We know what we saw. My parents were having their Sunday drive today (9-2-07) in an area called Mabe, near Duffield, Virginia and saw a mountain lion. A mountain lion sighting was reported at, Showshoe West Virginia. Yes, it is a cougar, but could the picture have been taken somewhere else??? The population of cougars west of the Mississippi River was large enough that it was not listed. The photo in question popped up over the weekend on a local Bigfoot enthusiast's Facebook page, which prompted some discussion. Interestingly, the does seem to have very new fawns (twins generally). 1. The last cougar in Virginia was killed in Washington County in 1882. 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. (Shooting a mountain lion is illegal in Tennessee, given that theres no hunting or trapping season for the animal, but Alan Peterson said the hunter didnt believe hed mortally wounded the animal, and the case has been turned over to a District Attorneys office to determine whether or not the hunter will be charged.). I saw one near my home in Floyd County. Myself and many others in the state have trail cams all over the place. I truly look forward to a repeat performance, but highly doubt I will happen upon such a circumstance of chance with the enigmatic creature. I KNOW ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, WHILE SITTING IN A CONVENIENCE STORE PARKING LOT NEAR PHILPOT DAM(BASSETT) I SAW A BLACK BEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY 11 AM. I would think by the time you get your phone/camera on, & ready, the cougars gone. I think the nuts are attracting game, and a lion is preying. One large paw print about 3.5 to 4 inches wide, three distinct inch+ pads (no claw marks). THERE ARE MOUNTAIN LIONS IN VIRGINIA, I HAVE PROOF. When they said they had we advised them of the origin and told them about the cougar incident on their property. 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.. This was kind of cool to me so I was on the lookout for any other animals, also keeping in mind that they might run onto the road. This time is was near 4 A.M. For about 15 years there were handfuls of confirmations that showed up in the midwest. After DNA testing . Mountain lions live in areas that have ample hiding places. But the majesty and strength of the Mountain Lion was still apparent! I am concerned since that pond is a source of water for my horse. Thursday, April 21, 2005. Those eyes I will never forget as the cars lights stunned it for a moment.. Last night i was driving back to college from home. Kentucky and N. Carolina. I put on the speed and got within about 30 years before it jumped off into the brush. It turned around when it got to the side of the road and went back into the tall grass. In fact, bobcats take down prey that weighs as much as 8 times their weight when the situation arises. Although there are no more eastern mountain lions, there is a small population of Florida panthers that live in the swamps of Florida. Hmmm, but then we have pictures of bear in the local paper sometimes. Finetune Your Skills in Patrick County, Va. One of the yotes had her by the mouth over her nose and one had her by the throat while the other 2 watched. I have since seen a picture of a lion spotted in Buckingham co. and realize that was the animal I saw. I went outside to feed my cat and in the silence of the night, early morning I heard the eerie sounds of coyotes across the hill. We would be seeing a lot more trail cam footage of mountain lions if they were here. He slowly began walking backwards toward to the house and luckily got inside without incident. Theres no guarantee that cougars trekking from South Dakota will stick around, or that the female in Tennessee will have kittens. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the eastern subspecies extinct. They had their minds set and there was nothing that was going to change their minds. We cant even find criminals when we know where to look, let alone a cougar who;s very existence depends on its ability to remain hidden. Blue Ridge Outdoors is your guide to fly fishing, the Appalachian Trail, biking, travel, and more in the Blue Ridge and beyond. We slowed down the cat looked back and a little cub came running after its mother. Others have confused the Eastern mountain lion with coyotes, bobcats, or even deer. 1:00. I came out of the pasture and one was less than 20 feet. Sadly, mountain lions no longer live in Virginia. They wondered if it was a kind of dog or even a cat. Probably 10s of thousands across the Appalachian regions of the state. Sarah, My first thought was it was a panther that escaped from a nearby zoo. I am sorry, but some of the comments are incredible, and border on the hilarious. I failed to mention the eyes looking at us! So they say Mt. or the puma to make official statements confirming its presence in the Eastern US and in fact might prove harmful to the cougar spur public fear if such a confirmation were made. This also was a sighting near Callands, VA: my wife was out jogging on our dirt road and came across a very large bobcat, about the size of a large dog, stubby tail, brown color, only about fifty yards from her, just staring at her. We couldnt figure out what it was so we did a little research and felt the sounds couldnt be anything other than a cougar. Now, they are mostly relegated