Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

i'm sure the topic has been brought up before, but here goes anyways.

i've never personally seen a mountain lion nor any tracks but i've been doing some research and there has been many many mountain lion sightings by upstanding citizens of pennsylvania. the pennsylvania game commission said these sightings are absolutely not true. here are some of the excuses they give:

it must have been a bobcat
it must have been a big house cat
it must been a coyote
it must have been somebody's pet that escaped
it must have been a dog

well PA has a lot of untamed woods. i've never seen a bobcat either and only seen a few coyotes in my day. nobody can tell me that it's impossible for mountain lions to be roaming the forests of pennsylvania. i believe there is WILD mountain lions living and breathing in PA.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

i herd a moose wondered down into pike county years ago so i would think anything could happen[:o]

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

ANYTHING is possible, and I don't want to call anyone a liar, but I remain skeptical about these lion sightings...To hear some people talk locally, the things are running all over the place..!!.... I just can't help but wonder why none of these upstanding citizens who see these critters have never bothered to SHOOT one..?? Since , according to the PA Game commision AND the NYDEC, they don't exist, it certainly would not be illegal to shoot one..... And how come there haven't been any roadkills..?? In Florida, where the Florida panther is listed as endangered, there have been a number of roadkills...

Show me a carcass, and I'll become a believer... And trust me, should I ever see one while hunting, there will be PROOF that they exist, lying right there on the ground...

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

Well I also have never seen a mountain lion, but my brother two years ago swears on our mother that he and a buddy of ours saw one while turkey hunting. I saw them about 20 minutes after they saw it and I believe them 100%. We were hunting the the Catskills of NY. Two other people in the area have also seen the same thing. When the DEC was contacted they said that it was most likely a bobcat or a deer. We were totally blown off. Now I think that they are probably extremely rare, but I think it is possible for them to be a few of them still in the east.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

MY GRAND FATHER HAS A CABIN N TIOGA CUNTY AND WE SEE A MOUNTAIN LION THERE. IT WAS SEEN BY EVERYNE IN THE FAMILY. WE USED TO PUT FOOD OUT FOR ANIMALS AND HE CAME DOWN. WISH WE HAD A VIDEO RECORDER WITH US. BUT WE HAVE SEEN THEM AND I SWEAR THAT ON THE SKY AND SUN.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

my cousin and I seen one in pike county pa. about 10 yrs ago

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

Would it be legal to shoot one in PA?
Let's make it common knowledge among hunters if it is legal so someone can pop one and we will have proof. I think that most people who see one are afraid to shoot them for fear of being prosecuted.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

It is not legal to "pop one" in pa.

Just because it is an animal does not mean you can shoot it. Per John Shutter, head of the Law Enforcement division of the PGC, it is protected. Just like a porcupine is...

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

I don't hunt PA, but my friends co-woker does, he has a few hundred acres in Tioga County. I was talking to this guy, after he had hunted opening day of the PA archery season 2003. He said that in all his years hunting his property he never seen what he saw. He was in his treestand, and saw a doe coming, all of sudden a large cat jumped on the deer, but the deer got away, he said the cat walked under him, and he was scared to get down to go back to his house. As far as a moose in PIKE Co a few years ago, thats true. It was spotted on the New Jersey side just south of the Milford Bridge.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

actually to tell you the truth, i wouldn't care if anybody believed me or not if i saw a mountain lion........ i wouldn't shoot it just because i wanted to prove to people that they exist. i would leave it in the woods for somebody else to see.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

Ill just add to the rumors, a good friend just told me this weekend the PGC was retrieving a radio collored mountain lion from faylors lake in snyder Co. he was told someone shot the lion, and tied it to a Block or Rock, and sank it in the lake, i talked to another friend and told him of this story and he admitted to seeing A lion in the same area hunting last year.
As far as leagly shooting one, its a pretty grey area. i know its leagle to kill animals in the wild not domestic to the state. such as Cows Dogs Buffalo etc. I perssonnally would shoot one, and would go around bragging about it. it would be a definate once in a lifetime thing, and Me being able to proove the myths would be worth the fine, after all the PGC said there aren't any here so the one i would shoot would of had to be a pet that got loose

