I've spoken to PGC personnel, two being friends, and neither believe there are pumas in Pa. One cited how a bobcat's tail can be much longer than you expect, although I've never seen a bobcat tail longer than, at most, twice the size of the tails illustrated above of the bobcat. In the area around the border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia there are mountains and deep caves that contain some of the coal mines that were a major part of the state's industry in the early part of the 19 th century. Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. There isnt an official estimate on mountain lions in the state. He knows and was familiar with bobcats, and it was not a weird house cat that he and his friends misjudged in size. 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. I am bothered by the constricted neck of the cat on the game camera; 2. the tail is curved down, rather than up, but it may have been in mid-swing; 3. the goldenrod-appearing flower, and the background of cars, gives a sense of scale and location. 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. Among other uses, the tax was levied "for destroying wolves, foxes, heads and crows." All of the above are Mountain Lions, or Pumas, or Cougars. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. The large, undeveloped interior filled with rocky habitats perfect for mountain lions allows them to safely live and breed. Why is bat photography so difficult? 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. 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. I Googled "Pocono mountain lion" and there it was the same photo, except the caption claimed that it was taken in Oklahoma, not Pennsylvania, and various posted comments asserted that the photo was manipulated. The Bushkill Falls are a series of eight waterfalls in a 300-acre wooded enclave hidden amongst the Poconos. Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. I'm a photographer, yet I've never had a chance to snap a photograph of one of these bears. Mountain Lions do remain in the western states and there is evidence that in 2011, a mountain lion migrated about 1,500 miles from South Dakota to Connecticut where it was killed by a. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. At one time this fact almost resulted in this cat not being protected, since it wasn't a pure strain. The Cascade Mountains are an important habitat for mountain lions in the region, and a stable population lives within the state. 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. The story behind our new web site. The last documented sighting of an eastern cougar was one killed in Maine in 1938. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? Arkansas isnt somewhere that we would generally think of when looking for mountain lions, but they are on the rebound! Phineas Teeple of Manchester Township is thought to have killed the last wolf in Wayne County. Others would like to see some scientific proof. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. Here's an example: A man is holding a dead eastern diamondback rattlesnake, which was found in North Carolina and measured more than 9 feet long and weighed 95 pounds. One sighting I give complete belief in was from a friend who told me a puma crossed right in front of their vehicle, and paused on the berm for a few seconds, at a distant of ten yards or less. 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. The state of Idaho is large, expansive, and full of rocky wilderness. However, recently I saw a photo of a melanistic bobcat, as black as could be, with bright yellow eyes. "They are very strong animals," she said. 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 deserts, mountains, and swamps in the state of Utah, all of which are suitable for mountain lions. A placard affixed to the fence outside Rocky's pen states that "cougars are solitary creatures and rarely seen by humans." Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled. 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. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? Can so many people be wrong? . All rights reserved. It will happen eventually. I haven't seen any reports like that.". Additionally, California banned the hunting of cougars back in 1972, encouraging population growth. The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. A law was passed March 10, 1806, requiring the county to pay the person producing the scalp of a full-grown wolf or cougar, $8, and for the scalp of a young whelp or cub, $4. As a state known for its mountains, its no wonder that mountain lions live here! Many have a desire to see some clear-cut evidence. The coat can be spotted or solid. Biologists traced it back to the Black Hills of South Dakota, from where it ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new mate. Note the long, usually thick tail. The State argues that there is no physical evidence, and no credible photographs. The next day, the photo disappeared from the site. Some cats had a South American genetic profile. They mostly live in the far western Trans-Pecos region of the state, with about 50,000 to 80,000 acres of suitable land currently being used by the cat. Hopefully, we'll see the real thing. Where they always here as a relic population? I believe them. Is it the New Best Pack? Knowing that pumas range widely, would my ridge be the only one closed? Cougar Network tracks mountain lion expansion from the western U.S. to the east. Periodically, via Google searches, I receive reports from people who believe they had seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania, or in other mid-Atlantic states. He saw a big cat. Some may be animals that dispersed into the region from western populations. The life cycle then repeats itself. Murray also has a cross-eyed white tiger named Keisha, who crushed chicken bones with ease but delicately stepped into a metal pool to cool off. Biologists traced it. Where reports dating that far back from escapees? Bo Ottman is a landscaper in Connecticut who founded an . One man sent me a game camera photo that was blurry but looked like a mountain lion, or puma, as I like to call them. The Poconos is a mountain area in northeastern Pennsylvania.It is 2,400 square miles of wooded mountains and valleys full of beautiful lakes, rivers, forests and wildlife. Imagine my surprise. 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. 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. Hunters I've spoken with said they've been told you can't kill a puma, which they felt was ironic since the same official told them pumas don't exist in Pa. In this at this distant epoch, archaeologists attempt to clear some of the mists and mysteries of prehistoric times. 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. "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. The sightings were great bear views, but too fast or fleeting to allow me to grab a camera. Albinos are often very light sensitive, and they certainly are conspicuous, and most do not live very long. She feeds and cares for them with donations and grants. In August, Amy Walters said her 12-year-old son was spooked by a mountain lion in Forest County in northwest Pennsylvania while riding his dirt bike. Newspapers carried stories in 1956 about hunters supposedly seeing and killing wolves in Pike and Monroe Counties. In Tennessee, the most likely places you would find them would be in the forest. Eyes are normal and are not light sensitive, and the over-all color, generally black, is usually not detrimental and may actually be of benefit. Colorado is the perfect habitat for mountain lions. Scientists debate whether the large prehistoric mammals became extinct at the end of the Ice Age due to over-hunting, or rapid climate warming. It seems unlikely, considering captives have never shown this trait, but people are reporting big black cats. It has the color of a mountain lion, but the long tail appears to be missing. The hunting policy of the state may be the cause of the dropping population, and pressure on the Fish and Game Commission has increased. Not only do hunting licenses support the various state game commissions, and in some states the acquisition and maintenance of public hunting lands, but hunters are a huge boon to local economies each fall, with purchases of food, lodging, hunting equipment, etc. Some outdoor enthusiasts insist they have seen the big cats here and believe them to be naturally occurring, native animals. The last known mountain lion in Pennsylvania was killed in Berks County in 1874. 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. In only one report had an official from the Pennsylvania Game Commision, a local warden, actually agree with the person reporting the sighting. Adults are a uniform tan or tawny in color, with a white or cream-colored chin, undersides and inner legs. Pocono Record sports writer Mike Kuhns wrote a great piece on Oct. 14, "Does the mountain lion roam PA?" And book one of these Poconos cabins rentals for the best outdoor access to these activities. Several populations of Gray Squirrels scattered around the country are black, and recently I heard of a neighborhood of black Eastern Chipmunks. A neighbor scared the animal away before it could finish its meal; the sheeps carcass was used as bait, to catch the big cat. 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? Of course, the writer's comments were hearsay, but it does make sense. On that, I've had emails sent with game trail photo attachments, or killed pumas, supposedly shot in Pennsylvania, but these were hoaxes.