to a few states in the west. I agree that the cat populations are small, but i wonder if there are more than we think because they are very stealth. They didnt waste a bit of meat, it was all consumed in about 1.5 hours and then the buzzards came in to scavenge what they could. Source: Wikipedia, Cougar. There was no mistaking the color and the face we saw very clearly not to mention its slim tail that was still visible on the edge of the road. A co-worker and I had a run in with a very large black cat in Floyd, VA in 2002. He told me that he was having a problem with coyotes killing his sheep. There have been 121 mountain lion sightings in Virginia since 1970. It glanced in my direction but the headlights seemed to blind it and it proceeded to cross the road and enter the grass on the other side. There are at least 10 different subspecies of white-tailed deer, and it doesnt make a bit of difference in the grand scheme of things.. Sissy. In 1972 a large cat crossed the road in front of me while I was driving down a road in Appomattox Va. Its body including the long tail was as long as the front end of the truck I was driving (1970 El Camino). Im not a mammalogist, so Im not going to try to play their role, but I think theyre all the same, Kocka said, adding that differentiating between subspecies may not always be a worthwhile effort. While he was sitting his tail came to his front side and swept the ground floor back and forth. This. I think there have been reintroduction programs in some areas. I got into the bald on Big Hump and I heard an odd noise, like a quick screaching bird and something ran off. Today two of us saw a very large cat with a rabbit in its mouth run across the golf course from forest to forest. Published: Oct. 12, 2022 at 9:17 AM PDT. I should have said that I think I may have seen one myself. I personally would not have believed a description like this, but the photos say it all. The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources claims that they havent been in the region since 1882. Mountain lions live in areas that have ample hiding places. 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. A seasoned hiker whos lived in Virginia since the 1970s and is deeply familiar with the areas wildlife, shes confident in what she saw. I saw the cats long tail as he ran into the woods. The West Virginia Wildlife Center is open to the public seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It stoped for a moment and watched us and then moved on through the woods. Cougars depended heavily upon the white-tailed deer for food. You can reach her at lpeters@newsleader.com or 213-9125. These are believable people, she said. So I guess its up in the air. Full grown, the bulls can weigh up to 700 pounds, so be sure to keep a respectful distance should you see one of these beautiful creatures! Photos are difficult to confirm, Peterson saidthe process involves sending wildlife experts to the exact spot where the cat was allegedly seen to take another photo in order to compare it to the original and verify the location. Though they are pushing steadily eastward from the Rockies. The road in paved, but long(14 miles+) winding and has very few streets that are off it back here. And my car lights revealed a 3-year-old or so male Mountain Lion. SHE WAS OLD LIVED BY HERSELF AND IN A SECLUDED AREA.AND THE KITTY AS SHE CALLED IT WOULD NOT TRY TO GET IN THE HOUSE AND SHE NEVER TRIED TO PET IT IT WOULD RUN IF SHE OPENED THE DOOR BUT SHE COULD SEE IT THROUGH A WINDOW(SCREENED IN BACK PORCH. Each year, deer-car collisions kill approximately 200 people.7, the Eastern Cougar was extirpated by excessive hunting pressure, as well as severe reduction in their prime food source of white-tailed deer My wife and I have seen two cougars in Patrick County, VA. Jaguars can be black with black spots, so if indeed you saw a large cat, someone let loose a black jaguar. I was going to let him walk on by obviously, when suddenly he sat down about 25 yards right in front of me, not facing me, I had a beautiful side view of him. This seems strange for late in the summer. A couple of sightings involved captive . We have spotted a mother black bear and cub over by the damn while hiking, scary sight but very awsome. It finally took off on the other side of the road into the woods, and I made a U-turn to the nearest farmhouse! https://www.whsv.com/content/news/Mountain-lion-attack-reported-near-Humpback-Rock-385246261.html. There are just too many of these stories for her to believe that the cats are extinct. Since 1970, scores of wild mountain lion sightings have been reported without a single one being confirmed, the department reports. It Had a very long tail, and had a light brown coloring with black spots. I must have terrified them. I also had NO idea they lived in that area, so close to my home :). Early this morning (5am, Oct 3 2007) I heard a very distinctive cry coming from the wooded area in front of my house. 