2023 Advance Local Media LLC. I thought I was nuts for thinking it was a mountain lion, but now not so much. I only saw the back half of the animal which was muscular, tan colored with a long tail that curled at the end. Mountain lion hunting season opened Aug. 13, and remains so until May 31, 2023. I lived on a street with houses spaced widely - and a soccer field across the street which was next to a wooded space, a creek, and a pond. I KNOW WHAT I SAW and to this day every time I bring up this in conversation nobody believes me. This offer only applies to OutdoorNews.com and not for any Outdoor News print subscriptions. / CBS Baltimore. It was when the reservoir was really low. 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Weight. Open MF, 8 a.m.4 p.m. (closed noon12:30 for lunch). From TM:Hey Joe. In 2014, the mountain lion conservation program was established to coordinate scientific research and population monitoring to inform big game management, species management plans and habitat conservation and protection. - U.S. Park Police responded to Greenbelt Park in Prince George's County, Maryland Tuesday after a woman said she saw a mountain lion in the area. It walked into the tree line and disappeared. Idaho Fish and Game officers and personnel responded to . In windy or mountainous areas, Elbroch says air horns are great tools to throw off a cat's focus and deter them from . A spokesperson for the Washington HumaneSociety said someone may have been keeping the cat as a pet and then released it once they couldn't take care of it anymore. I guess they werent willing to admit it but my son and I knew what we saw. I had made calls to many different agencies and either I was told I was wrong or no one would return my calls. It looked so powerful! It was about 4 feet tall and just walked slowly crossing the highway. One late afternoon on my way back home I, unfortunately, saw one dead in the middle of 287 on the southbound lane approximately around the exits near Delaware water gap (between 53 and 36) I was in the lane closest to it, was driving slow enough past it and got a clear long look at it, it was clearly a giant beige cat with a long tail. adroll_adv_id = "T6XR4YM2C5FGXNZIDZPFXI"; Greenbelt Park is managed by the National Park Service. With all the deer, geese, and other prey everywhere, why wouldnt they be here!!!! Suggestions are presented as an open option list only when they are available. 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. The 2020 wildfires that ravaged California also affected mountain lion populations, killing an estimated 300 to 600 of them. 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. It was an event I can remember like it was yesterday. Over a period of a year and a half, this mountain lion left DNA evidence in at least four states. From ED:Im a believer. After the male mountain lion was removed from Red Hill Trail on May 11, additional sightings in that area were reported: one on May 16, and two over the weekend of May 19 and 20. AFGFD said the data suggest the statewide population of mountain lions is stable to increasing, with an annual population estimate at 2,876 animals since 2004. From ER:Many years ago - back in late 2012 I was preparing a yard sale with my youngest daughter (she was 12 at the time) on our driveway in Ringwood, NJ. Arizona mountain lion tags are available over-the-counter or can be purchased by mail for $15 to Arizona locals. From DJ:I used to live on Albrecht Lane in East Brunswick. There is no proof. In March 2011, DCR forester Steve Ward photographed a track trail in the snow near the Gate 8 boat launch area of Quabbin Reservoir. l thought "oh shit" and figured l could try to use my bicycle for protection and dismounted. Another cougar buff, zoologist Donald Linzey, has collected 250 reports of mountain lions in Virginia over 11 years and believes 85 are credible. This still from a local video clip of a mountain lion taken Tuesday morning shows a big cat crossing a ditch before he disappears into the cotton field. Quite unnerving. An official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, This page, Are there mountain lions in Massachusetts?, is. Straw says. From JK:I had a mountain lion bounding across Weldon Road Jefferson Township Morris County about 75 yards in front of me. 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. I called it in and was told there are no mountain lions in NJ. ". An Ohio Division of Wildlife officer said he watched the . Unconfirmed sightings of mountain lions and panthers do persist in Maryland, according to the state Department of Natural Resources website. There are two records of mountain lions in Massachusetts thatmeet the evidence requirements. My dad also has a friend that lives in North Jersey I believe in alpha somewhere by the NY border in a more rural area and he has seen them in his yard and captured them on his trail camera. Also, Bobcats are spreading into areas in which they have not been seen before. Because you will never go out of your house at night. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. While they haven't confirmed it is a mountain lion, they say it could very well be one. Hunters do not stumble across the remains of dead mountain lions in the woods, he says. From EW:Lions in NJmy son and myself were on a hunt in a ground blind on a friend's farm in Liberty Corner, NJ Somerset CoFebruary 19, 1996.roughly around 4:00 pm in the afternoon I thought a deer had entered the pine forest we were adjacent to.we were actually hunting bushy tails with flintlock smoothbores as deer season was closed. Huge tracks. I had seen a police officer in the parking lot at the mall and told him what I saw. However, because they are capable of traveling great distances, they have turned up in all parts of North Dakota. They vary in size and weight, with males reaching up to 200 pounds and eight feet in length (one-third of their length is the tail). adroll_pix_id = "UONCO23J7FHDDMDTKEX733"; A mountain lion, seen above, was sighted on Ash Street in Webster Sunday. In the Washington region, sightings have been reported in rural areas of Maryland and Virginia. I saw it too while jogging at lunchtime. At least someone else believed me. #1 The tail. None of the rumors are true. We contacted the Somerset County Park department who assured us that there are no mountain lions in their parks. It was early morning so it was pretty quiet. Just a matter of time until fish and game acknowledge it. Jeff Mulhollem. Roughly 100 of the pumas are not doing very well in the Sunshine state, where automobile and truck traffic or disease claim a few of the animals every year, but theyre hanging on and we wish them well.Then there are occasional reports of mountain lion sightings in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, but no one to our knowledge has ever totally proved that what they saw actually was North Americas biggest cat that can weigh 150 pounds or more and from nose to the tip of the tail can measure nearly 8 feet in length. From RV:In the summer of 2002, I was biking south on the D&R canal path near Millstone NJ. Truly terrifying encounter even compared to a bear. I myself saw one back around 2008 off of Watervale Rd in Fallston, Harford County. Pearson said people should be vigilant on the Greenbelt, especially between dusk and dawn. (A valid mountain lion pursuit-only permit or a valid, unused mountain lion non-permit tag is required.). Mountain lions have a long tail that is usually darker colored at the tip. 