September 7, 2012, 10:11 AM | #1 |
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YIKES......TOO!
This is a two part thread, one to see if Warbirdlover's friend ever gave him an answer to where he got the cougar pic from and the other is to show a pic of a cougar that was taken on a game cam, less than a mile from my house. Yes it was S.W. Wisconsin and I know the landowner personally. It's claimed to be the same one spotted just northwest of here earlier in the month and southeast of here later in the month. DNR claims it is on the move making 20 miles a day........to where, no one knows. Kinda cool havin' 'em around again.
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September 7, 2012, 08:37 PM | #2 |
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I haven't heard anything more about that cougar but even if that wasn't the picture of it we have seen it on our land and one of the guys in the lease owns a farm nearby and he's see two on his land.
There was lot's of sightings and actual prints found in Walworth county and also Racine county in the southeastern corner of the state. Black bears are also moving down into the central part of the state. This is all in the Wisconsin DNR website. |
September 7, 2012, 10:35 PM | #3 |
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Washington department of fish and wildlife has collared cougars in a study. Some of the cats travel hundreds of miles. Mostly young toms looking for open territory. They tend to travel their territory regularly, IIRC it is several square miles per cat. Can't remember right now how many but when I heard it I was amazed. They are awe inspiring animals, especially in the wild. You will never forget seeing one in person, no cages or fences.
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September 8, 2012, 11:33 AM | #4 | |
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Quote:
Here's the latest chart of confirmed cougar sightings in the state....as per the end of August. The 4 stars in the SW part of the state is of the cougar I posted about. Don't see any in Racine or Walworth county...maybe they just haven't gotten around to puttin' them on. Latest Cougar Sightings Map I have lived here in the SW corner of the state for 58 years and there have been bears here my whole life. But like most parts of the state where they have always been, there are more of them. Good luck deer hunting this season, maybe you'll get lucky and see that cougar again. |
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September 8, 2012, 03:01 PM | #5 | |
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It's no reason to kill them or even drive them out of the area, but it doesn't exactly give you 'warm fuzzies'.
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September 8, 2012, 04:49 PM | #6 |
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In some of my reading on the web I remember a cougar that went to the Northeast United States via South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin and was struck by a car in Greenwich Connecticut.
Cougars are on the federal endangered species list. The sole exception for killing one is in defense of human life. Any other situation requires that game officials or police be notified. I googled and found an article about it. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...76Q5ZE20110727
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September 8, 2012, 05:03 PM | #7 |
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"Cougars are on the federal endangered species list."
Not factual. No restrictions or controls at all in Texas. The population is expanding. Some other states have seasons and permits. |
September 9, 2012, 02:14 AM | #8 | |
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They're considered "Small Game" here (since they have paws, not hooves), but they're managed better than any Big Game species. Not many people hunt them, but.... Hunting license + tag = dead kitty. The "Eastern Cougar" is listed as endangered, but a DNA study has shown that there isn't enough genetic differentiation to separate any of the regional populations in the U.S. from the designation of "North American Cougar". So, it's more of a state/regional restriction, than a true endangered status.
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September 9, 2012, 10:27 AM | #9 | ||
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I don't really care to see one since if it's near there also won't be any deer nearby. I've already had the big black alpha wolf chase a doe right by my stand. That's quite a sight! Quote:
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September 10, 2012, 06:53 PM | #10 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
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September 10, 2012, 07:51 PM | #11 | |
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At least with the wild cougars , your pain is usually over with quickly. Guess the wild cougars have a bit more compassion. |
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September 10, 2012, 08:24 PM | #12 | |
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That and them wild cougars will still be pretty the next morning......... |
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September 10, 2012, 08:49 PM | #13 | |
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http://www.cougarinfo.org/attacks3.htm There's nothing cool about being attacked by something that wants to eat you...... and to know that my tax dollars and part of my hunting license fees go to "manage" (read protect and expand the population of) the mountain lion ..... that just chaps my behind. |
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September 10, 2012, 09:37 PM | #14 | |
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Wow....three whole confirmed deaths in the US and Canada over a ten year span. I wonder how that compares to domestic dog attacks. Or even pet Chimpanzees. Or folks killed by domestic livestock(cattle, horses and pigs). So I take it that report is tellin' me I'm probably safer in the woods with Mountain Lions that I am walkin' down the street? |
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September 10, 2012, 10:05 PM | #15 | |
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Also, "It's not the thing, but the Principal of the the thing." |
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September 10, 2012, 10:17 PM | #16 |
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The extreme drouth in this part of the country has had cougars going for drinking water close to people in Big Bend National Park. There has been a notable loss of fear for the cougars here. Given past history of a few attacks through the years, park visitors are being warned to keep a close eye on little children.
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September 11, 2012, 12:35 AM | #17 |
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Those of you on this thread that are minimizing the odds of and severity of cougar vs human attacks simply have not spent enough time around them and you are begging to be DEAD WRONG about this!
I've been around and encountered pretty much every predator that you can encounter out west. Cougars are the only animal that I've seen that will routinely hunt humans. Cougar attacks are a normal, common, thing in Colorado. General rule of thumb is if you are their size or smaller you are considered prey. They are ambush predators that for all practical purposes are silent. While they are stalking you they know you can't hear them and have no fear of you! I had to explain to a good friend who came from Ohio and bought a ranch that no his dogs wouldn't scare them away, he needed to carry to defend himself and the dogs.
