LaRue is the first to admit that shed love to see a mountain lion in the wild, and she of all people understands the fascination with them. In a small town called Coeburn. So I guess its up in the air. Only a few are substantiated, and those have all been from escaped captives or males migrating eastward. The Concord Mountain Lions are the athletic teams that represent Concord University, located in Athens, West Virginia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. Each year, deer-car collisions kill approximately 200 people.7, the Eastern Cougar was extirpated by excessive hunting pressure, as well as severe reduction in their prime food source of white-tailed deer see: http://hstallard.blogspot.com/2008/03/mountain-lion-hoax-in-virginia.html. My husband quickly put our dog into his pen. I saw a friend while out to dinner two weeks ago and he came up and said, You will never believe what I saw last evening at my place. I said, What did you see? Everyone we have spoken with today said it couldnt be true but my dad (a hunter all his life) and mom both saw its full near silhouette (nearing dusk) in the curve of a road just ahead of them before it disappeared and said it was the size, maybe just a tad bit smaller than my golden retriever (80 lbs) and its tail was as long as its body was and made a point to say it was a cats tail in shape, curving down at the base & up in a slope. We guessed it could have been but have no proof. Certainly there is a chance that cougars can be in VA. How could we possibley know there are none, and be certain. Dont know what it was, but I have always wondered if it was a big cat or not. . My uncle always swore he saw a mtn lion on the family farm in Montvale in the early 1990s sitting at the treeline across a field watching him as he worked with his pigs. From a Biologists point of view, of COURSE cougars inhabit the Eastern United States..with all the sightings over the last 20 years, thats a given. Look how long it took scientists to find the okapi. And thats being done without, from what I understand, any real proof. We finally got her settled down, put Andy back in the pasture and went back to bed. Everyone knows that the panthers that are seen in the East are former pets released. I started yelling and making as much noise as i could and heard the sounds of claws running up a tree. Have you spotted any shocking creatures in Virginia? I am sorry, but some of the comments are incredible, and border on the hilarious. Those eyes I will never forget as the cars lights stunned it for a moment.. Last night i was driving back to college from home. One night our mules and horses had broken through the fence. Female cougars will raise a litter of kittens up until the age of about 20 months, LaRue explained, and then the young cats are kind of kicked out and left on their own. The males, especially, are forced to disperse away from the family, partly to avoid inbreeding, and partly because male cougars are territorial and wont tolerate any other males in their domain. My husband saw it too. Cougars prowled nearly all of the United States below Canada, and all of Virginia from mountain . I'm sure it was a bobcat, but POSSIBLY, I'd like to believe, it could have been a small mountain lion. After that two sets of very large eyes started following me. I believe that area was once habitat for the red wolf. Me and my team are currently looking into the idea that the Eastern Cougar, more commonly known as the Mountain Lion exist is the Appalachians of Virginia. Our daughters were in a 4H group across the park on Bull Run Post Office Road and each week theyd ride their horses across the battlefield to a farn where they practiced Vaulting (circus riding) with their 4H group. Native to most counties in Virginia, the bobcat is a . Because of how they hunt, they need to basically be able to hide and creep up on their prey. From the next room, another person chimmed in my neighbors have been seeing one. This all occured three weeks after I had a full-grown Red Wolf walk up near me while blackberry picking in my mother-in-laws pasture (in the city limits.) Upon her return she stopped by to tell us that theyd followed what was apparently an old or injured cougar! The amount of area they need for their home range, the kinds of things they eat, their behaviorsall of that is really important to arm ourselves with so we have that information, LaRue said, adding that with that education comes the dispelling of myths. Does this mean they do not exist? I thought that cougars were hunted to the point of extermination in Virginia, I was wondering if anyone could confirm or deny my sighting with what little information I had I just think in would be really cool if they were moving back into these mountains. We live in Oak Hill, Virginia, in a neighborhood. Spotted a lion last night around 7:30 pm. Mountain lions in Nebraska are a division of the larger population spread through all western U.S. states, and predators move unobstructedly among Nebraska and neighboring U.S. states, especially South Dakota and Wyoming. Description of the Mountain Lion. There is wide open space there, high cliffs, and an abundance of deer. For related content, read about How The Worlds Most Notorious Mythical Creature Is Said To Dwell In This Small