[44Brent]

These are pictures of a cougar that a friend of mine took. He lives right outside of Yellowstone, and the cougar apparently wanted to get inside of his house.

Walking into the back porch through a fenced area - 1.
http://tinyurl.com/jth43

Walking into the back porch through a fenced area - 2.
http://tinyurl.com/fj92r

On the back porch and showing its fangs.
http://tinyurl.com/ztmt6

Peering into the house through the glass door.
http://tinyurl.com/hjbts

[Spec ops Grunt]

Creepy.

I wouldve shot him.

[Vern Humphrey]

I'd have let him in the house -- and mounted him over the mantle.:D

[fletchbutt152]

I wanna live somewhere that is that untamed!:mad:

[Vern Humphrey]

I wanna live somewhere that is that untamed!

It's not all that uncommon to have a bear break into or try to break into a house here in the Ozarks. I had a blackie knock over a bee hive not 30 feet from my house -- and he came back in broad daylight when I reassembled it!

['Card]

I like cougars and everything, but that would have been one extremely dead cat before I let him leave my property. I just wouldn't be comfortable knowing a predator like that was comfortable coming right up to my house. Next time he does it I might not know he was there until something unfortunate had happened.

[Clark]

I am a mountain biker, and we want those cats dead.

A big cat that is not afraid must be hunted down.

[Art Eatman]

I see cougar tracks around my place pretty regularly. Never had one on the porch--that I know of. :)

Vern, snce Florida outlawed bear hunting, the numbers have become rather large.

A buddy of mine hunts just east of Tallahassee a few miles. It's a pain to keep bears away from bee hives or deer feeders. So, guys put multi-wire electric fences around them. The deer can jump over.

My buddy watched, one day, as a bear went up a tree and out a limb and dropped down inside the enclosure, bypassing the electric fence. (Smart bear!) The bear knocked the feeder down and munched away happily.

And then it's time to leave, right? He said the bear just charged full bore at the fence, and roared when the shock hit--but kept on going.

Art

[Geno]

I think it was in 2001 or 2002 that the local city (village) police , as well as several citizens spotted a cougar S.W. of Mt. Pleasant just before the November deer season. I was more than a little unnerved walking to the blind in the dark. At that time, I had to hunt deer with my Encore pistol in .270 Win. Accurate yes, but, 1 shot! Yeah!

Now, the law in Michigan at least I was told, one could not load up their deer rifle before hunting time (sun up). Wanna bet the hunters within a 10 mile radius had the deer rifles "unloaded" as they walked to their blinds in the darks?

Yeah, right! I knew several people who packed their shotgun with buckshot to get to their blind and had their deer rifle on shoulder via a sling. Others packed (in-hand) .44 Mags and their rifle slinged. People we VERY intense during that episode. At first, people though, no, couldn't be a cougar, then they had proof--PHOTOS from a camera near a hunter's blind, and tracks to boot.

I remember walking to the blind, I was scared doo doo-less! Sore as I was, the next day I left my Encore home and packed my Weatherby Mark V in .270 Win.

I can still feel the chills just thinking about that one!

Doc2005

[Cosmoline]

Here kitty kitty :D That's a cat who knows there's some good kibble in the house. Not even afraid of the flash going off. Bad bad bad. I'll bet somebody has been leaving food out, or perhaps small juicy pets.

[Highland Ranger]

Looks like a small one no?

You know what we call that cougar at my house . . . . .


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a dead cougar!

[armoredman]

Do you have a female cat in heat?

[Thylacine]

Too close for my comfort.

[HighVelocity]

A good blast with an airhorn would fix his wagon.

[BIGR]

As far as I know I have never had a big cat on my porch, but 3 or 4 years ago one Sunday morning a 450 pound black bear walked up on my front porch. I heard a big sound on the porch and ran to the window and looked out. Ol big blacky had just walked off the porch and was walking up the bank. I told the wifey to come and look at the bear. She said you are telling a lie there ain't no bear out there. She looked out the window and could not believe her eyes. After further investigation I noticed that the bear had smacked the gas grill around on the porch. A few days later my brother in law walks out his basement door and notices something black about three feet to his left. There sat ol blacky against a bank eating out of a barrel that had corn in it. My brother in law retreated backwards through his basement door. That is one time that he was glad that he didn't lock the door behind him. Two weeks later bear hunters jumped ol blacky out of a thicket that was across from my driveway. They chased it about a mile from the house and killed it. He weighed in at 450 lbs.

