Mountain lion tales

[Amery]

I have been researching(as a hobby) the existence of big cats in this part of the country and I have discovered a lot of people have a story to tell. So I was gonna see if anyone on here cared to tell a tale. I would perfer first person accounts from the last 10-15 years......no offense but save the ones from your uncle's cousin who saw a black panther in the 60's. Thanks for sharing. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

I can't wait to see the stories. 

I think you should include 3rd party drunken accounts just for entertainment  

My mother in law swears she saw a black panther in Illinois a couple years ago. 

Pete

[Smalliebigs]

My dad lives off hwy 47 out of Bonne  Terre but we share a piece of land off of hwy 72/49 it borders  Marble  Creek....we hear them All them time but have only seen them in 2013 during the rut.....they are out there for sure

[Zipper]

I was in an auto parts store last weekend and over heard 2 guys discussing their fear of Mountain lions while deer hunting.  One guy truly believed that MDC stocks them near Bonne Terre. 

[rFisherk]

In the mid 1980s, I was on a mule-back turkey hunting trip into the Devil's Backbone Wilderness (Ozark County). It was a windy morning, and I was sitting in camp with the camp cook about mid-morning, when a mountain lion came within 20 yards before noticing us. I could hear it's feet hit the ground as it ran off. At that distance, on a bright day, there was no doubt about what I saw, and when I came out a few days later, I called the MDC to report it. They treated me like an irrational idiot.

A year or two later, I saw a bear swim across the Eleven Point River, but I wasn't about to call those condescending jerks.

The MDC has tried their best to deny the existence of mountain lions for decades, until they just couldn't do that any more a few years ago, so its very unlikely they ever intentionally stocked any; although they did move the one that was trapped live around Lesterville and turned it loose on the Current River Conservation Area, which I guess could be considered stocking. That was more an unplanned relocation, They're still trying to deny that we have mating pairs.

Personally, it bothers me much more that they stocked otters. But the entire predator/prey situation is way out of balance.

[Flysmallie]

I saw one while fishing the PB2 area of Lake of the Ozarks back in the early to mid nineties. No doubt in my mind that it was a lion. I accidently trapped a bobcat when I was a kid so I've had a good look at them too. This was no bobcat.

[Clay Goforth]

I have had one personal experience with a mountain lion on our farm in Northwest Arkansas. I was out camping with some friends from high school on the back of our farm in 2000.  I was calling to an owl that was responding and moving closer to our camp.  We heard some dogs barking and they were getting closer and closer to camp also.  All of the sudden we heard yipping and squealing, like an injured dog and then everything went quiet.  We, jokingly, said, "Hey, wouldn't it be creepy if we shined this spotlight down the trail and saw something?"  So, we did and there were two eyes on the trail that immediately hit the ground when the light hit them. I got on the four wheeler and went to inspect and drove down the trail. When I got about 20 yards from the eyes, they popped back up and a big cat turned sideways and jumped off the trail. This too, was no bobcat. I grew up through high school with a pet bobcat and no bobcat is 6 ft long from head to tail.  I turned around and high-tailed it back to camp and was telling the guys what it was. They thought I was just trying to scare them and run them in when the thing screamed from what I am sure was 80 yards away, although it felt like it was sitting by the fire next to us. You have never seen the likes of rough and tough boys scrambling into the cabs and beds of pickups and on four-wheelers heading for cover. I don't think a tire touched the ground… Tents, food, coolers, chairs…everything was left there. We crashed in the living room of the house. 

 

My dad thought we were lying or crazy or both until about a month later, our neighbor down the road reported losing a couple of calves to a mountain lion. 

We called AGFC and they said it wasn't one or that someone's pet had gotten out.  What they really mean is that, they don't want them to be around because they have to look into protecting them and invest time and effort into managing the population.

 

We know they are still around the area because just last month our neighbor with an adjoining farm saw one as he was leaving his house early in the morning. 

[marcus]

almost crashed into one on hwy 61 in eolia missouri  coming back from mark twain  thats the short version of my story

[mic]

3 hours ago, rFisherk said:

In the mid 1980s, I was on a mule-back turkey hunting trip into the Devil's Backbone Wilderness (Ozark County). It was a windy morning, and I was sitting in camp with the camp cook about mid-morning, when a mountain lion came within 20 yards before noticing us. I could hear it's feet hit the ground as it ran off. At that distance, on a bright day, there was no doubt about what I saw, and when I came out a few days later, I called the MDC to report it. They treated me like an irrational idiot.

A year or two later, I saw a bear swim across the Eleven Point River, but I wasn't about to call those condescending jerks.

The MDC has tried their best to deny the existence of mountain lions for decades, until they just couldn't do that any more a few years ago, so its very unlikely they ever intentionally stocked any; although they did move the one that was trapped live around Lesterville and turned it loose on the Current River Conservation Area, which I guess could be considered stocking. That was more an unplanned relocation, They're still trying to deny that we have mating pairs.

Personally, it bothers me much more that they stocked otters. But the entire predator/prey situation is way out of balance.

How rude, they should get to know you like we do before treating you like an idiot

Wait... did you say you live trapped a mountain lion in Missouri?  PICs please. 

 

[rFisherk]

I didn't trap it and don't have pictures, although pictures of the animal in the trap were circulated. I believe some were posted on this site.