I heard a lot of animal screaming and it seemed to be getting closer to my property. From a distance, it had the walk of a cat - and the coloring of a mountain lion. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23, Laura Newberry | laura.newberry@masslive.com, Are there Mountain Lions in Massachusetts? It occurred after 8 p.m. Monday night, January 23, 2023, at Highway T and Old Highway 100 just north of Villa Ridge in Franklin County. We contacted the Somerset County Park department who assured us that there are no mountain lions in their parks. I'm completely convinced fish and game are well aware they are still here and said they are extinct to calm the public outcries. Hunters must also possess a valid hunting license, which is $37 for residents. -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 came out of the woods and stopped in the middle of the road right in front of me in the headlights. l never heard from the State. 24K views 4 years ago #cougar #mountainlion #maryland On May 31, 2018 an interesting video of an animal walking across a field was captured in the Fallston area of Harford County, Maryland. With land cleared for farms and factories (nearly the entire state was deforested at the turn of the 20th century), there was no place for big cats to hide and nothing for . Thina Vanosnabrugge, a 41-year-old Hunt Valley woman, thinks they are. I was leaving Westville towards the mall. "They never left," Mr. Lutz argues. Not valid with other promotions. No indication of a captive animal. The Fort Worth Star-Telegraph reports on a mountain lion sighting in April 2022. From MK:I just read your article about mountain lions in NJ. Eastern Arizona Courier, Co-existing with nature: Wildlife specialists help both sides get along, Update credit card information AZGFD for 2023 spring hunts. Arizona mountain lion tags are available over-the-counter or can be purchased by mail for $15 to Arizona locals. About 10 years ago I saw one crossing a narrow, rural road in Chester Township, NJ. Bobcats are found in the mountains of western Maryland, even in some counties along the Chesapeake Bay and one sighting came from the Eastern Shore. From ED:Im a believer. Sighting of this animal also occurred in Michigan and New York. July 31, 2018 / 4:17 PM I had made calls to many different agencies and either I was told I was wrong or no one would return my calls. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. There are two records of mountain lions in Massachusetts thatmeet the evidence requirements. Well, as luck would have it, my co worker took this very nice pic of a mature female mountain lion last week just south of Uniontown Pa. If your state is not . From PD:Read your article about mountain lions in NJ. This page is located more than 3 levels deep within a topic. Weight. A mountain lion sighting was reported at, Showshoe West Virginia. "She was hesitant to report it because she thought people wouldn't believe her," Lefleche told the paper. In certain situations, the similarities in the silhouette are remarkable. "We do not have a population of mountain lions." Fishers had been in decline due to development and loss of habitat, but DNR is reporting that their numbers are now increasing and are prevalent. AFGFD said the data suggest the statewide population of mountain lions is stable to increasing, with an annual population estimate at 2,876 animals since 2004. They are definitely here. The mountain lion was about 50 yards to the left of my house and was walking up the side of the mountain. I knew It wasnt a bear or wolf. I lived on a street with houses spaced widely - and a soccer field across the street which was next to a wooded space, a creek, and a pond. Pigeons? An adult male bobcat can reach four feet in length and 35-40 pounds. Park rangers alerted the historical society to inform members that these big cats have been spotted in the area. I don't walk my dog on Old Mine Rd any longer because of the large number of bears, coyotes, and concern about mountain lions. Offer valid thru 3/31/23. It also looked to be at least 4-5 feet in length, not counting its long, thick tail. With all the deer, geese, and other prey everywhere, why wouldnt they be here!!!! I live in Holland Township NJ. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. To me, it was not a dog and then carry itself like a dog. From EW:Lions in NJmy son and myself were on a hunt in a ground blind on a friend's farm in Liberty Corner, NJ Somerset CoFebruary 19, 1996.roughly around 4:00 pm in the afternoon I thought a deer had entered the pine forest we were adjacent to.we were actually hunting bushy tails with flintlock smoothbores as deer season was closed. MLRT confirmed using the photos and other sign. JustBe Farm is the passion project of both Kate and Ray, two South Jersey locals who wanted a place where they could reconnect busy children, teens, and adults with nature. The MLRT has investigates hundreds of mountain lion reports, but most reported sightings and tracks turn out to be bobcats or large dogs. But John Lutz, a cougar buff who runs a Baltimore-based group called the Eastern Puma Research Network, says there are at least 100 wild mountain lions roaming Maryland. Mountain lions in NJ? Straw says. But I know what I saw. It was about 4 feet tall and just walked slowly crossing the highway. They are here! var year = today.getFullYear() 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. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Photo of a mountain lion taken by a game camera and a kill site of an 80 lb. From DS:I also spotted a mountain lion on Almonesson Rd Deptford NJ about 1 am. