Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: SunTracker on January 11, 2005, 02:21:46 PM
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Strangely enough, apparently there is a surviving population of cougars in the Smokey/Appalachian mountains.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT COUGARS IN THE APPALACHIANS
Cougars (Puma concolor) are also known as mountain lions, pumas, panthers, painters, and catamounts. They lived throughout the East when European settlers arrived. Many Appalachian stories tell of panthers following people, dropping on people from tree limbs, covering a sleeping person with leaves, and screaming like a woman being murdered.
By 1950, intensive hunting and logging had apparently exterminated cougars. However, people in remote parts of the Appalachians continued to occasionally report them. Reports increased over time and by the 1990s, hard evidence began to accumulate.
In 1994, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service analyzed a dropping found in Vermont as having cougar hair, presumably ingested during self-grooming.1 A home video taped in 1992 in western Maryland showed a cougar walking through the woods.2 Virginia Game Department personnel reported cougar sightings in southwest Virginia in 1995.3 A plaster cast of a track in West Virginia in 1998 was confirmed as cougar by a wildlife expert in California.4 Many credible sightings have also been made, but without supporting field evidence.
Some biologists and mountain people believe that a few native eastern cougars may have survived.5 In addition, there is evidence that cougars obtained elsewhere as pets have escaped or been released.6 State and federal wildlife authorities now agree that at least some cougars are living wild in the Appalachians, although the origin of these animals is uncertain.7
11994, Letter from Bonnie C. Yates of Natl. Fish& Wildlife Forensics Lab., Ashland OR 97520.
21994, Video from Leslie Johnston, Wildlife Div., MD Dept. of Natural Resources, Oakland, MD 21550
31997, Report on Min. Lion Sightings by John Houben, Wildlife Biol., USDA Blacksburg, VA 24060
41998, Dr. Lee Fitzhugh, Ext. Wildlife Spec., Univ. of CA, Davis, CA 95616-4154.
51981, Robert Downing, "Current Status of the Cougar in the Southern Appalachians," in Proceedings of Nongame & End Wildlife Symposium, Athens, GA.
61995, Chris Bolgiano, Mountain Lion: An Unnatural History of Pumas & People, Stackpole Books
71998, Paul Nickerson, End. Species Program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Serv., NE Region, Hadley, MA 01035
BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR
Cougars have been studied intensively in the western U.S. and Florida. Below is a summary of the scientific knowledge that has been gathered:
SIZE & COLOR: Adult males average around 140 pounds and 7 feet from nose to tip of tail (tail is almost as long as the body); females, around 100 pounds and 6 feet. Color is brown to gray above and whitish below. Black cats are reported seen but have never been found in the East. Young are born with spots that fade during their first year. (Young, Stanley, and E.A. Goldman. The Puma, Mysterious American Cat, Washington, D.C.: American Wildlife Institute, 1946)
DIET: Deer are the main prey, but smaller animals such as raccoons, opossum, skunks, rabbits, beaver, coyotes, and rodents are also important, especially for younger cats not yet experienced in hunting. Adult cougars kill an average of about one deer every seven to ten days. All parts are consumed except for bones, hair and intestines. (Maehr, David. "Social ecology of the Florida Panther," Natl. Geographic Research & Exploration 7(4):414-431, 1991)
POPULATION GROWTH: Biologists call cougars "self-regulating," meaning that they keep their own numbers low through a need for large individual territories, deadly fighting between males, and high death rates of young cougars. Even where prey is plentiful, cougar populations do not automatically increase. (Sweanor, Linda. Mountain lion social organization in a desert environment, Master's Thesis, Univ. of ID, 1990)
PREDATION: Cougars are ambush predators, rushing a short distance from behind cover at the rear or side of the prey. They bite the top or back of the neck to sever the spine. Cougars almost never land directly on prey from tree limbs or boulders because they couldn't get proper leverage for a neck bite. They often drag their kill some distance and usually scrape soil or forest leaves over it. Studies out West have documented that deer and elk numbers did not decline where cougars were present, and biologists no longer believe that cougars and other predators are the major factor in determining prey numbers. (Hanson, Kevin. Cougar The American Lion, Northland Pub., 1992)
HOME RANGE: Depends on amount of prey, location of other cougars, and type of terrain. Size is unknown for the Appalachians, but would probably be between 25 and 125 square miles. A male's home range usually overlaps several females but usually not another male's; female home ranges may also overlap. (Anderson, Allen. Critical Review of Literature on Puma, CO Div. Of Wildlife Special Report 54, 1983)
HABITS: Usually solitary, except for mothers with young. Mating is brief and occurs when females are receptive, which begins at about two years of age and may take place at any time during the year. Young stay with their mother up to 2 years. Daughters often settle near their mother, but sons travel widely in search of new home ranges. It is during this time of travel that cougars are most likely to encounter humans. (Shaw, Harley. Soul Among Lions, Johnson Books, 1989)
Cougars and Humans
Cougars are shy and avoid humans. Many people live entire lifetimes in cougar country out West and never see one. Cougars are known occasionally to follow people, apparently out of curiosity. Fatal cougar attacks are extremely rare: a total of 13 people since 1890, compared to 18 people killed every year by dogs. (Beier, Paul. "Cougar attacks on humans in the U.S. and Canada, Wildlife Soc. Bull. 19:403-412, 1991)
There are some simple ways to avoid problems if you encounter a cougar in the woods:
DON'T RUN AWAY. Running triggers a chase.
