Mountain Lions on the move!!!!

[deputydon]

Unlike the last couple of years this summer was very quiet when it came to Mountain Lion reports; than BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We've had four reports in the last four days in Knox Co.
1st Bounce's daughter had one on the front porch of her farmhouse.
The next night one of our deputies hit one w/ his car but couldn't find it. He wouldn't get out of the car he just looked from inside it.
The next night after that a farmer had a dog killed and the vet's opinion was lion because of spead of claw mark cuts and big bite marks.
Last night another dog mauled but alive again vet's opinion "big cat" (differant vet.)
All this in about a 40 mile spread!! I don't think it's the same cat.
Are the cats starting to move around in you guy's areas??

[Bill]

Haven't heard a thing out here in Western NE but then who the heck gets time to check it out.

[Purebred Redneck]

How's the weather been?

We've got some 40-50 degree nights for the first time this fall. That might get things moving.

[bounce]

I need to get over to my daughters farm a do some looking for my self, But I passed this off as a cyote den when frist told about a big hole that Matt had seen on the place. But now that he has seen a young lion in their yard I want to look at this hole told to me closer?? My qestion to all of you is this, do big cat's den in the earth? as I say I need to look for my self But this den really got matt's attenchen before he saw the cat. Now it's got my attentchen as I may have dismissed the size he said it was at that time?

[Bill]

For my part I don't know about cats denning up in a whole but then I suppose that a cat with cubs just might do that if it was the only place it could find. Most cats like that have a circut it runs of about 70 miles or so. Thats an area of about 10X7 miles. Easily doable for a big cat. But when they have young ones I would guess it shrinks rapidly.

[bounce]

Daughter just tolled me of a second sighting on her farm last evening buy both my grandkids age 4 & 8 from their upstaires room that has a large window faceing north. They made this one sound more like an adult one, tan color and huge!! No adult saw it, but adults knew by there speed & shouts to them that it was most likely true!! I did learn that the posible den area is were a land slide had taken place, part of a hill gave way with pine trees growing on it. Leaving natural large den holes with the roots topled over and coverd. I have yet to explor this but hope to soon. They just moved their very recintly but was tolled that a walk behind their house is like steping into the black hills.

[Purebred Redneck]

A hollowed out landslide sounds about right for a den...well a den on the prarie anyway...

[deputydon]

I saw in todays paper that South Dakota's 1st mountain lion season is having some sucess. So far 8 have been harvested.

[bounce]

Heard on the radio last night they have harvested now 25 mountain lions in SD. Guess there is some debate on how the proper count was conducted so far as two were not considerd breeding age, and maybe not counted?? and the seasion should have ben over? I'm not shure I got all that right but I felt they must have a limit of 25 for the seasion? and the seasion is not yet officaly over??

[deputydon]

Yes 25 mountian lions OR 8 breeding age females. Soooooooooooo season should be over if they got to 25 total?.?.?.?

[calsibley]

I introduced a topic last year about the spread of cougar. I really have my doubts though. I can't imagine them travelling too far east of the Rockies. I even saw photos recently on one of the websites that showed a mule tossing one with his teeth that he had supposedly stomped to death. Apparently that is a bogus picture of a cougar that was already dead. The only place that I've heard that is introducing them is Georgia. They're putting them in the Okefenokee area near the Florida border. Maybe they are getting them from Florida. That's the only state I know of with a native cougar population outside of the Rockies. If only we knew for certain. It's certainly been a bad year for hikers due to cougars and bears. We've lost several people out west. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

[bounce]

The Offical word from our game comision officers was, " The Lion's are in much greater danger than peaple" and that is a Quote, "well I sould hope so fella"

[bounce]

as far as I know the lion sighting have stoped for a while now mmmmmm ? Wonder who I should ask how a lion rug feel's on their toes? lol

[deputydon]

well the sighting's may have stopped but on Thurday night Josh, my oldest came down out of the hills w/ a puzzled look on his face.
He said there were BIG tracks over his tracks from when he went up into the hills. We grabbed flashlights and headed back up to the ridge top
where the tracks were. There they were,,,,,,,,as big around as my fist (about 4") and fresh, not enlarged by the sun. Maybe I'll finally get to see one!!!!!!
So yes Bounce at least one is still around.

[deputydon]

I talked w/ my neighbor lady yesterday (Jackie Fritz) on the tuesday before we cut the tracks in my hills she watched a lion for about a 1/2 hour
as it layed on top of some hay bales about 100 yds.north of her house. She said it finally got up shook off the frost, sat up for a while than jumped down and left.
All this around 8:00 A.M. If it does this again she will call. I have no reason not to believe her. BTW an interesting point that I always notice is
people who have sighted lions, Jackie included,always mention the tail as being one of the keys to knowing it was a lion. So if you come over this way Bounce keep your
eyes open. I'm planning on carrying a camera during ML season just in case.