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. I was told to call animal control. contact the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Now and then MassWildlife gets a report with a photo of a mountain lion. Citizen reported a mountain lion jumped through a fence and sent in hairs suspected to be from the lion. If you see a mountain lion, report the sighting immediately to Mission Viejo Animal Services at 949-470-3045 or the Orange County Sheriff's Department at 949-770-6011. He tells the story of a friend who managed to snap a picture of a cougar prowling in his backyard in Phoenix. Receive the digital, interactive PDF of the newspaper in your inbox. The bobcat is the only resident "big cat" with. MassWildlife receives dozens of reportsa year, most are simplyreportsor sightings with no evidence. I was excited for my husband to see it too, so I kept calling him and going to the dining room so he could hear me, as he was downstairs, but unfortunately by then, the mountain lion was no longer in my sight. That story prompted a number of folks to write about their encounters. I feel vindicated. Forget Big Foot or the Loch Ness monster. My sighting was on the sand Old Martha Rd beyond Martha Furnace Rd (which is also the BatonaTrail). This map shows the various zones where mountain lions are hunted statewide, as determined by the Arizona Fish and Game Department. The latest sighting happened Wednesday afternoon, according to a News4 viewer who says she spotted the animal near the Beltway exit to Connecticut Avenue. There was a problem saving your notification. Turkey vultures return to Ohio a sure harbinger of the coming spring? However, one must assume that it actually could happen. 23 in West Milford NJ about 50 yards from the highway a huge cat ran across the trail in front of me maybe 25 feet from my front tire. They are also known as pumas, cougars and panthers. Below is the information about mountain lion sightings in maryland 2021 . adroll_currency = "USD"; Then he realized from the length of its tail and the shape of its body that it was a mountain lion. In 1996 MDC established a Mountain Lion Response Team (MLRT) with specially trained staff to investigate reports and evidence of mountain lions. Glenn Therres, a biologist and wildlife specialist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources says, We receive a dozen or two dozen reports a year from citizens who see, hear or find signs of cougars. Let us know what's going on! I wish I had turned around and taken photos but, where it was located, it would have taken me too long. Many people do not realize how large a grown Bobcat is. From C:About 15 years ago we were on our motorcycles riding around Delaware NJ by the Gap we went on a gravel road came to a bridge we couldn't cross turned around driving real slow cause we all had Harleys I kept like 10 bike lengths between us because of the dust kicking up and right in front of me crossed a mountain lion no more than 10 feet away from me no way I was mistaken. Well, that latest story has exploded, going viral and being shared all across the state. In comparison to our GSD, I estimated it to be around 70lbs. In the Washington region, sightings have been reported in rural areas of Maryland and Virginia. Heres how to pull big bluegills from Iowas West Lake Okoboji, A look at some other ways to call in a spring gobbler, How to catch and cook whitefish and tullibees, Nows the time to savor the fruits of the hunting experience. Hikers saw a mountain lion walking along a hiking trail as it was hunting a deer in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Open MF, 8 a.m.4 p.m. (closed noon12:30 for lunch). 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 lions dont usually travel more than 100 miles from where they are born. Although theyre not often seen walking about like the plentiful whitetailed deer, the top Maryland counties for bobcats are Garrett, Allegany, Washington and Frederick in that order. GREENBELT, Md. I do have footprint pics in snow from Califon definitely not your usual coyote. MassWildlife uses evidence-based criteria for confirming reports of mountain lions. If you are not and would like to read this and all the other great . I KNOW WHAT I SAW and to this day every time I bring up this in conversation nobody believes me. "Other than two confirmed cases, all reports of Mountain Lions in Massachusetts that include tangible evidence have turned out to be other kinds of animals," a post by the state department of Energy and Environmental Affairs called "Are there Mountain Lions in Massachusetts?" It was about 12:30 at night. Use anything at your disposal: a stick, rock, or better yet, bear spray. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Mountain lions became scarce in the East after a bounty system wiped out most predatory animals. It definitely wasn't a bobcat or a coyote, as I do know what they look like. The sighting has been reported to the state Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, which has historically debunked such observations. Officers will patrol the neighborhood Friday. One late afternoon on my way back home I, unfortunately, saw one dead in the middle of 287 on the southbound lane approximately around the exits near Delaware water gap (between 53 and 36) I was in the lane closest to it, was driving slow enough past it and got a clear long look at it, it was clearly a giant beige cat with a long tail. We see dead deer all of the time, but deer do not have big paws as this thing did. There are hundreds more throughout the East Coast, he and other naturalists believe. A recent rumor of a cougar killed by a vehicle on Interstate 80 attracted some attention at Penn State. The most beautiful tragedy I've ever seen. After reading your article I'm not so sure, maybe she really did see them. POCATELLOMountain lions are being sighted throughout Pocatello, according to official reports and social media posts from local residents. The animals, which weight between 90 and 160 pounds and range over a large territory for food, have not left tracks that could be verified by wildlife experts. I guess they werent willing to admit it but my son and I knew what we saw. 