STAND TALL. Open your arms to make yourself big. Speak loudly but calmly. Keep eye contact. Back away slowly, taking care not to trip. Keep children close to you.
FIGHT BACK if attacked, with sticks, stones, or fists. Cougars can be driven away by resistance.
LIVESTOCK: Kills made by dogs or coyotes are frequently blamed on cougars. Dogs, a major problem, usually injure the hindquarters. Coyotes inflict many bites around the throat, flank and back. Cougar sign includes a bite to the back of the neck (occasionally the throat), large canine punctures, claw marks along the shoulders, and (often but not always) drag marks and an attempt to cover the carcass. Black bears may also bite and claw the head, but their claws are dull and don't pierce cleanly like a cougar's; they may drag prey but don't cover it; and they feed on meat. Cougars begin feeding just behind the rib cage to consume the liver, lungs and heart. Management practices such as bringing animals in during birthing or using guard dogs can greatly reduce losses. ("Living with Mountain Lions" by MT Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, CA Dept. of Fish & Game, CO Div. Of Wildlife)
(Acorn, Robert. Methods of Investigating Predation of Livestock, Agri. Branch, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
Cougar Evidence
Many dogs make larger tracks than cougars. Cougars have retractable toenails that often don't show in tracks, but dogs with worn toenails also don't show them. The best cougar sign is 3 lobes at the rear of the heel pad.
Sounds: Cougars make many sounds, but rarely scream. Bobcats, owls, foxes and other animals make sounds that may be attributed to a cougar.
Scrapes: Males scrape up dirt and urinate on it to mark territory. Many other animals scratch the ground so cougar scrapes are hard to identify.
Sightings: Look for a size reference. Check for tracks, hair, droppings, kills, and other physical evidence. Make photos of tracks with a coin or ruler for size. (Shaw, Harley Mountain Lion Field Guide, Spec. Report no. 9, AZ Game Dept., 1987)
To Report Sign: There is a network of volunteer researchers interested in documenting cougars in the East. If you see or find cougar evidence, please contact: Todd Lester, P.O. Box 74, North Spring, WV 24869 (304/664-3812), or Dr. Donald Linzey, Biology Dept., Wytheville Comm. College, Wytheville, VA 24382 (540-223-4824).
AN ENDANGERED SPECIES
Cougar are part of the natural heritage, a tradition in mountain culture, and a source of pride in the Appalachians. They are extremely rare and are protected by law.
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They have also been reported in the Ozarks. Missouri Dept of Conservation usually dismissed such claims until the last few years when Rangers have found tracks to prove their presence. In 1994 2 men were charged and pled no contest to poaching one, but there was debate whether it was a native cat or one that had been bred and escaped.
3. Two Forfeit $2,000 Each in Cougar Killing Case
Killing a mountain lion proved costly for two Missouri men.
EMINENCE, Mo. -- Do "panthers" still prowl the Ozarks? The resolution of a poaching case shows that at least one did as recently as 1994. Was it a wild mountain lion or an animal escaped from captivity? No one will ever know for sure.
Troy Wayne Norris, 32, of Winona, and Brocki Joe Vermillion, 32, of Bourbon, each chose not to contest the case built against them by state and federal wildlife agents and forfeited $2,000 each in connection with the killing of a mountain lion in December of 1994.
