Mountain Lion In Kc

[Micheal Kyle]

TV news is about who can be first and look what it does sometimes make them look stupid.

[John Smoot]

Micheal,

That'd be great. It would be cool to see a wild one. I've seen them in captivity. And, I think I'd prefer to see them at a distance or through the windshield....

[tinner]

I've had the pleasure of seeing one mountain lion in the wild before. A friend and I were fishing late in November one year in Colorado and we only lasted a couple of hours because of the cold. So we thought we would drive up through some trails. We were just driving along and talking when a mountain lion just crossed about 10-15 feet in front of us. It wasn't to scared really, just kind of trotted across the trail in front of us. We just looked at each other and our jaws dropped. It is rare to see them. I know when I was living in Colorado Springs they would have problems with them every once in awhile. I remeber once on the news that a mountain lion had either killed a mule deer or a big horn sheep in a subdivision on the west side of town. Another time I was working on the west side of town and I get to work and there are all these flyers posted. So I stopped and read one and apparently a mountain lion overnight had killed a deer on the grounds. I still can't get over how big those kitty's are I am glad I was in a vehicle.

[John Smoot]

This incident and how the news simply ran with the "mountain lion story" illustrates the occasional so-called mountain lion sighting. I've heard about people seeing them for years...and even black panthers. Yet, I've probably spent several thousands of hours in the outdoors in KS and MO and have never seen one or even a track. I've listened to people who I find reasonable people tell me they saw one here or there. I say they 99.999% of the time they've seen a bobcat. I have seen several of them, even in urban KC area. They are way more common than most realize.

Phil, you'll like this, because I know you fish the San Juan in NW New Mexico on occasion. I did find a lion track on one of the tight trails leading to the San Juan River. The trails are extemely tight and wooly. It is a little un-nerving to think of a lion watching you in that location. The guy who owns Abe's (Tim Chavez) told me that they are there and come to prey on the numerous mule deer in that river valley. But, no known human issues.

There is no doubt that the occasional lion will find it's way to the midwest...they've been documented. Just very rare. I'd still like to spot one.

[zander]

When I was in grad school, a friend and I went to New Mexico to climb some mountains around Las Vegas, NM over the New Years break. One evening we had hiked up a trail that at point along it, was at the bottom of two steep slopes on either side of us. I remember I had an eerie feeling walking up through that because not only was it dark, but the slopes were heavily wooded and you couldn't see anything up there. One the way down a couple of hours later we found mtn lion tracks in our earlier boot prints in the snow for about a hundred yards traveling the same direction as we were. Have no idea if it was following us or it was just using the same path as it would have had we not been there at all. It didn't really matter to us. We didn't hike any more in that area!

[Daddy Carp]

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.

TRY LINX.......... I lived in K.C.area for many years, mostly on the southwest area. We would see a Linx from time to time in the Gardner/Olathe area, out in the county. They are big! with a bobbed tail and appearance of a bobcat except bigger with ear-tufs very visable (ling hair on points of ears). Could have been what they reported on as a wildcat, mountain lion. Regardles, wouldn't want either on sharing my tent!! LOL

[John Smoot]

No lynx in the KC area.

Check some resources. Lynx are native to areas north...much further north than KC. Like Canada. Maybe Minnesota.

Bobcat. They have tufts on their ears, also.