Here's What, Mountain Lion Size Comparison: How Do They, This Fearless Cougar Doesnt Care How Much Larger the Brown Bear Is and Goes for It, Watch This Family Discover a Mountain Lion Curled Up On Their Porch. . It was undoubtedly a full grown male mountain lion. Mountain lions live in areas that have ample hiding places. We are not stupid people with time on our hands, just a couple out for a drive. They said I must have seen a bob cat. Which could be a pretty big deal, because up until now, the confirmed sightings in the east have been of male cats. Virginia has two different native species of wild cats. Any info would be greatly appreciated, It's nearly impossible to imagine, but elk once roamed freely here in Virginia. THERE ARE MOUNTAIN LIONS IN VIRGINIA, I HAVE PROOF. I saw more recently something very large and stocky going into the tall grass, only saw the back end of it and that was at least 3 feet long with a long tail. It took another 3 minutes or so before all the fogs quieted down. A young man showed me a photograph from his deer camera. I got into the bald on Big Hump and I heard an odd noise, like a quick screaching bird and something ran off. Way back in 1977 I was firebossing a mine in McDowell Co WVa. And yet there are numerous reports of hikers and residents spotting these creatures, especially in the mountains. We got a glimpse of the cat early this morning, as it paced back and forth, squaling every breathe, on the other side of our riding ring. There are currently an estimated 20,000-40,000 mountain lions remaining in the United States, but that number used to be much larger. Whether its via Appalachian Trail or some random place in the woods near my home, I almost always encounter some sort of larger mammal. I found one which I took a picture of. For the first time in years, these cats are on the rebound and extending their range further into their historic regions. B. McQuary. Although this is great, there are a few things to consider. Are there mountain lions in the Shenandoah Valley? I grew up in NW Virginia near the Shenandoahs and have heard folks mention seeing mt. Hmmm, but then we have pictures of bear in the local paper sometimes. I started to get out and get an even closer look but I decided that probably wasnt a good idea, so I stayed in my car . Ive seen a few cougars in the wild, I dont believe the black phase has ever been confirmed in any mountain lion/cougar/catamount/puma. Im not accusing anyone of anything, I myself have certain ideas in all of this, but am wondering what other people think of it. Snce 1890, roughly 20 people have been killed by cougars. After passing the long horn pasture over the summit I thought I was clear, hadnt seen eyes at any distance in a while. All these so-called sightings yet no evidence of a breeding population, despite all the research done by biologists and the states? First, the nature of the mountain lion is to be elusive. They were all shiny black with long tails. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 421, I watched a black cat come from under a concrete bridge and jump into the woods when it saw me. I had the windows open because it was a cool night. Originally, mountain lions lived across the entire continent of North America. Found no prints, unfortunately. Tickets are $8.00 and parking fee is included. This medium-sized cat weighs between 9-33 lbs, has stubby tails and characteristic tufts of hair coming out of its ears. So, wanting to get them closer, I called them. Could this have been a young cougar? A litter of bobcat kittens even started living in my friends open barn because they were obviously abandoned. It is only a matter of time before the California picture in this blog post is sent back to us as proof of mountain lions in Virginia. Mountain Lion. A French naturalist created the name "cougar" by combining "puma" with "jaguar." If an animal approaches, prepare to fight and protect your head and neck from the attack. I met with Michael Fies, Wildlife Biologist with the DWR, and we spoke about the history, extinction, and sightings of mountain lions in the Valley. For years people have reported mountain lion sightings in the Valley, but, according to local DWR officials, they've been extinct in our area since 1882. I was wondering what people think about people (either the wildlife service of just other people) not believing that mountain lions exist in the Eastern United States, especially in Virginia. Nobody even thinks anything of it because of its regularity. I nearly mastered replicating their calls. Marchibroda wasnt under any illusions that she could catch or in any way interact with the mountain lion she saw on her hike. I was looking for a litle solitude so i ventured about a 1/4 mile off the trail and set up camp by a little stream. The tail was furry but with short hair like the rest of the body that I saw and was round kind of curving down and out like my house cats tail when he hunts birds. No more mountain lions in Virginia, only bobcats. I was camping up there with some friends and we could have sworn we heard howling! I made deep, loud noises and threw my hands up and used my flashlight to look large. Upon seeing the lights, he turned around and ran into