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. Turkey vultures return to Ohio a sure harbinger of the coming spring? (I've chosen to protect the identities of those who've shared their stories with me. All other reports of mountain lions in Massachusetts have turned out to be other animals. number of folks to write about their encounters. In her post, Lefleche told her friends not to panic. I was sitting on my front porch and I saw a very large animal at first I thought big fox. I was on my deck at around 10 in the morning. MassWildlife cannot investigate or confirm mountain lion reports without any evidence. Diana Marchibroda and her miniature schnauzer froze in their tracks when the mountain lion stepped out of the woods last May. Or so they think!. No indication of a captive animal. MassWildlifecannot investigate or confirm mountain lion reports without any evidence. PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. 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! The bobcat is the only resident "big cat" with. From TR:l just dug out my NJ Rare Wildlife Report Form of September 14, 2013. l was taking a favorite off and on-road bike ride that l call the Harrisville/Oswego Loop, which starts on Rt 679. Again, there was no doubt as to what it was. Photo courtesy of Mountain Lion Foundation. In 1966, an animal believed to be a cougar clawed a pony, two sheep and a calf to death in western Harford County. "It ran right in front of my truck a few weeks ago," said Kenneth Basler, a town official who said he saw the large cat around Stevens Pond . reads. They are definitely here. Wisconsin - Mountain lion sightings in Wisconsin are rare but there have been confirmed sightings within this state. Of course, everyone thinks Im crazy because they dont want to believe it. For the last few days, my email account has been continuously pinging from people sharing information about their sightings. The youngest was less than 1-year-old. The animals, which weight between 90 and 160 pounds and range over a large territory for food, have not left tracks that could be verified by wildlife experts. Other people say they have seen these beautiful cats and have also caught them, in the past, on camera in the woods. riding my dirt bike up a trail right off Rt. On Tuesday, September 28, the Choconut Inn in Friendsville, Pennsylvania jumped in on the conversation with a Facebook post that read, "Hi everyone there's been numerous mountain lion sightings by Quaker Lake. I don't walk my dog on Old Mine Rd any longer because of the large number of bears, coyotes, and concern about mountain lions. Copyright 2023Outdoor News. . 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. Search for cougars continues in Pennsylvania. (DS says her sighting was from earlier this summer.). California: 4,000 - 6,000. But I know what I saw. In this video we discuss why we have reached our conclusion as well as explaining some natural history about this species. 0:11. 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. "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?" In recent weeks, there have been several reported sightings of mountain lions in rural areas of the Twin Tiers. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. "I'm really positive.". On a side note, I've been out near West Virginia and the western parts of both Maryland and Virginia enough to know that it is a commonly held belief that mountain lions still exist 'round those parts. You have permission to edit this article. Cars do not kill or injure cougars crossing roads. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. Mountain lions became scarce in the East after a bounty system wiped out most predatory animals. "She was hesitant to report it because she thought people wouldn't believe her," Lefleche told the paper. JustBe Farm is the passion project of both Kate and Ray, two South Jersey locals who wanted a place where they could reconnect busy children, teens, and adults with nature. Courtesy photo Mike Jacobsen was checking his fences near Denton after last month's windstorm when his kids pulled. I wish I had turned around and taken photos but, where it was located, it would have taken me too long. Read more about the status of Mountain Lions in Alabama here. McCarter sent a sample to Dr. George Amato of the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York and Dr. Melanie Culver of the University of Maryland. July 31, 2018 / 4:17 PM I had to slam on the brakes so as not to hit it. Despite this fact, Massachusetts residents continue to report mountain lion sightings. One said his father swore he had seen one, and their guess was it was an escapee from Great Adventure. From SS:Some years ago we were on our way home from my sister-in-laws house burning. No doubt we were lookin' at a Mt. Another woman said she was walking her dog in McLean Gardens at the edge of Glover Park when she spotted the large cat last week. l went around a tight right bend and, 100 feet up, walking the same way was a cougar. The mountain lion was about 50 yards to the left of my house and was walking up the side of the mountain. I know bobcats and it definitely wasnt one especially having a 3+ foot tail that was quite thick. The most recent sighting of a mountain lion in a Randallstown field Tuesday has revived claims that cougars aren't extinct in Maryland. Evidence could include the body of a dead mountain lion or a live wild-captured animal; photos or video, in which a mountain lion can be identified and MassWildlife can confirm the location; DNA evidence from hair, scat, etc. "Where'd you take the picture? (Facebook / Michelle Lefleche) "It was a cougar," insists the 57-year-old Catonsville woman.