Conservation Agent Kevin Dixon opened the case in March of 1995 when he began hearing persistent rumors that someone had killed a mountain lion near Peck Ranch Conservation Area. That interested him for two reasons.
First, if it was true, the law had been broken. Missouri has no mountain lion hunting season, and the state Wildlife Code grants protection to any animal for which no hunting season is specifically established.
Besides that, the mountain lion, Felis concolor, has been considered extirpated in Missouri since the 1920s. Although reports of "panther" sightings surface in the Show-Me State from time to time, reliable sightings are rare, and have almost always been found to involve animals that escaped or were released from captivity. Extended, methodical efforts to find wild cougars in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas, have come up empty. Finding a wild mountain lion in Missouri would be akin to locating a flock of passenger pigeons.
So Dixon and Conservation Agent Tom May pursued the rumors, eventually enlisting the help of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Together, they identified a handful of people who had first-hand knowledge about the killing of a 100- to 125-pound adult female mountain lion.
Agents finally obtained a photo of the dead cat on the tailgate of a pickup truck and confronted the two men who were rumored to have been present when it was killed. Vermillion and Norris subsequently admitted killing the cougar and transporting it through part of the Mark Twain National Forest, which violated the federal Lacey Act.
Special Agent Larry Keck said Norris and Vermillion were hunting raccoons with a third man when one of their hounds treed the mountain lion. According to Keck, Vermillion said he told Norris they had to kill the mountain lion, and Norris killed it with a .22-caliber rifle. Killing the cat violated state law. But Keck says that killing, possessing or aiding and abetting the possession of the mountain lion also violated the federal Lacey Act.
Agents had photographs of the dead mountain lion and statements from Vermillion, Norris and others describing how the animal was killed but were not able to recover any of the animal's remains. The carcass was dumped at Peck Ranch Conservation Area after skinning. Because simply possessing the skin was illegal it, too, eventually was dumped in a rural area.
Gary Cravens, Ozark Region protection supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation said witnesses described the cat as sleek, with long, sharp claws and no tattoos or other identifying marks that captive cats usually carry. If it had been an escaped cat without experience catching its own food, it probably wouldn't have been so well fed. "We would have loved to know if it was a wild, native mountain lion," said Cravens. "Now we'll never know."
-jim low-
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While I cant claim to have ever seen any evidence of a wild Cougar, several times when deer or turkey hunting in Missouri I came across Bobcats. Unlike Mountain Lions, Bobcats are open during deer season in some counties. Cant imagine anyone wanting to kill one. Beautiful animals.
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I was taught Cougar's were Genis-Felis Species-Concolor
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My Dad and I saw one on two seperate times in Northern Vermont while hunting.
1 in 1988 on Gore Mountain and the other was in 1992 and was seen in the flats south of Gore Mountain. The 1st one we watched for 2 - 3 minutes near the edge of a ravine. The second was walking the edge of a clearing and had redness on it's head, shoulders, and appeared to have it on it's front feet. We looked for a kill but never found it.
Have to say they are amazing creatures. I believe my Dad my have a photo of the second, although I am not sure, I know he took one.
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I remember seeing these cats several times in Central Alabama when hunting and when driving home from dates at night. I have seen the brown ones and a few black ones as well in daylight hours while hunting or going to hunt. In each case I have turned and headed back out shortly after the cat has left the area.
Similar to Bodhi I have watched a cougar stalking something while I was hunting. The cat came out into a small opening I was hunting and moved along very close to the ground. It looked right at my tree stand and I swear it stared a hole through me and the tree. Being a young guy I got down from the tree stand and went to the truck shortly after I watched it move over the hill off to my right. From having seen what they could do to pigs I had no wish to be in that stand trying to walk the half mile or so in the dark with just a small flashlight.
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What is the name of the bar? Im there!!!! ;)
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My dad and I saw one once back in the late 80's. We watched it run across a trail, looked at each other and said at just about the same time "WTF was that!?" heh. Was pretty cool. I grew up in the Appalachians in Southern PA, just north of the MD border.
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Originally posted by midnight Target
I was taught Cougar's were Genis-Felis Species-Concolor
That would be correct.
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Puma concolor is the genus/species of the populator of panthers living in Florida.
There are 50 different names for the mountain lion. In fact, its in the guiness book of world records for being the animal with the most names.
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There have been reports of the Cats in parts of south western NY along the Penn. border.
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Originally posted by SunTracker
Puma concolor is the genus/species of the populator of panthers living in Florida.
Pretty sure this is not true. The Genus wouldn't change.
I'm pretty sure the Florida Panther is a subspecies of Felis Concolor.
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I used to live in Eastern West Virginia, and even my High School Mascot was the Cougar.
You'd hear rumours of Cougar Sightings along the Appalachian Trail, But I personally never saw one.
Largest Carnivore I've seen in the area was a couple bears near Old Rag Mt in Virginia.
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Apparently, they are getting back into Illinois now, too, but I have never seen one. Worst I've seen is coyotes.
Do they even go out on the plains or would they stay around river valleys and other hilly terrain?
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists the name as
Puma concolor coryi
But I see the cougar listed as both puma and felis in the genus. Not sure why.
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Originally posted by StarOfAfrica2
While I cant claim to have ever seen any evidence of a wild Cougar, several times when deer or turkey hunting in Missouri I came across Bobcats. Unlike Mountain Lions, Bobcats are open during deer season in some counties. Cant imagine anyone wanting to kill one. Beautiful animals.
Cougars and Bobkitties aren`t even in the same league. Bobcats along with coyotes and other furbrearing varmints put food on the table for me and my family for 2 winters in the 70s.
I watched a cougar through a 6 to 18 Redfield under a red spotlight one time in the wee hours of the morning for quite some time. Awesome cats.
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Err, I thought this was common knowledge. I used to see one all the time when I lived back in the woods roughly 6 years ago.
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The Florida panther is on the verge of extinction (about 40 in the wild) but if you are quiet in your tree stand you might see one. I did five years ago while hunting out in the holeylands. I didn't know they were ranging that far south into the sawgrass flats. There were reports of neighborhood dogs disappearing in western Miramar/Dade County so they may be back as far south as US 27 and the Turnpike by now.
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Originally posted by Reschke
I remember seeing these cats several times in Central Alabama when hunting and when driving home from dates at night. I have seen the brown ones and a few black ones as well in daylight hours while hunting or going to hunt. In each case I have turned and headed back out shortly after the cat has left the area.
Similar to Bodhi I have watched a cougar stalking something while I was hunting. The cat came out into a small opening I was hunting and moved along very close to the ground. It looked right at my tree stand and I swear it stared a hole through me and the tree. Being a young guy I got down from the tree stand and went to the truck shortly after I watched it move over the hill off to my right. From having seen what they could do to pigs I had no wish to be in that stand trying to walk the half mile or so in the dark with just a small flashlight.
Reshke, I grew up hunting the Talladega National Forest in Central Alabama (around Centerville in Bibb County) in the 60's. My grandparents' farm was bordered by the forest. As a young boy (around 10 or 12 y.o.) I saw a cougar once while squirrel hunting, and over the years (from about '59 to about '68) I have seen cougar tracks and skat aplenty. Heavy logging in the area began in the early 70's, so I would be very surprised to see any sign of 'em in that area today.
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What's the difference between a cougar and a bob cat? I thought you guys used both names for the same animal?
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Bobcats are about half the size. Cougars, Pumas, Mountain Lions, Panthers, Catamounts, are all the same animal, similar to a Leopard. They've killed 2-3 people here in California over the last ten years.
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Panther = felis concolor
Bobcat= felis rufus
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Speaking of cougars.
(http://home.comcast.net/~blarson61/bad_daydeer.jpg)
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Originally posted by Widgeo
Speaking of cougars.
(http://home.comcast.net/~blarson61/bad_daydeer.jpg)
That's like a Disney movie. Two unlikely friends on an adventure to save the forest from the evil industrialist. Great stuff.
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I heard that picture was taken by a motion actviated camera setup on a game trail.
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"Based on a true story..."
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Find a mountain lion near you:
http://endeavor.des.ucdavis.edu/nps/speciesinparks.asp?taxa=Mammal&cmastid=W2_1975
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Originally posted by majic
That's like a Disney movie. Two unlikely friends on an adventure to save the forest from the evil industrialist. Great stuff.
I sincerely hope yo are kidding. That deer is about to become what is known in the carnivore world as "food".
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Now that is a funny picture.
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I read that there is over 100 panthers in Florida now. The limiting factor now is uninhabited land. Panthers (cougars) need a very large range, and usually need to eat a deer every 7 to 10 days. They can also jump 45 feet horizontally and 15 feet vertically.
