Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead. 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. Big cats in Pennsylvania: mountain lions or bobcats? - Pocono Record Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. In prior interviews with the Game Commission, the suggestion was made to this writer that what many people may actually be seeing is a bobcat, perhaps in less than ideal circumstances. The mountain lion, which is also called a cougar, puma or panther, weighs on average between 75-120 pounds, has long whiskers and a distinctive swooping tail. ARE THERE MOUNTAIN LIONS IN PA? - Page 8 - Pennsylvania Firearm Owners More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania The large tracts of untouched rocky land and bighorn sheep populations make for pristine mountain lion habitat. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. Let's say the facts indicate that there have been a lot of 'pet' pumas, and many of these escaped. "I'm proud to know her," Murray said of the tiger, "but I wish I didn't.". It was decided that this shouldn't influence the decision and, in fact, an infusion of new genes produces a hybrid vigor, lessening the chance of in-breeding. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. Mountain Lion in Pocono's Pennsylvania Kacie PA 7.9K views 2 years ago Mountain lion in bucks county pa or not? One man, in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania, had seen one, at night, about 25 years ago. Biologists traced it back to the Black Hills of South Dakota, from where it ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new mate. Mountain Lion Habitat in Tennessee - ArcGIS StoryMaps Possibly, but it seems unlikely that enough would have been released or had escaped to make for a viable population. No projectile points or spearheads were found with the remains, indicating the animal may have died naturally rather than killed by native hunters. Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. Still, these resilient animals reside in secluded areas across the United States, with current data suggesting they may even be returning to their historical regions! Fish and Wildlife Service. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, there are no wild, breeding cougar populations in this state anymore. When I first discovered this fresh carcass I examined it for throat punctures, thinking that it may have been killed by a puma. He notes how over the millennia, the region was inhabited by humans, only to be depopulated by migration brought on by the search of food due to a fickle climate, war or epidemic. In the map above, I collected data from the state and on the federal level to find state parks . 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. When he told me this, he commented on how an experience like the one he and his friends had just is not forgotten. The story behind our new web site. Mountain Lion Population (In Each U.S. State) - Wildlife Informer DNR: Fish & Wildlife: Mountain Lion Eastern mountain lion officially declared extinct - pennlive.com 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. Are There Mountain Lions In Pa? - CLJ One of the three branches or clans of the Lenape Tribe at the end of the 17th century was known as the Wolf (Minsi). The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. So, couldn't that same argument apply to pumas in the Northeast? Although there was no evidence that the 2011 mountain lion ever set foot in Pennsylvania, DNA evidence confirmed that it had been both west and east of the state. 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. Leap transferred ownership rights to the state. Interesting, too, are the reports I've heard from people who were told that they would be in big trouble if they shot a puma. When he isn't distracted by his backyard birdfeeder, you can find him camping, exploring, and telling everyone around him about what he's recently learned. So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. Mary saw the photo, too, and she immediately agreed, it was a puma. My friend was a former hunter and fisherman, and spent a lot of time in the woods, as did I, but neither of us had ever seen a coyote. Here are the 15 US States That Have Mountain Lions. However, if you've seen a mountain lion, or other mystery creature, or evidence of either, in Pennsylvania, contact outdoor writer Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.). 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. This is only hearsay, however, since I'm only going on their stories. The first is the mating season which can occur during the late to early spring months. The large, undeveloped interior filled with rocky habitats perfect for mountain lions allows them to safely live and breed. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. Of interestRamapough Lenape chief: National park in PA and NJ would be among 'most destructive things' since colonization. Conversely, an outdoor writer I know told me that when Pa. enacted a menagerie permit law years ago, 'a lot of mountain lions suddenly died,' as the owners of these cats, rather than going through the paperwork, simply released their pumas and claimed that they had died. The bones were found perfectly preserved. Who knows? Luxury Cabin Rentals: Pocono Mountain Getaways | Glamping Hub 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. 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 one cat killed on a highway in Milford, Connecticut, in June 2011. Pocono beasts: Mastodons, wolves, cougars once abundant in region 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. While there have been no confirmed occurrences of mountain lions in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s, dozens of sincere reports of sightings and tracks and even more hoaxed reports emerge across the state each year. I asked our Game officials about evidence, and they cite no road kills. Lions in the Santa Monica Mountains - National Park Service 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. In Yellowstone, definite puma country (perhaps not ideal habitat, but pumas are found in every section of Yellowstone), I've spoken to guys on road crews and with rangers, each with 20 years of field or road experience in Yellowstone, and the ranger had only seen 2 (both road kills and together) and the road crew guys two or three in all their years. Other states have had sightings, especially as mountain lion populations begin to explore and look to expand. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. There had been 17 other mastodon finds in Pennsylvania up to 1968, but all were fragmentary. I believe them. Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? Never has this been more accurate than in today's digital, computerized world. That may be true, or was once true, but even a declawed puma, if it can survive off rabbits and squirrels, and breeds, its offspring would be fully equipted to survive. Pocono Record sports writer Mike Kuhns wrote a great piece on Oct. 14, "Does the mountain lion roam PA?" If there were wild cougars in our midst, the Game Commission also pointed out, eventually there would be solid evidence such as a carcass, scat and paw prints that could be verified. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. A typical home range is around 150 square miles for adult males and 50 square miles for adult females in our region. The life cycle then repeats itself. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. No one needs to panic.". Very, very rarely, when I ask someone who would be a likely candidate (a hunter, someone who owns a camp in the deep woods, travels likely routes often, foresters), 'Have you ever seen a mountain lion?' I'll be anxious to learn of your report. "They're getting a lot of that out west. 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. Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? Colorado and California have the highest estimated populations of mountain lions in the United States.