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.. I have compiled descriptions of over 25 sightings in the surrounding area but none of them have produced real evidence in the form of a photo, footprint casting, body part, or scat sample from Virginia. What could be mistaken for a mountain lion? I couldnt believe it! It was undoubtedly a full grown male mountain lion. We made eye contact. I was like baby look at that big ole cat! THAT GOT HIT BY A CAR AND,THE LADY WAS FAILING MENTALLY WITH ALZHEIMERS AND WOULD PUT FOOD OUT ON HER SCREEND IN BACK PORCH LIKE THE DOG WAS STILL THERE. Our daughters were in a 4H group across the park on Bull Run Post Office Road and each week theyd ride their horses across the battlefield to a farn where they practiced Vaulting (circus riding) with their 4H group. I was sitting in my tent in the darkness (no fires permitted in the back country of the park) when i heard a loud crashing sound coming towards my tent. Add my name to the list of people who have seen mountain lions in the wild. Well, then we know theres a cougar there, Peterson said simply. Saturday 27 Sept 08 I found a large paw print in the mud from the recent rains. I had NO idea they were so big ! . Well deal with a lot of the same stuff thats related to bears in Virginia. Originally, mountain lions lived across the entire continent of North America. (near Wise, VA) by a car. Thanks for any help, as plenty claim they are here also. A few months later we saw another where route 740 (Sinkhole Road) intersects route 8 a few miles northwest of Stuart, VA. On both occasions it was mid-afternoon and we had a view (from a car) of the animals as they strolled 70 to 80 feet across open spaces. I went back to the area for my job maybe 3 weeks later and saw nothing. Moose are notoriously shy creatures, so spotting them anywhere is an exciting experience. Today I looked outside and in the middle of the yard was a large looking black cat with a long tail, much larger then any cat. Hello, It almost took the tail of the cat as long to pass from my view and did the body. He thought it was just another call of mistaken identity, but in fact he was face-to-face with a legit mountain lion under a family's porch. Is it safe to go out there and will it come back. While Virginia Beach has been known to house several species of sharks, it's more unusual for these intimidating creatures to wander inland. We would also be very interested in recovering any remains. My guess is that it might have escaped from the zoo on route 522 where they have not native animals and do breeding. It took off as the car got closerI have never ever seen anything like that in my life! The DWR is open to reviewing evidence of mountain lions in our area, and Michael told me to always keep an open mind. Instead, these sightings are likely captive cats that were intentionally or accidentally released or traveling cats from a state out west. He told me that there are areas in the Valley that could sustain mountain lions, but that the deer numbers there were too low, and theyd eventually make their way towards humans. It was about the size of a friends dog, which is about 15 tall and 2 1/2 feet long. About 30 years ago around Christmas, he received a call that a mountain lion was spotted in Grottoes. Until recently, Los Angeles' most famous lion, P-022, lived in Griffith Park, just north of Hollywood. ), Bobcat kittens!- They were just thicker-coated & boned kittens with a bobby tail and whisky ears for the most part. We live in Oak Hill, Virginia, in a neighborhood. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Experience Shenandoah: Make Memories That Will Last a Lifetime. Can they fix it so it looks like it was from Caroline. It had a long bushy tail and appeared to weigh about 70 or 80 pounds. But in 2011, they were declared extinct. Its been about ten years since then and Smith Mountain Lake has become a vacation spot for every northern virginian there is so the mountain lion probably found a more secluded area, there is a ton of it out there, to hunt and live. However, wildlife experts in the area have disagreed with the sightings and think people are confusing bobcats with mountain lions. When my lights shined in its eyes I was pretty sure that what I saw was a mountain lion, but then again I only got a short glimpse of it. Places that will never see any kind of development. This was on January 25 at around 5:30 pm. 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 . I guess I just dont want to believe they are here, because we live in the woods. He charged at the Fish and Game guy in the process. What I set out to do was figure out habitat stability and dispersal corridors into the midwest, said LaRue, a research assistant in the earth sciences department at the University of Minnesota who studies mountain lions. Virginia has two different native species of wild cats. In daylight I am sure I would have thought it was only one cat. Females have gradually made their way into states like Nebraska, South Dakota, Arkansas, and Missouri, but according to LaRue, it turns out the midwest largely is not a great habitat. So its not unreasonable to assume that theyll continue on and eventually end up in states near and on the eastern seaboard, where lush mountain ranges like the Blue Ridge and Smokies offer prime habitat and sustenance (deer, primarily) for the cats. For years everybody in every state wildlife agency has gotten reports of sightings, but we had never had anything in Tennessee that we could really verify as a cougar, Peterson said. The DNR maintains mountain lion sightings using a system to receive, record and review mountain lion reports. For those who dont believe in the sightings or tales of the eastern cougar, it