Tracking experts Paul Rezendes, Charles Worsham, George Leoniak, and Dr. Mark Elbroch examined the photos. People say that when they closed it down some of the animals were released into the woods around here. "Other than two confirmed cases, all reports of Mountain Lions in Massachusetts that include tangible evidence have turned out to be other kinds of animals," a post by the state department of Energy and Environmental Affairs called "Are there Mountain Lions in Massachusetts?" While the initial video got all of the attention, Soto posted a second video, too, showing a pack of hounds looking for scent in the area when the lion was sighted. "These animals have usually been misidentified because they were seen under poor conditions or by someone not familiar with the species," the post goes on to say. Lioneither a young one or a female I figured..went home, called NJF&G at the time, and reported it.. asked if they were interested in setting a culvert-type trap to capture it.they seemed pretty disinterested at the time, said it wasn't feasible as we were in a residential type area.. the day after with fresh snow on the ground we returned to find where it had stalked and killed a wild turkey.it was obvious to us with the winged slash marks still in the snow and where it walked downhill with the turkey in its mouth pushing the snow to the sides of it making a smooth pathway..it was something my son and I will never forget. All rights reserved. Many mountain lion sightings in our state turn out to be cases of mistaken identity, but photos, tracks, hair, scat, and videos are some types of physical evidence used to confirm the presence of a mountain lion. All rights reserved (About Us). Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. For a limited time, you can get full access to breaking news, all original Outdoor News stories and updates from the entire Great Lakes Region and beyond, the most up-to-date fishing & hunting reports, lake maps, photo & video galleries, the latest gear, wild game cooking tips and recipes, fishing & hunting tips from pros and experts, bonus web content and much, much more, all on your smartphone, tablet or desktop For just a buck per month! Mountain Lion Weight: 80-160 pounds Length: About 7-8 feet long Tail: 2-3 feet long (up to half of the total length) Identification The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. Mountain lion sighting reported in Worcester County. They told me they would investigate and let me know, but I never received a callback. My 11-year-old son was in front of me about 50 feet. What drew me to it was the seeming paws. The network doesnt believe phone callers, such as the ones the Maryland DNR hears of a large cat the size of a German shepherd or larger dog walking down the trail.Youve got to do better than that, says the Cougar Networks professional big-cat specialists. My husband also sighted one while driving to go hunting many years ago in Wawayanda State Park. Luckily it looked healthy and well-fed. This is the longest documented travel distance of a mountain lion. Please let us know how we can improve this page. This was on January 25 at around 5:30 pm. California: 4,000 - 6,000. Updated: Jul. I was leaving Westville towards the mall. Therres says the last of Marylands natural cougar populations disappeared in the late 1800s, probably due to the lack of the cats favorite food: venison. Yes, they have been here for years. It is difficult to know if someone saw a mountain lion without any tangible evidence. Mountain lions were classified as a game species by the Nebraska State Legislature in 1995, mandating the Commission to set hunting seasons only if the lion population was large enough to sustain a harvest. All rights reserved, Officers Shoot, Kill Man With Knife: Frederick City Police, DC Health COVID Centers Are Closing March 31, Driver Dies in Frederick, Maryland Tanker Fire; Northbound US Route 15 Lanes Closed, Family Explores Legal Action After Student Forced to Pick Cotton in Class, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Chaos': Matthew McConaughey, Camila Alves Were on Harrowing Lufthansa Flight Diverted by Turbulence. It was bloody and the hair was a mess around its head. The USDA's Forest Service Wildlife Genetics Laboratory found that the animal came from South Dakota. This is especially true of western Maryland. Huge tracks. Sighting of this animal also occurred in Michigan and New York. On we go with just some of the reports I've received in the last few days: From RB:I've been reading your stories about mountain lion sightings, I too have seen a mountain lion; this was during the early spring or late winter of 2021. I was driving on a dark and stormy night about 9 years ago on Rt-515 just off of Rt-23. I am sincerely amazed at the number of emails I continue to receive about mountain lion or cougar sightings in New Jersey. var year = today.getFullYear() Another cougar buff, zoologist Donald Linzey, has collected 250 reports of mountain lions in Virginia over 11 years and believes 85 are credible. I posted my sighting on a neighborhood social media site, and of course, many did not believe me and said they don't exist here in NJ; however, a number of people also chimed in that they have seen one here or there in different locations not far from me. It was late October and leaves were mostly down on our 500+ acre site. Our eyes locked and we were both motionless. I had seen a police officer in the parking lot at the mall and told him what I saw. Eastern Arizona Courier, Co-existing with nature: Wildlife specialists help both sides get along, Update credit card information AZGFD for 2023 spring hunts. How can a diminutive pigeon ever look like a majestic bald eagle? In this video we discuss why we have reached our conclusion as well as explaining some natural history about this species. Even though the WV DNR says there are no wild mountain lions in the state, there are some held in captivity at the West Virginia Wildlife Center in French Creek. While they haven't confirmed it is a mountain lion, they say it could very well be one. (DS says her sighting was from earlier this summer.). I had people bash us for telling our story - but we've never wavered. Around 3 p.m., a. Over the past 25 years, dozens of Maryland residents have reported cougar encounters, even though wildlife officials insist that mountain lions haven't roamed the state for at least a century. A valid hunting license is required except in the case of depredation (killing of livestock). from afar it looked like silk black fur. In Zone K, which includes areas 1 and 27 and covers some of Graham and Greenlee counties, 17 lions were killed in 2021. Already a subscriber to OutdoorNews.com? Wick Communications. Meanwhile, if mountain lion sightings are on your wish list, go to Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, even California, to mention some of the western states where the American panther is in good supply. There was an animal that ran very quickly across the road and we both said that it looked like a mountain lion. For the smooth consistently colored short hair l came up with a greyish tint to a deers summer color. The mountain lion was lying down in the snow. Mountain lions in NJ? A mountain lion, seen above, was sighted on Ash Street in Webster Sunday. About 4 years ago I saw the whole mountain lion. The Missouri Dept of Conservation release information regarding a vehicle striking a mountain lion (cougar) not far from Six Flags. We are both members of the Walpack Historical Society. The Pa. Game Commission investigated this picture. I had to slam on the brakes so as not to hit it. Again, there was no doubt as to what it was. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. Since 1890 in the U.S. and Canada, there have been 100 attacks on humans at all, according to the research organization The Cougar Network. Animal control officers say they are taking the reports seriously. Officials are asking that people avoid the park as they investigate the report. This page is located more than 3 levels deep within a topic. He tells the story of a friend who managed to snap a picture of a cougar prowling in his backyard in Phoenix. Brigantino Park notice. There are always rumors about what state fish and wildlife agencies in the eastern United States know about mountain lions. 13507065_10205364039255335_8657515368052999240_n.jpg. a graphic depiction of America's mountain lion history. I KNOW WHAT I SAW and to this day every time I bring up this in conversation nobody believes me. If you see a mountain lion, report the sighting immediately to Mission Viejo Animal Services at 949-470-3045 or the Orange County Sheriff's Department at 949-770-6011. May 2015: Laclede Idaho Fish and Game officers and personnel responded to . I will say I've received reports from all around the state but several of the reports seem to be in the same area: West Milford in the northern part of the state. Hunters must also possess a valid hunting license, which is $37 for residents. However, one must assume that it actually could happen. Not valid with other promotions. Some page levels are currently hidden. MONTEREY There are no photos. I have seen a lion twice in Sussex County. Maryland - There have been many sightings of mountain lions and a lot of debate about the existence of mountain lions in Maryland. The young adult male was killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2011. You have permission to edit this article. I then said to my friend, oh wow he said what did you see I said no you tell me, he then described that he saw a big brown animal with a little face and a big tail in a different color brown than the deer, I then told him I saw it as well and it was a cougar he thought I was crazy for saying that and then I showed him an article where someone had just seen it at Burnham Park in Morristown a week or so before that was only a few miles away. Because you will never go out of your house at night. "I'm really positive.". Another sighting involved a wild cougar that traveled through New York as it trekked nearly 1,800 miles east from its native population in South Dakota. "If there is a wild population, it is very tiny, and they are able to live and die without any evidence of them being here," Mr. There are hundreds more throughout the East Coast, he and other naturalists believe. Turkey vultures return to Ohio a sure harbinger of the coming spring? The main habitat requirement for mountain lions is stalking cover to successfully hunt prey. People even report House Cats as mountain lions in a surprising number of cases. Alaska In the Washington region, sightings have been reported in rural areas of Maryland and Virginia. Genetic analyses confirmed the hair was from a male mountain lion and the propbable population of origin was Colorado. The Connecticut mountain lion is the best documented wild Mountain Lion in New England. MassWildlife receives dozens of reportsa year, most are simplyreportsor sightings with no evidence. I was sitting on my front porch and I saw a very large animal at first I thought big fox. The same spot, just trying to get to my donkeys late at night. A couple of sightings involved captive mountain lions that escaped from licensed facilities in New York State. Please give us a call at 928-428-2560, Copyright Females are typically smaller. "It was sitting there looking at the smoke coming out of our chimney.". From JK:I had a mountain lion bounding across Weldon Road Jefferson Township Morris County about 75 yards in front of me. It was about 4 feet tall and just walked slowly crossing the highway. It looked so powerful! See Alex Hunter's Sigma Delta Chi award-winning editorial cartoons. All the same, Therres and his colleagues log every report into a database (so far 150 sightings have been entered) and I suppose the wildlife specialists have a good laugh now and then. elk calf with characteristics of a mountain lion kill. Just a matter of time until fish and game acknowledge it. The bobcat is the only resident "big cat" with. It was about 12:30 at night. // February 12, 2021. "As always, if you leave wildlife alone and respect it, the wildlife will reciprocate," she wrote. From D:My wife came home a couple of years ago and told me she saw two cougars crossing Range Road, a joint jurisdiction road between Fort Dix and Browns Mills, NJ, I told her they must have been something else. This map shows the various zones where mountain lions are hunted statewide, as determined by the Arizona Fish and Game Department. And yes I believe these other stories. "Where'd you take the picture? Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. This gave Nebraska lions some protection under Commission ruling until 2014 when, in a controversial decision, hunting permits were issued . Males, also called bucks, are about 20 percent larger than females, which are called does. From AM:Yes, we DO have them in NJ, regardless of whether the state denies it or not. Another sighting was on Storms Ave in Haskell NJ. Eastern Arizona Courier 301 E Highway 70, Suite A, Safford, AZ 85546 | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | The EASTERN ARIZONA COURIER is owned by Wick Communications. Greenbelt Park is managed by the National Park Service. In 1966, an animal believed to be a cougar clawed a pony, two sheep and a calf to death in western Harford County. One said his father swore he had seen one, and their guess was it was an escapee from Great Adventure.