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. There were five yearling animals, four 2-year-old animals, two 3-year-olds and five 4-year-olds. A debate ensued over whether the animal was a rare and incredible sighting of a cougar (either an extinct eastern cougar or western cougar that traveled a great distance outside of their known range) or just a large domestic house cat that appeared larger than it was due to the weather conditions and perspective. I have seen these magnificent creatures in Wyoming and Montana many times on different trips to friends' large and remote ranches. From ER:Many years ago - back in late 2012 I was preparing a yard sale with my youngest daughter (she was 12 at the time) on our driveway in Ringwood, NJ. Use this button to show and access all levels. From AM:Yes, we DO have them in NJ, regardless of whether the state denies it or not. Turned its head and looked right at me for several seconds. MONTEREY There are no photos. In this video we discuss why we have reached our conclusion as well as explaining some natural history about this species.For more information please check out our in depth write up on the subject http://www.susquehannockwildlife.org/2018/06/10/fallstoncougar/#cougar #mountainlion #housecat #harfordcounty #maryland State workers have confirmed sightings of about 100 mountain lions also known as pumas, panthers, catamounts and cougars since 1994, when the Department of Conservation started tracking. Many believe mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania. Please remove any contact information or personal data from your feedback. Please limit your input to 500 characters. "I believe that they're there," says a Baltimore County police officer, who claims he saw a cougar in Ruxton in 1980. Please limit your input to 500 characters. "I'm really positive.". Updated: Jul. Sighting of this animal also occurred in Michigan and New York. 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. About 4 years ago I saw the whole mountain lion. Because you will never go out of your house at night. I was sitting on my front porch and I saw a very large animal at first I thought big fox. Mistaken reports of mountain lions in Massachusetts are most commonly Bobcats. ), So, while the state of New Jersey says "there are no mountain lions in New Jersey," there are a lot of people who would beg to differ. Yes, they have been here for years. Our eyes locked and we were both motionless. Alaska They all agree it looks like a mountain lion. Some of these photos have taken on urban legend status. Yet this young male traveled about 1,800 miles. ", With its long tail and sleek, cat-like body, the animal was unquestionably a mountain lion, Mrs. Vanosnabrugge says. 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. There have been no reports of injuries associated with this creature. Rt 206/Lamington Rd. I know bobcats and it definitely wasnt one especially having a 3+ foot tail that was quite thick. California: 4,000 - 6,000. Are there mountain lions in Massachusetts. Follow @WJZ on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook, First published on July 31, 2018 / 4:17 PM. Mistaken reports of Mountain Lions in Massachusetts are most commonly bobcats, the state said. from afar it looked like silk black fur. As of Sept. 7, 12 animals have been tagged statewide thus far. Mrs. Muhl isn't alone. And yes I believe these other stories. Mountain lions are helpful in maintaining order in our ecosystem and assist to keep other wildlife numbers in check. .it walked right out downwind of us and broadside to both of us at 25 yards or so. Mountain lions occur across much of the state and bring about a wide range of complex conservation and management challenges. adroll_current_page = "other"; There are occasional reports of people who think they saw one, maybe they even took a blurry picture, but those are most likely bobcats. From RE:Hi Joe, no one believed me but back in about 1986 I was. For the last few days, my email account has been continuously pinging from people sharing information about their sightings. The West Virginia Wildlife Center is open to the public seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The government says they don't exist here. FRANKLIN COUNTY, Mo. Unconfirmed sightings of mountain lions and panthers do persist in Maryland, according to the state Department of Natural Resources website. 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. It was about 6 or 7 years ago. It was tan and the most amazing part of this animal was its tail. For an overview you may wish to view A Timeline of Bounty and Sport Hunting of Mountain Lions in the United States or our poster Where Do We Go From Here? (WJZ) -- A reported mountain lion sighting in a Prince George's County park turned out to be a coyote. I will say I've received reports from all around the state but several of the reports seem to be in the same area: West Milford in the northern part of the state. "These animals have usually been misidentified because they were seen under poor conditions or by someone not familiar with the species," the post goes on to say. The woman reported seeing the animal along a path around 3 p.m. She told U.S. Park Police it was tall enough to come up to her waist, but didn't seem aggressive. One can easily imagine that they might decide to not report the loss. Wisconsin - Mountain lion sightings in Wisconsin are rare but there have been confirmed sightings within this state. 10 Reply Gov_Martin_OweMalley 4 yr. ago Over the years I have heard stories of other encounters. Your email address will not be published. 