I got to see 4 coyotes run down a mature doe and brutaly slaughter her. The next day, my neighbor said that he and his fishing partner had seen a cat similar to the one I described as they were going fishing one morning around 3:00 a.m. But it was very odd because the scream wouldnt quite finish and then it would start again. This Spring we had few deer and fewer fawns, but lately (since mid August) I have seen plenty of deer sign. So it could have been a red wolf. Remember Ligertown? Not many I bet, and there are thousands of those out there. All of this happened just out of bow range and its heart wrenching knowing there is nothing you can do. OUR DEER POPULATION IS SO RIDICULOUS THAT A COUGARE WOULD HAVE PLENTY TO FEED ON-JUST WONDERING WITH THE LAKE AND HIGH POPULATION OF DEER, IS THIS POSSIBLE. A neighbors cat was outside and I could see that she was visibly frightened and crouching under a car. The young cougars stay with mom for 1-2 years and slows down all migration to the east. The game warden cut open the animal and it had 2 walker hounds in its stomach. In fact, there have been 121 reports that are likely to have been true mountain lion sightings. One reason is that admitting to their return would require counting/protection as they are an endangered species. Just reporting back. October 2007, Patrick County, VA. Period. (sad). Lets explore what that looks like some more. This single escaped cat showed up on several security and trail cams in a year or two and there haven't been recordings of mountain lions in a very long time. Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. Once they described an animal that was nearly the same color as a deer but knew it couldnt be because it had a long tail. Mountain lions live in areas that have ample hiding places. Tracks found near the sighting was confirmed by a retired wildlife biologist with the Smithsonian. He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News. In Rockingham county virginia, my father, family friend and I go bow hunting for 1 week every year in the GWNF. I saw the cats long tail as he ran into the woods. Our family moved to the Manassas National Battlefield area in 1983. I know another person in Albemarle Co. who sees them sunning regularly there and has for years. Do wolves live on the Appalachian Trail, more specifically on Roan Mountain? 29 and crossed the highway. Officials captured the escaped mountain lion and found a second one that had also escapedoutside of Harrisonburg, harassing turkeys on a farm. Whenever I see a big cat I look for tail characteristics for a sighting confirmation. Victim of animal attack treated for rabies. THanks CArole. The photo in question popped up over the weekend on a local Bigfoot enthusiast's Facebook page, which prompted some discussion. This is between Fairfax and Reston. Experts in Tennessee dont know exactly how many mountain lions are roaming the area, but they do know one thing for sure: at least one of them is a female. I was only able to see from just behind the shoulders down but it was about 16 20 inchs tall and I would guess that it weight a little over 120 pounds if not more. In August 2007 on my way to work from the Meadowview Virginia area , between Meadowview and Abingdon there was a Mountain Lion crossed the road in frount of me, So people can say what they want , there are big cats in the area. Although this is great, there are a few things to consider. It was approximately 5 ft. long & 2 ft. high. My name is ryan and I am from dayton va. On Oct 3d, I was playing music w/ a friend near the union springs dam. Motion-sensitive infrared cameras have been deployed near Appalachian Trail to try to determine whether cougars are back. They then have to ensure that the picture hasnt been tampered with in any way, because Peterson said an astounding number of peopleboth misinformed wildlife enthusiasts and tricksters with too much time on their hands and access to Photoshopsend him shots of mountain lions that were clearly either edited or taken in a state out west. In 2018, the Federal agency removed the Eastern Cougar from that list, though the Florida panther remained on it. Loudoun County Off of Woods road almost every single night we hear a mountain lion , no doubt at all this is what it is. Females need to show up. Speculating that they were mountain lions, we drove to a distance of about 250 yards away to take a second glace. One night our mules and horses had broken through the fence. Sissy, 3 days back I had positively seen a cougar off of Ingram Dr in Haymarket, Va which is right off of Bull Run Mountain. We have heard them up near the edge of the mountains but never this close. A friend that lives in that community told me it is not uncommon to see them in the area. Fish & Wildlife Resource. He circled and hissed right up against the tent. We know what we saw. "We've seen some examples of that. We still hear these screams from time to time but most recently (Dec 26, 2006) our grand daughter spotted a coyote digging in our manure pile for varmits! Chris Desborough/Shutterstock.com. They dont go after dogs and cats or people. This animal was a good thirty inches at the shoulder and must have weighted 150 pounds. I was frozen with fear as I realized it wasnt a bear, but a black mountain lion. I think there is a reason for that, and the most likely reason IMO is that the animals people are seeing are not mountain lions. I walked w/n 40 yards and took one more photo. I went out to get something from my car, and about five to ten yards away I see a huge black cat slowly cross the street, pause, look around and go into the surrounding woods. I live in Fairfax County, Northern Virginia and the area is pretty urban, although there are woods adjacent to my home and I have seen plenty of deer and fox. It took off as the car got closerI have never ever seen anything like that in my life! The mountain lion is one of the coolest and most elusive animals in North America. In the subsequent photos weve gotten of cougars, there wasnt any evidence of any kind of wound or anything on it, Peterson said. Where I hunt in Linden the owners have said to have seen a really big black cat. We have no intentions, but if they show up, they show up.. For conservationists, this is a huge step in the right direction. If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it! ANY REPLY IS WELCOME, Dont know if you have any cougar there, but it sure sounds like a good place for wolves. I also had the luck to hear them multiple times and catch glimpses of what I thought to be mountain lions scurrying into the woods. They said I must have seen a bob cat. I was taking my wife to work eraly Thursday about 4 am..We had just passed the airport on 58 east in Danville, Va. To the right side shoulder of the road there stood some type of cat. I saw one near my home in Floyd County. Its not really realistic to think that they have a chance to