[The-Fly]

Ahh nothing my AK couldnt of fixed in a jiffy :evil:

[RCL]

I've seen these pictures before......:confused: :scrutiny:

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=138407&highlight=mountain+lion

[Lupinus]

dude my cats freak out when the neighbors dog breaks out of its back yard....they would have had a heart attack if their cousin showed up! :D

But seriously, that woulda been one dead kitty. I had a black bear eating my garbage once that didn't bother me much, he didn't try peeking into the house and it wasn't that uncommon for bears to eat garbage so he was left alone...still I watched him till he left with the biggist gun I had. On another note I liked it better when he ate my garbage, racoons and stuff tore it all over the yard the bear was neat (watched him from start to finish) walked to the car stood up popped lid off with his paw reached in pulled bag out dropped it on ground made one neat cut in the bag ate his fill and left didn't ever knock the can over, went out next morning picked the bag up in one piece a stray paper the wind had moved out and dropped it back in the can....the professionalism of yogi was amazing :evil:

[Cosmoline]

So are they Yellowstone pics or upstate NY??

[pax]

Hope your friend doesn't have small children.

pax

[roo_ster]

I hope all the folks that read and went, "All these folks saying they'd shoot the cougar just wanna kill somehting," re-read pax's post.

A cougar that bold & unafraid of humans & flash photgraphy is a dead child waiting to happen...and its a sure bet there are the remains of several pets left behind in its scat.

[EmGeeGeorge]

Looks kinda fat to me; Maybe a neighbor keeping one for a "pet" and it got out?... I'd get it a pink collar and a tag that says "FluffY".

[Gordon]

the only issue I'd have is wether to shoot thru the glass or not!:uhoh:

[Cosmoline]

Looks kinda fat to me; Maybe a neighbor keeping one for a "pet" and it got out?... I'd get it a pink collar and a tag that says "FluffY".

Judging from its belly, my bet is if you examine its scat you will FIND a pink collar and tag that says "Fluffy" :D :D

[Lupinus]

so what is the appropriate caliber for cat burglars trying to get into your house?

[dfaugh]

We've had "supposed" sightings of them here in Upstate NY, including one of my neighbors right down the street...But, we've got a nice deer population, literally in my backyard,and I always look for tracks when I go "out back" into my woods, never seen a thing. I suspect the sightings here have actually been bobcats, which I have actually seen myself on a couple occasions. If one showed up on back porch, I'd pop 'em, because it is obviously not afraid of humans, and could pose a serious danger. Shoot, Shovel and Shut up.

[fletchbutt152]

I guess since this is one place I'd like to be able to come and get accurate, non fabricated information (unlike 90% of the BS on the TV or Internet), I'd like to see 44Brent give us an explaination of the same pictures on two different threads, 10 months apart, and supposedly taken 2000 miles apart.

Mistakes can are tolerated, Lies are not :fire:

[ID_shooting]

Time for my soap box rant!

OK, mountian lion on the porch, notice I said lion and not cougar, in the west they are lions. Symantics I know, but there is your first clue. People that are not from around here call them cougars.

Now on to every one who says somthin galong the lines of, "cat on my porch, I would kill it" This cat has no fear to come right up n the porch, he should shoot it."

GIMME A BREAK!

Weather or not this is from NY or outside YSNP, we, as in humans, move to the woods, build a house in what used to be forrest, then get all bent out of shape when the forrest creatures pay us a visit. PULEASE! Figure it out before you move into rual areas, the critters were here long before you, they will still be here long after you leave. I would rather have a mountain lion, bear, yote, raccoon, or snake in my area than your yapping rat dog that I can hear from 2 miles away or your never dying need to put up street lights and polute the woods with city light.

I have lived my entire life in the woods, yes you can navigate at night with out flashlights, yes you can co-exist with nature with out killing every thing the forrest has to offer. Yes, you can live with out indoor plumbing and blaring stereos. Go hunting for food/clothing, sure, no problems with that. Move into a mountain community then complain that fido is now bear poop, shut the &*#$ up and deal with it.

OK rant off for now.

[borrowedtime69]

i saw these same pics posted on Rimfire Central last year or the year before, exact same pics.

[Lupinus]

ID-

In a sense you are right, but you can let your children play with preditors, mine I won't be taking the chance with.

[Art Eatman]

Well, the pics don't look photo-shopped...

Mountain lion, puma, cougar, panther, painter: They're all the same critter. Local usage, different names.

That cat doesn't look quite full grown. A little short at the shoulder, for height. Full bodied for the size; plentiful food supply, apparently.

They're snoopy critters. Good noses, too. Could have been that the cat smelled something from the kitchen or from the garbage can and went exploring. A young cat that's never had somebody yell or shoot at him might do that. Young and dumb. Typical teeny-bopper.

But he would indeed make for some tasty meals. :D

Art

[Cosmoline]

Those are real pics, but like the infamous picks of the brown bear hunted by the airmen, the story is getting changed on-line with "my friend's friend" accounts.

I'd be more inclined to believe these were actually taken near YNP, but they're certainly real pictures of a real lion on a real porch. However, the're stored on a website with no relationship to either NY or YNP

http://www.lasikfraud.com/

Maybe we can track down the actual source of the photos, but either way they're cool pics.

