Mountain lion tales

[Old plug]

Let's see just in my neighborhood we got Lama, Alpaca,Goats of all sizes. Donkey, Buro,a couple Camels. I have not seen any of these yet walking in the woods but it is just a matter of time. The place is called Bott Farm. It is up the road from me. Folks bring there kids down to fed them when they are in the area, 

Wrench maybe some of the critter no longer live in th woods. You know where that place is in Laurie on 5 has the high red facing roof on it ? it was the post office at one time,. Well it is now allegedly abandon. But if you drive on the lower part of the lot you will notice there are no doors in the basement. I have seen coons and ferrel cats going and coming through those doors. Wonder what that place is like inside. 

[rFisherk]

I shared my story about a definite, unmistakable mountain lion in the Devil's Backbone in the '80s, but I had a more questionable sighting of a black panther just a year or two ago while floating the Eleven Point River. Brandon Butler and I were some miles below the Hwy. 19 access. The animal was at the water's edge on a steep, brushy bank, and we didn't notice it until it made a quick move to escape; saw it for only a second or two, and mostly just the back end of it. We were near the opposite bank, but the river isn't but 30 yards or so wide there, so the animal in question was only about 20 yards away from us.

My first impression was a big, black cat with a very long tail that was as thick as my wrist at the base. Brandon and I saw it at the same time, but I was first to ask: "was that a panther?" We discussed the possibilities and sort of talked ourselves out of it being a cat. But the next day, we drove down the road we had shuttled the day before so that Brandon could take some pictures of some boots for an article he was doing. While there, a local stopped to talk, and without us mentioning the encounter, this guy volunteered that he had seen a black panther in his back yard a few times. He even mentioned how wide the base of its tail was.

Brandon, probably because of his position, is still not ready to admit we saw a panther. I'm still not absolutely positive about it and could be talked out of it by a good lawyer in a court, but I'm fairly certain it was a panther.

[Al Agnew]

22 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

There are alot of critters in the woods that are common as can be, yet I never see them on foot.  

Skunks come to mind.  They are all over the roads DEAD but I hardly ever see one walking in the woods or fields. 

I've only seen 2 live bobcats in my whole life.  It's kinda insane that I've seen more cougars/panthers/tigers running wild than I have our own native bobcats. 

Hell I've NEVER seen a whippoorwill. Or if I did I didn't know what it was. But they sing at night so I know they are out there somewhere.

There are plenty of things living in the woods that very seldom get observed, so it's hard to seriously doubt anything.  

I turned over a log once up on top of a ridge, a long long LONG way from any constant source of water and guess what was under the log?  A friggen BULLFROG!   What the hell was he doing THERE?

I agree that a lot of animals are pretty hard to actually see, but regards black "panthers", it's funny that apparently nobody has ever killed one.  We certainly know people have killed mountain lions in the Ozarks.  Plus, apparently nobody has ever photographed one, either...and with all the game cams out there now, you'd think it would happen.

[fishinwrench]

Well, in order to kill one ya gotta see one, add in the odds of having something handy to kill it with when you see it, and again..... I'm not surprised.     

I had a splitting maul in my hands when I saw one, and I can only throw that thing about 30 feet.

Probably only 1/3 (if that many) of the sightings you hear about are genuine and true because people are nuttier than hell for the most part.  2/3 of them obviously have no business possessing anything capable of killing a panther with.  

[Old plug]

I understand conservation and I understand there are animals out there that conflict with me. What I object to is MDC making all these statements about some invasive animal being protected by the wildlife code and calling it OK. When I hear of someone shooting one of these cats it appears the shooter has to justify his act or pay a fine and maybe go to jail 

I remember when the Armadillos started to show into our area. There were published statements telling people they would not survive our winters and would not be  a problem. The cats were are no problem either since they were just young males passing through. Now they have found a female.  When MDC  makes these pronouncements in the same breath we are usually reminded  like all other wildlife in the state they are covered and protected under the the holy staturate of the wildlife code.

 

 

[MOPanfisher]

One of the problems with MDC or any other agency proclamations are that they don't change with time and circumstances. Early instances were likely young males looking for a territory, given time and food source along come some females and viola' breeding pairs just like black bears.  And yes all wildlife is covered by the Wildlife Code, that is its purpose.  So yes if you shoot a.mountain lion you better be able to give a good accounting for how it was a.danger to you or your property.  

[Old plug]

If I ever was forced to shoot one I would just walk off and leave it there just to avoid the flack. 

[fishinwrench]

I'd like to catch one on a Whopper Plopper.

[BilletHead]

Wrench put a big treble in a deer carcass and troll it through the woods.

BilletHead

[Al Agnew]

11 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

Well, in order to kill one ya gotta see one, add in the odds of having something handy to kill it with when you see it, and again..... I'm not surprised.     

I had a splitting maul in my hands when I saw one, and I can only throw that thing about 30 feet.

Probably only 1/3 (if that many) of the sightings you hear about are genuine and true because people are nuttier than hell for the most part.  2/3 of them obviously have no business possessing anything capable of killing a panther with.  

Yeah, but obviously in the last few years people have killed mountain lions, either by firearm or by automobile.  So either black panthers are somehow way smarter and more secretive than mountain lions, or they simply aren't there.  Missouri isn't like a lot of western country, where so much habitat is virtually inaccessible by humans.  Here, anybody that can walk can, if they choose, go anywhere.  There are a half million people, all well armed, in the Missouri deer woods today.  If there are black panthers, or even a significant number of mountain lions out there, one or two of those hunters are going to see them...and probably shoot them.