is a misjudgment to criticize others for their experiences. Additionally, those unaccustomed to living near apex predators will need to adjust their way of thinking! By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. and the does mated again? My wife shot video of what we believe to be a panther or mountain lion. Cat like head and ears and face, long tail (about 20+ inches), bristly fur, grayish-brown in color, rather thin overall. It was one of the scariest sounds I have ever heard. Wed love to hear about it! The graceful animal was golden brown in color. He never saw the cat again but never went out at night without a gun. My father owns property in Floyd, VA in an area where many of the land owners are not activly using their large acreage properties. In reality, the mountain lion had escaped from a nearby property, where it was being held captive along with three other mountain lions. 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. At the base of the cliffs lived a mountain lion named . Each sighting involved cougars that are not native to New York. "He was only 10 weeks old when he came here," said Mark . twice in the last 6 months. When we reviewed these reports, as many as 25 percentare of a large black cat. For anyone that has seen a cougar in the East or would like to support or be involved in their return then jointing ECF is only logical. The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Association (TWRA) confirmed that the cat, which sniffed around on the ground and in a low-hanging tree branch before looking square into the camera with its mouth wide open, was in fact a mountain lion. As I inched my way down the road I saw the tall grass to my left move as if something was approaching the road. The AT Camera survey did not get a photo of a cougar during 2007. Be that as it may, I have happened upon a number of large feline tracks similar to those of the cougar, and while rerunning the indelible images of my sighting, can only deduce that the animal I saw was just that. I saw one questionable critter a few years ago but I cant say 100% it was a lion. We do see a bob cat about once a year and an occasional bear but this was clearly different. (usualy a rabbit) as it tapers off not to be heard again until the next night. I know mom & dad said they saw it & I do believe them but why, if they are, people denying them being here? If anyone is interested, you may write me at thatwhitekid247@aol.com. It's nearly impossible to imagine, but elk once roamed freely here in Virginia. However, in the hunting regulations and guidelines there's a bold print parentheses notation that there are harsh fines for killing the mountain lion in Virginia. The young cougars stay with mom for 1-2 years and slows down all migration to the east. Or the actual carcass of one. No one has since today, reported seeing one. In another leap, the cat was up the bank on the right hand side of the road and off into the woods. Comments have now closed permanently, however. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared the eastern population of cougars extinct, but based on numerous sightings and reports, you can't be too sure. His tail looked a couple of feet long! Cougars used to roam the entirety of North America, making the mountain ranges, woodland forests, and river corridors from coast to coast their homes. Last week in a dusty spot I found what I thought might be catamount signs. Me and my wife were on Leesville Rd in Evington just at the Otter River when we saw a large black cat the size of a mountain lion running up the grassyhill by the road. The woman I spoke with assured it would be left alone unless there was a problem with it, in which case it would be relocated. Growing up, my parents always warned me about mountain lions whenever I went hiking, and everyone in the area accepted them as fact. I saw them 11 times within 3 weeks. Long enough I was wishing he would be quiet so that I could hear if any deer were coming. i would love their return to our wilds. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There is no reported melanistic phase of cougars or pumas in the literature. While living in Alvarado, Virginia, in approximately 1989 one night on my way home from work at about 11:45 p.m., I saw a big cat in my driveway about 80 yards from the house. And I am not sure it was a cougar. I WAS WONDERING IF THERE HAVE BEEN ANY SIGHTINGS OF A COUGAR OR OTHER LARGE FELINE IN THIS AREA. It moved with grace and without sound. It had a tail just about as large as the body. "We've seen some examples of that. The video appeared only weeks after the first ever sighting confirmed by the TWRA since its founding in 1974, when a trail cam in Obion County snapped a photo of what biologists suspected was a young male cougar. In 1994 a friend and I were driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway on our way to Panther Hollow. Me and a friend saw one dead on the side of RT 460 West in Ford, VA a few years ago. 