Virginia Town. Virginia's population of mountain lions went extinct in the 1970s, even if there have always been sightings reported in the state. I havent seen them, but I have worked with folks there at the Smithsonians Conservation Research Center in Front Royal including Bill McShea. Last November a bow hunter reported to the TWRA that he had shot a cougar in Carroll County. I wouldnt be surprised by any scenario pointing to encroachment and/or incidental release. They like rugged terrain with forest cover. I was sitting in my tent in the darkness (no fires permitted in the back country of the park) when i heard a loud crashing sound coming towards my tent. He was licking his coat. I think I have now seen a mountain lion! Fish & Wildlife Resources recent decision to declare eastern cougars extinct, and she knew unless she was able to produce some sort of physical evidence like a photo, shed be hard pressed to convince any wildlife expert of what she saw. And yet there are numerous reports of hikers and residents spotting these creatures, especially in the mountains. In November of last year, a giant cat with a long tail wandered in front of Tennessee resident Austin Burtons deer camera on his familys farm in Humphreys County. Although the eastern cougar is extinct, there are still sightings of these cats across the state. I was looking out our 2nd story window yesterday evening when a very large cat looking animal came out of a thicket behind the house to get a drink in the pond. Others have been clustered in the Valley. Virginia Dept. I live in Southwest, VA. My dog is small but the one my neighboor has is a german shepard and I think thats the one I heard yelp. Tuesday, April 08, 2008. That is if it is still around. Has anyone else seen a large cat in the Campbell County area? Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. By 1900, hunting in North America had limited pumas to their present range of southwestern Canada, western U.S. wilderness areas, southern Florida, and isolated areas in Mexico. The New York Times reported that a cougar killed in Connecticut by car in 2011 was from the Black Hills of South Dakota:6, If a cougar population was e-established in the east, it would pose a risk to backcountry hikers similar to that posed by bears. But she was familiar with (and disturbed by) the U.S. The deer seemed to jump into some brush to the side of the path and the paw print seemed to be following. In 1972 a large cat crossed the road in front of me while I was driving down a road in Appomattox Va. Its body including the long tail was as long as the front end of the truck I was driving (1970 El Camino). People believe that Bigfoot and Nessie exist, which I am not saying they dont. Mountain lions weigh between 90-160 pounds while bobcats weigh between 20-30 pounds according to an article by the Iowa DNR. "I thought, 'holy cow, where did that come from?'" We were too busy looking at each other asking, Did you see that? We should have ben focusing on details. There has been speculation of the cougars being in Rockingham county so I am very excited to hear from the commmunity on any other possible sightings. hunterb8s@yahoo.com. Now when I go back towards where that was to hunt I get shivers. Last time I heard it it sounded like it was 30 50 yards away and then I heard a dog bark then yelp and one last scream from the animal and then quiet. "In others frankly (some people) just make up stories to get attention or to support their beliefs, so they'll come up with a photo from somewhere else to justify their beliefs," he continued. In Nebraska, the mountain lion is the largest carnivore. For an interview on these animals, that dont exist, please call me (John Ballard) at (434) 946-0486. 28-Aug-08. Does it make a circle on a set time period or does it travel randomly? 211 just north of Warrenton VA. This animal did not have a long snout like a dog or a fox. A seasoned hiker whos lived in Virginia since the 1970s and is deeply familiar with the areas wildlife, shes confident in what she saw. Im just waiting for ANY government agency to admit there are mountain lions in the state before someone shoots one and says Ooops I didnt know they were endagered. There is an abundent population of squirl, deer and turkey. The US Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Eastern Cougar as Endangered in 1973, since it was considered to be a distinct breeding population separate from the western population. Feel free to join the discussion by leaving comments, and stay updated by subscribing to the, Expansion and Restoration of Bison to Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, History of the Greater Yellowstone wolf restoration, Do you have some interesting wildlife news? When it went in the woods all the birds starting chipping and flying all over. If a mountain lion walks around an area enough, many different humans will notice. It was about 8:00 am on Saturday 8/8/09 and I noticed a black animal in a fenced pasture just ahead of me. Hmmmm. I just wonder if I have the same picture, & also if it is true. The 1982 Eastern Cougar Recovery Plan defined the establishment of one population containing at least 50 breeding adults as the threshold for moving the Eastern Cougar from "endangered" to just "threatened." While this may be incredible, it is still ways off. The last mountain lion in Virginia was killed in 1882, and since then, no active breeding population has been present across the state. 