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September 11, 2012, 12:48 PM | #18 | ||
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The Link......Where lions tread The just of it..... Quote:
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September 11, 2012, 04:38 PM | #19 |
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Cougars are on the federal endangered species list. The sole exception for killing on
Since hunting for cougar and bear with dogs or bait was outlawed here in Washington, management by ballot box, the cougar population has exploded and is over carrying capacity in parts of the state. It had the same effect on the deer population as wolves did to the elk population in Yellowstone. A bear and a cougar tag costs a resident about $10 extra here when you buy a deer and an elk tag combo. We have an abundance of both cougar and bear, hardly endangered.
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September 11, 2012, 06:53 PM | #20 |
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Buck maybe the cougars in your state do react differently, I can't comment on that. I do know from personal experience how they act here.
You may not have had personal face to face encounters with them, I have. The DOW statistics you cited leave out some very important facts. First, three confirmed dead,two of those were children. Second they list REPORTED, CONFIRMED, attacks that resulted in documented injury. In other words someone had to notify DOW after being treated for an injury then DOW had to go to the encounter site and confim it normally by finding tracks. The actual amount of encounters where the cougar was scared off are not kept track of. The numbers of encounters where the the cougar was acting aggresively or was interrupted in a stalk aren't documented. There are a lot of us who know what to do in that situation and cut it off at the pass, these encounters aren't reported anywhere. I was stalked numerous times, and found the tracks, back when I weighed a hundred pounds or so, (we won't discuss how long ago that was) none of that was reported to DOW either. Keep in mind those DOW guys are under enormous pressure not to screw up tourists coming to Colorado so their proof standards are pretty high. The words of one of them I asked. One more thing, when a cougar tracks were routinely spotted near a ranchers house ,or one was seen repeatedly enough to worry the neighbors,"coyote" hunts including tracking dogs tended to happen, sometimes with the men of two or three households. Not too long afterwards someone would buy a cougar skin rug to celebrate the hunt. Take those things out of the picture and I can assure you the numbers you dealt with would have changed. Ask yourself a few questions and feel free to do research on them. 1. How many predators in the lower 48 have been documented repeatedly stalking humans as prey? 2. How many predators in the lower 48 have been documented to deliberately stalk, drag off, and attempt to eat children in particular? 3. How many people who have no political agenda, are not involved in tourism, and have extensive experience with cougars feel like they are no big deal?
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September 11, 2012, 07:41 PM | #21 |
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Cougars are NOT on any federal endangered or threatened species list.
Some states' controls do not allow hunting. Some states have seasons and permit systems. Some states consider them to be in the same category as coyotes and other varmints. |
September 11, 2012, 08:59 PM | #22 |
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Part of the study I posted about earlier in this thread studied cougar feeding habits. Cougars routinely take elk. If a 150 lb cat will take down a 600 lb elk it would have no reason to think it could not take a 250 lb man. We should also assume the cat would have no issues taking a human. Only abundance of their preferred food stops them. I have been stalked before, as have several of my hunting buddies. None of us go into the woods unarmed. I had to chase the cat that stalked me to get it to change its mind about following me. They have little fear and great curiosity, long teeth and claws. Bad combo.
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September 11, 2012, 10:28 PM | #23 | |
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ScrubCedar... calm down.
We don't live too far from each other, judging by your profile. The Big Kitties here are nowhere near as vicious as you want everyone to believe. I've run into plenty, and very few posed any real threat. Those that did pose a threat got out of there as fast as they could, when I made them aware of the fact that they were no long "invisible" or silent. Even if they were "stalking" me, I doubt they were actually hunting. Nearly all big cats will follow animals/humans through their territory, just to see what they're doing. They're very curious animals. Plus, if you slip and fall, and hurt yourself... free food! When was the last attack on a human in this state? The last death? Quote:
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September 12, 2012, 09:10 AM | #24 |
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Florida has ever-fewer panthers, apparently. Population growth of people affecting habitat preferences is one part of the problem. The other is that of automobiles hitting panthers at night. Most reports I've read show that "Alligator Alley" has been the primary area for such deaths.
My wife has been snickered at for saying she's seen a couple of panthers in the general vicinity of Thomasville, Georgia. "Well, little lady, how could YOU know what a panther looks like?" "It looked just like the one we have draped over the back of the couch." |
September 12, 2012, 10:24 PM | #25 |
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Frankenmauser, I was talking about where I grew up in southern Colorado. I will admit that most of the wildlife down there acted differently than what I see here. The fear and avoidance of humans isn't nearly as strong. I've practically had to kick pronghorns from out in front of my vehicle to make them let me pass. Fewer people, less fear? I don't know. It would make sense that the animals in different areas/habitats reacted differently. Let me give you an idea of my perspective. Rattlesnakes, no biggie, they very politely ask you to go away. Bears, grouchy, but no problem and they will happily leave you alone. The second or third time you've caught a cougar crouched to spring you feel very differently about them. Once the only reason I turned around was the odd sound almost a growl I can't describe came out of it's mouth. The only other thing I'll say is this, I checked the documented reports of attacks and a lot of them were in northern Colorado. Read the reports about the specific observed behavior before or during the attacks and it very much fits with what I described, so they must act that way up there too. I have no reason to doubt what you say about how they act here, maybe they are scared of humans around here. Considering everything I wouldn't want to bet my life on it though.
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