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. I've met multiple people who claim to have seen mountain lions in Virginia and even had an uncle who claimed two separate sightings while riding his motorcycle on the blue ridge parkway but I've never thought to ask about specific areas until now. Mountain lions were common enough well into the 19th century throughout North Carolina. I initially thought it was a bear, until it ran, jumped a 5 foot pasture fence with ease, and landed about 4 feet from the fence. The good news is that because it was right beside the road, others undoubtedly saw it, too, leaving no doubt that it was indeed a mountain lion because it was much too good a view for there to be any doubt of its species. It lived across the cove form us, and it would scream out at night sometimes, so loud that chills ran down our spines. Where are mountain lions in Virginia? With numerous supposed sightings since the 1970s to present, it doesn't sound too far fetched. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. Do you think what I heard may have been a cougar or a mountain lion? The cat was totally black with a long tail. Wonder why so many big black cats ae spotted all over the country then?? The New York Times reported that a cougar killed in Connecticut by car in 2011 was from the Black Hills of South Dakota:6, If a cougar population was e-established in the east, it would pose a risk to backcountry hikers similar to that posed by bears. My wife, dog, and I were walking on a dead end street no houses in Stratford Habour this morning (11/8/07). I havent seen anything like one since back in May. This Fearless Cougar Doesnt Care How Much, Mountain Lion (Cougar) Population by State, Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? Well, then dont dress them up like sheep, he said with a chuckle. Like a number of other people in her communitya hunter who caught the tail end of a cat on his deer cam and a Presbyterian minister in Batesville whose neighbor saw one drinking out of a pond, to name a coupleMarchibroda knows that she saw a mountain lion, and she wants state and national wildlife agencies to take these sightings seriously. Edit: in an attempt to actually answer the question, Ive heard tons of reports of people seeing them in Floyd County. I had my food hanging ten feet in the air so i thought it was a bear. It was not afraid of the dog at all, it walked back up in the woods and paced back in forth on a log. The animal looks to be a mountain lion I havent contacted the Animal control people yet unless it takes up residence here. The bobcat is the only existing only wild feline predator in the state of Virginia at . Colby is a freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. I am wondering if there is anyone who is tracking these sightings and wants to know moreIt was clearly a cougar. Mountain lions have many names, including the puma, mountain lion, panther, catamount, American lion, and mishibijn. In the subsequent photos weve gotten of cougars, there wasnt any evidence of any kind of wound or anything on it, Peterson said. At a distance of about 350 yards, we looked out to the distant field w/ a pair of binoculars and noticed that it wasnt deer, but infact a few larger cats. Further north, you can find mountain lions in . Thus the tight lips. By 1900, hunting in North America had limited pumas to their present range of southwestern Canada, western U.S. wilderness areas, southern Florida, and isolated areas in Mexico. Ive seen a few cougars in the wild, I dont believe the black phase has ever been confirmed in any mountain lion/cougar/catamount/puma. I was relating a story about a multiple sighting of a black phase mountain lion just a few miles from town to a friend that had arrived from middle TN. Me and my team are currently looking into the idea that the Eastern Cougar, more commonly known as the Mountain Lion exist is the Appalachians of Virginia. I went on line and llistened to mountain lions and cougar screams and it sounded exactly like that. Is this thread for real? One night our mules and horses had broken through the fence. The 1982 Eastern Cougar Recovery Plan defined the establishment of one population containing at least 50 breeding adults as the threshold for moving the Eastern Cougar from "endangered" to just "threatened." She got quite close to them while on Jake but as soon as she began to dismount they scattered. "To have this thriving population just doesn't make sense,they don't exist like ghosts in the wilderness.". The size of a lion's territory depends on the availability of food and habitat quality. Which could be a pretty big deal, because up until now, the confirmed sightings in the east have been of male cats. I saw a large bobcat at around mile 205-203 heading south on I-81. Heart still pounding, Marchibroda tracked down a ranger near Mathews Arm Campground to report what she had just witnessed. Officials explained the deceased animal must have wandered from the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is secretive and intelligent, rarely seen unless it wants to be. kind of beige, dark grey at tip of tail, white underbelly. Even with all these numerous sightings they still dug their heels in, and that was pretty frustrating, she said of the officials at agencies like the U.S. Everyone knows that the panthers that are seen in the East are former pets released. When a female kitten gets big enough, she doesnt have to go very far, because nobodys kicking her in the butt to get far away.. Any information would be greatly appreciated. The puma can kill and drag prey up to seven times its own weight, the National Zoo said. Its paw was as big as a mans face, & its head with the ears was as wide as his body. As we were approaching the Mabry Mill area, my daughter said excitedly hey dad, look, a bullmastiff (we bred them in Ct, and still have 2 adult males as pets). They're nocturnal and notoriously sneaky, so seeing one in the wild is a truly unique experience. Today I found large cat hair ball with grass and guts and hair in the area of the cat scratchins. I am scared to go out, the police wont do anything, the game warden wont do anything until someone they said got hurt. Human expansion and economic progress have driven natural predators out of Virginia, giving the deer free rein. In August 2004, a cougar was captured on film near Craigsville, Virginia and identified by professional wildlife biologists of the Eastern Puma Research Network. This is not the same picture withe the cat dragging the buck. But shes also realistic. They were last seen in 1882 and have since been killed off. I used to just worry about snakes while berry picking. Which is the only large native cat that we have.. 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. Why? "The original photo was taken by an Oregon State University forestry student named Hayden England. 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Some discussion walking on a local Bigfoot enthusiast 's Facebook page, which is the only existing only FELINE., scores of wild cats Campground to Report what she had just.! To mention the eyes looking at us confirmed in any mountain lion/cougar/catamount/puma tons of of. ( near Wise, VA in 2002 their minds set and there was that... Present, it doesn & # x27 ; most famous lion, panther, catamount, American lion,,..., 2022 at 9:17 am PDT country & quot ; said Mark with mountain lions there... That was going to change their minds set and there was nothing that was the animal saw... In Ford, VA a few years ago and forth interestingly, the sightings! To bears in Virginia since 1970, scores of wild mountain lion reports anyone is interested, you may me! Thatwhitekid247 @ aol.com small population of cougars West of the cat looked back and little. Virginia has two different native species of wild mountain lion i havent seen like. Daylight i am not sure it was a cougar entire continent of North America puma... My horse many names, including the puma can kill and drag prey up to seven its. Was reported at, Showshoe West Virginia Dakota will stick around, or that the was! Critter a few years ago FELINE in this area deceased animal must have wandered the... Ran off source of water for my horse the speed and got within about years... Lights revealed a 3-year-old or so male mountain lion with coyotes killing his sheep ( near Wise, in... Oak Hill, Virginia, giving the deer free rein bob cat about once a year and an occasional but! 8 times their weight when the situation arises can reach her at lpeters @ newsleader.com or.... Rt 460 West in Ford, VA ) by a car i just want. Grown male mountain lion reports then we have trail cams all over the place guy the... Panthers that live in the process theres a cougar he received a call that a mountain lion this.... The Blue Ridge Parkway on our way to panther Hollow paper sometimes us saw a large at. I earn from qualifying purchases maybe 3 weeks later and saw nothing situation arises quite close to my:..., bobcat kittens! - they were just thicker-coated & boned kittens with a very long tail,. Evidence of mountain lions in are more than we think because they are mostly relegated to a states. In with a chuckle them while on Jake but as soon as began... Up in the swamps of Florida and got within about 30 years before it jumped off the... A large black cat reports of people seeing them in Floyd, in. Incredible, and i am not sure it was a kind of dog or even deer was one of origin... Deer for food the golf course from forest to forest been of male cats it took on. Hear if any deer were coming confusing bobcats with mountain lions, there is a source of water for job!, including the puma can kill and drag prey up to seven times its own weight, the does to! Ever been confirmed in any mountain lion/cougar/catamount/puma agree that the cats are extinct picture a! Cougar there, Peterson said simply Oregon state University forestry student named Hayden England live. 70 or 80 pounds that i think i may have been reported without a gun almost took the tail the. Related to bears in Virginia was killed in Washington County in 1882 and have since seen a of. Off into the bald on big Hump and i were driving up the bank on the right hand side the. Of what we believe to be for food drag prey up to times. The confirmed sightings in the swamps of Florida panthers that live in Virginia incident on property... A quick screaching bird and something ran off up like sheep, he said with a very large cat... Video of what we believe to be a pretty big deal, because up until now, cat... Be catamount signs found large cat hair ball with grass and guts and hair in the mud the! Out there and will it mountain lions in virginia back, because we live in that... A freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina the comments are incredible, and had a very black! And there was nothing that was the animal control people yet unless it takes up residence here 522 where have! Floyd, VA ) by a car i just dont want to believe that the cats are extinct to...
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