[MrTwigg]

Quick ! Count the pets ! Any neighbors missing kittys or yippy dogs ?

Somebody else already said this but, Man I wish I lived in a area that wild.

There have been sightings of these great cats in northern Vermont, and recently in the Quabbin area near where I too. So far nothing but tracks & scat.

OK the pic's might have been around for a while but if they've been photoshopped, it's a good job. I think they are real.

Three words to sum it up.

Totally freaking awesome ! :cool: :cool: :cool:

[fletchbutt152]

I also would love to here where I these animals do, just as our ancestors did 200 years ago...And diddo on the beautiful pictures. I was just a little annoyed that a little more care wasn't takin' in tellin' the story of them.

I have now changed my mind and hope to discover their origin myself and live there all alone. The less who know where they were taken the better for me!:D

[IRONFIST]

So, did Brent44 get caught in a lie or not? What is the consensus among those who looked at the pictures? It appears to me that the photos are the same. Doesn't look good for a man's reputation, I hope there is an innocent explanation.

[Cosmoline]

A lot of these things get circulated without any mens rea. Someone tells someone else a story about the photo, who then says they know somebody who did XYZ and forwards the photo. As with the infamous bear pictures, they get circulated in good faith but with completely false stories.

[H&Hhunter]

Well wether the story is real or not I've got a different take on the pics.

That cat doesn't look like a he to me at all. It looks like a she from it's face and I'd venture to say probably a pregenant she.

Just a hungry cat trying to make a living.

[John Rogers]

Plenty of 'em in my neighborhood, the local paper had a photo just 2 weeks ago. Nobody has been eaten.

Last fall I was visiting Albany NY, there was a very clear photo in the Times-Union; it was in the town of Westerlo.

I hope that most people would use reasonable judgment before deciding to kill such a magnificent animal. It should be an occasion for sadness, not bravado.

John

[John Rogers]

I must amend my previous post. What I should have said was:

"I hope that most people would use reasonable judgment before deciding to kill such a magnificent animal. Outside of a reasoned hunting context, it should be an occasion for sadness, not bravado."

My apologies for any perceived offense.

John

[LAK]

This cat really get's around ;)

But anyways; I would not tolerate such a kitty prowling my property. I would give it a good scare. If it ignored this and returned more than a couple of times it would wind up a rug in my den.
--------------------------------------

http://ussliberty.org
http://ssunitedstates.org

[MCgunner]

Well, I'm up this morning because of a pack of feral dogs. I live in town, but sorta out away from the neighborhoods on the main drag in. There's trees and fields around me, but it's still pretty urban, not really boonies. There's a Walmart right down the street. Lavaca Bay is just across the street through the brush. I get all sorts of small critters, mostly coons. Not sure what the coons like about the place, but they hang around and possums, of course.

But, last night my wife gets up to investigate the yapping. My cat had kittens on the front porch about a week ago. There was a dog in there yappin' at 'em. I'm not sure if he killed any, found one and I hear MEOWING behind some boxes, didn't investigate. Momma cat came back and I just figured she could round up the survivors. Anyway, I get up, slide my .38 snub in a back pocket and I pull out my NAA .22, flip it out of the holster grip, and go on the porch. There's about a dozen dogs, not any that big, in the yard and I yelled, the yappin' dog ran off the porch, the rest ran off. He stood there barking at me, not growling. I shoulda shot him, but just shot into the ground and he shut up and hauled butt. I later heard 'em way down the road, someone else's problem. I shoulda killed that dog I guess, in retrospect if I had it to do over, I would have. If he was someone's pet, he had no business out of his yard and in mine. I think he was feral, though. I guess if he ate a few kittens, that's fewer I'll have to give away.

[MCgunner]

Well, I coulda shot at that dog and probably hit him even in the dark with my mini revolver, but he was backed by concrete and there's a house about 200 yards in the rough direction and I didn't want a .22 bouncing around town. Thought about it, should I get my old double 12 out of the shop and stick a few #7 1/2s in it if they come back? That might disturb the neighbor down the street, though. So, I loaded my little Rossi M511 Sportsman .22 kit gun up with CB shorts which shoot pretty well even at 25 yards from that gun and won't go far and should still kill a dog eventually, even if gut shot. Be nice to make him suffer, actually. They don't make much noise even from a 4" revolver. I'll have to make sure of my background before I shoot, but I've got the flashlight and gun handy and if the SOBs come back tonight, I'm gonna take a few of 'em out.:mad:

Looks like they got two kittens out of four, small loss I guess, but the wife was a little upset about it.

[SAG0282]

Hope your friend doesn't have small children.

