Mountain lion

[Dylan585]

Kind of an interesting topic to bring up. I'm trying to do some research on them because the state claims that their aren't any mountain lions in the state... I have seen a picture on a friends phone and will post it once I get it from him but I'm sure the state will say it's not one... I'm interested to hear about any stories anybody has about them. I'm also interested to know if I could shoot one if I saw one. I'm also interested as to why the state won't even look at any evidence in regards to them they just say that they are not here

Edited November 17, 2014 by Dylan585

[Big Water]

What state? The PA Game Commission states that there "are no breeding pairs" but won't confirm their presence. They claim some exotic pets could have been let go by the owners. I know dozens of people who claim to have seen them in PA but I'm skeptical because there are trail cams about every 200 yards in this state and I've yet to see a picture. I've seen huge bobcats that could have easily been confused for a lion if you didn't see the tail.

[Hookedup]

Trail cams every 200 yards, everyone with a gun in truck, everyone with gun in woods, yet not one has killed one. I got friends that run trap line all winter in areas where people claim they see them, with snow on all winter they would cut tracks. Lots of bobcats caught this year and they have a hell of a track in the snow.

[Sk8man]

The top probability would be bobcat in this region. They are fairly common in sparsely populated areas in New York State. The Canadian Lynx was once an inhabitant of southern Canada and northern US but they are very rare now in these areas. They have huge paws and tracks that could perhaps be mistaken for a cougar or "mountain lion" but not when viewed as they also have a much smaller tail and are much smaller in size.They also compete with coyotes for food sources and with the strong populations of coyotes around here they probably wouldn't make a go of it anyway. Most folks around here haven't ever seen a cougar or a bobcat to be able to compare so a casual observation in the wild could easily lead to confusion and inaccurate reporting. With that said there are also repetitive rumors abounding that the DEC had placed cougars selectively in New York State to help control the deer population.....I would think that to be unlikely (but not impossible ) too.

[Gator]

There's a lot of skepticism regarding the DEC's position on lions. It wasn't helped by the fact that there was one animal killed on the highway that was moving through the area a couple of years ago, and the DEC discounted what were later determined to be valid sightings.

 

That having been said, other than the stray beast wandering through, if there were a presence it would be more widely known. Most of the routinely touted pictures are in fact known to be from other states...there's three or four good ones circulating on the net.

 

Still, wouldn't it be cool...

[Guppy35]

I agree that an individual that has not done their research on cougars or has not seen pictures of them, could definitely mistaken a bobcat for one.  Attached is a picture of a bobcat that i had on camera back in August of this year.  As Big Water said, if the tail was not in the picture, someone could think it was a cougar based on the color of it's fur (it turns to a more gray color when it's winter coat comes in).

 

[Dylan585]

The pic that I have seen is in this time of year, light brown color, and it has a long tail... Like I said. As soon as I can I will post it

[Sea-IV]

There was a farmer in southern NY who claimed a mountain lion was eating his sheep. He went to the Dec and they told him there was no probability of a my lion being in the region he was in. That being said the farmer waited the lion out and low and behold he ended up shooting it and bringing it to his local Dec office and said if there is no probability then what is this in the back of my truck. Needless to say the farmer was arrested and it was never heard of again. I will look for the article as it was I believe south of Bath and in there newspaper.

[Dylan585]

Ok thanks a lot. I emailed the DEC too in an attempt to figure out what to do if I see one

[camomanbg]

I researched this topic in pursuing my wildlife management degree and it was the topic of my final debate in an environmental politics class.  Think about it this way, the home range of one, that's right ONE singular mountain lion is roughly the size of the entire Adirondack Park.  Take away the infrastucture and development within the park and that area is even smaller.  They are very elusive and timid animals by nature, so they wouldn't tolerate living in such a confined space where contact with humans would happen so frequently.  Then you have the issue of there not being enough room for a breeding pair, and certainly not their offspring. You can also take in to consideration that mountain lions would greatly disrupt the natural checks and balances that our wildlife have now.  NYSDEC barely has enough money to function at it's current capacity, so the likelihood of them secretly stocking or even perpetuating the idea of mountain lion's in NY is ZERO.  Yes, that one that was killed in CT/NH/MA (wherever it was) did possibly slip through here and that's all that will ever happen in NY regarding mountain lions.  There might be a few cases of a captive one getting out or being released by irresponsible people but they won't be wild.  Just as the few wolves that have been shot in NY have been captive escapees or releases.  I normally don't even entertain the topic enough to argue but it's monday and I'd rather be deer hunting so replying to this is better than doing work.  