0. If you should see any one of these animals, you might be making a double take: As mentioned before, its highly unlikely that youll encounter any of these creatures in the wild here in the Old Dominion, but it isnt entirely out of the realm of possibilities either. At first I thought it was human screams. They wondered if it was a kind of dog or even a cat. they may have migrated there by way of fractured habitat that has forced them into the area due to encroachment. So they say Mt. But, there is always a chance that one day the sighting will be real. Long may they thrive. But to spot one in Virginia? Their typical prey includes rabbits and squirrels, but they can kill deer when they are feeling up to it. Ive seen a few cougars in the wild, I dont believe the black phase has ever been confirmed in any mountain lion/cougar/catamount/puma. The West Virginia Wildlife Center . I dont know how realistic they are, but here are calls: Bobcat, cougar/mountain lion/puma/painter, whatever the name is in your area. Others have confused the Eastern mountain lion with coyotes, bobcats, or even deer. I am in the Linville, NC area and have had several people tell me that they have seen a mountain lion during the past three to four years. Lil Rose/flickr. Does anyone want to speculate about the Appalachians being populated by African Lions? I would estimate that it must have been at least 60 pounds if not more. the Eastern Cougar is Puma concolor, reflecting the solid color without stripes or spots of Game and Inland Fisheries web site on the eastern cougar. Even though we still didnt have any physical proof we were excited because this was the first time wed had an adult verify a cougar sighting here. I must have terrified them. as for coyotes they are everywhere. A mountain lion photo has been circulating on social media for more than a year, claiming people have seenmountain lions in the state, and officials are calling shenanigans on the post. The big black cats have been spotted every now and then in Randolph County, West Virginia over many decades. few turkeys this spring and summer. Bears, Deer and Turkey come out in the yard on a regular basis. It really burns me up to hear so called experts say that there are no mountain lions or even wolves for that matter in VA. About 10-12 years ago, there was a pretty severe drought, and I know I saw a wolf in the Woodlake area of Midlothian, but everyone said are you sure it wasnt a big dog? If you see a wolf, you know its not a dog. The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Association (TWRA) confirmed that the cat, which sniffed around on the ground and in a low-hanging tree branch before looking square into the camera with its mouth wide open, was in fact a mountain lion. I also had the luck to hear them multiple times and catch glimpses of what I thought to be mountain lions scurrying into the woods. Source: Public Domain Pictures, Ancestors of the cougar (also known as catamount, mountain lion, bobcat, puma, panther, painter, wildcat, and ghost cat) crossed into North America roughly 8 million years ago, and the species Puma concolor evolved around 400,000 years ago.1. My dad found tracks and no, not bear, but cat, on our farm in that area and residents have reported seening a pair crossing just a few miles from where dad saw tracks. We then came upon a very recent deer kill within 20 yards of the sighting. Nobody even thinks anything of it because of its regularity. Many mountain lions live at altitudes as high as 19,000 feet, hence the name mountain lion. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. Last year I saw a very large cat print left in the snow. I am wondering if there is anyone who is tracking these sightings and wants to know moreIt was clearly a cougar. My 70lb lab is 24 at the shoulder for comparison. The first time I heard the screams I went in the direction with a flashlight, fully expecting to find a victim. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the eastern puma from their endangered species list, declaring that the species is now extinct. I was camping up there with some friends and we could have sworn we heard howling! However, wildlife experts in the area have disagreed with the sightings and think people are confusing bobcats with mountain lions. I think we have coywolves. However it was way too fast, too quiet, and did not move like a deer. I have pictures of the tracks and of the mares injuries. Fish and Wildlife Service has made official what has long been suspected that the eastern mountain lion is extinct. the cougar. Concord University (Concord) is a public university in Athens, West Virginia.It was founded on February 28, 1872, when the West Virginia Legislature passed "an Act to locate a Branch State Normal School, in the town of Concord Church, in the County of Mercer". In Wyoming, the season runs from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, but in Utah, the season runs from Nov. 9 to March 31. Mountain Lions in New York. But really, itll change peoples viewpoints at some point., Experts in Tennessee dont know exactly how many mountain lions are roaming the area, but they do know one thing for sure: at least one of them is a female. Chronic Wasting Disease positive results in Virginia, 2009-19. I think the nuts are attracting game, and a lion is preying. A lot of people dont know theyre around until they show up and start feeding on their bird feeders, and then all of a sudden its What are you gonna do about these bears?. He said, I went out at about dusk and I was looking around my property and at the edge of the woods I saw a mountain lion with a half dead groundhog in its mouth and it was tossing it into the air and catching it.. We went out there today to look for tracks. In the 1940s and 1950s, people were paid bounties for mountain lions, according to Jim Williams, regional director for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and author of "Path of the Puma." rick_freer@yahoo.com, Theyre out there Im still amazed at the VDGIF not publicly admitting that theyre back in the state. I too hope to see mountain lions return to Virginia, but I really dont think there are many here yet, if any all. An elderly man there once told me a story about a black Mountain Lion living in the area back in his younger days. This evening my husband and I were driving up our country lane in western Amherst county when a large, dark brown (black?) He got up and armed with only a flashlight he ventured outside to see why the horses were so restless and upset. Officially, mountain lions have not been seen in Virginia since 1970. My mother lives in Orange, and has seen a mountain lion in the past couple of weeks, as well as several years ago. George, A friend showed me a picture of a cougar, carrying a deer head. Speculating that they were mountain lions, we drove to a distance of about 250 yards away to take a second glace. For years everybody in every state wildlife agency has gotten reports of sightings, but we had never had anything in Tennessee that we could really verify as a cougar, Peterson said. On June 17, 2015, the U.S. I remember seeing very large cat tracks(not a normal bobcat track) while hunting the GWNF sw of harrisonburg,va in the mid to late 1980s. The Midwest can offer two of the three, but the males dont have much luck repopulating the area on their own. The cougar has not been confirmed in Virginia since 1882, but there are increasing signs they have returned to the state. In his more than 30 years working for DGIF, he's only been called out for one mountain lion sighting in the area. I saw a large bobcat at around mile 205-203 heading south on I-81. When I was young they killed a cougar at Stone Mountain. fauquier county Virginia OK see I read there were mountain lions in a certain large canyon but now Im pretty sure that rumour is to keep other fisherman out. The good news is that because it was right beside the road, others undoubtedly saw it, too, leaving no doubt that it was indeed a mountain lion because it was much too good a view for there to be any doubt of its species. Three months later a mountain lion was wiped out by an SUV on a highway in Connecticut. I expect they will confirm puma presence. Snce 1890, roughly 20 people have been killed by cougars. Is this thread for real? The tail was furry but with short hair like the rest of the body that I saw and was round kind of curving down and out like my house cats tail when he hunts birds. We almost hit it with the car. Someone is trying to instill fear about mountain lions on the loose in Virginia, though the Department of Game & Inland Fisheries says it's fake news. Also 16-20 at the shoulder seems short for 120lbs. They say the last mountain lion in Virginia was killed in 1882. An Amish farmer along 944 in Cumberland County complained to the PGC a mountain lion was killing his sheep. Above post by Rob about a Lion in Wise virginia is a hoax! When he isn't distracted by his backyard birdfeeder, you can find him camping, exploring, and telling everyone around him about what he's recently learned. This isnt just hearsay.. Why do they believe it now? I would like to add it to my collection if possible. Mountain Lions at the West Virginia Wildlife Center. The ones I saw sure would have no problem taking down a deer, or person for that matter! However, my husband couldnt contain his excitement and called me immediately to tell me he had his own personal proof of the existance of cougars in Virginia! Well deal with a lot of the same stuff thats related to bears in Virginia. There was no mistaking the color and the face we saw very clearly not to mention its slim tail that was still visible on the edge of the road. With their tails, some individuals can be as much as 9 ft. long. Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. To my suprise, twenty feet ahead of me a LARGE cat emerged from the grass. We didnt know what it was, but later walking in the field we found lots of turkey feathers but no specific sign of coyote or lion. Wonder why so many big black cats ae spotted all over the country then?? As we rounded a curve in the road, we saw the cat jump out of a overhanging tree on the left hand side of the road and landed in the middle of the road.
Shands Orthopedic Doctors,
Dolby Live Vegas View From My Seat,
Alan Partridge Tour 2022,
Dump Truck Swing Gate Hinges,
Homer Police Department,
Articles M