Are there cougars in New England?....

[Steve H.]

....and I'm not talking about that 40-something hottie down the street....

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/08/15/berkshires_residents_spot_big_cats/

[lowwall]

....and I'm not talking about that 40-something hottie down the street....


I was all over that to, with Pics!

[fly]

You'll probably never get an eastern state official to admit to it, even with overwhelming evidence due to the heat and cost it would cause. The typical response is that even if there are four legged cougars around, they are the result of illegal releases from "pet" owners. I've heard Michigan is in the same boat, but that may just be rural legend.

[s2ary]

I have heard many many accounts of cougars in central and northern Maine, and like fly points out they are always dismissed by wildlife authorities.

Here is the way I look at it;
Growing up less than 10 miles out of Boston we frequently had Moose and Bobcats showing up in peoples back yards and vacant lots. What would happen is the animals would get onto the national power grid and travel down a couple hundred miles and pop up in the boston suburbs. People do not realize that the power grid is just like a second national highway system, you can virtually travel from one end of the country to the other without ever being seen by another person. It also goes up into Canada and Mexico.

I've always kept that in the back of my mind for when the FBI finds out my true identity and I need to go on the lamb for a while. :smile:

So could mountain loins and wolves end up where they haven't been seen in 100 years, very easily. Is that what is going on in this case. I hope so, with the price of home heating fuel this winter I could sure use a new set of mittens. :lol:

[Banks10]

I have absolutely zero idea whether Cougars are around NH. I have never seen one. Does anyone know how distinctive their tracks are? What would the difference be in size/shape between say a bobcat and a cougar? I would think that if there were a few around there would be more hunters, hikers, bigfoot hunters ;) etc. noting their tracks.

I would imagine that coming across a cougar while hiking would be a pretty scary experience. But its kind of cool to think that an animal that big could be around somewhere.

[Casey A. Wood]

I don't think we have an over abundance of them here in the east. However, out west where my sister lives, one of the things the F&G, (or whatever version of it) teaches you is NOT to run. Cougars perceive that as a food source trying to escape. Let the chase begin....
I have a news clipping sent by my sister, about a guy bear hunting, came across a cougar. Let him have it, dropped it right in its cougar tracks! 180 lbs dressed out.

[Solid]

Hey Banks, they found bigfoot, did you see?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsdWeenHW2U

[Banks10]

Yeah I saw that. Looks like someone bought the suit used during the filming of Harry and the Hendersons on eBay. Sweet

[Cadoda]

Plenty of cougars here in Manchester at the bars!

[Mountain Angler]

You might like to check out a new book that has just been relesed called Catamont A North Country Thriller by Rick Davidson.
It is a great reed with lots of action, adventure, romance and some fly fishing. You can a copy by calling or writing Enfield Distribution, P.O. Box 699. Enfield, NH 03748 or 1-888-874-6904. The publisher is Beech River Books in Ossipee, NH www.beechriverbooks.com
For the record I had one cross the road in front of me one afternoon. When I told the local CO he told me I had seen a UFO. The guy was/is an old friend so he his entitled to give me a hard time oncn in a while. When I brought the subject up on an other occasion I got the story of how people release them into the wild.
I may have been the inspiration for the above mentioned book and I am mention in the book. The guy who wrote it and I fish to geather oncn in a while.
If you fish the "North Country" of NH you will love this book.

[Solid]

Banks,

Looks like the beast still roams the woods!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,406101,00.html

I LOVE THIS STUFF!

[BugChucka]

"I don't think we have an over abundance of them here in the east. However, out west where my sister lives, one of the things the F&G, (or whatever version of it) teaches you is NOT to run. Cougars perceive that as a food source trying to escape. Let the chase begin...."

I agree, I've found, otherwise docile and peaceful cougars, to turn violent the second an unsuspecting victim makes the decision to flee. Why is this????

[Casey A. Wood]

I think cougars eat fairly well. Whereas, our food is in Shaw's, all lined up, their's are always on "the run". Get it fresh when it is available. I think this is how it works.

