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General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: wrongwayric on April 15, 2008, 09:14:22 AM

Title: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: wrongwayric on April 15, 2008, 09:14:22 AM
 :O 150 lbs 5ft long not including the tail. :O There have been 3 area's where these cats have been sighted and wildlife experts and police say that with the distances between the sightings and the time of the reports that there's a good possibiliy 1 or 2 more are still in the area. The one that was killed was said to be an adult and well fed. Poor fluffy and rover. :cry Of course the suburbs up there also have a deer overpopulation problem so it could have been eating some of them. Of course the wacky head of the humane society up there is po'd that the police shot it after it lunged to attack officers. :huh Maybe if they find another one they can send her in to "pet the nice kitty". :devil
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Chairboy on April 15, 2008, 09:27:32 AM
In my neighborhood, we don't kill the cougars.  We let them buy us drinks.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Airscrew on April 15, 2008, 09:28:33 AM
In my neighborhood, we don't kill the cougars.  We let them buy us drinks.
:lol
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Thruster on April 15, 2008, 09:30:53 AM
5Ft. 150 pounds?

I thought those were called BBW's.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: lasersailor184 on April 15, 2008, 09:46:04 AM
That's a big cougar.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Shuffler on April 15, 2008, 09:50:51 AM
We've seen bobcats crossing the road down from the house on several occassions.

In your area the deer over population is probably attracting them. Killing the cat was probably a mistake unless it had attacked someone.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Rich46yo on April 15, 2008, 10:08:39 AM
There was a wild cougar hit by a car and killed on route 173 about 2 years ago. It was up by the Chain of Lakes State park where apparently the cougar had been living life large on the big corn fed white tails we have up there. No doubt the deer had forgotten about cougars and were easy pickings. You could walk across IL. on the huge deer without ever touching the ground. It should come across as no surprise that cougars have made it back this way.


It wasnt killed in a suburb. It was killed in the city. Theres a river/canal that goes by just west of the area the Lion was killed in and it connects, thru forest preserves, directly to the Chain Of Lakes ecosystem, which connects to other watersheds far to the west. We used to see bobcats, deer, coyotes, all the time working midnights in the area the Lion was killed. No doubt the cat just followed this watershed feeding on the abundant deer, rabbits, coyotes, and birds. The North Branch watershed goes all the way thru the city and connects to the north to the Skokie Lagoons, the botanic gardens, all the way to the Chain of Lakes.

Which btw is part of the Mississippi watershed. So you see its very easy for Mountain Lions to have made their way back east. And now its spring time when all our zillions of waterfowl and deer are dropping babies. Like would be good for the enterprising lion who aint afraid of a big adventure.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Trell on April 15, 2008, 11:09:41 AM
Well with deer and coyotes Roaming around with out issues it Should not be Surprising that a Cat can go unnoticed.   Its not like they do much hunting in that area.  Missing dog here and there, no one out playing the woods.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Shuffler on April 15, 2008, 11:28:23 AM
hehehe we have a Chain O Lakes here in Texas too.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: C(Sea)Bass on April 15, 2008, 12:40:53 PM
On the subject of big cats (you Texans will love this), a group of biologists is tracking a population of Jaguars in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. If cougars are bad, then Jaguars are Chuck Norris.

My grabdfather remebers when they had Mountain Lions in New Hampshire when he was a kid. They used to pay people for the hides they brought in. They eventually wiped out all the animals east of the rockies.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Ripsnort on April 15, 2008, 01:08:11 PM
They're popular around here. But that's a rarity within the 'burbs as that story tells.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: wrongwayric on April 15, 2008, 01:08:27 PM
Anything not directly in the area mapped out by the state/federal goverment as designated being chicago is considered a suburb. I don't write the news i just watch it and that's what they are saying. Weird how some people think that everything around the small portion that is designated as chicago think it's all the same city. :huh I believe they said it was killed in the town of Roscoe Il.? which is a suburb of chicago. Has it's own mayor, council, police. ect.... And don't get me started on the fact that chicago land speedway is actually in Joliet IL! :furious  Next thing you know cubs and soxs will play in Springfield and be called Chicago's team. :furious
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: storch on April 15, 2008, 01:08:37 PM
On the subject of big cats (you Texans will love this), a group of biologists is tracking a population of Jaguars in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. If cougars are bad, then Jaguars are Chuck Norris.

My grabdfather remebers when they had Mountain Lions in New Hampshire when he was a kid. They used to pay people for the hides they brought in. They eventually wiped out all the animals east of the rockies.

wrong.  we still have florida panthers.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: C(Sea)Bass on April 15, 2008, 01:33:21 PM
wrong.  we still have florida panthers.

Not very many and they are just an isolated population, that does not interbreed with the western population. They are a different sub-species of Cougar.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Ripsnort on April 15, 2008, 01:36:08 PM
wrong.  we still have florida panthers.
I thought it was the Carolina Panthers?  :confused:
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Thruster on April 16, 2008, 08:59:34 AM
"Weird how some people think that everything around the small portion that is designated as Chicago think it's all the same city."

Just a note.

The animal was shot in a neighborhood called Roscoe Village. It's definitely IN Chicago. Belmont and Western. Odd that it would even bother to roam over that way. It was a large cat so apparently it's survival instinct was well developed. But to get that far into the city proper even assuming it followed the north branch down from Wilmette just seems questionable.

I wonder if there's more to this story.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: kotrenin on April 16, 2008, 03:46:06 PM
My wife still refers to "down town" and Lincoln park as "the city",  she's only been living here for about 10 years. :P

wwric, call 588-1111 and give them 20 bucks, they'll send you a map of Chicago by neighborhood. :D  Many of the neighborhoods started out as separate townships years ago and were annexed by Chicago.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: ROX on April 16, 2008, 04:06:26 PM
They think it's the same cougar that has been snooping around Lake County.  My sister lives in rural Gurnee and had noticed the deer that used to come right up to their back fence had been scarce this year.

ROX
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: AWMac on April 16, 2008, 04:10:30 PM
What's the bag limits on Cougars in Chicago?
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Kanth on April 16, 2008, 04:57:52 PM
He probably finally managed to escape out of someone's basement.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: AquaShrimp on April 16, 2008, 05:12:46 PM
North America used to be a wildlife bonanza much as Africa is (or was). People should be thrilled to see such a powerful native cat such as the cougar.  They are so extremely rare, and even in areas where they do live, they exist at such low population densities that you will never see one.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Jackal1 on April 16, 2008, 06:56:12 PM
  They are so extremely rare, and even in areas where they do live, they exist at such low population densities that you will never see one.

That`s strange. I`ve seen quite a few of them.
They are not that rare.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: C(Sea)Bass on April 16, 2008, 07:00:56 PM
I thought it was the Carolina Panthers?  :confused:

actually ther is the Florida Panthers NHL team. They are just as bad as the NFL's panthers
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: AquaShrimp on April 16, 2008, 07:35:43 PM
That`s strange. I`ve seen quite a few of them.
They are not that rare.

You have seen quite a few of them?  I think you are misidentifying bobcats or lynxs.

Quote
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) currently lists the cougar as a "near threatened" species.

Quote
The cougar's total breeding population is estimated at less than 50,000 by the IUCN, with a declining trend.

Quote
Canadian Geographic reports large male territories of 150 to 1000 square kilometers (58 to 386 sq mi) with female ranges half the size.  Male ranges may include or overlap with those of females but, at least where studied, not with those of other males, which serves to reduce conflict between cougars. Ranges of females may overlap slightly with each other.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Jebus on April 16, 2008, 08:24:12 PM
Cops actually shot the cougar between 7 to 18 times (reports say).  A total of 30 rounds were fired. 

Now either that cougar was shifty or the Chicago Cops need some range time!
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Slash27 on April 16, 2008, 09:48:23 PM
On the subject of big cats (you Texans will love this), a group of biologists is tracking a population of Jaguars in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. If cougars are bad, then Jaguars are Chuck Norris.