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Originally posted by SunTracker
I read that there is over 100 panthers in Florida now. The limiting factor now is uninhabited land. Panthers (cougars) need a very large range, and usually need to eat a deer every 7 to 10 days. They can also jump 45 feet horizontally and 15 feet vertically.
I hope you are correct. In any event there are so few that individuals are numbered. The last I had read wwas between 30-50 cats in the wild. You are quite right, yes they do require quite a bit of personal territory, habitat is the principal issue.
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Originally posted by Seeker
What's the difference between a cougar and a bob cat? I thought you guys used both names for the same animal?
Bobcats are much smaller, spotted, with larger ears and no tail to speak of, which is why they are called "Bob" cats.
(http://www.desertusa.com/april96/du_bobcb.jpg)
Cougars, Puma, Mountain Lions, etc. (all names for the same thing) are truly "big cats" in the style of Leopards, Cheetahs, Panthers, etc.
(http://www.delta.dfg.ca.gov/gallery/puma.jpg)
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Originally posted by majic
Apparently, they are getting back into Illinois now, too, but I have never seen one. Worst I've seen is coyotes.
Do they even go out on the plains or would they stay around river valleys and other hilly terrain?
There was one hit by a car south of Quincy (I believe in Pike county) not too long ago. Young male. After being weaned the males generally wander off to establish their own territory. They figure the cats are using the many forested streambeds in the Missouri River Valley to get around. I cant really see them establishing that far north in Illinois, but you go south from there into the Shawnee Natl. Forest and on down all the way to Cairo it gets really hilly and heavily forested. Plus, I dont know what the Illinois conservation dept is doing recently, but when I lived there they had pretty much shut down horseback riding AND ATV use in the Natl. forest. I can think of thousands of square miles of land there where Cougars would be happy and have plenty of food, without much chance of seeing a human if they didnt want to. My brother and his buddies go hunting down by Golconda every year, and thats perfect Cougar country. Pretty much anything in "Little Egypt" is good ground for them.
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Thanks.
There's bob cats in Spain; but I don't think we have puma/cougars in Europe.
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I never saw one in the wild but I remember once when visiting my uncle in West Va we took my kid sister to a..well I dont know if you can really call it a "zoo" cause it wasnt like a regular zoo. it was more like a farm that also had some caged animals.
Anyways. in one area they had a large cage with cougar in it surrounding the cage was a large penned in area containing about 10-15 deer.
Man I remember seeing that cat pacing back and forth in the cage just starring at those deer.
Talk about animal cruelty LMAO
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Where I live you will see one at least once a year. Thats if your a hunter or a hiker like I am. I have never seen one crossing a road or around houses or anything.
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Originally posted by Jayclark
Where I live you will see one at least once a year. Thats if your a hunter or a hiker like I am. I have never seen one crossing a road or around houses or anything.
My boss has some land near Strawberry Arizona....just a lot. His buddy has a house next door.
For the past year and a half, they have had this cougar roaming around the backyard.....recently it came under the porch of the house and was screaming and causing a ruckus.
They think it came up on their back porch and nearly killed their dog a few months back. They didn't notice the dog was hurt at first, but then found that it was flayed open. The vet said it looked like it could have been a cougar.
That's the kind of cat that is very dangerous....there are kids in the neighborhood.
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We have a cougar or two up here on the farm. Thankfully, they havent caused any trouble... yet. I've always got my deer gun ready to go if I ever spot one of em. A cougar is the LAST thing I want to see on the land.
Bobcats, on the other hand, are everywhere. Its a rare occasion that I don't see one at least once a week.
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Ironically, being in a wooded area of SE PA, I saw a bunch of cougars (or one cougar a bunch of times), yet I've never seen a bobcat.
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How can we forget this Fabled Mountain Lion?
(http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/h/u/hut113/images/Nittany%20Lion%202.jpg)
It is most commonly seen at Homegames in Central PA.
(http://www.geosc.psu.edu/~lmontand/photos/NittanyLion.jpg)
It is worshipped like a god to many smart people.
Sometimes, it has the ability to fly...
(http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/h/u/hut113/images/Nittany%20Lion.jpg)
It always takes good care of it's young.
(http://www.alumni.psu.edu/hub/postcards/images/mascot.jpg)