NY Outdoors

Weather or not they are wild or what may have been released "pets" is not the question. Heck they even could possibly be western cougars migrating east due to their doing well out west and growing numbers. And I'm not saying there are thousands of big cats on the east coast but the possibility exist that there are some no matter the reason.

With a range of as much as 150 square miles and possible migration of up to 60 miles a day helps the cats stay out of sight and keeps sightings limited.

With the countless rumored sightings from wisconsin to georgia, I just can't believe myself that they are all released pets, house cats, yotes, deer, or any other excuse animal.

If they are or were released pets, that poses a serious danger for both people and the cat and one would think that the state environmental agencies would get more involved with the search and capture of these wild pets.

Most state agencies say they are not cougars that are being spotted but yet most of them won't investigate it. Why...... who knows ...... I'm not doing this for conspiracy theories.

One thing we can do as privateers weather or not you agree they may be here is just be AWARE of the "possibility" of it and keep aware when in the outdoors. Report your "possible" sightings no matter if people think your talking about UFO's or bigfoot. Reporting them to your local paper does not get them reported or logged into state documentation. Make sure to report any possibilities to your state environmental agency.

Take an extra minute to investigate your sightings if you can and do it while the encounter is still fresh in your mind, looking for tracks, prints, droppings, hair samples ....... anything is better than nothing. Taking pictures of tracks isn't quite as good as a plaster cast. Ultimately the photo or video opportunity is the best other than a carcuss.

One private agency has take up the tracking and documenting of the "eastern cougars"

http://www.easterncougarnet.org/

You delaware hunters and outdoor enthusiast have a very good opportunity to possibly locate, spot, and track.

http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjo...econfirms.html

Also the possibility of it was even covered by a National Geographics article not so long ago.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...7_cougars.html

There is also an agency that is looking to help reintroduce the cat. The undertaking of raising cats without the influence of people is quite hard but that is their goal.

http://www.wildliferehabsanctuary.org/puma-cougar.htm

People have brought up the question..... shoot it or don't shoot it.

Tough call.........

The Eastern cougar(florida panther) is federally protected as an endangered species. But that's in florida. If they are not known to be existing in other states then they are not endangered species being they are not there. Catch 22, they don't exist so I guess you shouldn't get into any trouble but if you did shoot one then it existed for a moment for whatever reason and could possibly land you in some heat.

Your saving grace would be if it was declawed or had some other feature showing it was a released/escaped pet.

Ultimately, the states don't get involved so it's up to us(the public) to help spot, log, capture evidence for the state agencies. The states won't get involved till there is more concrete proof and that is simply going to have to come from us.

Stay aware, play with care, you just might spot something you didn't know was there. Hopefully it doesn't take something drastic like a loss of a child to get the states involved.

Newtown

Just about every major lake and mountain range in the world has a secretive monster kept alive in legends and sightings. Embrace the natural world, there are countless things we do not know about or begin to understand. But as hunters and conservationists, we should not add fuel to the latest monster craze. Lyme disease, west nile virus, invasive species, loss of habitat etc. are the real monsters we must conquer. I do not believe cougars kept Teddy Roosevelt hiding in his Badlands ranch.

bmullin57

Do you watch to much TV. The change of you seeing one in NY is much less than getting struck by lightening or winning the lottery. Because those happen to people on a regular basis, but I don't count on those much.

Careful of the sharks in the Hudson and mosters in your closet.

Strut&Rut

My brother and I thought we had seen a cougar in Central NY about 20 years ago, when I was not even a teenager.

Made some plaster casts of some prints, and sent them to the DEC.

Someone responded and said that the prints were not consistent with a cougar, must have been a large ferral housecat.

The prints were as big as my brother's hand. I had spotted them first and thought they were from a bear---which are extremely rare but have been spotted in nearby counties. Look at NY's declining turkey populations, and stable coyote populations. Look at NYs loss of hare/rabbits, even with perfect ecological niches.

We were once told that we would never see wolves, moose or elk either.

Well, wolves have been reported in Maine, moose have been hit in Central NY, and there are some free ranging elk in the Carolinas.

Why is the notion of cougars in NY so bizarre?

NY Outdoors

You count on winning the lottery.......good for you, email me tomorrow winners please.

and if i'm not mistaken, what your saying is there is a chance then albeit slim, regardless of wild migrated cat or released/escaped pets. Cool i'm glad we're on the same page then.

I did not mention anything in this thread about what I may have seen or may not have seen or when or where. This isn't about that. This is about possibly helping make people aware that there is a small possibility of it.

I guess I'm asking you as a person and an outdoorsman to just stay aware and consider the possibility. We need every person's eyes out there no matter in NY PA WI Del NJ VT GA MI or wherever you may be located on the eastern states.

I'm stating there is some "soft" evidence as well as hard proof that there are big cats in various locations in eastern states and that it's going to take us(the public) to proove or disproove that as the states obviously don't care to be bothered with it.