My grabdfather remebers when they had Mountain Lions in New Hampshire when he was a kid. They used to pay people for the hides they brought in. They eventually wiped out all the animals east of the rockies.

Cougar sightings are not that rare in my neck of the woods. I've seen cougars more than bobcats actually.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: C(Sea)Bass on April 16, 2008, 10:23:40 PM
If anyone here watches the history channel show "Monster Quest" they did an episode on big cats in North America, primarily focusing on the extremely rare black cougars. Some guy sent in a video that they proved was a very large black cat in Maryland.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: lasersailor184 on April 16, 2008, 10:25:59 PM
If anyone here watches the history channel show "Monster Quest" they did an episode on big cats in North America, primarily focusing on the extremely rare black cougars. Some guy sent in a video that they proved was a very large black cat in Maryland.

I did see that.  Didn't they pretty much show that all black cougars were actually black feral cats given the scalings and points of reference?
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Slash27 on April 16, 2008, 10:50:02 PM
The last video of the show had a large black cat near a tree line. It was suggested to be a young "black panther" possibly. But yeah, some of the pictures they had turned out to be a black house cat walking across a yard and what have you.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: FX1 on April 16, 2008, 10:56:52 PM
In my neighborhood, we don't kill the cougars.  We let them buy us drinks.

LOL
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: C(Sea)Bass on April 16, 2008, 11:12:36 PM
I was wrong. Itw as in West Virginia. The last cat they estimated to be about 25 inches long from nose to butt (not including tail), using scaling.

I know enough about animal identification to tell you most of the cats they showed were house cats. The ears give them away.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Thruster on April 17, 2008, 05:07:24 AM
"What's the bag limits on Cougars in Chicago?"

Anywhere on Oak St. I think it's no more than 2. Nordstroms, Neimans and and Bloomingdale's allow all they can carry.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: wrongwayric on April 17, 2008, 10:51:16 AM
Has anyone heard about the jaguars that are starting to come back into the texas/new mexico area? Just curious as i think i read a news story about that recently. They still think there may be another cougar in the chicago/suburb area's and it is possible it could be a female. Some wildlife expert was saying that they might be a breeding pair that either moved into the area or had been raised in captivity and either released or escaped. Now when you go out at night you need to add to your personal protective items a large rump roast to distract the hungry cougar. :O
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Jackal1 on April 17, 2008, 06:19:53 PM
You have seen quite a few of them?  I think you are misidentifying bobcats or lynxs.


LOL
Bud I know the difference in kitty cats. I hunted fur for quite some time.
Big, big difference between a bobkitty , linx and a cougar.
Like I said, they are not that rare. It usually helps though if you are not looking on main street. :)
A lot of cougar/mountain lion hunts are conducted.
Judd Cooney is The Man if you want to take one with a bow.
I watched a female cougar raise her kittens one year. She stayed about a half of mile from my house for her home area. She was the biggest I have seen.
I shared my deer stand area with another large one for a couple of years. She would get your attention before sunup . She was quite the vocalist.
Nearly tripped over one in the Palo Duro Canyon.
Spent quite some time one night watching one hunt rabbits through a 6 to 18 Redfield under a spotlight.
Got to share that with a couple of folks who had never seen one other than in a cage.
There have been many.
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: AquaShrimp on April 17, 2008, 06:33:45 PM
No wonder you saw a cougar, you're in Texas!  Were you trying to be tricky or something?  I had to check your profile to find that out.  There are about three places in the U.S. where cougars (Felis concolor) occur in any density: West Texas, southern Florida (only about 100 individuals), and California.

Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: Jackal1 on April 17, 2008, 06:34:43 PM
No wonder you saw a cougar, you're in Texas!  Were you trying to be tricky or something?  I had to check your profile to find that out.  There are about three places in the U.S. where cougars (Felis concolor) occur in any density: West Texas, southern Florida (only about 100 individuals), and California.



:)
Like I said..they are not that rare.  :rofl
Title: Re: Cougar killed in chicago suburb
Post by: DieAz on April 17, 2008, 08:58:25 PM
They are just as bad as the NFL's panthers

you take that back or  I go to war on seabass.  :P