Mountain Lion In Kc

[John Smoot]

I thought you guys might enjoy this. This was on the local news, KCTV5 here in KC. The link attached is the report with actual video footage of a mountain lion. Only problem is, is that the cat is clearly a bobcat. I don't understand how the news people can report so-called facts to the public without doing just a little bit of research and verification. I e-mailed the reporter who did the story and told him the bad news. Then I told him I've seen bigfoot in my backyard a couple of times, and when I got video, I'd call him. I wonder if he'll respond...

Here's the link: http://www.kctv5.com/video/14503347/index.html

Now, if someone can get some bonfide video of the Taney squid, I think I know how to get the word out to the public. (I was actually thinkin' it's not a squid, but probably a type of Loch Ness type monster. They're rather common, I guess.)

[itsdesignateddave]

I have seen lots of bobcats in my life, but that one looks quite large, unless that is a very small deer. The one giveaway that I see is the small tail, otherwise it has much larger legs than the bobcats in our area.

[Rusty]

98% of it looks like a couger, 2% (tail) appears to be a bobcat. I guess that leaves me short of 100% of knowing for sure.

[zander]

I can't believe they didn't show the video to the "park ranger" they mentioned. Nothing about that video resembles a mtn lion. I mean it has a short curled tail, dark spots visible on the forearms (more would have been visible had the video been shot with normal lighting) and it has the bobcat trot. I've seen a lot of bobcats while stand hunting for deer, and that is what this was. Keep in mind they can get big 35-45 lbs.

[crappiefisherman]

looks like a young couger to me. bobcats are skittish.This animal doesnt seem to care about its visitor.

[Micheal Kyle]

After reviewing the broadcast several times I think that it does resemble a Bobcat. I have one that we killed and I got the proper permits to get the animal taxidermist. The face on the animal in the video looks short and boxy and the legs ar extremely long as well and the ears are quite small and pointy. Yes it does have bob tail and spots in the front but I would not make my conclusion just on those two things.

Before we bought the fly shop from Jack my wife and I lived in Kansas for several years managing a 30 thousand acre ranch with crops and about 1000 head of beef cattle. I would on some what of a schedule occurrence see a few Mountain Lions, They would love to eat on our dead calves that we would loose most of the time it was the same cats every now and then there would be a new cat.

Any way the cats that I saw would be short and long like less than 24 inches tall and about 5 to 6 feet long they have a distinctive head that is round and long and the feet are huge about twice the size as a bobcat now the reason that I said this look very closely at this cat it has a short round face and is tall and short, and the feet are small, or they sure appear to be small. I am no expert but I have seen a lot of both. I will say the news might be wrong on this one.

Michael

[John Smoot]

Micheal,

I've lived and hunted (alot) most of my life throughout Kansas. I've come literally face-to-face with about 5 or 6 bobcats, and seen at least 20 more from a further distance. Most of these times I was in camo and trying to be sneaky...deer, turkey, or squirrel hunting, I think. They are way more common than most people would suspect. In fact, I've found 2 road-killed in the last 10 years in Kansas City metro. One on south Troost and 1 on the interstate in the Grandview Triangle. Anyhow, I'd love to see a cougar. Never have, and have never seen a track. Where did you see all these cougars?

It's documented that they indeed do come through this area on occasion...1 was road-killed about 6 years ago in North KC...but, there simply cannot be any residents, at least in any numbers. It is kinda humorous about every year, we hear of people taking pics or video of a cougar or black panther. All the videos and pics I've seen are clearly not a cougar or panther. I've seen photo/videos that looked like dogs, housecats, foxes, and now, bobcats.

I'm not saying your wrong. I'm just real skeptical due to instances like this, which are very numerous and always with either bad or mistaken "evidence".

[troutgal]

Looks like they took the advice and got a second opinion. The news corrected their story after consulting a MDC employee.

Here's the link...

http://www.kctv5.com/news/14514294/detail.html

[Micheal Kyle]

And like it is said in the movie "Thats the way the cookie crumbles" I can not belive they did not get a second oppion first.

John I will e-mail with the info where you can go and see a real Mountain Lion.

[WebFreeman]

TV news is not about second opinions. I'm sure the correction was buried and glossed over. I can't get either video to work because of the firewall, so if I'm wrong about the gloss-over, sorry. But TV news is rarely about thoroughness.