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

Personally, as far as rumors, I for one know they are here. Wether soneone believes me or not is their business, it doesn't matter to me one way or the other. I saw one spotting about 30 yards from my car. I was with my father and two of my uncles and he was laying out in a field not far from the road. We were right outside of mifflintown in Juniata county. The following morning we went back to look for tracks and found a nice 8 point half eaten with tracks all around it. I still use the antlers for rattling. A few years later I worked in Allentown and drove past a dead one laying along the highway. It was about 2 feet from my car looking right at me and there was no mistaking it. Of course it was gone the next morning;). The final encounter I had was in Lycoming county right below slate run. My uncle ran into one heading out for an evening hunt. He took us out to the location he saw it and we found the tracks. They led right to a tree where we found a nice size doe hanging from one of the lower branches. So in my mind I know the truth I'm just waiting for enough evidence to come to light for the game commission to admit it:D.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

Well , I can't hold it back any longer. My family has a camp in Elk Co. bordering ANF. A few years ago we were there in the summer sitting around the fire in the afternoon. I kept hearing noises in the brush behind the camp. When the dog started barking I got up and walked into the woods to see. I was about to turn around and I looked directly into the eyes of a big cat at about 20 yards. He just looks at me calmly and turns around to leave. I thought it was a bobcat at first but when he turned and had a long tail I thought otherwise. I never said a word to my family because they would have made fun out of me and jagged me for life, saying that bigfoot said hi and stuff like that. That is why I would like to see proof of them, so I know I am not nuts.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

well my friends it's very odd that i just brought up this topic the other day because my buddy, his wife, and his son spotted a mountain lion on the side of the road in lower ny state (about 15 from pa border) in the seneca indian reservation. the whole family saw it and i believe them!!! they said it was sitting in a swamp next to the road. my wife was reading my topic and asked me if i heard about what mike and heather saw saturday. i told her no and she proceeded to tell me.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

well i talk to a local warden today, and told him the same storie of the lion in faylors lake, he just laughed and said" people will come up with anything wont they" it almost reminds you of the X-FILES. The truth is out there, would somebody please prove it.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

ONLY WAY WE CAN PROVE THIS IS TO PUT A TRACKING DEVICE ON ONE OF THESE CATS. AND THAT WOULD TAKE A FEW BUCK BUT I KNOW FOR SURE THEY HAVE THEM I SEEN THEM AND I KNOW WHAT I SEEN.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

Well guy's if it's not true then I'm nut'z too cause, I was up in Pike county for the weekend and had a mountain lion in the backyard one night. It even left a nice present for me in the morning, a BIG PILE of scat which was proof positive for me. I know it was hunting deer cause there's a deer trail that crosses right through the back of the property. I'll have to set traps next time I'm up there. Anybody know which traps would be good, size or make and model?

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

NemisusDM ~

Sorry I didn't see this post earlier, but I know some people I suspect would be willing to help pay to get that "present" analyzed and officially declared from cougar. I don't know if they can trace the origin/species info of cougars via scat, but maybe... Sure would be helpful to have evidence for those concerned about them wandering freely about with no officials admitting this is happening.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

It is illegal to kill a mountain lion in Pa. No grey area. I called the PGC and ask. Because the mountain lion at one time in the past was a native animal to pa. Shooting one would bring a hefty fine I was told.Trapping one also is against the law.So How do we prove it I ask?? He said stop wasting your time and forget it ,no such animal exist in pa. unless it is one that escaped from captivity.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

Not true, I'd bet you can find a discarded beer or soda can most anywhere[>:]

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

i Or to eat someones kids.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

He said stop wasting your time and forget it ,no such animal exist in pa. unless it is one that escaped from captivity. if this is what he is saying then all if any mountains lions that are in Pa. have escaped and are considered domestic animals running wild, and from what i was told they are leagle to kill, same goes with a dog, cow, buffalo, sheep etc.

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

did you get pictures of the deer in the tree?

Go to my web site www.Trackincats.com

I hear ya........

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

That pile..........


if anything such as that happens in future.

contact anyone at

http://www.easterncougarnet.org/index.html

they have access and are willing to DNA test any so called evidence and the only cost to you is getting it in their hands.

they would appreciate any such "evidence"

RE: Mountain Lion Sightings in PENNSYLVANIA
 

We are trying to prove this in the East, thats why sightings are so important to collect, then of course pictures of tracks, cats and whatever else we can get our novice hands are will turn in to proof. Go to my web site, I am collecting as many sightings as I can, www.Trackincats.com read "Why we do it" Thanks......