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. UPDATE: An alert reader took this photo late September, 2008, from his trail camera near Plummer, PA. UPDATE: An alert reader sent this photo of a mountain lion taken about three weeks ago (September 2009) near Farmington, Pa, in Fayette County. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Skip to the beginning of the images gallery, FISH: Pennsylvania Frog and Toad Breeding Phenology, Questions and Answers about Centipedes, Ladybirds and Butterflies, The Effect of Coyotes on Pennsylvanias Deer Herd, Protected Species in Pennsylvania: The Bog Turtle, Protected Species in Pennsylvania: Northern Flying Squirrel. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". Cougars need areas without humans because they do not like to be around humans and humans kill them (intentionally and unintentionally). Images from a homeowner's surveillance camera show a tan cat with a long body, beyond a chain-link fence. Pennlive.com reports trappers kill more than 40,000 of them in Pennsylvania every year. Black widows are native to the state. By Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle Dec 15, 2018 1 of 2 Mountain lions are believed not to exist in Massachusetts, but that only means they don't live or breed here. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. I saw a Mountain Lion chasing a fox in Perryopolis Pa. Over 1,100 people follow her page. "I kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but I'm not God.". The map below includes both confirmed and unverified puma sightings in the larger San Francisco Bay region (and beyond) since 2004. An escapee is also possible. Jr. 2012. "They are very strong animals," she said. The young adult male was killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2011. The team has investigated hundreds of reports, but most turned out to be bobcats. The cats journey was well documentedboth photographs and genetic samples (fecal matter and hair) were collected along its journey. If you see any of these four wild animals in Pennsylvania, definitely keep a safe distance. "I know they're native to this area. My neighbor had one (maybe the same one) in her backyard. "They are very strong animals," she said. PA game commission are nothing but liers they lie to the people all the time we need to do away with them turn it over to the government I do not trust our government but the game commission lies more, what appears to be very large lion tracks the PGC says photos were of a large dog I disagree I have a deer feeder and I think that is why they are all around my house, it seems every time my cousin mason and his buddies go camping they encounter oro see a mountian lion he says he swares the the cougar stalks them when they start walking through the woodsthey live in the northern part of pa in an little mountian town of treemont in schuylkill county we know there is mountian lions up there. // February 12, 2021 Many believe mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Isolated juvenile males have been found as far east as Michigans Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. In 1991 mountain lion tracks were found . An adult male mountain lion in California. It has been well known that cariabou have migrated from Canada, so why not the mountain lion? "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. "Also, pretty sure there is color variation in a bobcats fur color, so what Im thinking is a good-sized, tawny colored bobcat.". I have seen three mountain lions in pa. One full grown in Erie county in 1998 and two kittens (yes I am sure they were mountain lions, not bobcats) in McKean county in 2001. Lion sightings they got. Although the chances of being attacked by an animal are slim, and even slimmer that you could die from an attack by a creature, there are indeed animals capable of wreaking havoc on humans. More than half of California is mountain lion habitat and mountain lions generally exist wherever deer are found. Mountain Lions Background: In 2011, the U.S. I live in Harrisburg, in the 70s and by Central Dauphin high school there was a creek called Beaver Creek so one day ask someone what are they called Beaver Creek and said there used to be a beaver there till about seven or eight years ago and the last one was killed by some person they named and he was actually bragging up that he killed the last beaver in Beaver Creek. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Friends in the area reported having a large long tailed mountain lion run across a road just in front of their truck. 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. So, if you live close to here please keep this in mind while you are hiking or walking along the wooded areas. Mountain lions live in rescue centers like Murray's, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission said a dozen or so people are permitted to possess them. Still, you just never know". Share on Social Offer valid thru 3/31/23. They will not find a female in these areas, so they eventually make their way back to the western range or die in the attempt. How to find mountain lion sightings near me Open Google Maps on your computer or APP, just type an address or name of a place . Not valid with other promotions. I write stories about rural and exurban areas, the places where development meets farmland and farms meet the great outdoors. 