Cougar

[Fanaddict]

I asked a DEC officer last year at our youth bow hunting camp about cougers in NY and about some recent sightings near by. He asked where there sighting were so I told him. His reply was a sly smile but no striat up answer which lead me to believe they know more about it then they are willing to share!!

[ShelbyGT350]

I live in The Peoples Republic of California, Oceanside actually, and have seen cougars fairly regularly while hunting. In fact I have many trail cam photos I can post if you guys are interested. But even if there are cougars in NY, I wouldn't worry much about it. There's an abundant food source in deer there that they would likely never harm a human. Because Cali is the land of fruits and nuts, we can't hunt them here, but human attacks are few and far between with a much less dense deer herd. 

[Water Rat]

My sighting happened in 1992 in Dutchess County , long before the invention of commercially bought trail cameras . It's just my eyewitness account vs. skeptics.

[BizCT]

Lets see the pics....

 

We won't see any.  Most people who think they saw a mt. lion actually saw a bobcat. Bobcat aren't often seen in NY, so when someone catches a glimpse of a 30-35lb bobcat, they think it's huge and that it must be a mt. lion.

[SteveB]

I'm in for the pics I am sure will be coming.

[DROpTINE]

If that cat can travel from North Dakota like it did, I'm sure other cats have done the same. I don't have any pictures so don't ask. Lol

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[Adkhunter1590]

There are cats here for sure. DEC will deny of course. Just like they have denied other species living in the state. Mountain lions are elusive creatures. They do their very best to avoid contact with humans. Which is why sightings will be uncommon or nearly non existent especially with very low numbers of them around. If you don't believe how elusive they can be try going out west to hunt one. They can be tough to find especially without dogs. When I worked in kansas as a guide I had a client call me and say he had just saw one and at first I didn't believe him. But after finding tracks I called fish and game and they came out and confirmed the tracks and the lion was caught a few weeks later a few miles away. Fish and game figured the cat came from Colorado. And we were about 35 miles south west of wichita. Its very possible for them to move long distances without being seen

[Doewhacker]

. Just like they have denied other species living in the state.

 

 

Such as?

[BizCT]

Such as?

 

Mountain Goats, of course. I shot a 9" billy in Orleans County, NY in 1981

[mmkay]

Such as?

 

 

a few might be Elk (from PA), Wolves (from Canda)...certain sea mammals (seals, manatees, turtles) on the coast....I believe all of these have been documented albeit rare wanders of wayward crittters,

[Adkhunter1590]

Elk they deny. Coyotes years ago. Wolves most definatly (had to write a 20 page paper on "wolves in the adirondacks" my senior year of high school which included quotes from several DEC officals at the time. Don't ask for the paper that was years ago lol. I may be mistaken but weren't moose disregarded until the past decade or so? A few posts in this thread have listed different animals that were denied existence or believed to be extinct (some kind of woodpecker was talked about a few pages ago I believe).

[wdswtr]

I have hunted mountain lions out west.  Yes they are elusive to an extent, until you talk to any cattle farmer that is.  How is it that out west the fields full of cattle are easy pickings yet in NY the cattle all fenced up seem to be off limits to these elusive creatures?  I find it rather hard to believe if they are here there is no farmers reporting cattle deaths due to mountain lions.  These creatures eat fresh kill, in a short time they no longer will feed off an old kill and go after a live food source. At least that is how it is out west.  Maybe they are holed up with with resident squatches and together they are twice as elusive and thats why No one with credibility has proof.  But hey if I read it on the internet it has to be the truth. 

[WNYBuckHunter]

Its gotta be real, there are TV shows about bigfoot hunters. If it wasnt real, then how could there be shows about it?

[growalot]

I'm not saying one way or another...but to the cattle question....where were all the kills that wondering lion had to make...and why didn't he hit the fenced in bounty?...I have to say...there are a lot of dairy farms around us...BIG ONES...and you will NEVER see there cattle out of the barn

[wdswtr]

Next time I run into a Mountain Lion Grow I will ask it.

[Water Rat]

Growalot......that's an interesting point you stated.

Where were all the kills that wondering lion had to make ?

[SteveB]

Growalot......that's an interesting point you stated.

Where were all the kills that wondering lion had to make ?

Big foot taught them to hide kills.