EXCELLENT point, and exactly what I was thinking as soon as the pics came on my screen. Sure, you can be diligent about not letting them play outside, but what about when the cat comes back around when the child is in your arms on the way to or from the car?? Sure I can deploy my SIG with one hand, but do I really want to put odds on stopping a cat with a 9mm pistol fired from one hand? Or even my G20......so for that reason, if I could do it, the cat would be dead. I would take no pleasure in it......they're beautiful animals. I can still remember the first and only time I've ever seen one....I was in a boat in one of the chain lakes near Coeur'D'Alene lake in Idaho and one came out off the shore briefly.

But the life of our three year old is much more important.

[Desk Jockey]

Looks like those cats migrate more than previously thought. New York in May 05 and Yellowstone in March 06. And he's not afraid because he's casing a house near Yellowstone that's identical to his old haunt back in NY.

If I ever build a blind for hunting mountain lions, I'm going to use the plans for this house. That model attracts cats all over the country!!:rolleyes:

[Micah513]

I live in Missouri and for years the conservation department has told us that there weren't any here in the state, but I have relatives that heard them screaming at night as long as 30 years ago. My cousin saw one sitting in a tree about 10 years ago. There have now been several cougars hit by cars in recent years and the contents of the stomachs revealed they were living off of deer & rabbits. So definitely wild & not someone's pet. A woman who lives in a sub-division in Branson, MO recorded one on video tape last summer in her back yard.

A couple hunters killed one awhile back & were prosecuted for it. I know they got massive fines & might have went to jail? can't remember for sure anyway if you kill one check your local laws before you start telling everyone about it. If I kill one you will never here about - assuming I don't get caught disposing of the body. :D

[danurve]

your chains are being yanked.
I frequent several hunting / shooting related forums.
These are the same pics that have been floating around for at least 2-3 years now.
Who's friends are next?

[H&Hhunter]

It is unfortunate that a mere picture of a large land predator causes such a flash of imagination.

This series of pictures, the brown bear which was legally killed by a hunter which turned into a hair raising charge with dead bodies and all whom several people claim to have close personal knowledge. Then we have the pictures of the mule worrying the dead cat in Arizona which was hunted with a pack of hounds bayed and shot. Somebody on this sight claimed that it was their "friend" who was stalked by the cat along with his terrified pet dogs until he was forced to kill the overly aggressive blood thirsty cat.

I of course pointed out that the poor terrified dogs were dry land cat hounds, Plott hounds to be exact with tracking collars on. The exact type of hound one uses for lion hunting with lion hunting collars on. But even that didn't have much effect on the imagination of the thread starter.

I really don’t know why a picture of a large predator brings out the little boy in some people.
:scrutiny:

[jashobeam]

GIMME A BREAK!

Weather or not this is from NY or outside YSNP, we, as in humans, move to the woods, build a house in what used to be forrest, then get all bent out of shape when the forrest creatures pay us a visit. PULEASE! Figure it out before you move into rual areas, the critters were here long before you, they will still be here long after you leave. I would rather have a mountain lion, bear, yote, raccoon, or snake in my area than your yapping rat dog that I can hear from 2 miles away or your never dying need to put up street lights and polute the woods with city light.

I have lived my entire life in the woods, yes you can navigate at night with out flashlights, yes you can co-exist with nature with out killing every thing the forrest has to offer. Yes, you can live with out indoor plumbing and blaring stereos. Go hunting for food/clothing, sure, no problems with that. Move into a mountain community then complain that fido is now bear poop, shut the &*#$ up and deal with it.

To this I say that my parents have lived in the Santa Cruz Mountains in CA for 20 years. Though there are mountain lions up there my parents have never seen any (a few of their neighbors have however). My family loves nature in all forms but if a mountain lion ever appeared on their deck, I hope that they would not hesitate to shoot it. Any mountain lion that wanders up to your house has, most likely, already spent time "casing" the joint and determined that neither it nor its occupants pose any threat. If this is a young cougar whose mother didn't teach it any better, cull it before problems start. As many books and articles say, if pets start disappearing--people are soon to follow. An animal that will hunt on your property in close proximity to your house has lost its fear of humans. If it doesn't fear you, you are on the menu.

Hey Lupinus:
I had a black bear eating my garbage once that didn't bother me much, he didn't try peeking into the house and it wasn't that uncommon for bears to eat garbage so he was left alone...still I watched him till he left with the biggist gun I had.
The bear walked off with your biggest gun and you did nothing but watch?;)

[Lupinus]

ok so my words were off lol


Bears in the area were known for eating garbage, they would never show up when people were visible and if you caught a glimpse of one it was usualy of it walking the other way. Also, thing wasn't looking into my house or on my porch and my cats were sitting there watching it too, I may not have (wasn't a huge bear, can't say for sure on weight but small side of average) but the cats wouldn't have made tasty morals. I don't hear much on cougers eating garbage though, bears I do so didn't exactly come out blasting, a couger I would have if it was looking into my house.

Forget kids, I don't want to go one on one with a couger.

[Art Eatman]

Mountain lions are fairly regular visitors around my area. There has been a mama lion in residence on Cigar Mountain, a mile south of my house, for forty forevers. One dies off, another moves in. Similarly on other mountains around me.

Periodically, Handsome Stranger drops by, and before long there are little lion tracks around the place.

Sightings aren't an everyday affair, but every month or two somebody sees a lion wandering along.

We have a few with extreme melanin, leading to comments about "black panthers". One interesting lion I saw was colored very much like a Sealpoint Siamese, albeit not as dark. Really beautiful critter. Most of our lions are colored about like the one in the opening post's photos.

There have been three or four attacks on people up in Big Bend National Park, but none outside it.

Art

[MCgunner]

I hunted on a 13,000 acre ranch near "pumpville", which is a hole in the wall about 13 miles west of Langtry, Texas. There were big fires in the Sierra del Carmens across the river one year and black bear and cougar were spotted around the area. There was a lion that was loose in Langtry during the day that year and the Wardens shot it with a dart and hauled it off to greener pastures. Folks around there were kinda freaked about all the critter invasion. I guess they were "wet back cats?":D

[Skunkabilly]

Art Eatcat sayeth:

But he would indeed make for some tasty meals.

Art, careful. Remember how the SARS outbreak started?

Bet the cat was freezing his little buns off. It looks cold outside!

[nyathi]

I don't think he tried to get into the house - from the photographs he was just at the house. The house is probably in his domain and he has probably been there a couple a times when you were not looking. He probably knows more about you than you would be comfortable with - he probably knows your smell better than what you look like. He can see by the light of the stars and does not need your light to watch you. You are not his natural prey you are no competition for him with the ladies - it's unlikely that he'll tangle with you for a meal or sexual dominance. Let him be.

Removing him from the domain will not change the domain - he''l be probably be replaced by a relative. Changing the domain such that he does not want to live there anymore will probably make it less attractive to you as well...

If you wanna hunt him don't shoot him off a porch - be a sport !

[swampsniper]

All the photos have EXIF data encoded in them by the camera.
They were taken 03/10/2004 at 7:15, with a Nikon E775 camera. They are 2 years old.
Exif data is in most digital photos, unless removed. You can download free software to read it.


http://ak.no-ip.com/EXIF/index_en.htm

[Art Eatman]

People don't realize how much some lions travel. TP&WD put a radio collar on a lion down in Black Gap by theRio Grande, and two nights later the lion was killed in a goat pen some 80 miles north.

A friend of mine uses his 172 for radio-tracking of various radio-equipped critters. Falcons, eagles, lions...One lion had a regular pattern, north to south and back, from north of Marathon, Texas, to the southern part of Mexico's Del Carmen mountains--a distance of over 200 miles.

A lion on the hunt is said by the wildlife biologists to work as much as a five-mile diameter circle in a night...

Art

[fletchbutt152]

Why am I one of only a couple who would like an explaination of 44Brent's post?

I don't want to crucify 44Brent, but I do want an assurance that the information I come to "TheHighRoad" for won't lead to blowing my shoulder off. Or worse, my injuring someone else.

I truly am thankful for 44Brent posting the pictures because I would never have seen them otherwise. But, perhaps, we can train ourselves to be a little more disciplined. In my line of work we depend on others with our lives...this may not be the case in this forum, but geeze it would be nice if we could!

Please tell me if I'm over the line. I need some kind of assurance my anality is warranted:evil:

[swampsniper]

Brent didn't claim to take the pictures. Not many people who don't live with 3 cameras hung around their neck even know about embedded data. It is about the first thing I look for, because I do live with cameras hung all over, and I am always curious about cameras, settings, and the other factors.
If Brent was claiming the shots as his own, I would have PMed him and told him to tighten up. I can't see any need for Brent to be embarrassed, and now, everyone should be able to look for image data. I am not much of a photographer, but too old to hunt like I once did, I try to photograph like I used to hunt, get close, and make one shot. If I killed a deer tomorrow, I would have to sit there and eat it, I sure can't drag one anymore!:)
http://photobucket.com/albums/v244/tsiya/

[seeker_two]

I'd still shoot the cat....

[Lonestar.45]

We had a lion or two frequent our deer lease out in Llano back in the 90's. Someone would see it every year. Once, dad saw it during bow season. He was sitting on his tripod, and out about 75 yds through the tall grass he sees this monster cat tail stickin up and walking along. He got a good look at it once it cleared the grass. A full grown lion. This made me think twice about maybe carrying a pistol during bow season (but since it's illegal, well....).

Another hunter spotted it while he was coming down the granite mountain on our lease. The lion ran down in front of him about 30 yds out. He said it was a big male (seeing as how he got a good look at it from behind I believe him).

A few times we found deer kills that had been covered up with brush.