Did you see that picture of the 8 pound cougar kitten hit by car in KY....actually i think it said pick up. If their are no breeding cougars then what is an 8 pound kitten/cub doing getting hit by a car.

every state says if there was a breading population then eventually one would be hit by a car....... i guess it's safe to assume they are breading in Kentucky. If i recall I think it may have said hit in 2002 or 2003

yes a kid getting eatin by a cougar is a bit extreme but nonetheless, what's it going to take for the states to get involved?

check out that website and find some of the map that show confirmed sightings and they have 2 classes of confirmed sightings ...... see that one red dot up in the adirondaks near glenns falls area. yes that is only one but still there is one and a confirmed report by a professional in the field. that's part of their qualifications of a reported sighting.

look at all the confirmed class one sightings in the mid states...... it's not that far of a stretch that there might just be a few big cats around elsewhere just a bit farther east.

kluelass

NY Outdoors I have read many of your posts and mostly agree with your thinking. I especially agree with your initial post in this thread. I advise, however, that you cannot convince the "religious" with logic. People who have been agendized are like zealots and reject anything that threatens the status quo of their beliefs. You are trying to help them be aware. They would rather risk disfigurement, dismemberment or death {the 3 D's} , one must assume.

hillbillyhunter1

I'm not quite sure that I understand what all the hub bub is about. So what if the is a rare cougar---out there--somewhere--how is your life gonna be different if some "official " said there has been a confirmed sighting. Are you going to stay closer to the truck? or gather the villagers with their torches? I know a guy that had a stuffed cougar in northern WV panhandle that he claimed his grandfather had shot many moons ago. I did not have a reason to doubt him--I saw the mount. It would prove that you were doing the right things as a predator yourself in the woods--to see one--then, it would be up to you as what to do--let it go (I would) or shoot it or report it or whatever--it would be exhilerating if nothing else. Last year while in WV deer hunting--I had a sizeable black bear come to 30-40 yds (in open woods) of me ( he was moving along the same trail as a doe that walked right by me. When he got close enough I stood up and waved my arms and he took off--I then fired one shot at a tree that he stopped beside of. NOt for my sake but for his--wanting to reaffirm for him that humans were dangerous--Iwanted him to live b/c seeing him made my day that day.

NY Outdoors

Just for the record, I don't hunt anymore.

All fish catch and release. I have my reasons but that's my choice and opinion.

Tree hugger vegitarian pacifist .... definitely not, I'm impartial there, everything looks good in my crosshairs.

although I really really miss rotiseree marinated grouse. Wonder if there are any other grouse bow hunters out there. You guys want a challenge.....try that.

does the idea of big cats keep me closer to the truck.......I mean come on already, get real. Ya it does and I got all my windows boarded up like I live in florida preparing for a huricane. I also sit on my roof in fatiges and spotting scopes keeping an eye out for the ATF and FBI too. sorry couldn't resist

truck hugger ..... hehehe, why drive a truck when you can play in a jeep.

just trying to bring to light that the possibility does exist and tried to organize some links to valid acredited info for you people to look up and judge for yourselves.

I mean look at all the cougar threads just in the northeast section alone, there mostly full of opinions hearsay and hogwash. Heaven forbid if someone took it upon themselves to actually give a $**t and make some valid info available free for viewing.

And for those that may have seen or have evidence ........ you might want to contact anyone at the ECN in the above link.

If anyone comes up with samples(scat hair ), they can send it to the ECN as they have access to and capabilities to DNA test. You yourself will not have to pay anything but the shipping to get it there.

If you guys want to accuse me of giving a crap and trying to make people aware..........guilty as charged. That's all the initial post is about.

The info is there if you want to look it up.......... or not, your choice but the info should be read before judged and commented on. the ECN organization and website is probably the most credible as far as the information goes.

I really like the pending status of the michagin UP investigation. for them to state "pending" means there is some good hard evidence they are following up on.

kluelass

hillbillyhunter1 The hub bub I emphasize is the safety of citizens who are not aware of much outdoors. Such people do exist. They tend to swallow "official" views hook, line, and sinker, reinforced by Disney-esque presentations in movies and on the tellly. They, and especially thier pets and children (in that numerical order) may suffer, not due to ignorance, but due to misinformation that "officials" give. For example, cougars have been known from sightings and their activities in Arkansas (by natives) for decades. In May of 2003 a small adult woman may have been killed by one, even though her relatives had been assured by officials that no cougars were in the state. It is also possible she was killed by dogs, a bear, or even a human, as the investigation was compromised by the refusal of "officials" to accept evidence that pointed to a large cat as responsible. Is this what we want--poor investigations to cover up false statements made for environmentally political reasons?

Leigh Ann Cox killed ?by cougar? in Arkansas

I don't doubt that you are above what officials say, but my read is that most folks aren't, and false information can do harm. If you want to know why I say cougars have been known to exist in Arkansas for years despite affirmations by officials to the opposite, I have articles and other accounts via researchers, politicians, officials, and just folks to reference, both documenting cougar existence in Arkansas and documenting official denials--until slightly modified after Leigh Ann's death. I'll try to look them up for you if I have them published. I can't publish everything I read, but have published many documents relating to the death of Leigh Ann Cox in Arkansas.

bmullin57

I said I don't count on it. Sorry if I over did it. I do believe there maybe a larger Couger population than states will accept. But I do not believe that we should have to be on greater alert or worry about our children.

The bus ride to school is more of a threat. Very few attacks happen in states with larger cat populations were sightings are frequent. In the Mt.s of CA and WA I would not want a 5 yr. old out by thenself.