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Mountain lions live in rescue centers like Murray's, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission said a dozen or so people are permitted to possess them. When I say large, I mean way bigger than a house cat, about the size of a 60lb dog. They said it took up most of the dirt road. Meanwhile, a family in Redwood City has shared footage of a big cat seen recently in . Mountain lions are commonly identified by trail camera photographs, tracks, and feces. The track of a cougar found in Michigans Upper Peninsula (photo credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources). The last wild cougar in Pennsylvania was killed in 1871 and the last cougar born on the East Coast was killed in 1938 in Maine. Females tend to go an average of 18-30 miles, while males travel much farther (45-170 miles). You can also identify the venomous snakes of Pennsylvania by their vertical pupils, similar to the pupils in cats' eyes. The green shading represents areas with established breeding populations. Mountain Lion Sighting. "I hear rumors all the time about mountain lion sightings," said Brian Anderson, deputy game protector for Northumberland County. If you suspect a coyote is living near you, you should call the state game commission at 610-926-3136. The state has an estimated1.5 milliondeer, about 30 per square mile. This development promised to resolve a decades-old controversy. They're common in the rural areas of the Lehigh Valley but are moving into more populated areas as evidenced by a600-pound specimen (pictured) that was tranquilized in March after neighbors in Forks Township and Easton's College Hill section called authorities. I had a mountain lion in the field across from my house a couple years ago. 83 responses. In January, the U.S. It wa an buff colored animal about two feet tall and maybe three feet long with a very long very thick tail. They haven't been . "While it seems unlikely, it's not impossible that these animals are showing up in PA," said David Foster, a biology professor at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg. The mountain lion was killed east of Altoona and south of State College , Pa. northeast of Raystown Lake between Mt. Young cougars (one- to two-years old) leave their mothers to establish a new territory. You read it here first: Mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania: Just prior to the start of Pennsylvanias two-week firearms deer season, the volunteers at the Eastern Puma Research Network put out a call to hunters. Most spiders have fangs to deliver venom, but only two in Pennsylvania have bites withserious medical implications for humans: the black widow (pictured) and the brown recluse. That was a dead giveaway for Taylor. An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. They said it was the size of their German Shepard and theres nothing else it couldve possibly been. Bears have been fought off with rocks, sticks, binoculars or even bare hands, the game commission says. (The fear of cougars is unfounded. This offer only applies to OutdoorNews.com and not for any Outdoor News print subscriptions. The abundance of wildlife that thrives in Pennsylvania makes sightings of interesting animals fairly commonplacebears, foxes, coywolves and elk are all within the realm of expectations. "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. Mike Jacobsen was checking his fences near Denton after last month's windstorm when his kids pulled . Recently he was given a plaster cast of what was suspected to be a cougar track from Wayne County, made after a "large cat-like creature" was seen locally. Cougars were seen as threats to humans, livestock, and game species, resulting in unlimited harvest and bounties in some states. The report says 58 people suffered allergic reactions and died from stings in Pennsylvania between 2001-13. So, if a. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. Upon investigation, the mountain lion was clearly a Florida panther that had wandered . Cougars were extirpated from Pennsylvania before the 1900s and exterminated from the entire East Coast by the 1930s (aside from the Florida panther). 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. i have seen a mountain lion in Hawks Mountain where persons watch hawk migration about 7 to 10 years ago. It's only found in thewestern part of the state. Some may also be kept illicitly as pets, which would quickly become a problem as the cat matures. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Foster said mountain lions and bobcats could not breed. Bobcat and coyote tracks have been misidentified as cougar tracks. Cougars distaste for humans runs so deep that a study found that simply playing talk radio was enough to get these cougars to permanently abandon what they were eating. Was about 30 feet down the road when it crossed in front of me. Pennsylvania is currently home to only one wild cat: the bobcat. Traveling Route 248 in Northampton County just 1 mile east of Pennsville. Bobcats (2a; photo credit: Dave Jackson) and coyotes (2b; photo credit Scott Weikert) are often confused for cougars (2c). They include a reported attack on horses at a farm near Dillsburg, York County, that Foster thinks may be legitimate. Repellant can protect exposed skin from ticks. If you encounter a bear that hasn't had time to leave, the game commission advises you to make a noise to alert the bear of your presence. What is the fascination in Pennsylvania that they always want to kill a mountain line if they find one theyre indigenous they belong there just leave the damn things alone. Spotting mountain lions is becoming a Pennsylvania pastime. The nearest breeding populations of cougars are 1,000 miles or more from Pennsylvania. All rights reserved (About Us). Add Michael's RSS feed to your feed reader Reports of a mountain lion have come from several residents of Hemlock Farms who were hiking on. So is the second largest extant cat in North America still managing to eke out a living in the Keystone state? I told her there had now. My speed was 40mph, I got a good look at it. Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? Between 1995 and 2021, there have been 34 mountain lion sightings in Iowa," he says. Then it disappeared for some time, until scat was found again in New York, and it was finally killed in Connecticut. 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. He's sitting in a plastic doghouse, paws crossed, amber eyes locked on the two men ticking him off by their mere presence out beyond the fence. The most recent sighting of a mountain lion in Georgia happened in 2008 when a hunter was out looking for deer. Seriously, no mountain lions in Pa? Mountain Lion. The cougar was photographed as it made its way from Minnesota to Wisconsin. Required fields are marked *. Travis Lau, a spokesperson for the Game Commission, said the state has a "never say never" approach when it comes to mountain lions and acknowledges that Western cats could be moving east. Records show that more than 600 cougars were killed in Centre County alone during the 1800s. The mountain lion ( Puma concolor) is sometimes called cougar, puma, catamount, and panther. "Who knows, could be a mutant. A report in 1981 found that it would be impossible to restore cougars to Adirondack Park in New York because there were too many humans. As a result, multiple sightings across different time ranges could be attributed to the same cat. "Absolutely bobcat," Taylor said. A hunter and an angler, San Julian, like most other outdoorsmen and nature lovers, wants to believe wild mountain lions survive in the woods of Pennsylvania. Almost all the reported sights have been other animals like bobcats (Lynx rufus), coyotes (Canis latrans), raccoons (Procyon lotor), or large domestic cats (Felis catus). Always interesting to see the pompous asses state unequivocally that hundreds of their citizens are blind, on drugs, or lying because they have not seen one! If you ask me, the answer is yes. Before that, a lion was captured on a . 4.7K views 3 years ago Scott describes his mountain lion / cougar sighting in western Pennsylvania (Indiana County) in October, 2019 in this interview. This is roughly three times the length of a bobcat or coyotes stride (~16 inches). This number of car strikes is in spite of having low population densities and the significant efforts to reduce car strikes, such as reduced speed limits, warning signs, and obstacles (fences and road underpasses) built along or under roads that cut through panther habitat. Their coloration ranges from tan to black. Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. This definitely wasnt a bobcat. Seventy to 80 percent of victims develop a rash. "Recently there was an emu captured in Houtzdale, Clearfield County," says Feaser. Follow Michael & PhillyVoice on Twitter @mtanen88| @thePhillyVoice I was driving on a dark and stormy night about 9 years ago on Rt-515 just off of Rt-23. For a limited time, you can get full access to breaking news, all original Outdoor News stories and updates from the entire Great Lakes Region and beyond, the most up-to-date fishing & hunting reports, lake maps, photo & video galleries, the latest gear, wild game cooking tips and recipes, fishing & hunting tips from pros and experts, bonus web content and much, much more, all on your smartphone, tablet or desktop For just a buck per month! All rights reserved (About Us). Coyoteseat wildlife including mice, voles, deer, rabbits and woodchucks. Copyright 2023Outdoor News. On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. Human-Wildlife Interactions 5(1) 135-158. Their conclusion: Sir, you dont have a mountain lion. A week later the farmer shot the mountain lion. adroll_currency = "USD"; Cougars are often by hit carsin 2020, at least one-tenth of all Florida panthers (20 out of a maximum population of 200 animals) were hit by cars. Black markings decorate the tip of the tail, ears, and around the snout. Although common at the time of European settlement, the last known historical specimen in Missouri was killed in the Bootheel area in 1927. Sadly, the last period when mountain lions roamed freely throughout Pennsylvania is the end of the 19th century. Pennsylvania's venomous snakes are hard to find. Based on its extensive research, the Service concluded this subspecies of big cats had disappeared from the east by the 1930s. $1 per month for 6 months (you will be billed $6) and then your subscription will renew at standard subscription rates. When it came back without the lion, she stopped them and asked why they had let a mountain lion out in the woods. A recent rumor of a cougar killed by a vehicle on Interstate 80 attracted some attention at Penn State. The last promising scat turned out to be from a large coyote that had eaten a lot of meat. . Mountain lions are large, tan cats. Was the craziest thing I have ever heard or seen in the woods of pa. With industrial expansion into the heart of Pennsylvania in the 1700s, mountain lion sightings and attacks became more common as habitat destruction pit settlers against native predators. (Image via the National Park Service)(), By Jason Nark | The Philadelphia Inquirer. As a last resort, you can fight back and try to scare the bear away. Figure 2. It will happen eventually. Although mountain lions were part of Nebraska's native fauna, they were extirpated by the end of the 19th century. The Journal of Wildlife Management 76(7):1364-1369. Most are about three feet long. 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