Mountain Lions

[poak]

North Carolina wildlife resources also claimed that mountain lions didn't wonder around in the mountain too. Had a hard time explaining the one hit by a car near Brevard last summer.

I've heard that's a phony report.

The original email made the rounds looking like this:

Look at what James Snipe hit with his car on US-64 west of Cashiers in Jackson County. The panther was still alive but unable to move, so our neighbor called animal control and they came and put him down. A land owner had seen this one a week before dragging off a 320 lb steer.

Our neighbor is an amateur taxidermist and he's going to stuff him.This one weighed 260 lbs. while most mature male panthers weigh 80 to 150 lbs. We had no idea they still roamed around here!"

I always wanted to be somebody. I now see that I should heve been more specific.

Well, the pic is real, but the story isn't.

The real story is here:

snopes.com: Arizona Mountain Lion

[Oh Shoot]

I've heard that's a phony report.

The original email made the rounds looking like this:

Well, the pic is real, but the story isn't.

The real story is here:

snopes.com: Arizona Mountain Lion

Yep, just another reliable "report".

UFOs, aliens, yetis, Elvis, Jesus, etc: people report seeing them daily.

- OS

[Guest SUNTZU]

Hoopsnakes, there all over my yard!

[Hidalgo]

Well, the simplest explanation (as per Occam) is that there are NO North American cougars in TN, since there isn't a documented case of one being killed since, well, far as I know, NEVER in the history of TWRA.

And a black one?

Never a documented case in ALL of North America. Ever.

- OS

Agreed. I've put in my share of time during my 55 years hunting all across this great State. And I have NEVER seen nor heard anything that would make me believe that cougars live anywhere in TN in a BREEDING POPULATION. There may, however, be a stray pet that the owner decided they couldn't care for anymore and was released. And ... MOUNTAIN LIONS AREN'T BLACK !!! You guys need to do some research and stop letting your fantasies run away with you.

That said, I HAVE seen and hunted lions in Arizona. They are plentiful in the area that we hunt. Even with the adequate population of cougars there, it is still rare to see one while afield. These cats are WAY more intelligent and secretive than anything else you can hunt in the USA. If they don't want to be seen, then you likely won't see them. As for a .45 AUTO being adequate to kill one, the answer is yes. They are very thin skinned and fairly easily dispatched. But if you are carrying for protection, it's a 50/50 chance that you'd get a shot anyway. Cats sneak and attack when the odds are in their favor. You'd never know they were around until they had you by the neck or head.

[Oh Shoot]

Hoopsnakes, there all over my yard!

The blue racers and cottonmouths here keep the hoopsnakes away.

- OS

[Guest justme]

there was at least one female and some cubs reported in Camp. County in the mid 1990s--I remember, because some of the people I went to school with were talking about going hunting for them--and I thought--while you hunt the cat, it will be hunting you, and one night I was on a small river up there and heard some animal scream from the other side--there was a lot of thick brush on my side and it obstructed my view--this was several years ago. I quickly left the area. It had been raining that afternoon, and when I went back the next day I found large cat tracks in the mud--much larger than a bobcat.

it was close enough that it made the hair on my neck stand up.

I believe there is a big possibility that mountain lions are in Tennessee...my mother once told me that she saw what appeared to be a grown solid black cat laying in the dirt road up ahead of her. She said it was a very large black cat and said it looked to her like a black panther--when she was a teenager growing up in Caryville. She said she turned and quickly left the area and as I remember her story--she said the cat stayed where it was and did not move.

[Oh Shoot]

...

I believe there is a big possibility that mountain lions are in Tennessee...my mother once told me that she saw what appeared to be a grown solid black cat laying in the dirt road up ahead of her. She said it was a very large black cat and said it looked to her like a black panther--when she was a teenager growing up in Caryville. She said she turned and quickly left the area and as I remember her story--she said the cat stayed where it was and did not move.

Couldn't you have at least made it white? Albinos, however rare, do exist in many mammalian species.

Black North American Cougars have NEVER been documented, even in areas where they were prolific and are still existent.

But I believe your Mom anyway, of course.

- OS

[Guest MCRAIG]

For a cat to be melanistic it would have to inherent two defunct genes. One has to come from the mom and one has to come from the dad. For this to be possible, the offspring would have to have a melanistic parent which would be really hard to find in nature. So the odds of having to animals with melanistic parents are extremely extremely rare but not impossible. However, the jaguars are frequently noted for being solid black and are proving to be solid black. There is an active breeding population in Florida so I don't see why one couldn't wonder on up through Georgia and make its home here.

[Guest Jcochran88]

For a cat to be melanistic it would have to inherent two defunct genes. One has to come from the mom and one has to come from the dad. For this to be possible, the offspring would have to have a melanistic parent which would be really hard to find in nature. So the odds of having to animals with melanistic parents are extremely extremely rare but not impossible. However, the jaguars are frequently noted for being solid black and are proving to be solid black. There is an active breeding population in Florida so I don't see why one couldn't wonder on up through Georgia and make its home here.

I watched an episode on the discover channel about black panthers of Virgina and it turned out to be jaguars! If they are in Virgina and Flordia they could easily be here. but I have never saw one or want to see one!

[Oh Shoot]

I watched an episode on the discover channel about black panthers of Virgina and it turned out to be jaguars!

