RE: Mountain lions, in PA or NY?
Chicory, you are one bad (kidding)guy! Hahaha, I do like your humor!
Guys, Ive been in the people business long enough to know how all this stuff gets started. There is no way the state is stocking lions...period. You can come to my shop and argue with me until you turn colors, Im not buying it, and I know from where I speak. Im called a know-it-all for taking this stance, but heck, it is what it is.
The chances of a mt lion roaming in on its own are, of course, possible, no doubt. Personally, I wish it happened more often, as bear or moose sightings in new areas are always fun. But the state cannot do this for us, as it puts them in such a liabilty nightmare that you couldnt imagine. The few people who can LEGALLY have a captive reared lion have to do so through the DEC and also Ag and Markets here in NY state. This is why you MIGHT see the odd lion, as an escaped animal. This would also expalin the metal tag. I use metal tags from Ags and Markets for my captive deer, its the same exact tag youll see on monitored bear too. The DEC is not liable for the lions in captivity, and I can assure you there are very few. If one escaped after it was being kept legally, it would have such a tag.
Its just like the pics floating around of the game tracker photo with the lion trailing right behind the deer. Started out west, and has since been "adopted" here as an eastern occurence. Anyone with at least a 4th grade education can see its a blacktail or mulie, the pic isnt that clear(surprise) so its not an eastern situation anyway. Look, havent you guys seen the pics of women with 100 lb hooters? Surely you dont think those are real too? OK, Im having fun with you now, but thats the point, regardless.
The DEC released all those otters a few years ago as a "feel good" thing for taxpayers. The otters up and traveled off to where they would naturally be, or died. Before that they released lynx in the Adirondacks, same thing, migrated off or died. Its how it works. Same with snowshoe hares in WNY. Fox food that time.
Ok, whats next, Bigfoot? Every scream in the woods is now a bobcat, I so often hear guys say. Its funny, cuz grey fox used to be the culprit in winter, and young herons and horned owls in the summer, same sound!
Look guys, Im NOT making fun of anyone here. Im just stating facts. We all kinda WANT some of this to be true, as it would be fun, of course. The biggest reason we have less deer in NY state? (drumroll).....because 1) the state issued a ton of tags a couple years in a row, and 2) most all of us killed that many deer those years!
Im sure Ive p*ssed some folks off with this, so go ahead and fire away, I have big enough shoulders!