Steve, first I want to say I understand were you are coming from, I felt the very same way as you until 4 months ago. Second I have not fooled with cougernet or any other group other than my Dept. of game and lots of farmers.
So if you would, just use what I write while we have a conversation. There was a track identified by a respected bear hunter the morning in question. I have wrote that everything was coated with ice, but it had snowed a bit before the ice. The track was found in a pine thicket that was some what protected from the ice but not clear enough that the hound hunter I mentioned knew for certain what it was, at first he thought it was a bear track but wasn't sure. He also did not know anything had happened in the surrounding area until 2 days later. I have been given permission by my Game Dept to kill whatever is responsible and I will certainly do that. Nobody had experience this sort of thing before and we was all caught off guard, that is no longer the case. I did not start this thread, and I didnt ask for it to be. I suspect the original poster felt someone else had experienced something similar and would like to keep the samething from happening to someone else, as would I. There have been alot of aborted calves after this happened due to the cattle being stressed to that degree. Nothing like this has ever happened before. I am open to any suggestion as to what caused this, I know many things have been ruled out. If you are anyone else has any input/ideas I will be glad to provide what information I have in a civil manner.

Thanks