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. On we go with just some of the reports I've received in the last few days: From RB:I've been reading your stories about mountain lion sightings, I too have seen a mountain lion; this was during the early spring or late winter of 2021. From BK:I am so happy to read your article I have been telling people for years my friend and I saw a cougar and Greystone Park in Morris County I believe it was 2013 it was the end of September or early October we were coming from fishing and as we were riding I saw it stalking a bunch of deer. We do get photos/videos sent to us claiming to have witnessed a mountain lion but it is almost always a bobcat or sometimes even a house cat. Mike Jacobsen found a dead mountain lion in his Denton-area field on Dec. 19. "It was so unusual," she says. Among them was a forestry technician who came across a female cougar nursing two cubs in remote part of the Thomas Jefferson National Forest. "As always, if you leave wildlife alone and respect it, the wildlife will reciprocate," she wrote. I was amazed I told everyone I knew and it was like I was crazy or a liar. l thought "oh shit" and figured l could try to use my bicycle for protection and dismounted. Confirmed reports of mountain lions in Massachusetts Just like New Jersey doesn't have any rattlesnakes. I then said to my friend, oh wow he said what did you see I said no you tell me, he then described that he saw a big brown animal with a little face and a big tail in a different color brown than the deer, I then told him I saw it as well and it was a cougar he thought I was crazy for saying that and then I showed him an article where someone had just seen it at Burnham Park in Morristown a week or so before that was only a few miles away. Please let us know how we can improve this page. It WAS a mountain lion. Bobcats are found in the mountains of western Maryland, even in some counties along the Chesapeake Bay and one sighting came from the Eastern Shore. When I got up to where I think it was it was gone and to me, if it was a bear well bears don't have tails and two to me a bear would kind of struggle to get into the woods and lose stamina after a certain point maybe this thing it ran it took off and didn't look back. adroll_adv_id = "T6XR4YM2C5FGXNZIDZPFXI"; In Maryland, what inquiring minds want to know is whether big cats are prowling suburbia. Information gathered from AZFGD and the Arizona Mountain Lion Foundation, Hunters who dont want to miss getting their spring 2023 tag should take the time now to update their credit card information with the Arizona. My house, which is located in Hewitt, NJ (West Milford township), faces the woods, which is actually the edge of Wawayanda State Park. Now man is encroaching into more remote parts of the state, forcing the cougars out of their hiding places, Mr. Lutz says. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but I do know that there are mountain lions - or at least one lion - in the area. ". She was driving home from a shopping trip last spring when she spotted a large animal crossing Cuba Road in Northern Baltimore County. The oldest tooth-aged mountain lion tagged in 2021 was 10. In an article in the Maryland Natural Resource magazine, Therres mentions that reports of cougar sightings come from every sector in the state as if were overrun with the big cats. Today, mountain lions are found in the mountainous regions of the West. This offer only applies to OutdoorNews.com and not for any Outdoor News print subscriptions. Brigantino Park notice. People say that when they closed it down some of the animals were released into the woods around here. From DJ:I used to live on Albrecht Lane in East Brunswick. Please do not include personal or contact information. 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. They used to roam the entire continent, but have become extinct in most US states. These areas are heavily wooded reserves owned by Morris County and the State of New Jersey. Demographic train wreck: Will Japan throw its old people on the tracks? I was driving on a dark and stormy night about 9 years ago on Rt-515 just off of Rt-23. I posted my sighting on a neighborhood social media site, and of course, many did not believe me and said they don't exist here in NJ; however, a number of people also chimed in that they have seen one here or there in different locations not far from me. It was looking away from us attempting to catch a number of small deer that [were] on the riverbank. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. It walked into the tree line and disappeared. My husband also sighted one while driving to go hunting many years ago in Wawayanda State Park. About 16 years ago I saw one plodding along Canal Road in Vernon, in broad daylight while I was looking out my kitchen sink window. A work colleague of mine lives in Layton, a town next to Walpack in Sussex County. On Tuesday, September 28, the Choconut Inn in Friendsville, Pennsylvania jumped in on the conversation with a Facebook post that read, "Hi everyone there's been numerous mountain lion sightings by Quaker Lake. 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. MassWildlife cannot investigate or confirm mountain lion reports without any evidence. I thought I was nuts for thinking it was a mountain lion, but now not so much. The 2020 wildfires that ravaged California also affected mountain lion populations, killing an estimated 300 to 600 of them. The Pa. Game Commission investigated this picture. You have permission to edit this article. The policeman, who didn't want to be identified, says he was on his way home from work about 3 a.m. when the cougar crossed Circle Road in an wooded area adjacent to Robert E. Lee Memorial Park. In April 1997, experienced tracker John McCarter found scat near a beaver carcass at the Quabbin Reservation.
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