enough for me to ask if attacks on humans by cougar are common?”

“The Eastern Cougar Foundation puts out an excellent brochure with a lot of facts about cougars and how to live with them. The brochure is in Adobe Acrobat form on their website. If you have Acrobat reader you can download it. If not, you should be able to download reader for free somewhere.

The site is at http://www.easterncougar.org/

Link: Brochure”

“Go to ECG Store free brochures and then click "Living with Cougars."”

“Scat! ECF, not ECG. Damn short between the keyboard and the seat again!”

“Interesting page on cougar attacks

It's mostly info for California, but there is some nationwide info as well.

It's good to note that you're much more likely to die from a car accident or dog attack than from a cougar attack.

Of course, few people keep cougars as pets or drive them to work everyday.”

“I dunno Bit. I saw a Cougar parked in somebody's driveway on the way to work this morning.”

“You can't swing a dead cat in Northern CA with out hitting a cougar. We had a couple that were regulars on our full moon hikes.”

“Believe me I know what you mean by, "curiosity stalked".

It is a big deal, they are beautiful animals.”

“Manuka,
I've been "curiosity stalked" and it was the most scary yet most awesome outdoor experience of my life!! I kept telling myself that I wasn't in any danger because if I was on the dinner menu he wouldn't have let me know he was there until his jaw was around my neck.”

“Cougars have been in Michigan as close as 20-30 miles away from the downtown Detroit recently. There have been sightings all around the Metro area as well. Most sightings have been passed off as possible pets let go. The stories from Sleeping Bear and the area have been a little joke amoung some of the MMer's. I am excited by this news, as the coyotes need to be checked in these areas and the surrounding areas. 2 Cougar permits have been/were issued to kill trouble some cats in the Kalkaska area of northern, lower Michigan. The big debate is if these have come back naturally, or if these were pets that became too much. A a lot of peeps like to keep the craziest things somtimes....”

“How timely! We are hearing reports of "black panthers" in my neck of the woods. I'm doing interviews for a story. The one woman called the MN DNR who said -- if indeed it's a black panther -- it's probably an exotic pet let loose. OR.. I don't know if there are black cougars???

There was a place within probably 30-45 minutes of here that had an exotic animal park. They got busted over the past couple years. First, some kid got bit. Last I recall, they got it for bringing in some cat over state lines illegally. So... perhap this cougar/panther (possibly more than one) was let free from there??

Interesting!! I'll be sure to check the page on cougar info!! Thanks!”

“lizs, the black panthers were in vogue back in the 60s and early 70s. They're pretty much out of style right now.”

“SHEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh, Geobeet!! lol”

“Don't get catty now!”

“I'm just feline frisky today, that's all.”

“Okay, now I'm gonna paws for awhile.”

“Cat fight!”

“Jeez Fritz, you pounced on that one. Cat certainly doesn't have your tongue. I'm not lion either.”

“thanks for the other sites on cougars. A couple of years ago, the guy that was grooming the x-country ski trails in Manistee county swears up and down that he saw a black cougar. I hope it's all true.”

“Geo, it took ya 10 minutes to come up with that?

Well...I'd post a comeback but my contract here has a non-compete claws.”

“To quote Tilt:


AArrrrgh”