Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? They're common in the rural areas of the Lehigh Valley but are moving into more populated areas as evidenced by a 600-pound specimen (pictured) that was tranquilized in March after neighbors in. Interestingly, almost all of the people I've spoken to who claim to have seen a puma have not seen a bobcat, an animal that is common enough in Pennsylvania to support a legal trapping season! It is an Italianate Villa home that features authentic Victorian furniture and finishing. The state of Idaho is large, expansive, and full of rocky wilderness. "They're getting a lot of that out west. The 2,400-square-mile area has long been a popular outdoor recreation area boasting hunting, fishing, skiing, and more. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! "It's one of those things where I'll believe it when I see it," said Jason Farmer of Pocono Summit, my hunting partner for the last eight years. Outdoor adventures abound, and so do our fabulous shopping and restaurants. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled, Over the last few years I've done several Questions of the Month regarding Mountain Lions, or Pumas as they should properly be called, in the Mid-Atlantic States and in Pennsylvania. Mountain lions, which continue to be reported across Pennsylvania throughout the year, are officially extinct east of the Mississippi River and north of Florida, according to the U.S. I believe that the folks that are reporting, in detail, their sightings are faced with a similar situation. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. With healthy populations and strong conservation programs, however, they seem to be pushing back east. Many people have claimed to see them, and this writer chronicled numerous such reports in the local press from the mid-1990s to the 2010s. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? In Michigan, there has been multiple sightings of 'black panthers,' animals that were thought to be mountain lions, or pumas, except that they were black. Who knows? Yet, except for Florida, which has about 100 of them "Florida panthers"), no eastern state has a verifiable population of these large 100- to 200-pound cats that were extirpated 100 years ago. People can manipulate, enhance or combine photos and then create their own stories about the subject's origin, location and even identification. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? I've never seen or heard of a verified black puma anywhere, whether wild or captive, so I'd be inclined to dismiss reports of truly black big cats as misidentifications, even when a group of guys all see the same thing. RelatedBigfoot, mountain lions, and other mythical creatures: PA officials discuss what they know. You know, the Penn State Nittany Lions.". There are at least 20,000 black bears in Pa., and a small percentage are killed each year, but we're probably not talking about 20,000 pumas in the state. (National Park Service). Geologist Dr. John Yolton made the identification. Those special two were across a river just outside Glacier National Park in Montana, and consisted of a mother and two cubs (Mary saw both cubs, I only saw one, and we did so separately, as we were driving two vehicles). He's a hunter, a woodsman, and he's seen a lot of game, so I can believe he saw a back-lighted puma. The story behind our new web site. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? Scientists debate whether the large prehistoric mammals became extinct at the end of the Ice Age due to over-hunting, or rapid climate warming. Bobcats, feral cats and domestic dogs may be misidentified as mountain lion. Compare any game camera image with the shots above, or this game camera image, to confirm your identification. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Sadly, the hunting guidelines for cougars in Idaho are lax, with 400-600 cats being killed each year. In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. The mountain lion population in Nevada is essential to the control of deer and rodent populations in the mountainous regions of the state. The other three images are from my file, selected to most closely approximate the pose of the cat from the game camera. Some cats had a South American genetic profile. In 2016, a trail cam photo in South Jersey was later determined to show a house cat. However, recently I saw a photo of a melanistic bobcat, as black as could be, with bright yellow eyes. Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. And this genetic mix has been recognized, and the Florida puma is still protected. "With all of that said, though, there's a general lack of evidence of mountain lions in Pennsylvania. With that hope in mind, I have, for years, asked outdoors people if they ever heard of a mountain lion, or puma, in their area -- with my questioning limited to people in my home state of Pennsylvania. Imagination? I've seen scores of leopards in the grasslands and deserts of East Africa and I've never seen, nor spoke with anyone, who has seen a black leopard there. Recently, on a back road in Pennsylvania, a friend and I had our first sighting of a coyote in Pennsylvania. The bones were found perfectly preserved. But more and more people in Pennsylvania, from the Alleghenies to the Poconos to rolling farmlands in York County, claim they are seeing the big cats here, even though the state's "last" native lion, also known as a cougar or puma, was shot and killed in Berks County in 1871 and the feds have declared the Eastern subspecies extinct. Mountain lions, Goodrich wrote, were more dreaded than wolves as the cat could climb over any fence that could be built. Martinelli said that if there were mountain lions in Pennsylvania, there would be more sightings of them. And how many would let them go, or provide an opportunity for escaping? A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. But no one that I've communicated with had these preconceptions, and seeing what they saw was a complete surprise. Good luck, and let me know! Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? September 21st, 2008, 08:14 PM #74. the more visible white on the chest, the lack of spots, the huge hind quarters. No projectile points or spearheads were found with the remains, indicating the animal may have died naturally rather than killed by native hunters. It was definitely a mountain lion, and it had a big buck, white-tailed deer in its jaws. Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. Let's say the facts indicate that there have been a lot of 'pet' pumas, and many of these escaped. This, after they were told that there were no pumas in Pa. One might argue that the eastern puma is extinct, but that does not mean that there are not pumas (mountain lions, cougars) in the east. I have not spoken with a Game Commission officer personally, so I don't know whether anyone killing a puma in Pennsylvania could do so without legal repercussions. A Mountain Lion Cover Up Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? These cubs are born blind and helpless. If pumas do exist in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, could they all be released cats or escapees? PHILADELPHIA (AP) An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. The skeleton was reassembled at the State Museum, where it has been on display ever since. The first settlers kept sheep to supply their household with wool. After all, skeptics often suggest that puma sightings are just deer sightings, so it would be logical to worry that a hunter might shoot an endangered puma, mistaking it for a brown deer. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". But Dave "Gadget" Jones, a retired wildlife conservation officer from Lackawanna County, claims he's seen a white bigfoot and a UFO in Pennsylvania, so who knows? Bo Ottman is a landscaper in Connecticut who founded an . Have some feedback for us? Wyoming has a historically stable population of mountain lions, but recent drops in numbers have caused some to worry. Let's see a clear photo, or a carcass or something. Mountain lions can live in almost any habitat including forests, prairies, deserts, and swamps. The Pocono Mountains are . Why is bat photography so difficult? About six months ago I posted the question, Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? So how or why could there be a conspiracy? Where they always here as a relic population? Knowing that pumas range widely, would my ridge be the only one closed? Something to consider, even though we all trust the government. The Cascade Mountains are an important habitat for mountain lions in the region, and a stable population lives within the state. They include a reported attack on horses at a farm near Dillsburg, York County, that Foster thinks may be legitimate. Still, people say they know what they saw out there. "They are very strong animals," she said. Activities Milford Things To Do Hotels Map Of Activities Delaware Water Gap Hotels Bushkill Lake Harmony Hawley Skytop Tannersville Pocono Mountains Counties About the Poconos Pocono Mountains History Weather Area Services . Do elk live in Pennsylvania? You've got a mountain lion story or photo? "We've been here 45 years and I've probably been told by people at least 100 times that they've seen a cougar or mountain lion," said owner Vince Hall. I don't want to seem like a nut case here, but I must ask this question and you'll soon understand why? Biologists traced it. Noted Wayne County historian Phineas Goodrich recorded in his 1880 book on local history that the common gray wolf was much more common in this area than the cougar. In January, the U.S. Bushkill Falls Trail. In 2015, a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker was placed near the site where the mastodon was found. Flying over the area, I've looked down and commented upon the amount of habitat that would be available for a puma, if only they existed. The first is the mating season which can occur during the late to early spring months. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? What do I think of the Canon 1D Mark IV? As they get older, the cubs begin to leave the den and explore. You be the judge. Every year we receive a few similar reports from hikers, hunters or other outdoor enthusiasts. A Game Commission vehicle was there, and the Fed Ex driver, after reaching the bottom of a long hill, turned back to check on what he saw. Mountain lion populations struggle to outpace the high hunting limits. All rights reserved (About Us). Recently, a man I spoke with told me that he was reminded of a sighting he and two friends had 20 years earlier, and after recalling the incident he was motivated to call his college buddies and reflect on their observation. with a fluted projectile point were found near Middletown, Orange County, New York. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled. After all, how many people have pumas? Penn State's Nittany Lion hide sampled for DNA sequencing, Mountain lion reports in Pennsylvania popular, but often a hoax, More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. Just take your pick of all these incredible Pocono lake house rentals or just a Pocono cabin for rent, in luxury of course! And when our officers go out to investigate reports of mountain lions, or when our staff reviews photos that are sent to us, often we're able to verify some other animal mistakenly was reported as a mountain lion.". They mostly live in the far western Trans-Pecos region of the state, where they can freely roam 50,000 to 80,000 acres of land. Fish and Wildlife Service. Apparently, this picture was really making the rounds. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. But this one was black, and he knows mountain lions are some variant of brown. Controlled hunting of mountain lions is allowed within the state. The bobcat wouldn't survive. Caribou meat apparently was part of their diet. This will be one of your best identification marks, along with size. After a small population was reintroduced into their historic land, their population has grown to a stable and breeding group of between 200-300 individuals. Provided by Touchpoints The photographer had no reason to stage the shot -- indeed, the composition and background was terrible, and not what you'd expect for something staged, but the shot wasn't perfectly clear. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, there are no wild, breeding cougar populations in this state anymore. Is there a Mountain Lion Conspiracy? Are the various States guilty of essentially the same thing? Who knows? I'll be anxious to learn of your report. The next day, the photo disappeared from the site. Is it the New Best Pack? Perhaps my Fed Ex driver was simply recalling a rural legend, but he said it was an employee that he knew, and it was a story he heard first-hand. Interestingly, the US Fish and Wildllife Service has declared the Eastern Puma extinct, except for the Florida population known as the Florida panther. Currently, mountain lions seem to be making a comeback in regard to their historic range. "From people that I trust have had visual sightings, they've seen mountain lions.". A recent alleged sighting in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups abuzz. And a bit of an unpleasant one at that, as they now faced ridicule or doubt whenever they discussed their sightings. The life cycle then repeats itself. That solution: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. I've read a lot about this, and the usual explanation is the very human desire to see something, to see what someone wants to see, and thus these people are seeing bobcats or brown cats or dogs or foxes and, because they 'want' to see a puma, they do. Mountain lions were once widespread across North America, but their range shrunk dramatically as they were pursued through unregulated hunting and by farmers aiming to protect their livestock, and moved off the landscape by habitat fragmentation. Reports generally go uninvestigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which discounts them as mistaken identities, illegal pets escaped or released and outright fabrications. Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. 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. Note the long, usually thick tail. Other states have had sightings, especially as mountain lion populations begin to explore and look to expand. It's sort of like big foot, some people say they've seen him.". Same story as 'black panthers' across the country, because of course there, scientifically, can be no such thing. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. The Cougar Network, working with state agencies, have documented multiple mountain lions as far east as Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan in recent years, as well as that cat killed on a highway in Milford, Connecticut, in June 2011. One man, in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania, had seen one, at night, about 25 years ago. Who knows? Accounts abound concerning interaction between these great beasts and people in northeast Pennsylvania, with wolves into the early 19th century and in the case with cougars, well into the early 20th century. In Pennsylvania, I receive a few reports of black, big cats, which makes one wonder -- are there melanistic (black) pumas out there, or are those sightings always wrong. Is there a Puma conspiracy? I've seen so many examples of these distortions, exaggerations and lies over the last couple of years that I've grown very dubious about anything I see on a computer. The State Museum of Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg, displays a taxidermy mount of a mountain lion in glass case, with the notation, "This lion, found near Hawk Mountain in Berks County around 1871, is