Last year he recorded 11 cougar sightings in Maryland, 38 in Pennsylvania and six in Virginia. Truly terrifying encounter even compared to a bear. Mountain lions became scarce in the East after a bounty system wiped out most predatory animals. The coloring was that of a deer but it was too strangely shaped to be a deer conclusion definitely a mountain lion. Suddenly my son stopped on the trail due to a large cat on the trail. They can weigh between 50-300 lbs. Tracking experts Paul Rezendes, Charles Worsham, George Leoniak, and Dr. Mark Elbroch examined the photos. Eastern Cougar Sightings - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Laugh all you want, but Agnes Muhl has no doubts about what she, her husband and her mother saw in the front yard of their Thurmont vacation home eight years ago. It was heading northeast toward Peapack, NJ. For the smooth consistently colored short hair l came up with a greyish tint to a deers summer color. The mountain lion is also known as cougar, panther, or puma. Courtesy photo Mike Jacobsen was checking his fences near Denton after last month's windstorm when his kids pulled. Females are typically smaller. The Fort Worth Star-Telegraph reports on a mountain lion sighting in April 2022. A spokesperson for the Washington HumaneSociety said someone may have been keeping the cat as a pet and then released it once they couldn't take care of it anymore. Mountain Lion - NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service) lt calmly looked back then almost bent its body in half, using only its front legs to face me. Mountain lion sighting reported in Worcester County. Or so they think!. I was on my deck at around 10 in the morning. In March 2011, DCR forester Steve Ward photographed a track trail in the snow near the Gate 8 boat launch area of Quabbin Reservoir. // February 12, 2021. ", With its long tail and sleek, cat-like body, the animal was unquestionably a mountain lion, Mrs. Vanosnabrugge says. The USDA's Forest Service Wildlife Genetics Laboratory found that the animal came from South Dakota. In the spray field which is leased to a local farmer, I was driving the roadway down to another building on our site and saw slinking quite quickly a large deer-colored cat with a body close to 4 ft long and a tail about the same length. In April 1997, experienced tracker John McCarter found scat near a beaver carcass at the Quabbin Reservation. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but l have since never taken that ride. In the interest of gathering credible mountain lion sightings when mountain lions actually arrive in the east the research team here at eMammal has put together a guide to identifying mountain lions. I do have footprint pics in snow from Califon definitely not your usual coyote. Mountain lions in NJ? Dozens more come forward with sightings Officials investigating reported sighting of mountain lion on Big "I couldn't believe my eyes. It doesn't make sense to me that they wouldn't be in those areas considering anything prevents them from crossing state lines especially since they can swim and the Delaware river is often shallow enough to walk across in a lot of spots. Any cougars in Maryland -- including the one reported to be stalking the field off Liberty Road in Randallstown -- were probably being held captive and either escaped or were set free, Mr. Saw them all at dusk. An adult male bobcat can reach four feet in length and 35-40 pounds. These tracks may have been made by the mountain lion documented in Greenwich, Connecticut on June 5, 2011, and killed by a vehicle six days later. From SS:Some years ago we were on our way home from my sister-in-laws house burning. There is no evidence of a reproducing mountain lion population in Massachusetts. Then it continued crossing the road and into the woods. MassWildlife cannot investigate or confirm mountain lion reports without any evidence. Officials are asking that people avoid the park as they investigate the report. People even report House Cats as mountain lions in a surprising number of cases. While the initial video got all of the attention, Soto posted a second video, too, showing a pack of hounds looking for scent in the area when the lion was sighted. It was a rumor that State Fish and game stocked mountain lions to take care of it, to this day they deny it but I dont doubt they did. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. (DS says her sighting was from earlier this summer.). Mountain lion hunting season opened Aug. 13, and remains so until May 31, 2023. Reported Mountain Lion In Maryland Park Actually A Coyote ", "Oh," said the officer, "then it isn't a mountain lion. It then, whew, calmly walked into the brush towards the Oswego River. FRANKLIN COUNTY, Mo. The oldest tooth-aged mountain lion tagged in 2021 was 10. In. It was tan and the most amazing part of this animal was its tail. The report stated that a woman spotted a mountain lion in Greenbelt. I myself saw one back around 2008 off of Watervale Rd in Fallston, Harford County. After the male mountain lion was removed from Red Hill Trail on May 11, additional sightings in that area were reported: one on May 16, and two over the weekend of May 19 and 20. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the official website. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The most recent sighting of a mountain lion in a Randallstown field Tuesday has revived claims that cougars aren't extinct in Maryland. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Even though the WV DNR says there are no wild mountain lions in the state, there are some held in captivity at the West Virginia Wildlife Center in French Creek. Luckily it looked healthy and well-fed. 01, 2016, . Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal . The report stated that a woman spotted a mountain lion in Greenbelt Park, WUSA9 confirmed Tuesday. There have been only two caseswhere evidence supports the presence of a mountain lion in Massachusetts. State law protects all species unless otherwise noted. Needless to say, I'm overwhelmed by the number of people in our state who claim that they have seen a cougar or mountain lion. A lock icon ( Now and then MassWildlife gets a report with a photo of a mountain lion. My girlfriend remarked, Wow, that was a lion. I had made calls to many different agencies and either I was told I was wrong or no one would return my calls. Therres reminds us all that it is very easy to misidentify a mountain lion by providing an example of people constantly misidentifying bald eagles. Mass.gov is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. l thought "oh shit" and figured l could try to use my bicycle for protection and dismounted. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Adults are a uniform tan or tawny in color, with a white or cream-colored chin, undersides and inner legs. It was bloody and the hair was a mess around its head. This occurred in the spring of 2017. This still from a local video clip of a mountain lion taken Tuesday morning shows a big cat crossing a ditch before he disappears into the cotton field. Suspected cougar sighting reported in Abingdon early Wednesday Demographic train wreck: Will Japan throw its old people on the tracks? (A valid mountain lion pursuit-only permit or a valid, unused mountain lion non-permit tag is required.). From HR:I saw a MountainLion in the fall of 2017 in Bedminster/Far Hills NJ while driving south on Rt 206/Lamington Rd. All rights reserved, Officers Shoot, Kill Man With Knife: Frederick City Police, DC Health COVID Centers Are Closing March 31, Driver Dies in Frederick, Maryland Tanker Fire; Northbound US Route 15 Lanes Closed, Family Explores Legal Action After Student Forced to Pick Cotton in Class, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Chaos': Matthew McConaughey, Camila Alves Were on Harrowing Lufthansa Flight Diverted by Turbulence. A mountain lion, seen above, was sighted on Ash Street in Webster Sunday. I was driving on a dark and stormy night about 9 years ago on Rt-515 just off of Rt-23. This offer only applies to OutdoorNews.com and not for any Outdoor News print subscriptions. a woman who swears she and her dog were approached by a cougar in Galloway Township. adroll_current_page = "other"; Webster residents say they spotted a mountain lion roaming around a residential neighborhood earlier this week, according to the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. Use this button to show and access all levels. There is no indication of population decline, the department said. There are occasional reports of people who think they saw one, maybe they even took a blurry picture, but those are most likely bobcats. Both labs confirmed the sample came from a mountain lion. Contact Laura Jean Schneider at [email protected], Mountain lions leave bloody path in Clifton, {child_flags:featured}Co-existing with nature, -The scientific name given to mountain lions is Puma concolor, meaning cat of one color.. Copyright 2023Outdoor News. It was at the edge of the woods and it looked like it was just after a kill. Mountain Lions in the Eastern United States | eMammal And so does the state. A man named Jacob Soto said that he and a co-worker filmed the lion; they work at farms in the area. Just like New Jersey doesn't have any rattlesnakes. Home Pennsylvania Opinion Search for cougarscontinues in Pennsylvania, If youre a regular reader of this publication, or one of my neighbors, then you already know my father and, A fish may see a parade of presentations go by, therefore yours should be better than the rest. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23, Laura Newberry | [email protected], Are there Mountain Lions in Massachusetts? This content is restricted to subscribers of OutdoorNews.com. ; track sets or photos of track sets; other tangible physical evidence verified by qualified professionals. All the same, Therres and his colleagues log every report into a database (so far 150 sightings have been entered) and I suppose the wildlife specialists have a good laugh now and then. They used to roam the entire continent, but have become extinct in most US states. From a distance, it had the walk of a cat - and the coloring of a mountain lion. My husband also sighted one while driving to go hunting many years ago in Wawayanda State Park. It was when the reservoir was really low. Over the past 25 years, dozens of Maryland residents have reported cougar encounters, even though wildlife officials insist that mountain lions haven't roamed the state for at least a century. Washington Times, SCORES & OUTDOORS: Reported sightings of mountain lions on , Mountain Lions in Michigan: 10 Sightings So Far This Year , Search for cougars continues in Pennsylvania Outdoornews. To visit any of the states for which we have already compiled information, click on the states listed below. California has one of the largest mountain lion populations in the country. I could not believe my eyes! An official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, This page, Are there mountain lions in Massachusetts?, is. Reported Mountain Lion In Maryland Park Actually A Coyote , Mountain Lion Population (In Each U.S. State) Wildlife , Whiting Ranch remains closed with near-daily mountain lion , Video Evidence of a Cougar or Mountain Lion in Fallston , Confirmed Mountain Lion Reports | Missouri Department of , Mountain lions in little old Maryland? It looked so powerful! Youd think that with the distinctive white head and tail of adult eagles no one could foul up on it, but Therres says, We receive reports of bald eagles that turn out to be ospreys, hawks, black-backed gulls and even pigeons.. However, Fish and Game is asking area residents to be vigilant and to report any mountain lion sightings in the area by calling the Southwest Region Office at 208-465-8465, Monday through Friday . No indication of a captive animal. Saw one in Warren County in 2007 & 2008 while camping. Shes 18 now. I have seen a lion twice in Sussex County. Wick Communications. . It had a small animal hanging from its mouth. -Anyone bitten by a mountain lion must immediately seek medical attention for rabies shots unless the biting animal can be captured and tested for rabies. It was killed in management Zone D, area 10, which appears to be mostly in Coconino County. This is the longest documented travel distance of a mountain lion. In Zone K, which includes areas 1 and 27 and covers some of Graham and Greenlee counties, 17 lions were killed in 2021. Mountain lions were classified as a game species by the Nebraska State Legislature in 1995, mandating the Commission to set hunting seasons only if the lion population was large enough to sustain a harvest. And, if. This gave Nebraska lions some protection under Commission ruling until 2014 when, in a controversial decision, hunting permits were issued . It was about 6 or 7 years ago. Delivered right as the newspaper goes to print on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Among them was a forestry technician who came across a female cougar nursing two cubs in remote part of the Thomas Jefferson National Forest. Night-time trail camera photos indicate one or possibly two mountain lions are still using neighborhoods near the river corridor in McCall. Citizen reported a mountain lion jumped through a fence and sent in hairs suspected to be from the lion. Many people do not realize how large a grown Bobcat is. number of folks to write about their encounters. Our wildlife research team decided to help take the mystery out of the sighting by going to the location and comparing the size of the animal to stationary objects in the frame as well as a human subject. Have any questions? Coyotes have also been mistaken for Mountain Lions. You have permission to edit this article. It was ENORMOUS! 0:11. Search for cougars continues in Pennsylvania - Outdoor News (WJZ) -- A reported mountain lion sighting in a Prince George's County park turned out to be a coyote. A regional wildlife biologist with the Department of Natural Resources' Forest, Park and Wildlife Service, he says mountain lions were hunted into extinction by the people who settled Maryland. Mountain Lion Sighting. var today = new Date() Animal control officers say they are taking the reports seriously. I would just like to share the information that people are sharing with me. adroll_currency = "USD"; I knew it wasn't a dog - and it wasn't a bobcat. / CBS Baltimore. #1 The tail. That story prompted others to reach out to me about their sightings. Around 3 p.m., a. February 12. The MLRT has confirmed fewer than 100 cases. Pittstown resident scared to death last summer outside my house when I went to go feed my donkeys. Photo courtesy of Mountain Lion Foundation. I went home to look it up to ensure I was correct - Mountain Lion. I know it is not technically in maryland but I highly doubt this cat knows where the state line is located and stays on the Pa. side all the time. l went around a tight right bend and, 100 feet up, walking the same way was a cougar. What does the perfect setup look like for spring steelhead? Are there mountain lions in Massachusetts? | Mass.gov Confirmed Mountain Lion Reports - Missouri Department of Conservation Mountain Lion Reports | Missouri Department of Conservation A video posted Tuesday on Facebook of a mountain lion ambling across a dirt road near Edens Red Knolls has snagged a lot of interest, according to social media views and discussion. Two years ago I was fishing the Wanaque reservoir and came across tracks I had never seen before. This all started in the spring with the report by a woman who swears she and her dog were approached by a cougar in Galloway Township.