Absolutely incredible thing to see

[Rick]

At 7:30 tonight my dog (A Walker Coon Hound) is going nuts at the back door. I go see what is out there this time thinking more bunnies. Absolutely amazing sight. Black cat, huge. Bigger than any house cat I have ever seen by a factor of at least 3. Wasn't a fat cat like some house cats get either, quite sleek and moved like it. It's standing in the weeds out back that are almost to my hip and this cat was back, head & shoulders higher than that. I waited for it to move so I could see it's tail, a Panther (or Cougar) tail is like twice as long as a house cat and much thicker. Tail fit perfectly, incredible that's a damn Panther. Ran for the camera but too late. I gotta start keeping that camera closer, nobody is gonna believe this. I have a bunny family living under one of my yard sheds and that could well be what attracted this cat.

Possibly not a full grown adult but close, certainly no kitten. I went out where it was with the camera in one hand and a gun in the other, it was gone. Couldn't find any tracks in all the weeds either. I had no intention of shooting it unless I had to, I would rather fight with a chain saw than one of those cats.

I googled panthers in AR with mixed results. Some say yes, some say no. Rick is now among the believers, incredible thing to see. And in my own backyard no less.

.

 

[Ian]

Saw one of those leap across the highway one night while I was driving across the King ranch. It crossed fence line to fence line and a 60' roadway in three bounds. Everyone I spoke to about it said there were no black panthers in that part of Texas, only mountain lions and bobcats.

 

[35 shooter]

Yeah, they're not here in MS. either. Doesn't change the fact that i've seen them off and on here for almost 40 years. All the ones i've seen have been tawny colored, but i know others that i trust their word that have seen the pure black colored ones.

No telling how far they have spread over the years from the everglades.

 

[Brad]

Nebraska tried to deny their existence here for a long time. That was ending already but really hit home when the Omaha police shot and killed one in city limits.

I bet they are in a lot more states than most people realize. Being a reclusive animal they aren't something people will see often.

Rick and John, watch those dogs.

 

[JonB]

I don't doubt it one bit.
http://totalwildlifecontrol.com/critter-facts-control/cougars/the-black-panther/

Years ago, when I spent some time in TX visiting my folks (Near Hondo), I looked into boar hunting/shooting at a couple ranches. I don't recall much for details, but while talking to one fellow at one of these ranches for some time, the Black Cat topic came up, He mentioned seeing a Mexican Black Panther, he had Polaroids, but honestly, they looked as though they could have been stills from the Patterson video.

 

[fiver]

they are found in the southwest as part of their normal range too.

we have a fair number of Mtn. Lions, Bears [both types], and Wolves all around this area.
there are rumors of Wolverines being around but I haven't seen any of them, plenty of pine martins about sometimes though.
we had one get in the in-laws garage last fall and eat about 5 lbs of deer meat from one we had hanging in there in one 10 hr time period.

 

[JonB]

5 lbs of deer meat in 10 hours...
I don't think I could eat 5 lbs in 10 hours

 

[Rick]

Far too many people all over the western states have reported seeing them for many years for there to not be any. Seems the only ones denying them is Fish & Game.

 

[fiver]

I dunno how it got back out through the crack in the garage door.
but it took the whole butt section out of a 2.5 yo 3 point buck.
the other side was enough for a roast to feed all 5 of us here dinner and have a little leftover.

 

[RicinYakima]

Melanistic mountain lions are not unknown, but down that far south I would suspect jaguars. Here the game department does not count wolf packs until they have 7 collared in one pack. Of course the un-collared one are eating the h**l out of the sheep, but who's counting. Professional biologists are the least reliable source of information on wild game, in my opinion.

 

[smokeywolf]

Rick, It might be time to set up a trail-cam in the back yard and see how often the puddy tat and some of your other furry neighbors are visiting while you and the dog are asleep and the dog doesn't catch the scent or hear the sound.

 

[S Mac]

Professional biologists are the least reliable source of information on wild game, in my opinion.

Yes, I sent some pics to our Conservation biologist that i took in my hunting area last fall, cat tracks, and was told they were a large dog. With no claw marks.

 

[Kevin Stenberg]

The Minnesota DNR refuses to admit we have resident Mountain Lion's. I have seen 3 in the 13 years I have live where I am now.

 

[Hawk]

I've seen mountain lions from my stands south of Nacogdoches. Raises the hair on the back of your neck when you spot one crossing a pipeline, just knowing there out there with you as your walking around.

 

[Ian]

I think the black one I saw go across the highway could have been a jaguar, it wasn't as bulky as a cougar. All I know is it was a cat, it was black, it was fast, and it was huge. Rick, the game camera idea is a good one, plus we could all oogle pics if you happened to catch some!

 

[Hawk]

Yes, eye candy!!!

 

[KHornet]

With so called civilization expending far into the suburbs, it is not suprising to find changes in the wildlife as well. Yep, big cats in Ne. Some jerk shot a moose in Ia. claiming it was a big deer a few years back, and I am not at all doubtfull of stories of oddities. Animals respond to conditions.

 

[RBHarter]

I was told that we now moose in central Nevada. That strikes as down right weird, within 50 miles of the Idaho boarder yeah but 150 ,100 miles out in the sagebrush. ..... global warming and moose headed south ......

 

[Missionary]

Saw a black panther just north of Danville ILL 6 years ago on Shake Rag road. It was headed to a small 20 house sub division going north. Watched it cross a clean cut bean field for 2 minutes. Came to a 3 feet tall barb fence and stood up straight looking over the wire.
I was up a tree at 75 yards . Left my .223 heavy barrel in the trunk (dumb) as I was just going to be there 30-60 minutes watching the deer pick through the bean refuse.
Called a fellow bow hunter that evening who lives there. His teen agers saw it out their back dining room window the next evening.

 

[KHornet]

Until about 7-8 years ago we never had woodchucks in eastern Ne. Then they started showing up along the interstate within the city limits of Omaha. Now am starting to see road killed chucks outside of the city, and near small towns. Have an old orchard behind the house, and once in awhile I see one there. Also interesting, is the fact that we have an occasional sighting of a mature bald eagle hunting the orchard for squirrel and rabbits. Have no idea of the range of an eagle, but would like to know how far it has to fly to be in my backyard which is within the city limits of Bellevue.

Was hunting pdogs in Wy a few years ago, in a pasture near a farm. Had a BIG bob cat watching us from the edge of an irrigation ditch less than 100 yds away. Didn't know the law in Wy on bob cats, so didn't shoot. He probably watched us for 4-5 min then dropped down in the ditch and wandered off. This was late morning, and if I had to estimate the weight of the cat would put it between 40-50 lbs.