[BugChucka]

Taylor has found this resource pretty useful...

http://www.dateacougar.info/

[Oncorhynchus]

HHHMMM.

People claim to see them. There are no photos, no video, and to my knowledge nobody has killed, trapped, or hit one with their car. I find that very strange. They are also not as secretive as people believe. Out west, people see them quite often.

Might there be some individuals that have escaped from captivity? Sure, crazier things have happened. Might there be a few that have traveled a long distance (from Florida or the west)? Sure, it's possible. Do we have a breeding population in the northeast? I don't think so.

The most popular argument of those that believe that the northeast has mountain lions is that of the expanse undeveloped wilderness in northern NY, Vermont, and Maine. People claim that an animal could live in these areas and never be seen or documented. These areas do not even compare with the expanse of undeveloped land in the west. The northeast does have large tracts of land, but they are often invaded by man, through hiking, camping, canoeing, hunting, or logging. There are some areas out west that see little or no humans on foot. I am very skeptical that the northeast has a reproducing population of mountain lion, wolves, anacondas, or bigfoot. Yes, mountain lions and wolves were native to the northeast 100 years ago, but the habitat and landscape has changed drastically since. That habitat has not only effected the niche that they occupy, but the niches of their prey and the entire ecosystem. If you have ever flown over the northeast on a clear day, you can easily see how man has changed the landscape.

I was lucky to see one in Georgia back in 1995. I was going to school at Georgia Southern University, located in the southern portion of the state. There were reports of people reporting a mountain lion in the town of Portal, 10 miles north of Statesboro. I knew a family that lived in Portal and the lion was trapped on their farm. Upon capture, they called me and I actually got to see the fish & game department load the animal, inside the trap, onto a truck. He was not happy about going back to Florida! The animal was part of the "florida panther" re-introduction program in the everglades. The Florida panther and mountain lion are subspecies, not the exact same animal, but extremely closely related. This animal had traveled quite a ways north, and found himself in south Georgia farm country. He had a tag in his ear and also had a radio transmitter collar on. Knowing his general whereabouts due to the collar, made the trapping effort a little easier.

Sorry for the rant, but my wildlife background gives me the urge to voice my opinion. In college I did a lot of research on the proposed re-introduction of wolves to the Adirondack Park. It's similar in nature in that we have a species that used to be native, but no longer exists. If you were to sucessfully re-introduce and establish a population, what ill effects may occur?

Last I heard, the florida panther population was down to about 30 individuals?

[Solid]

"I don't think we have an over abundance of them here in the east. However, out west where my sister lives, one of the things the F&G, (or whatever version of it) teaches you is NOT to run. Cougars perceive that as a food source trying to escape. Let the chase begin...."

I agree, I've found, otherwise docile and peaceful cougars, to turn violent the second an unsuspecting victim makes the decision to flee. Why is this????

This is no joke folks, Bug really knows his s**t when it comes to Cougars. Just last weekend I was able to snap this photo just as one of those devils tried to snatch Bug's hard earned Bonito.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v319/megabass5150/bugbonito.jpg

[fly]

There are 2 in Gray Maine, but I don't think they count.

[Casey A. Wood]

Fly, 'course those cougars don't count in Gray ,Maine. Cougars don't go to school to learn to count anyways.

[Banks10]

just as one of those devils tried to snatch Bug's hard earned Bone.



uhhhhh no comment.

[BugChucka]

That cougar looks mean....that's an angry cougar

[Chappy]

Hi,

I am working in San Francisco and could resist looking at this post. Now I am wiping the tears from my eyes and grabbing my sides in pain.

I don't care who you are - that's funny.

[Casey A. Wood]

The one good thing about cougar is the hair from the tail is excellent for tying flies. One can "cast" very far with it.

[Salter]

I've spent my whole life hunting and fishing northern Maine(48 yrs.) and have never seen a cougar or cougar tracks.I have seen three wolves over the years,all along the Canadian border N/W of Jackman.However I see no reason why cougars could not be here.They are elusive and Maine is the most heavily forrested state in the nation.There are plenty of deer.moose and smaller game for them to feed on.Why not?

[fly]

Because the State says so!:roll: