About 10 years ago I saw one crossing a narrow, rural road in Chester Township, NJ. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. var today = new Date() "She was hesitant to report it because she thought people wouldn't believe her," Lefleche told the paper. 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. Offer valid thru 3/31/23. However, he did say (off the record) that he believed us - he was a hunter and had seen evidence of them in and around our area of the state. From ED:Im a believer. The Damned Story: Eastern mountain lions, or pumas or cougars, were last officially seen in Connecticut near the end of the 19th century.A threat to livestock, they were hunted out of the state and driven to parts more wild. 10 Reply Gov_Martin_OweMalley 4 yr. ago "I knew a lot of people wouldn't believe I'd seen it," he says. . 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. A mountain lion, seen above, was sighted on Ash Street in Webster Sunday. Forget Big Foot or the Loch Ness monster. In this video we discuss why we have reached our conclusion as well as explaining some natural history about this species. From RD:I live in Cumberland in Maurice River township. It was killed in management Zone D, area 10, which appears to be mostly in Coconino County. Sixty-nine percent of mountain lion kills involved the use of dogs, and the majority of animals were killed in the period between January and March. Hunters do not stumble across the remains of dead mountain lions in the woods, he says. Not valid with other promotions. Fish and Game has to acknowledge their existence so the public is aware. The mountain lion was about 50 yards to the left of my house and was walking up the side of the mountain. However, one must assume that it actually could happen. They are definitely here. My 11-year-old son was in front of me about 50 feet. The same spot, just trying to get to my donkeys late at night. Nov. 11, 2021 - A California Mountain Lion was seen at approximately 4:52 p.m. on Nov. 11 near the University Glen water tanks and on the main part of the campus near Santa Barbara Street and Camarillo Street. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. From RV:In the summer of 2002, I was biking south on the D&R canal path near Millstone NJ. 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. All other reports of mountain lions in Massachusetts have turned out to be other animals. 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. Truly terrifying encounter even compared to a bear. Please give us a call at 928-428-2560, Copyright It was tan and the most amazing part of this animal was its tail. This page is located more than 3 levels deep within a topic. Over a period of a year and a half, this mountain lion left DNA evidence in at least four states. Contact Laura Jean Schneider at LauraJean@eacourier.com, 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.. POCATELLOMountain lions are being sighted throughout Pocatello, according to official reports and social media posts from local residents. But that was definitely what it was. As of Sept. 7, 12 animals have been tagged statewide thus far. Yes, they have been here for years. reads. White-tailed deer are the most abundant large animals in the park. (WJZ) --A reported mountain lion sightingin a Prince George's County park turned out to be a coyote. None of the rumors are true. We won't share it with anyone else. I KNOW WHAT I SAW and to this day every time I bring up this in conversation nobody believes me. Diana Marchibroda and her miniature schnauzer froze in their tracks when the mountain lion stepped out of the woods last May. Updated: Jul. I myself saw one back around 2008 off of Watervale Rd in Fallston, Harford County. A mountain lion sighting was reported at, Showshoe West Virginia. Yet this young male traveled about 1,800 miles. Open MF, 8 a.m.4 p.m. (closed noon12:30 for lunch). Photo courtesy of Mountain Lion Foundation. Receive the digital, interactive PDF of the newspaper in your inbox. The mountain lion is also known as cougar, panther, or puma. GREENBELT, Md. 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. 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 . "They never left," Mr. Lutz argues. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. It was looking away from us attempting to catch a number of small deer that [were] on the riverbank. Please remove any contact information or personal data from your feedback. The USDA's Forest Service Wildlife Genetics Laboratory found that the animal came from South Dakota. Mountain Lions are the largest predators currently in Rocky Mountain National Park. Another woman said she was walking her dog in McLean Gardens at the edge of Glover Park when she spotted the large cat last week. 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. It is difficult to know if someone saw a mountain lion without any tangible evidence. One said his father swore he had seen one, and their guess was it was an escapee from Great Adventure. Other people say they have seen these beautiful cats and have also caught them, in the past, on camera in the woods. 13507065_10205364039255335_8657515368052999240_n.jpg. If mountain lions returned to Massachusetts, there is no need to update current forest management practices. -Only California bans regulated harvest of mountain lions, with all other states maintaining regulated hunting seasons for this species. Already a subscriber to OutdoorNews.com? Read more about the status of Mountain Lions in Alabama here. In certain situations, the similarities in the silhouette are remarkable. Because you will never go out of your house at night. Crews were seen from a D.C. chopper searching the park with long guns. 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. I knew it wasn't a dog - and it wasn't a bobcat. For the last few days, my email account has been continuously pinging from people sharing information about their sightings. I live in Holland Township NJ. var year = today.getFullYear() It was heading northeast toward Peapack, NJ. People even report House Cats as mountain lions in a surprising number of cases. An adult male mountain lion can have a home range greater than 100 square miles. I would just like to share the information that people are sharing with me. A valid hunting license is required except in the case of depredation (killing of livestock). -Arizonas first lion management plan took the form of paying a bounty for every lion killed where the pelt was turned over to authorities. The buzzards returned in late February, and Steve Pollick says you can mark your calendar by these scavengers exploits. In windy or mountainous areas, Elbroch says air horns are great tools to throw off a cat's focus and deter them from . From DJ:I used to live on Albrecht Lane in East Brunswick. The youngest was less than 1-year-old. All rights reserved. We were traveling south on 23 right by Canistear road in West Milford. There are two records of mountain lions in Massachusetts thatmeet the evidence requirements. They definitely are here! The Missouri Dept of Conservation release information regarding a vehicle striking a mountain lion (cougar) not far from Six Flags. I slowed down and when slowed down it took off really fast into the woods. I didnt believe her until the security department showed me the security camera footage and there it was about a 30 or 40-pound mountain lion walking passed the security lights. Case 2 There is no indication of population decline, the department said. ". There are hundreds more throughout the East Coast, he and other naturalists believe. In Maryland, what inquiring minds want to know is whether big cats are prowling suburbia. I told some people but Im not sure anyone believed me. From D:My wife came home a couple of years ago and told me she saw two cougars crossing Range Road, a joint jurisdiction road between Fort Dix and Browns Mills, NJ, I told her they must have been something else. There was a problem saving your notification. I have seen a lion twice in Sussex County. MassWildlife uses evidence-based criteria for confirming reports of mountain lions. Photo of a mountain lion taken by a game camera and a kill site of an 80 lb. Mountain lions also were reportedly sighted in Cape St. Claire in 1969, Kingsville in 1971 and several areas of Prince George's County in 1988. I mentioned it to several coworkers and nobody believed me! Of course, everyone thinks Im crazy because they dont want to believe it. 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. Me and my friend are trying to put together a list/map of sightings in MD. These areas are heavily wooded reserves owned by Morris County and the State of New Jersey. Top-requested sites to log in to services provided by the state. Lefleche told the Telegram and Gazette that Ford's sighting seems credible. From a distance, it had the walk of a cat - and the coloring of a mountain lion. Since 1890 in the U.S. and Canada, there have been 100 attacks on humans at all, according to the research organization The Cougar Network. It looked so powerful! Columbia police were notified of a possible mountain lion sighting in the city Thursday night, May 5. CAPTAIN COOK, Hawaii (KITV4) -- A possible big cat sighting is being investigated on the Big Island. This is the longest documented travel distance of a mountain lion. Many mountain lion sightings in our state turn out to be cases of mistaken identity, but photos, tracks, hair, scat, and videos are some types of physical evidence used to confirm the presence of a mountain lion. Mike Jacobsen found a dead mountain lion in his Denton-area field on Dec. 19. In 2014, the mountain lion conservation program was established to coordinate scientific research and population monitoring to inform big game management, species management plans and habitat conservation and protection. ; track sets or photos of track sets; other tangible physical evidence verified by qualified professionals. It came out of the woods and stopped in the middle of the road right in front of me in the headlights. (I don't know if it's right, but for me the two terms are interchangeable. riding my dirt bike up a trail right off Rt. The animal just stood there for a few minutes and then walked off towards the lake. An official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, This page, Are there mountain lions in Massachusetts?, is. Some believe a mountain lion may be lurking in northwest Washington. Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information. Mountain lion prints are . From EG:About 10 years ago I used to frequent west Milford NJ. Mountain lions occur across much of the state and bring about a wide range of complex conservation and management challenges. Purported mountain lion sighting causes stir FALLING WATERS Fliers and a plywood sign warning of purported sightings of a mountain lion near the area where two miniature horses and a donkey were killed in recent animal attacks caused a stir for local residents Tuesday, but authorities say there's no definitive indication such an animal is in the area. From TM:Hey Joe. Use this button to show and access all levels. In May 2018, a mountain lion attacked two mountain bikers 30 miles east of Seattle, Washington, killing one, but it's only the 15th fatal attack in North America since 1970. There was no question as to what it was, with its coloring and long tail. If your state is not . The same year, The Sun ran a story headlined "A Mysterious Big Cat Roams Maryland," which focused on a flurry of cougar reports in Western Maryland. "It ran right in front of my truck a few weeks ago," said Kenneth Basler, a town official who said he saw the large cat around Stevens Pond . 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. 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. Mountain lions in NJ? She shared the pictures with Animal Control Officer Michelle Lefleche, who posted two on Facebook. Invalid password or account does not exist. I knew It wasnt a bear or wolf. I was driving on a dark and stormy night about 9 years ago on Rt-515 just off of Rt-23. They used to roam the entire continent, but have become extinct in most US states. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the official website. ), 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. The most recent sighting of a mountain lion in a Randallstown field Tuesday has revived claims that cougars aren't extinct in Maryland. It had a small animal hanging from its mouth. There is also a small population in southern Florida. If you need assistance, please contact the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Rt 206/Lamington Rd. Mountain Lion Sighting. The main habitat requirement for mountain lions is stalking cover to successfully hunt prey. The most recent sighting of a mountain lion in a Randallstown field Tuesday has revived claims that cougars aren't extinct in Maryland. The MLRT has investigates hundreds of mountain lion reports, but most reported sightings and tracks turn out to be bobcats or large dogs. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. I went home to look it up to ensure I was correct - Mountain Lion. There was an animal that ran very quickly across the road and we both said that it looked like a mountain lion. Roughly 100 of the pumas are not doing very well in the Sunshine state, where automobile and truck traffic or disease claim a few of the animals every year, but theyre hanging on and we wish them well.Then there are occasional reports of mountain lion sightings in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, but no one to our knowledge has ever totally proved that what they saw actually was North Americas biggest cat that can weigh 150 pounds or more and from nose to the tip of the tail can measure nearly 8 feet in length. 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. l never heard from the State. 75-170 pounds. Copyright 2023Outdoor News. We contacted the Somerset County Park department who assured us that there are no mountain lions in their parks. Brigantino Park notice. Then he realized from the length of its tail and the shape of its body that it was a mountain lion. The hikers did not see the prey animal, but the mountain lion was focused and had zeroed in on something in the bushes. in Montague, Sussex County, east from the swampy area of High Point Golf Club west down behind the Vet's office on Millville Rd.