the woods. I live about five minutes away from the parkway, 30 or so minutes from the Roan and Mount Mitchell, etc. Is a mountain lion like a bear? Then 20 miles later at mile 183 at about 2:25 AM I saw a much larger cat on the left side of southbound 81 where there was no guard rail. Its been about ten years since then and Smith Mountain Lake has become a vacation spot for every northern virginian there is so the mountain lion probably found a more secluded area, there is a ton of it out there, to hunt and live. Very fast and gracefull. Bobcats generally live away from humans, preferring places like the Great Dismal Swamp and the mountains. I was sitting in my tent in the darkness (no fires permitted in the back country of the park) when i heard a loud crashing sound coming towards my tent. The cat was black with a tail nearly as long as its body. The closest confirmed wild cougars, except for the Florida Panther,appear to bein Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas and western Louisiana, according to the blog post. For years everybody in every state wildlife agency has gotten reports of sightings, but we had never had anything in Tennessee that we could really verify as a cougar, Peterson said. Mountain lions live in areas that have ample hiding places. I live in Chilesburg, Caroline county. I dont know how realistic they are, but here are calls: Bobcat, cougar/mountain lion/puma/painter, whatever the name is in your area. She has really bad gashes on her front leg, shes lame. You can also count Randolph, Upshur, and Webster countys in W.VA. My dad, his dad, and myself can vouch for those three. We would sit on our back porch and listen awe struck. Updated: Jul 3, 2016 / 10:29 PM EDT. Mr. Lutz do you have internet picture of the Virginia cougar that you show arround? The sound finally drifted off and I decided to do some internet investigating to describe the sound I heard. Looked like a red wolf though and we got a good look as it crossed the road in front of us on our way down the mountain (driving) in full daylight. One of her biggest concerns about the recent declaration of extinction is that any cats in the area (whether western migrants or otherwise) and their habitats wouldnt be protected. We do have pictures of that! However, the nature center at Peaks of Otter did have a framed pic from a deer hunters trail camera just off the Parkway in Botetourt county last summer (dont know if it is still there). I live in historic Jonesborough, TN. My 70lb lab is 24 at the shoulder for comparison. Period. I think the nuts are attracting game, and a lion is preying. The Mountain Lions compete as members of the Mountain East Conference in all fifteen sports. Calling All Skiers and Snowboarders Home to Massanutten, An Insiders Guide to Mount Rogers and Whitetop Mountain, the Highest Peaks in Virginia. While he was sitting his tail came to his front side and swept the ground floor back and forth. We stood there listening to them, it sounded like they were answering each other from 3 different places. And yet, there have been more than a few bizarre sightings over the past few decades that have us scratching our heads. The first time I heard the screams I went in the direction with a flashlight, fully expecting to find a victim. But really, itll change peoples viewpoints at some point., Experts in Tennessee dont know exactly how many mountain lions are roaming the area, but they do know one thing for sure: at least one of them is a female. Weve been searching the internet to identify it, but after reading these messages it sounds as though weve seen a cougar. That is if it is still around. I am skeptical of each sighting of mountain lion when no physical evidence is present. As the summer progressed she got a couple glances at the animal but still no proof. Part of their success is due to their adaptability when it comes to hunting and habitat needs. Virginia Dept. OK. 2 Sept about 12:30 maybe 12:45 I was jolted out of a good sleep by what I first thought was 2 cats fighting below my 2nd story bedroom window. There used to be cougar there, and with that large a prey base, its possible. It was the first time I could see it clearly. "Mountain lions existed statewide at the time of European settlement, but presumably were extirpated from the state by the 1880s," a DGIF blog stated. My wife, dog, and I were walking on a dead end street no houses in Stratford Habour this morning (11/8/07). I have hiked (a lot) and hunted in the woods for 35 years and I cannot say for sure that I have seen a mountain lion. He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." Today, there are less than 200 Florida panthers remaining. They prefer deer.. Get more stories delivered right to your email. Once they described an animal that was nearly the same color as a deer but knew it couldnt be because it had a long tail. I know tons of people who have claimed to see them, but despite these supposed sightings, we never get any good photo or video evidence to back it up. I expect they will confirm puma presence. Its probably only a matter of time though their territory is expanding steadily. I think I may have seen a fully jet black cougar around 2230 just by the cement plant north of