Seen in Saint Francisville, Louisiana

[farmerjim]

This was seen last night at one of our friends house a few miles North of me.

240446

In the 23 years we have lived here I have seen 2 of them, one in my front yard, and my wife has seen 3.
And wildlife and fisheries says they don't exist here.

[FISH4BUGS]

Just like here in NH - F&G says no mountain lions....tell that to my lyin' eyes!

[woody1]

This was seen last night at one of our friends house a few miles North of me.

240446

In the 23 years we have lived here I have seen 2 of them, one in my front yard, and my wife has seen 3.
And wildlife and fisheries says they don't exist here.

Was I you and I'm not, I would call the boys and girls at the Wildlife & Fish or whatever they're called. I would insist someone come out and get samples of the hair that critter left. Have the hair analyzed and then they'll know.

Just like the wolves we have here in Oregon. They only count the ones they've seen. Well how many do we really have? Regards, Woody

[Pigboat]

TWA here in Tn. finally admitted a couple of years ago that we have them also. I saw one about 15 years ago while hunting. They were getting so many reports and trail cam pics that they couldn't ignore them anymore.
From what I understand is that once a state admits to having them they have to allocate funds to protect them.

[Geezer in NH]

F4B my wife agrees!! Seen two in our town. So has our mailman and he is a retired trooper.

Our game commissioner around 10 years ago stated the F&G lied to him about a Lion they picked up of Rt. 25 in Tamworth. They got photo'd by a farmer loading it. Still nope not a lion

[oneofsix]

NC still claims there are none here also- I've seen 2 in the past10 years. Nice pic OP!

[nagantguy]

To sound like a broke record- same here in MI- DNR denied them being here for my entire life- in the early 2000s I saw a dead one with my own eyes- a large female, with tracks all around her- kits I believe because later that same year me and a few buddies saw one on the two track and saw it clear enough and long enough to see that it was young and had porcupine quills in its face. The same river bottom where we saw the dead large female there was also several deer carcasses right on the river bank- almost like something ambushed them from above....The DNR also says there are no Canadian Lynx in MI- except I’ve seen several and this spring a large mature male was captured and is currently residing in our local nature center until they figure out what to do with it- no indication of it being an escaped pet- wild born and bred. So if there is a mature male around it stands to reason there is others.

Because it’s on topic- Northern MI and the U.P. Have tons of black bears- I’ve harvested a few, the DNR has long stated that they do not occur below the former line for rifle hunting zone- except one was killed outside flint MI a small male and a large mature male was killed trying to attack a turkey hunter this spring near Hastings- witch is well below the zone where they “do not occur”

[trapper9260]

NC still claims there are none here also- I've seen 2 in the past10 years. Nice pic OP!

If they say there is none in your state .Then if they are not protected then dose that mean you can shoot them for yourself .

[Winger Ed.]

As dense & wooded as LA is, I'm surprised they're not more common,
and haven't been a common/regular animal there since the pioneer days.

When my Dad was a kid, growing up down there,
(you could probably hear one a mile or more away)
but he said he could them scream in the night fairly often.

[oneofsix]

If they say there is none in your state .Then if they are not protected then dose that mean you can shoot them for yourself .

I'm sure if I admitted to shooting one for other reasons than self-defense someone would charge me with it. No need to go there unless me or mine (including our dogs) are in jeopardy.


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[rl69]

If they say there is none in your state .Then if they are not protected then dose that mean you can shoot them for yourself .

It's leagel to shoot them in east Texas...... But there are none here ether

[Winger Ed.]

It's leagel to shoot them in east Texas...... But there are none here ether

Not so fast.
A couple years ago, on some property near Ladonia-- out side of Greenville, Texas, we saw tracks every time we went out.
The last time we saw one set of real big cat tracks, and 2 sets of little ones with it.

I called the Possum Cop for Fannin County, and he said, 'Oh yeah, we know of 9 within about 75 miles of there'.

Its been several years, but I saw one crossing the road just outside of Marble Falls while heading to the Hill Country.


Unless they've changed the law: In Texas they aren't regulated or protected, however;
If you see one, kill one, or find a dead one, they want you to call and report it.

[dangitgriff]

Aren’t the black ones rare? Here in Florida, we have mostly tan-coated cougars from an introduction program decades ago, the cats were relocated from Texas, if memory serves...

[Rick Hodges]

The problem for the F&G people is if they say they have a population, then they have a duty to regulate and make plans to aid the "protected/endangered/threatened" specie. That means fewer dollars for existing programs. Michigan used the excuse with Lions of having no "breeding population" but have always admitted to escaped illegal pets and young toms passing through. Now that they were forced to admit it...thanks to numerous game cameras among other's......dollars will be diverted to monitor and regulate that population as well.

