ARE THERE MOUNTAIN LIONS IN PA?

[Bmaninmifco]

http://www.cougarnet.org/totalus.html

Green is known cougar locations.
Blue is a class 1 confirmation
Red is a class 2 confirmation

Class 1 Confirmations:

1. The body of a dead cougar, or a live captured animal
2. Photographs (including video)
3. DNA evidence (hair, scat, etc.)*

Class 2 Confirmations:

1. Track sets verified by a qualified professional
2. Other tangible, physical evidence verified by a qualified professional (i.e., prey carcasses, microscopic hair recognition, thin-layer chromatography of scat)

There is a class 1 confirmation in MA. but not in NH or VT.
So it's possible they are out there and we just haven't seen them yet.
http://www.easterncougar.org/

[Carnes]

I think some people underestimate the power of the survival instinct. As great as we humans are, we really do not populate that much of the land in the state. I seriously doubt that our past efforts would have entirely wiped out the species.

Furthermore, I can see some clear motives for the PGC to downplay or entirely deny the possibility of 'dangerous' animals that will 'have' to eat our children, pets and livestock. It's good that we can have the PGC 'protect' us from such a harsh and brutal reality.
INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY

[glockguy68]

interesting,never seen one,only deer bear, yotes and bobcats,my neighbor says he saw one in Pike like 10 years ago in winter,maybe another story,but who knows?they can be so many in all US and maybe somebody has one as an exotic pet and release the guy,so many stories,a photo of one in a deck in winter here in PA,they"say" is true,but like Bigfoot when the prove comes then we'll know....

[Swarner793]

a photo of one in a deck in winter here in PA,they"say" is true,but like Bigfoot when the prove comes then we'll know....

I got an email claiming it was in Bradford, or one of the counties North of me. Not that Snopes is 100% accurate, but their findings are that the photos in the email were taken in Lander, Wyoming by a Dr. Dave Rogers. http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals...untainlion.asp

They have plenty out that way. I know a fellow that hunted and bagged one in either Utah or Idaho, I forget which. They used hounds.

Be safe.

Scott

[glockman22]

I got an email claiming it was in Bradford, or one of the counties North of me. Not that Snopes is 100% accurate, but their findings are that the photos in the email were taken in Lander, Wyoming by a Dr. Dave Rogers. http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals...untainlion.asp

They have plenty out that way. I know a fellow that hunted and bagged one in either Utah or Idaho, I forget which. They used hounds.

Be safe.

Scott

i have to say that pic with the lion (in the top left )looking in the window is scarry!

[tobyking8773]

I'd really like to head out west to pursue one from a huntable population. Just something about hunting something that can hunt you at the same time really makes the challenge more "concrete" or final if you will. Handgun, open sights, tracking. Or maybe baiting....from a ground blind That would be COOOL.

Now as for the Fishers, they were reintroduced into PA about 10+ years ago IIRC, mostly in the northern tier counties. I have yet to actually SEE one in person in the wilds of PA but when i lived in NH, they were like feral cats up there and I shot several during my stay. Stink....OMG do they ever smell!

Cougars extinct from PA? I doubt it. they said the same thing about were-oppossums in the late 1900's but look at their population today! You can't go ANYWHERE in the commonwealth w/o running into(or over) one! lol! Of course so many people confuse were-oppossums w/ oppossum-zombies just cause they look so much alike at high speed....you have to pay attention to what they are doing/eating when you see them. That's really one of the only ways to differentiate.

[glockman22]

Now as for the Fishers, they were reintroduced into PA about 10+ years ago IIRC, mostly in the northern tier counties. I have yet to actually SEE one in person in the wilds of PA but when i lived in NH, they were like feral cats up there and I shot several during my stay. Stink....OMG do they ever smell!

.

they smell?

[kevinmch]

Here's a photo of a lion print I was tracking in Colorado a few years back. She was tracking a coyote herself.



Lycancaturday?thrope

That's a sweet photo.

[Mtbkski]

This was several years ago. But I was mt. biking up a long gradual climb out in the back woods around here. When a cat burst out of the brush about 10 yards ahead of me. It ran straight across the road in front of me, and I got a really good look at it for the short time it took for it to cross the road.

It scared me pretty good. But scared me worse once I thought about what I had seen.

I remember that the head of the cat was just about to enter the weeds on the right side of the road, but the rear end of the beast was still in the left tire track mark. I also realized that it had an awfully long and thick tail.

Nope this was not your local wild kitty cat.

I realized that it was a mountain lion. The part that really scared me was realizing that this thing had probably been watching me head up the hill. I think it was trying to figure out what the heck I was since I was on the bike. I have often wondered if it would have attacked if I had been on foot. Or, did I just sneak up on it, on the bike, and scare it more than it scared me.

YES, there are mountain lions in PA.

[glockman22]

This was several years ago. But I was mt. biking up a long gradual climb out in the back woods around here. When a cat burst out of the brush about 10 yards ahead of me. It ran straight across the road in front of me, and I got a really good look at it for the short time it took for it to cross the road.

It scared me pretty good. But scared me worse once I thought about what I had seen.

I remember that the head of the cat was just about to enter the weeds on the right side of the road, but the rear end of the beast was still in the left tire track mark. I also realized that it had an awfully long and thick tail.

Nope this was not your local wild kitty cat.

I realized that it was a mountain lion. The part that really scared me was realizing that this thing had probably been watching me head up the hill. I think it was trying to figure out what the heck I was since I was on the bike. I have often wondered if it would have attacked if I had been on foot. Or, did I just sneak up on it, on the bike, and scare it more than it scared me.

YES, there are mountain lions in PA.

Wow...sounds like a close call...