the last native mountain lion known to have been shot in Pennsylvania.". Suppose, instead of declaring the puma, or Eastern mountain lion, extinct, the USFWS actually recognized the existence of the cat as a wild, breeding species. However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. They have almost been killed off a few times, but conservation efforts have helped to keep their numbers stable. In only one report had an official from the Pennsylvania Game Commision, a local warden, actually agree with the person reporting the sighting. Most, quite honestly, don't know or can't believe or accept what they saw, they really can't believe their eyes. John Leap of East Stroudsburg's Lakeside Peat Humus Co. and an employee, Paul Strauser, found the bones in a peat bog off Route 209. Mountain Lion in Pocono's Pennsylvania Kacie PA 7.9K views 2 years ago Mountain lion in bucks county pa or not? The Pennsylvania Game Commission is always open to review evidence, but to date only hoaxes have crossed the PGC. They're seeing an animal they don't know or recognize, and while some may be watching a smaller bobcat about 35 pounds), some believe they've actually spotted a cougar. One of these days, though, I'll get one that won't be, and I hope that will be soon. Transient males have been sighted as far east as New York! A placard affixed to the fence outside Rocky's pen states that "cougars are solitary creatures and rarely seen by humans." Over the last few years I've done several Questions of the Month regarding Mountain Lions, or Pumas as they should properly be called, in the Mid-Atlantic States and in Pennsylvania. "It was in Worthington State Forest just across the Delaware River from Smithfield Beach). Known as the Niagara Falls of Pennsylvania, there are four trails that lead to the cascades from the Bushkill Falls trailhead, each ranging in . None of these sightings has been authenticated, and many of them, including a recent, alleged mountain lion picked up on a surveillance camera in Lackawanna County, turned out to be bobcats. The woman, a 66-year-old grandmother, asked not to be identified because she's a senior and didn't want people "bothering" her about it. Biologists who investigate these reports claim that several may, indeed, be mountain lions, but most likely they're animals that have escaped from captivity or have been released by their. Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? Many of those claiming to have encountered a cougar in Pennsylvania take that non-confirmation by the commission as an attack on their veracity and character. Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. While there have been no confirmed occurrences of mountain lions in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s, dozens . The last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. In many regions, the population within the state is actually increasing! Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. On that note, I was speaking with a Fed Ex driver recently who told me that one of his colleagues had seen what he swore was a dead mountain lion on the side of a road. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? For many who have believed to have seen a cougar in the wilds of the Poconos, these arguments might be less than convincing. Over the last two years I have occasionally posted a Question of the Month soliciting sightings from people who believed that they have seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania or in other areas in the mid-Atlantic states. There are approximately 4,000 of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the state. Hunting is legal in the state, but it is heavily controlled and restricted. The State argues that there is no physical evidence, and no credible photographs. Erosion from glacial melt and violence glaciers did to the land left a great litter of boulders, rocks, clay and lakes covering today's landscape. He saw a big cat. Mountain lions thrive there due to the high elk population, dense forests, and isolated mountain ranges. But the point of this article isn't whether or not mountain lions exist in Pennsylvania or the Poconos. A dark brown puma, backlighted by a strong sun, could appear all black, or very dark, and he accepted that. Despite reported sightings throughout the East, including Pennsylvania, and a confirmed mountain lion killed in Connecticut in 2011, there has been no evidence that any of those cats were native . Michelle LaRue, executive director of the Cougar Network and a research ecologist at the University of Minnesota, will discuss the eastern expansion of cougars from their core range in the western U.S. at 7 p.m. in Moravian College's Haupert Union Building, Bethlehem. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. Illinois can also now be added to this list a mountain lion was found on the outskirts of Chicago. I'd suspect it would still be considered very rare, after all, it was thought to be extinct. Those cats for which DNA evidence was recovered had come east from South Dakota, part of the known, modern-day, U.S. mountain lion range. Any Truth I used to archery hunt for deer, and I spent a lot of time (way too much time) sitting silently in a tree stand waiting for deer. Mountain Lions - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service) NPS.gov Park Home Learn About the Park Nature Animals Mammals Mountain Lion Mountain Lion Last updated: May 4, 2018 Was this page helpful? The State Museum of Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg, displays a taxidermy mount of a mountain lion in glass case, with the notation, "This lion, found near Hawk Mountain in Berks County around 1871, is the last native mountain lion known to have been shot in Pennsylvania. Ashley Catherine Fontones, Pocono Record. For information on predator tracks, check out this guide: https://www.wildliferemoval.com/animal-track-identification-guide/, Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. Where they always here as a relic population? In July and August I received seven different reports, and everyone involved had done a search of some type to compare images of bobcats and pumas. How do I deal with shaving weight for carrying my gear? He said he'd never forget the sighting, but it was only when he saw another, a few months ago, in daylight, from his cabin, that he decided it was time to tell someone. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? "It's fall bow-hunting season soon," he said. Contrary to popular belief, there are no black panthers in North America; no one has ever captured or killed a black Mountain Lion. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! Here it is: I still couldn't get the big head/little neck, and the body is a bit stouter/shorter, but a striding cat might be stretched out a bit. The cat was far enough away that I couldn't get a size reference, and I believed the cat was further away than it actually was. Mountain lions are 7-9 feet, while bobcats are 3 feet long. The last documented sighting of an eastern cougar was one killed in Maine in 1938. If we continue to be bombarded with manipulated photos and untrue claims in most cases by people who just want to get attention then we may be very resistant to accepting the "real McCoy" if or when) one finally arrives. They've been extinct in the eastern part of North America for more than a century. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. In his 1973 book "Faces in Clay" Leslie lays open the archaeological treasures of stone arrow or spear points and tools lost long ago by a succession of native peoples. With that in mind, lets break down how we classified the states. Murray said Rocky was emaciated and chained when she found him at a private zoo. Now, if there were any escapes, and if any of these bred with a possible minuscule number of eastern pumas, a relic native population, wouldn't the gene pool be corrupted? The Pocono Mountains are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. These powerful, majestic creatures once lived across much of the country but have since been killed or pushed out of most of it. All rights reserved. I've done this myself once, in Tanzania, when I saw a black house cat that I thought was a black leopard! The Florida panther is an endemic subspecies of cougar that has lived in the everglades region for a very long time. This one streaked across the road in the early evening, and fortunately, it stopped when it climbed a hill on the other side where I had another view from my side of the truck. They regularly join the camp of those angrily claiming the commission has introduced the big cats back into Pennsylvania as a control measure against the state's huge deer population. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead. do I get an immediate, 'Oh yeah!' What the Lenape Indians never did, the European colonists and their descendants did swiftly eradicate the wolf and cougars viewed as a menace to their families and livestock. No An official form of the United States government. An escapee is also possible. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Ironically, I almost deleted the image, as on the small camera LCD monitor the cat was small and I thought that it was just another deer that moved along the stream. Mountain lions (cougars, pumas, and more) are among the top predators that live in the United States. The record size for this species is 8 feet, and it probably weighed 15 to 20 pounds, which shows how exaggerated this claim is. I hope no one ever shoots a puma to prove their existence here, but I hope someone gets a great photo, of the cat, of a road-kill, of tracks, and that I see it. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. Cougar Network tracks mountain lion expansion from the western U.S. to the east. An animal's coat can stray far from the norm. It also mentioned that someone raising a mountain lion without a license may either have let it go when it became too large to handle, or that the animal had escaped. Confirmed cougar sightings have increased in the Midwest and Great Lakes states in recent years.". ? Continuing with that thought, if that were so, then it'd be possible, if not very likely, that the Eastern puma would be an Endangered Species. Have all of those who have seen a puma really seen a bobcat? Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? "Hunters are always saying they see mountain lions, and the Game Commission always says there aren't any," said Robert Hale, owner of Buffalo Gap Outfitters in Dillsburg.