[lightman]

TWA here in Tn. finally admitted a couple of years ago that we have them also. I saw one about 15 years ago while hunting. They were getting so many reports and trail cam pics that they couldn't ignore them anymore.
From what I understand is that once a state admits to having them they have to allocate funds to protect them.

I think that is correct. If they admit having a population they have to regulate them. And that cost money! My Wife and I saw one when we went out one afternoon to check on my Dove hole. Later on when I got to talking about it several of the area farmers said they had been seeing one in the area. But, Arkansas don"t have them!

The future should prove to be interesting, what with game cameras getting more and more popular.

[Texas by God]

We have them in North Central Texas for sure. There have been two seen on our property in the last 40 years. No telling how many we did not see.

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[LUCKYDAWG13]

We get them in IL from time to time too had a guy shoot a Wolf a few miles away from me a wile back he put it on FB
DNR came in and Arrested him for shooting in Endangered species

[Wayne Smith]

Remember that it is our voluntary tax that pays for the monitoring and work to maintain the population once it's established.

[Winger Ed.]

We have them in North Central Texas for sure. There have been two seen on our property in the last 40 years. No telling how many we did not see.

Probably like bobcats.
If you see one, that means there is at least 10 within a few thousand yards.

[Thundarstick]

Looks more like a bear to me, but what did I know.

[Goatwhiskers]

Had to enlarge the pic for my weak eyes. Have seen 2 in my life, both crossing the Atchafalaya River levee down in the Morganza fioodway. First look I thought it was a bear, got 4 of the darn things, boar, sow, and 2 cubs in the small tract of woods on my place. Got pigs, too, sure has messed up my deer hunting. Bet they won't ever let us shoot some of 'em. GW

[Ozark mike]

The black ones could be jaguars just maybe. mom an dad seen 2 in Missouri back in the early 80s. Before I left Mo was just recognizing cougars.

[Hamish]

We get them in IL from time to time too had a guy shoot a Wolf a few miles away from me a wile back he put it on FB
DNR came in and Arrested him for shooting in Endangered species

We most definitely have wildcats in Williamson County, I know for a fact since at least 2010 that I can personally attest to. I would mention that an area just South of me is known as Panthers Den for a reason.

Reason he got arrested is the law they passed a few years ago. You may not shoot anything that does not have a regulated hunting season, wether it's the official stance of the State that any such animal exists, or not. CYA LEGALESE.

[David2011]

Not so fast.
Unless they've changed the law: In Texas they aren't regulated or protected, however;
If you see one, kill one, or find a dead one, they want you to call and report it.

Just one opinion, Texas handled non-native species as well as or better than any other state. If a species is not native to the state it is considered an "exotic" by the state. Exotics and varmints can be shot on sight but a hunting license is required.


Directly from the Texas Parks and Wildlife website:

Exotic Animals And Fowl
An exotic animal is any animal that is not indigenous to Texas, including but not limited to aoudad sheep, axis deer, elk, sika deer, fallow deer, red deer, and blackbuck and nilgai antelope. An exotic fowl is any avian species that is not indigenous to Texas and is also not protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, including but not limited to ratites (emu, ostrich, rhea, cassowary, etc.).

Feral Hogs And Coyotes
Hunter Education requirements apply.
A resident or non-resident hunting license is not required to hunt depredating feral hogs or coyotes on private property with landowner authorization.
Transportation and release of live feral hogs is unlawful, unless in compliance with Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) regulations. The TAHC regulates the movement of feral swine for disease-control purposes. For more information please call TAHC at (800) 550-8242 or visit tahc.state.tx.us.

Mountains Lions
Mountain lions are classified as nongame animals; they are not protected and can be harvested at any time. Please report mountain lion sightings, harvests or mortalities to (512) 389-4505.

I've lived in New Mexico for the past 8 years. NM has essentially three classes of animals: Varmints, small game covered by a general hunting license and big game. Big game including all deer species now require entering a draw. It was not that way 40 years ago. You used to be able to buy a deer license over the counter. All birds including nuisance species are protected. The state did make a wise "exception" for Eurasian ring necked dove. The season starts on April 1 and ends on March 31 with no bag limit and no requirement to eat them.

[Rcmaveric]

Seen a few Panthers in Florida, thats to be expected. Had one in California think i was a possiblly tasty. Funny story sometime, but thinking i am willing to bet the cat and I were thinking the same thing as we were falling down the ravine at each other. Both of us were sliding on our butts.

Tennessee is the same way. My farm familie friends have pictures of them. But game wardens deny them.

Personally cats dont bother me too much. Its bears that scare me. Guess its more of a fear if the unknown and something 2 to 3 times bigger than. Mountain lions i have seen are about me sized.