I spotted him a LONG ways out walking through the brush once.

No one really wanted to shoot it. It was more afraid of us than we were of him so we left him alone. People that have never been around them really get worked up over them. Trust me, if you live where they roam, chances are they have spotted you while hunting and you never knew it.

That said, if one was brave enough to come around on my porch, well, I may have to take some severe action. But that's the exception not the rule.

Now, feral cats, that's another story all together........

[44Brent]

My friend who sent me the pictures was actually pulling my leg. He didn't take the pictures, he was just trying to entertain my girlfriend who is planning to visit Wyoming this summer.

I don't know the original source of the pictures. Your guess is as good as mine.

[Art Eatman]

Hey, don't sweat it! Great pics, and good BS session...

:), Art

[swampsniper]

It doesn't matter, Brent.
Thing is, check images for embedded data, if it has been removed, ask, why?
You never tried to B.S anyone, I just hope I made it harder for anyone to B.S. you!:D
When I first got into digital photography, the only edit software I could afford stripped out all the EXIF data. I got questioned a lot on the authenticity of my images. I've managed to catch a few decent shots, with little half adoublescribble cameras, because I still stalk like I'm hungry!
If you ever get near N.E. Florida, bring a camera, there are unlimited shots still out there!:D
The photos are great, just wish we knew where, we already know when!
http://photobucket.com/albums/v244/tsiya/

[sturmruger]

44brent thanks for the great pics even if we are unclear of the source.

[Balog]

Never knew about the embedded data. Thanks, that'll be really useful.
Nifty pictures, too.

[swampsniper]

Still got the guns and bows, too old tote anything out of the woods these days. I just get on my electric mountain bike, go as far as it will take me, and find a place to hide. If I can leave memories for you young guys, I'll be happy, the bulldozers are winning around here. There are plenty of deer and hogs where I do most camera work, but too many people always moving around.
I can still snag something edible if need be!:D

[beards]

good reason to keep the back door closed huh

[PCGS65]

A full mount or a throw rug, would look good in my house.
Is it legal to kill a cougar in wyoming?

[mcraven]

I'm a little simatheic, but don't get me wrong the shots I took at the cat would have come from my 30 '06, not my camera. The only thing I have to say is that if someone is going to live around the national parks that are in place to preserve the countries wildlife, well then they better expect to see it. The mountin lion was living there alomg time before there were any people there. But, in the end I think I would have shot him and put his head up on my pourch to let all the others know what happens if they get too close.

[Art Eatman]

mcraven, would you shoot through the door? 'Cause if you first opened the door, you wouldn't get a shot. Ol' cougar, he'll make that first hundred yards in about four seconds.

:), Art

[p35]

I once heard an expert say that "for every time you see a cougar, he's seen you twenty!" They generally fade out of sight before we see them. One that acts like that needs a lesson- mebbe the "shotgun shell full of unpopped popcorn" type.

[swampsniper]

"For every time you see a cougar, he's seen you twenty!"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
At least!
I have a spot a couple of hundred yards out the back door, where on a hot day the smell of cat pee will water your eyes, with claw marks 7 feet up a cypress tree, lived here 15 years, never seen the big boy yet.
I wish him well.
First time he marks a spot in one of the new gated communities, he is a goner, and I will mourn him.
Tsiya is me, BTW, it is Tslagi for "Otter", the original sniper of the swamp.
http://photobucket.com/albums/v244/tsiya/

[thegodmanson]

A couple years ago here were I live in oregon a cougar walk into a ladys house and Grabed her cat and ran back outside niether of them were seen again :(

[JShirley]

So, I loaded my little Rossi M511 Sportsman .22 kit gun up with CB shorts which shoot pretty well even at 25 yards from that gun and won't go far and should still kill a dog eventually, even if gut shot. Be nice to make him suffer, actually.

MCgunner

That is just wrong, unethical, and you should be ashamed. It's just a damn animal, and even if you don't like them, causing unnecessary pain to an animal SHOULD BE beneath you.

[swampsniper]

Hey, McGunner, anyone who gets off on torturing dumb animals has a major head problem. You are an embarrassment to every real hunter.

[eastwood44mag]

Cat: The other other red meat.

Seriously, though. The vault would be opened, the magazines would be emptied, and the glass would be replaced.

[JShirley]

Actually, I hear it's white meat...at least, so says Col. Boddington (sp?).

[NRA4LIFE]

I think H&H said it resembles a very lean pork.

[MD_Willington]

Plenty of those back home on Vancouver Island BC, some are just as bold too... Cougar meat looked similar to pork from what I saw, yes I ate some.. not a whole lot though...

Check this out:
http://www.huntingvancouverisland.com/cougar_hunting.html

[Art Eatman]

Some years back a buddy of mine shot a young male cougar--about 60 pounds--and barbecued the hams. He brought it to a Porch Party down at the Study Butte Store. Other meat included barbecued beef and venison. That cat was absolutely some of the finest meat on which I've ever thrown a liplock!

Here at home, either the Cigar Mountain Momma has moved down onto the flat by the creek, or we have two momma lions. My neighbor had a cougar supervising some home repairs the other day, and there was a twice-housecat sized cub in the road a few days later.

:), Art

[Thin Black Line]

I am a mountain biker, and we want those cats dead.

I have kids and a mountain bike. Any cat that comes up like that to the
window of a well-lit room has little fear of humans and is therefore a threat.
Not taking care of it when you have the chance would be leaving it as a
problem to another person.

As much as I admire this as one of God's more graveful creatures, I'd have
blasted it right through the glass --no hesitation or regret.

[Nortonics]

Wow - impressive! Such a beautiful animal, yet so deadly to a unsuspecting human. I can't imagine what is going through a persons mind in the heat of the moment when being mauled by one of those.

Good reason to keep the sidearm on at all times in a location like that.

[Art Eatman]

Aw, about the same amount of raw terror when as when your race car gets all backwards at 150 or so...

:D, Art

[H&Hhunter]

Wow - impressive! Such a beautiful animal, yet so deadly to a unsuspecting human. I can't imagine what is going through a persons mind in the heat of the moment when being mauled by one of those.


"Sure wish I'd have brought the .44!":eek: Or some such thought.

Or for the rabid anti-hunter gun control freak, "Just kidding, now where's a stinking gun!"

[silicon wolverine]

OUt here in SD we just had a lady hit a 119 pound female cat with her car. The paws on her were as big around as a soup bowl. The game warden figured she was four years old and had killed and eaten a calf not a few hours before she was killed. The ladys comment: "Paybacks a bitch aint it!"

SW

[robctwo]

I was hunting in Southern Oregon outside Canyonville in 1996, two years after the dog hunting ban. Elk hunting on Acker rock. Sitting on a stand at the tree line mid day having my traditional doze. Not really asleep, but close. I heard a thump and looked up. Side hill and out about 60 yards was a cougar. On a rock like the Lincoln Mercury ad. Very cool. I stood up and looked at it through my 4x scope on the .06. Did not feel threatened. To my right I heard rustling in the leaves. Two more cougars. Looked to be adolescents. One was nervous and circling, the other put his ears back, got on his belly and started toward me real slow. He was snarling. I'd guess about 30-35 yards to start. First thought run. Second thought don't. I did not have a cougar tag.

He came on for a few steps. I had a real good look at this guy. I could see the bumps on his tounge, the specks in his eye and the color gradation in his whiskers. Oh, he had big teeth. I was concerned about shooting without a tag. He got close enough. I said in a very loud voice,"one more step and you're dead". He understood english.

I looked away for mom and back as fast as my eyes could go. All three were gone, literally in the blink of an eye.

I heard later that a young guy in another group had stumbled upon a deer kill down the hill from where I was earlier in the morning. He had that weird feeling of being watched. Never saw the cats but was very uncomfortable. I'm sure they were close to him.

I always have a cougar tag and a firearm with me in the woods.

There is a raging debate in Oregon over how to deal with cougars. Most folks think they should be left alone. Nice kitty. Of course these are the same folks who think the seals and sea lions killing the salmon runs at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia need to be protected.

Damn the fish, damn the deer and elk, save the predators. I would like to see some of these folk donate their pets/family members to the predators to get a good idea of how it works out there.

[V4Vendetta]

I love those photo's. Cougars are very high on my list of favorite animals. When I go to the zoo, they are the first animals I go see. However, in the case with the photo's, I'd shoot him through the glass:( . Cougars can leap around 18-20' in the air so I'm not gonna waste valuable time opening the door. When I first moved to where I live now, Me & a friend of mine who was a long time hunter & gun expert, found some deep claw markings high on a tree. He told me I needed a gun & a dog. Well I got the gun & this afternoon I'm going to look at a dog.

EDIT: I forgot to say that even though I saw the claw marks, I've never actually seen the cougar.

[Art Eatman]

V4, I see a heckuva lot more cougar tracks than cougars. :)

If you and your dog go to cougar trailing and the dog finds a fresh trail, one of three things is gonna happen.

1. The dog leaves for home, instantly.
2. The dog takes off runnning down the cougar trail and you may or may not ever see him again.
3. The dog catches up with the cougar, and there is a one-time event. If you don't find the scene of the action because of the two or three miles that's been covered in a very short time, the cougar enjoys lunch.

Art

[V4Vendetta]

I think that my friend meant I should have the dog to alert me if something is wrong.

[Kamicosmos]

I am a mountain biker, and we want those cats dead.

:barf:

[rmgill]

I'm all for conservation, but we're hearing more about cougers taking people as food. Be it kids or full grown adults. Personally, if I go in the wild or am at home, I'm not going to be puma poop. 12 Gauge slugs, pure and simple. Same thing if I have a dog attacking a neighbor or seemingly out of control in my neighborhood.

[Art Eatman]

As near as I can tell from various comment and articles, problems with the big cats arise in wilder areas near to urbanization. And, apparently, in those states where hunting is not allowed or is over-controlled.

I don't particularly object to seasons and bag limits, as in some western states, but it seems over-controlled to not have open season, no limit, when within five miles of a city's boundaries.

California's no-hunting law means more cougars looking for territory and the ensuing problem of food supply. Sooner or later it all goes from cute human-interest stories to "Oh, tragedy!"

In my area, with numerous cougars around, the only problems have been up in the national park. I wouldn't bother to shoot one here on my place if he posed for me.

:), Art





.

[jeepmor]

10mm through the glass, full freezer, safer surroundings, nice new rug in front of the fireplace. Duct tape and a board until a new piece of glass is put in.

What's the downside, oh yeah, broken glasss, ringing eardrums, mess on the porch, so it's not a freebie.

I don't know where that was, but in Oregon, you can no longer hunt them with dogs, and we are hearing of many more "sightings" since evading the hunters is much easier now.

When I was in LaGrande area snowboarding Anthony Lakes resort, I met a fellow that said him and a buddy frequently commute to some backcountry snowfields on a snowmobile. He stated that on their last outing he saw three different cougars! Yikes. I'd be packing something besides my snowboard for those outings.

I always have my dog with me when camping out like I did in that area. Suppose the dog is a good thing and makes a cougar keep their distance out of my visual range. Being they are such smart predators, I don't suspect the dog or myself would ever see them since they would stay downwind of the dog and in the shadows. But I imagine they have watched us and licked their chops. Particularly over my 55 lb dog.

But realistically, I don't have any children, so if I could successfully keep him away from the property, I'd probably just shoo him off with gunfire and make sure I was packing my 10mm for yard duties. If that did not intimidate him, I would harvest him for the pelt and food. As one poster stated, you take him out, you make another's territory bigger and open up some real estate for them to compete over.

jeepmor

[swampdog]

V4Vendetta,
I see from your location you live in NC. If you saw deep claw marks, high up a tree, they could have been made by a black bear. You might want to get a bigger gun. :D
I could be wrong, but cougars in North Carolina are pretty rare, although there are some. I would love to see one in the wild, as long as he wasn't chewing on me.
I have a neighbor who had 2 dogs killed in his pen a couple of years ago. Although no tracks were found, animal control said it looked like a panther kill.
It gets more built up around here everyday. I'm thinking of relocating "farther out". Maybe one day I'll see a cougar in my back yard. One can only hope.

[V4Vendetta]

"V4Vendetta, I see from your location you live in NC. If you saw deep claw marks, high up a tree, they could have been made by a black bear. You might want to get a bigger gun.:D "


*Looks for bigger gun*. The next gun I buy will probably be a pistol for a CCW. After that, I'll be looking for a .22LR rifle for plinking. Then a Remington Marine Magnum 870 for HD. That's at least several years away though. For now if I see a black bear, I have 100 .30 caliber bullets in 30 round magazines. 30 x 30 = 900. 900 x 3 = 2700 caliber altogether:eek: . That should stop a bear. I hope:uhoh: .

[pete f]

Mn DNR claims that there are none in MN despite recent pics of one in a pig lot, one in a subdivision, and the one I saw hanging from the bucket of a farm tractor. "they are just escaped pets" pull the other one.

[duckjihad]

QUOTE]OK, mountian lion on the porch, notice I said lion and not cougar, in the west they are lions. Symantics I know, but there is your first clue. People that are not from around here call them cougars.[/QUOTE]


Symantics? Please, can't we leave the Jewish people out of this? What does race/religion have to do with this? :) :neener: :uhoh: :confused: :eek: :what: :evil: :cool: ;) :scrutiny: :D :fire: :banghead: :cuss: :o :(

[mete]

I've been away for a while .Since I started the original thread I wa s surprized that the lion [mountain lion, puma, cougar ,catamount etc ] had moved from NY state to Yellowstone .....Art cougar travels -- IIRC there was a tagged cat hit by a train in NE but it was originally from the Dakotas -it had gone some 700 miles . Anyone know the details ??

[Art Eatman]

mete, don't forget panther and the corruption-word "painter" in the list of names. :)

[Supertac45]

Anything this deadly to a human that gets this close to me that is spelled CAT or WOLF is dead. As a rule, black bears don't worry me much since I've had 3 close (touching distance) within the last few years, and none have shown any aggressive behavior. I was armed the last time and never even thought of drawing down. I know, if I'm attacked, I'm in a world of S*** with a black bear. I do carry 24/7 now.