Cougar in the Pines?
- Thread starter irishman
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bach2yoga
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Debatable...no one has any definitive proof. Some people believe yes, some people say maybe, others say no way.
Who knows?
Renee
Who knows?
Renee
B
bach2yoga
Guest
I've heard a lot about coyotes extending their range. I know, cats and dogs is like apples and oranges, just mentioning it. Could be some feral Maine coon cats too. Those suckers get BIG!
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bach2yoga
Guest
Coyotes are definitely in the Pines, and in Cape May too. Don't think I know what a Maine coon cat is?
Renee
Renee
bach2yoga said:
Maine coon is a breed of domestic cat, native to Maine, in fact it's the official Maine state cat. The myth is that the breed originated with a cross between a racoon and and a house cat, biologically impossible but a cute story. They're a little bigger than the domestic short hair, usually getting to be around 18-20lbs, and they have thicker hair that makes them look bigger. They have bushy tails and tufts of hair around the ears. There voice is even distinctive, using more of a quick chirp of a meow. They're cool cats.
Brian
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bach2yoga
Guest
Well it was about a year ago, I went to see this guy I know who makes candles and gives massages. He also hunts and belongs to a gun club in the Green Bank area. He took me into his garage to show me what he had shot in Bull Town. There hung what I would call a coon cat. I was definately the size of a bobcat, but all dark grey and black. I felt it, it was very soft. I looked in it's mouth at the long peircing fang-like incisors. I spread it's toes apart and examied the incredibly long claws. It was a very heavy cat with a huge head and neck. I did'nt like the idea that he had killed it, but kept my opinons to myself. I did suggest he take it to a taxidermy. Just throwing it out would be just another waste of this beautiful animal. He said it had been spotted many times in that area, and that many hunters had been looking for it. I have'nt seen or talked to the man since, one day I will. Then I will inquire what became of the "coon cat"....Sue..........
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bach2yoga
Guest
Cougars in the pines
About 2 years ago,i was bowhunting in back of whitesbogs,in lebanon forest.I didnt see any deer.Just before dark,i saw something movind it was tan or light brown.I thought it was a deer at first,but after a minute i realized it wasnt.It was about 80 yards from me.It was lower to the ground,and longer than a deer.Its ears looked pointed.I was straining my eyes to see,and my first instinct was that it was some type of cougar or mountain lion.I t looked like it was looking at something on the ground or following something on the ground.I watched it slowly move out of sight.Well at dark,i was a wee bit nervous walking back to my truck,i whitled and kept my arrow knocked.The next day i came back to look for tracks where i had seen it.I was able to pinpoint exactly where i saw it because it was on a small hill next to a little swamp.Unfortunately,the ground was very hard there,and i couldnt see tracks,but i did find some type of holes,about 3 of them,that couldve been dens or just groundhog holes,i really dont know.Ive kept my eyes open more since then,but havent seen anything else.
About 2 years ago,i was bowhunting in back of whitesbogs,in lebanon forest.I didnt see any deer.Just before dark,i saw something movind it was tan or light brown.I thought it was a deer at first,but after a minute i realized it wasnt.It was about 80 yards from me.It was lower to the ground,and longer than a deer.Its ears looked pointed.I was straining my eyes to see,and my first instinct was that it was some type of cougar or mountain lion.I t looked like it was looking at something on the ground or following something on the ground.I watched it slowly move out of sight.Well at dark,i was a wee bit nervous walking back to my truck,i whitled and kept my arrow knocked.The next day i came back to look for tracks where i had seen it.I was able to pinpoint exactly where i saw it because it was on a small hill next to a little swamp.Unfortunately,the ground was very hard there,and i couldnt see tracks,but i did find some type of holes,about 3 of them,that couldve been dens or just groundhog holes,i really dont know.Ive kept my eyes open more since then,but havent seen anything else.
I saw a cougar on the mullica back in 78 when i was 14.i was canoeing in the open savannahs below the rr trestle when i spotted it in a red maple.it was spring and the trees were still pretty bare.when i got to within about 50 ft of the tree it leaped out and hit the water and splashed off into the higher pines on the north bank.it was tan about 5 ft long not counting tail and definitely a cat.it wasnt a bobcat and it wasnt a deer,it was in a tree.
Al
Al
suresue592003 said:
Those long, piercing fang-like"incisors" were actually the canine teeth. And yes, even felids have canine teeth.
Take it from a veterinarian ...
And yes, cougars are definitely expanding from their formerly severely restricted range in the western refugia, but in recent years wildlife biologists have gotten really excited about the odd confirmed sighings or road kills as far east as Iowa and Missouri. The coyote, a much smaller predator with a far more catholic diet that has the cougar, has expanded its range in the past half-century far more extensively and easily than the cougar is ever likely to. If a cougar is seen in the NJPB's, it most likely is an escaped captive / released "pet" that outgrew its owner's New York or Philadelphia apartment.
Even here in South Dakota it is definitely noteworthy when one is sighted east of the Black Hills or the Badlands; there have been only five or six such confirmed sightings or road-kills in the past 4 or 5 years.
Only region east of the Mississippi where cougars are native and naturally persist today (and are seriously endangered to the extent that some are being transplanted there from western populations) is the Florida everglades. No word of them having expanded their eastern range out of Florida, however.
Best regards,
Dave
Cougars in the pines ...
Cougars in Florida ???
Don't know about cougars, but panthers do exist here and are listed as an endangered species, I believe. They are on one of the money-producing non-profit special license plates, of which I have one. Money raised from them (I believe it's $25 per year) goes toward environmental causes. It is one of the most popular special plates, possibly second only to the manatee. If any questions on this subject, I should be able to research it for you.
Cougars in Florida ???
Don't know about cougars, but panthers do exist here and are listed as an endangered species, I believe. They are on one of the money-producing non-profit special license plates, of which I have one. Money raised from them (I believe it's $25 per year) goes toward environmental causes. It is one of the most popular special plates, possibly second only to the manatee. If any questions on this subject, I should be able to research it for you.
The Florida Panther is also known as the Florida Cougar, and is classified as a puma (Puma concolor coryi). One cat, many names.