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[GL49]

Cats are sneaky. Real sneaky. Ever been in the woods and the hair stands up on the back of your neck, chills go down your spine, and you don't know why? Or hunted through large oaks and a big cat jumps down from the branches after you've passed? Big cats give me the heebie-jeebies.

Bears? Black bears don't bother me, the other kind aren't around where I live, but the stories......... I've followed bears as they go about their routine, they stop, I stop and freeze. They move, I move. They're fun to watch, from a distance both they and I feel comfortable. Now, a momma bear with cubs, that's a good thing to avoid.

Given a choice between bears in the woods and cats in the woods, I'd choose bears every time. All that being said, I don't trust bears 100%, I trust cats 0%, but it is nice that we haven't killed off all the native species that once inhabited the isolated places in our country.

Thanks for the picture.

[MT Gianni]

I usually smell them before I see them.

[gbrown]

Mountain lions are nomads, cunning, and ghost-like in their movements. They will roam long distances. National Geographic did an article on big cats all over the world that were not afraid to go into densely populated urban areas and hunt. Another article was about mountain lions in the USA. There was one with a tracking collar from Oregon who was tracked from Oregon down the coast of California to Los Angelos where it spent a month or so in neighborhoods, apparently living in an isolated wooded area near a freeway. Probably fattening up on dogs and cats. No sightings of it were ever reported. Another, from Florida, wandered up through Georgia and spent some time in Atlanta neighborhoods, again, probably fattening up on dogs and cats. Again, no reported human sightings. Last mountain lion killed in E. Texas was back in the '80's, in Newton County--borders La. I've hunted the woods of E. Texas a lot during my life. Occasionally found cat scat that was huge. Paw prints bigger than a saucer. Old timers say they are there, I agree. Kill a deer and go into the woods after it, better be on your toes and watching 360 degrees. I lost one deer, blood trail was huge, bright, red lung blood, then, big bloody spot about 18 inches across, then, nothing. I had given it 30 minutes after I shot it (just behind the left shoulder) to bleed out. Who knows? Here's a site for mountain lion deaths in Texas.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_w7000_0232.pdf

[Ozark mike]

Cats are sneeky bears and moose are territorial and the worst are wolves being ambush predators they kill more elk deer caribou domestic dogs and livestock than everything else put together. most ppl around here shoot em on site cause there just no good for nothing can't eat em and there destroying the wildlife here

[gwpercle]

Since Louisiana has only one mountain , Mount Driskill, which has a height of 535 feet above sea level ....I guess that's a mountain but most would call it a hill , we only need one Mountain Lion !
Thanks for getting a photo of him Farmer Jim !
Gary

[woodbutcher]

[smilie=s: Sounds like as usual,F&G departments are all alike.No matter what evidence is presented,the NIMBY statement is spewed.
Reminds me of the tale of the secanth(?) fish.Supposed to have extinct about 2 million years ago or so.HOWEVER,they have been showing up in Meditranian fishermens nets since about the 1930`s:shock:.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[dale2242]

We are not short on cougars here in Oregon.
The last estimate by ODF&W is something like 6500......dale

[jsizemore]

Looks more like a bear to me, but what did I know.

That's what DNR says.

[Idaho45guy]

Fish and Game and wildlife offices are getting filled with leftists at an alarming rate. No surprise that red tape, deception, and outright lying is now common.

There was a reported cougar attack in Western Washington fairly recently in which a young woman was killed. F&G claimed it was a cougar attack, when in fact, officers on scene said it was an obvious wolf attack. Don't have the details, but I was told that a wolf attack would be devastating to the push by hippy leftists now running things here to get more and more wolves in the state, so they covered up the fact that it was a wolf that killed the jogger.

No idea if it's true, but it wouldn't surprise me.

[Idaho45guy]

Looks more like a bear to me, but what did I know.

Yeah... Definitely a black bear... Or an unusually fat and long-haired cougar with no tail...

240619

[retread]

We are not short on cougars here in Oregon.
The last estimate by ODF&W is something like 6500......dale

I believe that!! I have seen 3 within 200 yards of my house each on separate occasions and the 4th was in my back yard, within 30 feet of the house. This is a small town but the area I am talking about is fairly heavily populated. Houses are close enough that you could not take a safe shot at one even if it was legal.

[samari46]

They said we didn't have coyotes here in Louisiana. Hah, hear them quite often late at night. Especially during the summer nights. Frank

[T-Bird]

I assume that the animal faced the camera/light at some point and it was clearly distinguished as a panther?

[akajun]

Yeah... Definitely a black bear... Or an unusually fat and long-haired cougar with no tail...

240619
yep small bear, color is wrong too, too dark though sometimes bobcats will get all dark like that when they get really big and old. But that pic is absolutely a bear.