East Coast Mountain Lion

[Rock knocker]

The DNR denied turning Coyotes loose but they did. They say that there are no mountain lions but I have seen one and my neighbor has as well. No amazing story to tell.

Those examples are in no way even close to clandestine reintroduction by Official Agencies.

Still wating

[dex3361]

Those examples are in no way even close to clandestine reintroduction by Official Agencies.

Still wating

Not going to get any more than that. Sorry but I cant say. Just passing on more rumors. So just consider it heresay.

[Rock knocker]

Not going to get any more than that. Sorry but I cant say. Just passing on more rumors. So just consider it heresay

I've noticed that this is how most of these stories end-up, complete with the broad hints of "knowning (much) more, but can't speak of it for fear of compromising my confidential source".

[Bigfoot62]

Mountain Lion, Cougar, Panther = all the same kitty. Along the Gulf Coast, we call them Panthers. There are color variations, but still the same cat. In our area, the tan color is predominant. But, we also have a few gray ones, and occasionally, a black one will be seen.

Most of the old folks here have known about the cats their whole lives. I saw my first one about 40 years ago. My most recent sighting was 3 or 4 years ago. And, I've heard many more than I've seen. The cry of a panther will get your attention! Especially at night, when you've been coon hunting for hours and your light batteries are all dead.
Our state's Wildlife and Fisheries dept finally admitted the existance only a few years ago. Read here

[Tollster]

Years ago I asked a older warden that had a display set up at the fiar if there where mountain lions in Pennsylvania?
He clearly stated "NO" and there have not been any in the state for many many years.
I said "So if I shoot one it would not be a problem".
To which he replied ,"No that would be illegal"
I then countered, "But you said they did not exist"
He then grew very silent.

I leave it at that, combined with my own sighting and the denial of Government agency's on many fronts, I suspect there is much more to Puma sightings in PA we never hear about.

[dex3361]

I've noticed that this is how most of these stories end-up, complete with the broad hints of "knowning (much) more, but can't speak of it for fear of compromising my confidential source".

Works for me.

[El Wood]

The DNR denies we have mountain lions here in Michigan. In the last few years the wolf population has really increased in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. As their population has increased, I hear more and more rumors of mountain lion sightings up there. What better way for the DNR to control the wolf population then with panthers!

[3rdtime]

From what I read a while ago.. There are eastern and western mt lions. Eastern mt lions are supose to be long gone , killed off yrars ago. Thats why they are protected, supose if there was a roaming one still around.. Now what is around, being sighted is western mt lions migrating or pets turned loose. Only way you can shoot dead a mt lion in pa is if you are in danger. Pretty much that is what I read in a Pa humting mag a few months ago. It had a pennstate wildlife researcher in it.. So who know rumor is pa game comm has brought in western cats for reintroduction. Who knows

[EddieWalker]

Fantastic Picture. I've only seen one in the wild and it was very impressive. I watched it walk along the side of a mountain for about five minutes. Smooth is the only way to describe how it looked covering the rough ground. It was just walking, but it covered a lot of ground very quickly. It came out of nowhere and then disappeared into nothing. There wasn't very many trees, and it was an open mountainside.

As for things the Fish and Game Department does, I never heard of secretely bringing a species back. Every time they do this, it's a huge story and something that they brag about. Look at the wolves in Yellowstone or elk in so many different states.

What they do that isn't published or talked about is remove problem animals. In CA, they kill problem mountain lions all the time. A buddy is a tracker and is hired by the state to find and kill lions. He also removes other problem animals, but the lions are where he makes the big bucks. I also know a game warden there that was part of deer removal program from a park surrounded by cities. Publicly they brought in a helicopter from New Zealand to net and sterilize the deer. That was all show. At night, they killed dozens of deer without anybody knowing about it. Not saying they did anything wrong or illegal, just that it's not common knowledge what they do compared to what they say they are trying to do.

Eddie

[vtsnowedin]

From what I read a while ago.. There are eastern and western mt lions. Eastern mt lions are supose to be long gone , killed off yrars ago.

I think there has always been evidence of a few survivors of the eastern variety in Florida. There have also been occasional sightings in the northern woods of Maine New Hampshire and Vermont by sober and reliable people. They can survive anywhere there are deer, their main source of food, and deer populations are as high now as they have ever been due to the ability of deer to adapt to suburbia where it is difficult to impossible to hunt them. And as been said above there is nothing to stop a Western Mountain lion looking for new range from walking across the Canadian northern limit of the deers range through Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec and re-entering the USA from the north. Once there it is in a deer rich range of mountains stretching back to the south. It might take two or three cat generations to move a thousand miles but only because they have to stop to hunt and eat on the way.