Sproulman, my comment was mostly about you bringing false, (PGC coyote), information into this discussion. My point being that if you make false statements about that, then why would a WCO believe you about cougars?
The whole concept that cougars leave during periods when they would be easier to document seems pretty far-fetched.
Cougars may travel great distances to mate, find food or establish territories, but that is the same logic that some use to say that they have left “other” areas to arrive here.
Doesn’t it seem odd that the same argument is used to say they are here and then used again to say they aren’t here when snow is on?
My take on this would be that if I was convinced I saw multiple cougars in an area, or so many other folks also saw so many cougars, then I would be organizing a tracking party of these individuals and interested persons to “prove” those sightings were legitimate.
Apparently you know the Sproul. You then must know how easy it is to spot tracks of anything that moves there in fresh snow cover. There are dozens of miles of gas co. roads and forestry roads that could be cruised with spotting scopes and binocs to spot tracks on flats and hillsides and check them out. The gas co plows the main roads and there is good access out across the top.
Keep in mind, cougars will kill and eat about 50 deer per year. They will continually return to feed on a kill for 6 – 8 days. Feed sites and tracks to those sites would be very evident. Out west this tactic is used to put dogs on a track with astonishing success.
Picture this says;
“these the same people who don't agree with MLs in pennsylvania the same one who argues up and down that people don't go off the beaten path.”
That doesn’t change the fact that Sproul and many others report seeing them on “roads” and in “open fields.”
It seems convenient that undocumented sightings occur on roads and open fields but provable sightings are difficult because of remoteness!
I would urge the folks who are convinced that they have seen cougars to actually do research as to cougar behavior and habits. Then set out to find that proof based on the inevitable sign any cougar simply must leave.
Let’s not subscribe to the “ghost” theory that they float above the surface, eat nothing, don’t have scrape and scratch areas, don’t leave scat, hair or tracks and only dwell in remote areas, except when teasing people by appearing in open fields and on public or forest roads.
And please read these posts. No one here is saying it is impossible for cougars to exist. Wild or domestic makes no difference. Most here are only saying that unconfirmed sightings are not proof. If someone is so convinced, don’t wait on a busy WCO to prove it for you.
If so many are actually seen, by so many people, then getting proof is a matter of some basic tracking and investigation.
Lacking snow, any good tracking dog should be able to pick up the trail from the sighting point and lead you directly to that cougar. It is legal to use dogs for coyotes (no fur taker license is even required). The same methods could be applied to tracking cats.