 

The answer to your question on shooting one is YES, mountain lion's do not live in NY state so they are not covered under the game laws.  So, go ahead and shoot it!  When you do you will find that it was captive at some point or in a crazy second chance scenario it will have been a wandering young male from somewhere far, far away.  I wouldn't put any money on you shooting a mountain lion though.  A picture on a friends phone is just that, most likely a picture from another state if it is even a real picture.  

[Dylan585]

The picture is from behind his business and has landmarks

[Dylan585]

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/upstateny/msg0606125911089.html?169

Interesting forum topic

Edited November 17, 2014 by Dylan585

[Sk8man]

Sean's pic of the bobcat is a good one and it sort of points up the mistaken identity issue. If someone didn't see the tail and the bobcat was on an angle viewing just the powerful hind quarter midsection and head from a distance where actual size might be hard to determine it could be mistaken for something like a mountain lion by someone that had never seen the two of them before especially. If the two were displayed side by side though the differences would be very apparent.

[stinger]

The picture is from behind his business and has landmarks

 

 You've got us in suspense.....

 

your location is as illusive as a mountain loin.....

[Dylan585]

Lol. It's near Brockport NY is where the pic is

[Dylan585]

Unfortunately I don't have his number so I'll have to wait till see him... It should be some point this week when I go out there to hunt

[flyak]

Big male bobcat was killed by a vehicle on rt 64. last year. Dec claimed the animal.

[Fish Hunter]

My son and a local Mennoite young man saw a cougar/mountain lion/panther, whatever you want to call it, cross the road in front of them right up out of town here one late evening a few years ago.

These young men have lived/played in the local woods when not working since they were kids, and KNOW what a bobcat looks like.

Both saw it, and both mention it from time to time.

I thought that the NYSDEC released several pairs in the Adirondacks some years ago??

[Great Lakes Lure Maker]

First I'd like to say that if so many people claim to have seen one, and the are a lot of claimed sightings, then there would have to be some trail cam pics of them. Second, ive trapped 6 bobcats and shot one in the past couple years. I ran 200 traps on over 4000 acres in Chemung county all year, every year. In fact I caught the first known bobcat 6 yrs ago and it was documented by the DEC. I know of about 50 others who run as many or more traps than I. Our traps are big enough to hold one, and traps do not discriminate. If there is a predator near by he would work the set. None reported yet, and thats people who spend everyday walking miles of trapline, trapping predators. I dont believe we have a population of them, but I would not rule out a stray passing through.

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[Frogger]

It's a rare deal for sure. The likely hood of seeing one in NY is ski to none. I will say though I would suggest not shooting one just because you think NYS doesn't regulate them. They are on the endangered list part 182 nys codes and you might find yourself in a mess. Me personally, would make for an interesting walk to the stand in the dark every morning. Here kitty kitty.......

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[Great Lakes Lure Maker]

We do have a good population of Fisher cats. At 3 ft long with a long tail, they could easily be mistaken as a blk Mtn lion. I hear a lot of stories, most of them claim it was a blk lion they saw. Even us experienced outdoorsman see things from time to time that puzzle us. Also, as frogger said, I wouldn't shoot one unless your life depended on it. Federally endangered is serious business, and probably jail time.

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[Big Water]

We do have a good population of Fisher cats. At 3 ft long with a long tail, they could easily be mistaken as a blk Mtn lion. I hear a lot of stories, most of them claim it was a blk lion they saw. Even us experienced outdoorsman see things from time to time that puzzle us. Also, as frogger said, I wouldn't shoot one unless your life depended on it. Federally endangered is serious business, and probably jail time.

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Ditto on the Fishers.  Most people have never seen one and don't even know what they are.  They have long tails and are dark/black.  They are what I believe people are seeing when they see a black "cougar".

[Sk8man]

[EsoxAC3]

We have a camp in the Tug Hill area. Cat tracks regularly work the landscape. Particularly during the full moon phase. The occasional large set of tracks always made me wonder if mountain lions inhabited NYS. We have begun using trail cams with regularity over the last 4 years. It turns out that the 'occasional' bobcat is as large as a small to medium whitetail!! I had no idea bobcats could get so big. I would estimate from pics 85-100 lbs. Definitely a formidable predator!! And easy to see how large bobcats could be confused with lions..... That was my first thought.

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[Bosun Cowboy]

A 100 lb bobcat???? Now somebody is really telling story's!! Try more like 40 to 50 lbs full grown.