Mountain lion tales

[MOPanfisher]

If you catch a mountain lion on a whopper plopper do you need a fishing or a hunting license.  If I was forced to shoot one for some reason my first call would be to an agent.  If legit you are way better off making the call instead of them finding out about it later.  If ticketed I will take my chances with the prosecutor and judge.

[Al Agnew]

4 hours ago, Old plug said:

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.

 

 

What everybody including MDC keeps punting is the question of, do we WANT mountain lions in Missouri?  If we decide that question, then it becomes a matter of managing them...either manage by allowing shoot on sight like starlings and sparrows, or manage by specifically protecting them in one way or another.  Right now we're still pretending that they are strays and aberrations that don't need to be managed except in the way the wildlife code does it...anything that it doesn't say you CAN kill, you can't kill.

Personally, I would like them to be a part of Missouri wildlife.  Other people don't for whatever reason.  I think people have an unreasoning fear of them, since nobody has been attacked by one in Missouri since forever.  I would not be in the least afraid even if I was in a place where I know they live.  Same with wolves and black bears, even though you're more likely to be attacked by a black bear than the other two, and bears ARE definitely a part of Missouri fauna these days.

[Old plug]

I was going to mention that about the code. Lo of people do not understand that the code tells you what you can do and if it does not day you can do you cannot do it. 

[BilletHead]

     They were there before us. I am like Al. Let them be. Good grief California is loaded with them. As liberal, oops I mean progressive, not right there either. I mean as tolerant as they are if they were eating too many of them out there I am sure they would do something about it. It is like this it is way more dangerous to drive down the road as being eaten by a mountain lion.

[Amery]

Yea they are not an invasive species. We are. 

[Old plug]

I agree with that as far as mountain loins go. But then there are squirrels and a few others.

[fishinwrench]

4 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

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.

I don't disagree with any of that, but I still saw one.

[Jerry Rapp]

just read most of this entire thread for some reason.  No pics at all?  Bow hunters post pics of a lot things going on around their stands.  Squirrels five feet away, deer not worthy of shooting passing underfoot, foxes, turkeys, etc. You would think there would be some photos of CAT sightings.   This compares sort of to the Mizzou thing.  No photos of the poop swastika, no video of the racial slurs being shouted, no photos/video of confederate flags around campus.  Maybe I am missing something, but I am from the Show Me State.   Enjoy this nice weather!

[Quillback]

My neighbors mom is absolutely certain she saw a mountain lion in her backyard here in Bella Vista.  Must be thousands of those cats running wild in the Ozarks, as it seems everyone but me has seen one.  If you are seeing "black panthers" (and not the Huey Newton - Bobby Seale type), they have to have been domesticated and either escaped or turned loose.

[BilletHead]

      I think this is a squirrel? Cuz he has a nut in his mouth. Second picture thought maybe a bear . All in jest fellows. I know I have seen things I made a guess on but had no positive ID. Now second hand account spotting like Amery said I may doubt but I will try not to question what someone thinks he seen. I do think with trail cam technology and all that are out there there should be more proof that there are so many seen. 

BilletHead