Moose you are absolutely right. DEC can not release anything and would not release anything without public hearings and a bunch of other red tape that goes along with it. but as I stated before there are people who get these animals as pets and no longer want them and think they are doing a good thing by releasing it into the wild. So if there are any of these cats around that is how they got there.

You would think that if the DEC was going to release Cougars it wouldn't be in the Southern tier of NY. The Adirondecks woulkd be alot better place don't you think?

If they did release them secretly why would they admit it on the phone to some one?

If they released a Cougar or black panthers in Cortland County it wouldn't take too long before one was shot on a deer drive and the gig would be up.

Born in Tupper Lake, raised in Newton Falls, living in Virginia after military retirement and i go back to new york each year for hunting, fishing, etc. yup, i am wrong. by the way, b11moose was also named larocke, darted and released behind bear mountain near cranberry lake, wonder how i know that.

my apologies Lee about the NY thing. However I still believe what i said about the other stuff and concure with moose, shed & charlie

yea, i used the wrong word in my statement also, instead of saying introduced, should have said relocated. my mistake.

I heard the DEC released 2 families of BIG FOOT, so they could cut down on unsafe hunters [8D][8D]

Man some of your statements make me long for the days before internet when stories like this only spread mouth to mouth after a beer at a local tavern. Not the part about thier being cougars out thier, because I think thier are some that may have been pets and been released, but don't spread rumors about this agency or that agency releasing them.
I do hear a persistant rumor that the PGC released pheasents last year to see about artifically creating a temporary, localized population, but you know how rumors go!
Juniorpc.

I just signed up my 12yr old for his hunters safety course. I was speaking to the instructor about several environmental issues. Once again take this as you will. The instructor brought this up to me, I never said a word to start. He has seen a Black Panther around his home. He has spoke to the DEC, they of course denied any Black Panthers. He spoke to a Encon Ofcr. He said he's never seen one himself, but has had reports of sightings. He had no knowledge of the DEC releasing any. The instructor is hoping to get video or camera pics, or he even told the Encon Ofcr. he would shoot it if gotten the chance. I spoke to him of some conversations written here, on how could the DEC ever do such a thing, the liabilities blah,blah. Well he pointed out what liabilities. If the DEC has no record, information, and denies any release of Panthers, Mountian Lions. Just who in the heck would be able to sue the DEC! For all anyone knows they may or may not have released them. Maybe someone else did, maybe they traveled from other states. WHO KNOWS. But they have been seen. The instructor even recalls as a kid his elders hunting Black Panthers near their home in Cuyler, NY. A hill that used to be nicknamed Black Panther hill in the 1950's.

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I would LOVE to see cougars in Westchester Co.
I can see the papers now.....Big Cat Has A Meal In BackYard Of Wealthy Neighborhood As Horrified Family Watches.............This would mess up those tree huggers for life!