Sure that wasn't Monster Quest, where they never actually find anything but just "surmise" a solution?

- OS

[Oh Shoot]

... There is an active breeding population in Florida so I don't see why one couldn't wonder on up through Georgia and make its home here.

Yeah, I guess once a black panther has seen Disney World and Epcot, there's not much reason to stay in Florida.

- OS

[Hidalgo]

Sure that wasn't Monster Quest, where they never actually find anything but just "surmise" a solution?

- OS

HeHe ... yeah, I saw that one too. Kinda like watching an episode of Star Trek.............

[SpartaTN]

My son and I saw one this spring just north of the Tennessee/Kentucky line as we were returning from the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot(highly recommended trip for any gun enthusiast). We called Kentucky's wildlife resources officer for the area, and they basically laughed it off. It was a 6 ft. long cat with a tail as long as his body.

[Guest walkingdeadman]

HeHe ... yeah, I saw that one too. Kinda like watching an episode of Star Trek.............

dude your pic is so funny. what kinda gorilla is that

[Guest Jcochran88]

Sure that wasn't Monster Quest, where they never actually find anything but just "surmise" a solution?

- OS

That might have been it!

[Hidalgo]

dude your pic is so funny. what kinda gorilla is that

That's a picture of "SnowFlake". He was the only albino gorilla that was kept in captivity. He was a master of facial expressions. He passed away in 1993.

You can read about him here (and lots of other places) if you're interested:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/snowflake-the-white-gorilla/introduction/275/

Edited August 29, 2009 by Hidalgo

[Guest justme]

Couldn't you have at least made it white? Albinos, however rare, do exist in many mammalian species.

Black North American Cougars have NEVER been documented, even in areas where they were prolific and are still existent.

But I believe your Mom anyway, of course.

- OS

As you pointed out--just because they have not been documented does not mean they don't exist. I asked her to describe the cat, and showed her some photos--she picked out the photo of a black panther/black leopard, whatever name you call it as the animal she saw.

It would be something if there was a breeding population of cougars or other large cats in this state.

[Hidalgo]

As you pointed out--just because they have not been documented does not mean they don't exist. I asked her to describe the cat, and showed her some photos--she picked out the photo of a black panther/black leopard, whatever name you call it as the animal she saw.

It would be something if there was a breeding population of cougars or other large cats in this state.

I'm certain that she picked out a photo of that she thought she saw .....

But you can do the research: There are NO black mountain lions in existence. It is practically an impossibility. And the thought that a black cougar could be living in Tennessee ... well, that's unimaginable.

[USMCJG]

And the thought that a black cougar could be living in Tennessee ... well, that's unimaginable.

I imagined it earlier. There, I just imagined it again.

[Hidalgo]

I imagined it earlier. There, I just imagined it again.

Who said that our enlisted people don't have a sense of humor?

If you are indeed USMC (as I assume by your screen name) then I would like to say THANK YOU for your service and for keeping us safe and free.

And the same to any other enlisted folks on here!

[USMCJG]

Who said that our enlisted people don't have a sense of humor?

If you are indeed USMC (as I assume by your screen name) then I would like to say THANK YOU for your service and for keeping us safe and free.

And the same to any other enlisted folks on here!

I was, but I'm not any more. And thank you for the kind words and your support of our fighting men and women.

[Wingshooter]

Agreed. I've put in my share of time during my 55 years hunting all across this great State. And I have NEVER seen nor heard anything that would make me believe that cougars live anywhere in TN in a BREEDING POPULATION. There may, however, be a stray pet that the owner decided they couldn't care for anymore and was released. And ... MOUNTAIN LIONS AREN'T BLACK !!! You guys need to do some research and stop letting your fantasies run away with you.

That said, I HAVE seen and hunted lions in Arizona. They are plentiful in the area that we hunt. Even with the adequate population of cougars there, it is still rare to see one while afield. These cats are WAY more intelligent and secretive than anything else you can hunt in the USA. If they don't want to be seen, then you likely won't see them. As for a .45 AUTO being adequate to kill one, the answer is yes. They are very thin skinned and fairly easily dispatched. But if you are carrying for protection, it's a 50/50 chance that you'd get a shot anyway. Cats sneak and attack when the odds are in their favor. You'd never know they were around until they had you by the neck or head.

That's why I'm not so quick to dismiss the possibility that they might be in TN. If it is rare to see one in areas where they are plentiful, then they would appear to be extinct in areas where they are few. If they are in low numbers, they could live and die in remote areas without anyone knowing it.

I don't know if they are in TN, but it would not surprise me. We know that they exist - no one is questioning that. They were here once before, and I don't know why they couldn't return. There are no fences keeping them out.

[memphismason]

This appears to have gotten to the point of "I have seen one" vs. "There is no possible way you saw one".

I appreciate everyone that has responded in this thread keeping it civil. When one man calls another man a liar (just not in so many words), feelings get hurt and tempers flare, but all of you guys have done a great job keeping it on a good level.

Since there is no hunting season for Mountain Lions, and before any tempers start to flare, I am going to close this thread.

I hope it has given the believers a little more confidence by hearing the other accounts, and I hope it has given the naysayers a little more laughter.

Thanks Guys.

Edited September 2, 2009 by memphismason