There was an article in the Calhoun newspaper about some black panthers seen during deer season, and recently a 16 yr. old boy said he seen it in the ally behind his house in Hardin,IL. He went to the police. They came back and found some tracks, which someone said looked like a 2 1/2 yr. old cat. A guy that I work with said that he reported seeing a cat cross the road in front of him when he was going hunting. They were warning people to look out for their small children, and to report any pets missing.
Over the years I have heard alot of stories of big cats all over this part of the state.

Thats interesting.

I am not sure about this at all, but I thought for sure I read/heard that there is no such thing as a melonistic phase of the mountain lion/couger/puma. Could it have been either a Jag or leopard that someone set free or got away?

Very interesting post. Please keep us informed if any other evidence is found.

Haven't heard or seen any since the 1960's.

There have been rumors flying around my home town about black panthers for years, and DNR has always said they didn't exist. However, I have had several credible eye witnesses and I have seen 2 mountain lions/pumas with my own eyes, both stalking deer.

DNR also says no lions/pumas exist in Mississippi.

DC, I can back you up on that. When I lived in Natchez, we had a BIG black long tailed cat on our lease. Same thing, DNR said that they were not known to be in Miss. We told him we would shoot it and show him the evidence but he said we couldn't because if it did turn out to be a panther, that they were a protected species. We said we would live trap it but again said we couldn't. Almost all of us saw him more than once. Talk about making the hair stand up on your neck and goose bumps when it let out a scream.

Ooooohhhhh... shivers right now.

I grew up in west central Louisiana, and there were always stories around of big cats. My daddy personally saw one years ago that he says was black. MY fifth grade teacher has plaster casts of a cat she saw cross the road by her house in the kasatchie nat'l forest. There is also a forest workcenter a few miles up the road from her that have some casts also.

Mike, I hear you on that!!! I've heard several of those myself!!! It will make you not want to climb a tree before daylight!!

I live in Illinois too and haven't heard anything recently about the sightings but I've heard in years past about them. I've heard there were sighting around the Coffeen power plant and in and around Ramsey which is in Fayette county. I've never talked to anyone whoe says they have saw one just heard in a round-a-bouth way that somone has seen them. I think its possible that there are some here. They are a very stealthly animal and I believe its posssible for them to exist without being seen very much.