more New England mountain lion rumors

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I think big cats are not something we need to be concerned with here in the Northeast right now. I think coyotes are the future problem.

In Ct., many have already lost household pets, they find remains in fields and backyards. not on the road. I see them all the time running in and out of the tobacco fields.

Out west I learned how much territory one mountain lion uses. I think it was 25-50 square miles or more, they're very territorial. They, the rangers, told me that coyotes seem to pop up wherever the larger predators aren't. Makes a lot of sense. If there were more wolf sightings, I'd be more believing.

I once saw a bobcat in north central mass., rare, but I don't believe these animals are in abondance. Frankly, I wish they were more common if they fed off mice and rats only.

I've read of the sightings of big cats in NE, but until there are huge losses of lifestock, I'll doubt their really here. News reports and "sightings" are not going to sway me, yet.

My 3 cents,
DaveG.
 
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BlackBuffalo said:
I think big cats are not something we need to be concerned with here in the Northeast right now. I think coyotes are the future problem.

In Ct., many have already lost household pets, they find remains in fields and backyards. not on the road. I see them all the time running in and out of the tobacco fields.
Click to expand...

Here in NH it is commonplace to lose cats to fishers.
 
BlackBuffalo said:
I think big cats are not something we need to be concerned with here in the Northeast right now. I think coyotes are the future problem.

In Ct., many have already lost household pets,
Click to expand...
I spoke to a farmer in the Catskills who says coyotes killed one of his cows! :eek:
 
The Catskill Mountain Guide published a piece last winter about maple syrup production in the Spruceton Valley. In the author's description of the valley, trying to give a sense of place, it was stated that last winter a local resident lost a horse to a mountain lion. I don't know any more about it - but I thought it was interesting that it was stated as fact. My husband swears someone he knows has photos, taken in Saugerties, of a mountain lion in their back yard. And we, here in Krumville, have been warned by neighbors that there have been sightings in our area.

I moved here last year from Dover Plains (Dutchess county) - we had our share of mountain lion rumors there too. They "definitely" lived on Wingdale Mountain. Mmmm hmmmm. And, of course, a friend of a friend knew "someone" who knew someone who knew (for sure) that there were mountain lions released in Fahnestock Park (Putnam County) a few years ago.

I am careful, I don't let my human children out to wander without my dogs (I worry more about other humans but that's a different story), and I pay attention to where I am and what's going on around me, whether I'm hiking or getting the mail. I don't know whether or not mountain lions are here, but I guess they might be.

I love living in the woods - I chose it on purpose, and I respect that living in a place like this comes with responsibilities and dangers, challenges, inconveniences, and questions. It also comes with breathtaking beauty and an incredible sense of blessing - seeing a loon on the pond at dawn, hearing a screech owl from the front porch, stumbling upon a big, healthy-looking coyote the other day, at dusk - orange sunlight on that tawny coat... you all know what I mean...
 
I’ve been following this Mountain Lion thread. I figure there are probably a few in the Adirondacks; maybe native, or maybe escaped exotic pets. I had a big surprise last night.

Last night, on I-87 between exits 29 and 30, I saw what appeared to be a Mountain Lion.

Background:
I made a quick run up to my house in Keene last night to deliver some cedar mulch for gardening. As you may have read, a small plane had landed on I-87 between exits 29 and 30, so all traffic had to exit at 29. While I was traveling back around 10 PM, the police and fire crews were still very busy on the northbound side, so while I was driving south, I slowed down to "rubberneck

Sighting:
While I was going about 50 in the left lane, I noticed the car a ways in front of me in the right lane hit the brakes and slow down even further. When I got to where he had slowed, I saw a large, live animal standing on the road. When I first saw it, it was a few feet out into the left lane; as I approached, it moved smoothly onto the shoulder. I got a VERY good look at it in the headlights, as I was by this time going slowly (about 40).

Analysis:
The animal was definitely a cat of some sort. It had an obvious, fairly round cat-like head and face, and it moved like a cat. It was not a lynx or a bobcat; it had none of their distinctive facial features, nor did it have their short, stocky build. The animal was about the height and length of a large dog, but slender (it may have weighed 75 lb.). It had short fur, an even tan color, and a very long, fairly slender tail that almost reached the ground.