survive very well in Virginia currently. Michael said. " We know what we saw. "Usually youngish males.". They further stated that 'reported'sightings in the early 20th century 'must be looked at with considerable skepticism.'". Moose are notoriously shy creatures, so spotting them anywhere is an exciting experience. No claw marks. He told me stories of escaped mountain lions that hes seen, but noted that they typically stayed close to people, or near areas where they were kept. So these sightings have been confirmed, and there is in fact at least one mountain lion roaming around in Tennessee. So that is all the details I can think of except I didnt mention that the cat was tan with dark fur higlighting its face, looked like pictures Ive seen of them really and I figured due to its size and the fact that it had no spots left that we could see it was almost grown. A huge buck jumo out in front of us right then so we assumed it had smelled cat or that the cubs mother was hunting. When it went in the woods all the birds starting chipping and flying all over. I've seen them quite often. they may have migrated there by way of fractured habitat that has forced them into the area due to encroachment. Then what? We disturbed something that ran off into the woods. Cougar, Mountain Lion, Catamount, Panther, and Puma, (Some of the names for this great cat) and is found principally in the mountains. Mountain lions weigh between 90-160 pounds while bobcats weigh between 20-30 pounds according to an article by the Iowa DNR. I was like baby look at that big ole cat! We were standing near the barn about 10 AM when we observed a disturbance about 400-600 yards off in a field near the tree line. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. They could be making a similiar mistake about the cougar sightings. and the does mated again? It was moving through the woods twards a water source but not in the open. Start throwing rocks or anything else at the animal to make it turn away. My house was in a very wooded area and driveway led off into those woods about 1/2 mile from the main road (which was a dirt/gravel road about 1 mile from a paved road). For related content, read about How The Worlds Most Notorious Mythical Creature Is Said To Dwell In This Small Virginia Town. I, a CPA, saw one 15 years ago. Four very distinct toes and a large pad. I saw a large bobcat at around mile 205-203 heading south on I-81. My husbands friend hit a mt lion in front of Otter River Elementary School in Bedford county last weekend. The population of cougars west of the Mississippi River was large enough that it was not listed. We have a pool int he yard and are outside all the time. Since 1970, 121 sightings have been identified as possible mountain lions, but have not been officially . Admission is $6 for ages 16 and over, $2 for kids 6 to 15 years old, and free for . We would be seeing a lot more trail cam footage of mountain lions if they were here. Hmmm, but then we have pictures of bear in the local paper sometimes. I have friends in Wyoming and Montana, where mountain lions have always been. It sure sounds like the same picture. She stated that she had previously spotted one on I 40 while crossing the Cumberland Mtns. It was just on the side of the road walking into the long grass, it didnt even seem to be starlted by a loud car so close. Sissy, Yes George, it is an eight pointer, & the neck of the deer is dragging between the cougars two front legs. Ive seen plenty of foxes in the woods around here and I thought maybe it was a fox in pain. IT MAY BE A BS STORY SOMEONE STARTED BUT THE LOCAL TV STATION A WHILE BACK HAD COMMENTED THAT THERE MAY BE LARGER PREDATORS IN OUR WOODS AND THEY INCLUDED BEARS PUMA,BOBCAT COYETTE ETC. I do not know of any dogs in the area with feet that big. I stress that this is not a joke so please write it anyone knows how to reduce the distortion of the photos. Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Eastern Cougar Recovery Plan (page 2), http://mountainlion.org/us/NC/-NC-history.asp, https://blog.wildlife.virginia.gov/outdoor-report/2016/03/the-myth-of-mountain-lions-in-virginia/, https://www.fws.gov/northeast/ecougar/pdf/Cougar_News_Bulletin_Final_1_18.pdf, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/01/23/2018-01127/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-removing-the-eastern-puma-cougar-from-the-federal-list, https://www.fws.gov/refuge/florida_panther/wah/panther.html, https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/opinion/the-cougar-behind-your-trash-can.html, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0030333, https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mcvmagazine/issues/2015/sep-oct/cougars-in-minnesota.html, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Comission, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. So, wanting to get them closer, I called them. I had NO idea they were so big ! It had been sent to him on his cell phone. Ive heard stories of forest rangers at Apple Orchard Falls BRPkway and Potts Mountain, Craig Co being relocated for taking pics of mountain lions is there anyway to confirm such? Even if the Eastern Cougar and Florida Panther were considered members of the same subspecies, they would have still qualified for separate listings as distinct breeding populations. A mountain lion photo has been circulating on social media for more than a year, claiming people have seenmountain lions in the state, and officials are calling shenanigans on the post. He was licking his coat. We coundnt believe what we saw. In 1979, The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries cited the mountain lion, or puma or cougar, to be an endangered or threatened animal in Virginia. We then came upon a very recent deer kill within 20 yards of the sighting. I was so shocked that I could even stop the car in time to see it again. zdf. Many people keep cougars/pumas/mountain lions as pets. For a solid four seconds, Marchibroda watched as a large, sleek cat standing about three feet tall with a long, curled tail crossed Skyline Drive near Gavel Springs Gap less than 100 feet in front of them. few turkeys this spring and summer. Experience Shenandoah: Make Memories That Will Last a Lifetime. At first I thought it might be a big black dog like a mastiff or something but I saw the tail and it was just like a bigger version of my house cats tail. Interestingly, the does seem to have very new fawns (twins generally). I am from western North Carolina. We were too busy looking at each other asking, Did you see that? We should have ben focusing on details. But recent expert-confirmed sightingswhich have involved photographs, videos, and DNAin Tennessee support a theory that mountain lions, whose populations out west have continued to expand, are slowly making their way back to this side of the country. 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