Not In Missouri?

[mark hedger]

Amen to that. Considering all the sightings, you would think there would be more livestock being taken.

[skeeter]

Amen to that. Considering all the sightings, you would think there would be more livestock being taken.

When I used to live out West, they had trouble with sheep being taken and calves.

Not many sheep raised around Missouri lately so like you, I'm surprised you don't hear all the beef cattle ranchers complaining about calves being lost. I was really surprised to learn Missouri is second only to Texas in the numbers of beef cattle being ranched ! The cougars are definitely here in the State in small numbers and with the size of our deer herd I am guessing that is their preferred food source ? Most full grown cattle seem to be too much for a cougar to tackle as they can be intimidated by a larger animal and have to be pretty desperate to take on a full grown steer. They are solitary hunters, unlike the African lion, and really don't get all that big when compared to the other "big cats " of the world. I've been told the key to the future of the Cougar in Missouri is whether any females get released/escape or wander in as right now there is no evidence of a breeding population and the reported animals that are wild that have been accidentally killed and examined have all been males.

[troutchaser]

Well, skeeter, I'm no expert on cougars, but I can give a definitive answer on the mating thing. I used to drive an armored car from Springfield, up Interstate 71 to Kansas City 5 days per week. I was on the road at 4:30am every morning, and there were several occasions that I saw cougars run across the road between Nevada and Clinton. More to the point, I saw a mating pair "in the throes of ecstasy" in the wooded area behind the Walgreens in Clinton, MO. I'm pretty sure they were mating, since there's never been a confirmed sighting of mountain lions playing leap-frog.

[Chief Grey Bear]

I was really surprised to learn Missouri is second only to Texas in the numbers of beef cattle being ranched !

And with that we could start a whole new thread concerning the health of our creeks and rivers and ranching practices.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Oregon has a large population of lions, they also raise a lot of cattle in isolated areas, but no lion problem. Virtually all lion problems are the result young toms being evicted. They end up traveling through areas where deer are either scarce, or have an abnormal advantage. There are so many deer in areas of good ambush cover in Missouri that odds are against a lion taking on a cow to kill a calf.

I don't think the lack of domestic livestock kills is any indication of a lion population.

[skeeter]

Well, skeeter, I'm no expert on cougars, but I can give a definitive answer on the mating thing. I used to drive an armored car from Springfield, up Interstate 71 to Kansas City 5 days per week. I was on the road at 4:30am every morning, and there were several occasions that I saw cougars run across the road between Nevada and Clinton. More to the point, I saw a mating pair "in the throes of ecstasy" in the wooded area behind the Walgreens in Clinton, MO. I'm pretty sure they were mating, since there's never been a confirmed sighting of mountain lions playing leap-frog.

Those observations are very interesting Troutchaser, thanks for sharing them. The North American cougar ( and I'm no expert either, just read about them recently ) is reputed to be one of the most elusive animals we have on this Continent and very difficult for wildlife biologists to study even if they can attach a radio tracking collar. These cats just hide from and avoid people really well. To have been lucky enough to see several and even see a mating pair is very rare and fortunate. From what I read I can only suppose the female was released or escaped from captivity perhaps as they don't seem to roam in search of new "territory" like the "Toms" do.

It would be interesting to hear from the folks who put up "trail cameras" if they have captured any recent images of wild Cougars in Missouri.

To me, it's kinda' neat to know they are around as long as they don't become a hazard to small women or children as they have in certain areas of highly populated California.

[skeeter]

And with that we could start a whole new thread concerning the health of our creeks and rivers and ranching practices.

Yeah Greybear, I agree with you but folks have to make income from their land somehow. A lot of these cattlemen are still struggling with the cost of replacing five strand barb wire fences that the ice storm of 2007 took down. Just be glad those numbers of cattle aren't hogs, then you would have a really BIG problem. Nuthin' is too much worse than a hog farm, I think they are even worse than chickens. Heaven help you if you live downwind from one. Pork......the "other" white meat ! Ha !