Conclusion:
I'm fairly certain this was a Mountain Lion type cat. I can't say if it's native, or an escaped exotic pet.

Whatever it was, it was pretty cool to see such a large, graceful animal out at night. I hope it made it safely out of the area of the highway without getting hit.

So now, I belong to the group of people who have seen something that we are told does not exist…

TCD
 
That's the Exact description of a cat I encountered one morning on my mt bike. Same color,same everything.It was watching something on a stonewall so as I rounded a corner I got to within 50ft. Called Fish and Game,They said I probably saw something else.It was daylight I know what I saw.
 
I recently saw a Mountain Lion in captivity and I was surprised at how skinny it looked. It looked otherwise healthy....
 
They stay fit so they can outrun you really easily, even if you have a good head start.... :D

Actually, they are very cool to see. I have cats at home (the little domestic variety), and I am amazed at their abilities. And unlike California and Colorado, where there is a decent sized population, and lots of development pressure, here there are only a very few cats and lots of room, so I don't think there will be any negative human interactions.
 
Tom Rankin said:
I recently saw a Mountain Lion in captivity and I was surprised at how skinny it looked. It looked otherwise healthy....
Click to expand...

I thought the exact same thing -- we saw a gorgeous young female at the Living Desert in Palm Desert, CA... I was overwhelmed at what a lovely creature it was -- slender, lithe, really beautiful.

I was also blown away at how quickly it "attacked" when some goofy guy started making aggressive faces at it with his face pressed right up against the glass... she rushed the glass and reared up, ears pinned back, front legs splayed mouth open like an old Mercury commercial and slashed lightning slashes at the glass. The dumba** jumped back about 12 feet and she dropped back on all fours and walked away muttering.

I have to admit, the rapidity of the attack -- split-second -- really has stuck with me... not that the guy didn't deserve it for taunting her, but I was really unnerved.
 
Ridgefield is a couple towns southwest of us, I'll keep my eyes open !

article said:
Some people mistake coyotes for Mountain Lions, but Mr. Bengston was sure of the catlike features of his sighting. Besides, he said, this one looked to weigh around 75 pounds, about twice the size of a coyote.
Click to expand...
Not our coyotes, they're about the size of a german shepard and generally cream colored, which could be confused with a "young male (mountain lion), smallish and thin, buff in color with a small head and ears and a very long tail”.

article said:
Whether or not wildcats are about, Ridgefield wildlife has certainly changed dramatically over the past 25 years. Deer, once rare, have overpopulated the region. Wild Turkeys, extinct by the 1830s, are now commonplace. Coyotes have wandered back, as have Black Bears. And just this summer, Ridgefield had its first moose.

Ironically, these wild creatures are arriving at the same time the human population continues to increase. The reason is that, compared to a century ago, Ridgefield has far more woodland to provide wildlife habitat and far fewer hunters to kill the habitat’s occupants.
Click to expand...
Nice to see them get this point correct.
 
Chip said:
Not our coyotes, they're about the size of a german shepard and generally cream colored, which could be confused with a "young male (mountain lion), smallish and thin, buff in color with a small head and ears and a very long tail”.
Click to expand...
Here you go. Not a mountain lion, but...

IMG_3084.JPG
 
There have been a couple of sightings in the Berkshires of recent. One was seen by two people on Mountain Drive in the outskirts of Pittsfield.

Then a week ago, an email with a game camera photo of a mountain lion was making the rounds. The one I received came from a friend of mine who says it was taken a half a mile from my house, in the town of Peru.



Upon forwarding it to some friends, my sister told me she got an email with the same picture, except it was taken near the Dalton/Windsor town line. A second person said the picture was also described as being taken in Lenox Dale.

Last weekends North Adams Transcript had this article about the photo;

http://www.thetranscript.com/ci_10650265?IADID=Search-www.thetranscript.com-www.thetranscript.com


Although I do not doubt the presence of these beautiful animals in the Northeast, without a verified carcass, it will remain a mystery. Hoaxes such as this one deprive any credibility to eye witnesses, which is too bad.

FWIW, a friend of mine used to work at Fisheries and Wildlife, and he told me that DFW ios hesitant to admit the existance of cougars in Mass., because they would have to develop a management policy for them, i.e. money!
 
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