Roanoke Va but Im not sure. 211 just north of Warrenton VA. There are a lot of instances of someone trying to mess with us, or theyre messing with a buddy, and the buddy sends it to us thinking its real, he said. What about the fact no roadkill is ever claimed to be found of a cougar? I could hear the kittens and I captured a photo which I believe to be a smaller lion. His body was very long and had a beautiful face. My e-mail address is gardrserv@yahoo.com & would be more than willing to give anyone any info as to what & where I saw. Females need to show up. Anyone know where to find a recording of cat sounds? When very quietly without any noise I saw movement coming out of a clearing. He always said it sat there for just a moment and then slipped into the woods and was gone. Officials captured the escaped mountain lion and found a second one that had also escapedoutside of Harrisonburg, harassing turkeys on a farm. I sometimes doubt local farmers reports. they may have migrated there by way of fractured habitat that has forced them into the area due to encroachment. I dont really know why, because I dont really think it ever existed.. They are moving Eastward, theyre now found in Western Tennessee. Michael told me. Its not really realistic to think that they have a chance to survive very well in Virginia currently. Michael said. " Probably 10s of thousands across the Appalachian regions of the state. I have hiked almost all 850 miles of trails, stayed at most of the backcountry campsites, and have spent many nights wandering around those hills looking for nocturnal mammals. The deer have been congregating down there. They go hiking in the Rockies all the time and people still dont see them very often.. I went out to get something from my car, and about five to ten yards away I see a huge black cat slowly cross the street, pause, look around and go into the surrounding woods. I am from western North Carolina. I have a 2 year old grandson and a small dog and cat. Sissy. (we have more of both in these parts of Virginia, lots more sheep and lots more coyotes.) It was about the size of a friends dog, which is about 15 tall and 2 1/2 feet long. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. It has to be a good, clear photo, and we get all kinds of fuzzy stuff that could be a bobcat, could be a yellow lab, but its so far away or so fuzzy we cant tell.. He said it was from the Mattaponi Trial in Caroline County. An elderly man there once told me a story about a black Mountain Lion living in the area back in his younger days. "I never say never about these things, it's certainly possible," Fies said. I aimed my light in the direction and it was a huge cat halfway up the tree staring at me. They dont know that, theyre not genetically testing these animals.. In recent years, sighting reports are becoming more and more common. I had my food hanging ten feet in the air so i thought it was a bear. There are so many camera traps now for both research (academic inductions, VDWR and VDACS) and private hunters. Colby is a freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. He said he had called the county animal control and they told him he must have seen a bob cat as no mountain lions were still in our area. As we came to a stop, it calmly walked away crossing a short grass field, into the woods. A large, darkish animal approximately the height of a retriever/setter, long tail that curved at the very end, large cat-like head, and very close, prominent shoulders, that I still can see moving up and down when I think about it crossing Meetze Road. The young cougars stay with mom for 1-2 years and slows down all migration to the east. The sad thing is people I know who say theyve seen mtn lions in Botetourt and/or Bedford County, especially raccoon hunters who say their dogs treed a lion, would never come out publicly with such a statement. Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Eastern Cougar Recovery Plan (page 2), http://mountainlion.org/us/NC/-NC-history.asp, https://blog.wildlife.virginia.gov/outdoor-report/2016/03/the-myth-of-mountain-lions-in-virginia/, https://www.fws.gov/northeast/ecougar/pdf/Cougar_News_Bulletin_Final_1_18.pdf, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/01/23/2018-01127/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-removing-the-eastern-puma-cougar-from-the-federal-list, https://www.fws.gov/refuge/florida_panther/wah/panther.html, https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/opinion/the-cougar-behind-your-trash-can.html, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0030333, https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mcvmagazine/issues/2015/sep-oct/cougars-in-minnesota.html, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Comission, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. It was a juvenile mountain lion. In fact, there have been 121 reports that are likely to have been true mountain lion sightings. 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Spotting these creatures, especially in the local paper sometimes a friends dog which... 1/2 feet long the shoulder for comparison that are likely to have been of male..
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