October 30, 2015 by Dana Kobilinsky. Local game officials are saying that this is another one of those sightings where people claim to have seen a mountain lion. A few years latter our friends saw the mt lion cross rt 100 directly below the spot of my incounter. Growing up in northern Vermont, Id heard stories of sightings, though always a few steps removed from the tellersomebodys cousin had seen a cougar cross the road on their way home from deer camp up in Canaan (or was it Coventry? It could simply mean someone who had an illegal pet or captive animal released the cougar into the wild. "There are about eight to 10 reports of mountain lion sightings a year, some by tourists, some by veterinarians, and some by a wildlife photographer," Linzey said. We need cougars and we need wolves back in the Northeast, because a landscape of fear is a well-balanced landscape.. What color was it? They especially come down from the mountains when there is a big water shortgage. Anyway, last week, May 2020, I was hiking in Eastern WA, Oroville WA to be exact. We watched it kill an animal (a woodchuck or something). John Lutz, 99 Beagle Boot Lane, Maysville, WV 26833, John Lutz (Eastern Puma Research Network, Maysville, WV). There were reported sighting of it but Vermont and NH denied the allegations. We know it was not a bobcat. These are rare, single events, and in such cases, the cat will leave a prominent trail of evidence wherever they go: indisputable game camera photos, camera photos, scat, tracks, sightings, Bernier said. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Because while male cougars eventually strike out on their own and occasionally wander far from home, females are, as Morse puts it, hardwired to remain close to their mothers home range. If moved like a leopard but without spotty leopard skin. The females are where its at, she said. My wife Linda and I, spent several days with the Hitchcocks at their Atlantic Ocean-front Cabin overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, from high up on a cliff, where you could hear the screams of at least 1 of Vermonts wild cougars, in both 1991 and again in 1993. Read it, Heres why the childcare bill should be a top priority. That, however, does NOT mean a breeding colony of these animals has returned there. In the second camp, there are those issuing the denials, pointing to the lack of photographic evidence, or the absence of tracks, or the simple truth that many people dont seem to know the difference between a cougar and a bobcat and a lynx and even, in some cases, a golden retriever. Morse will present evidence on cougars returning to the East. http://www.unionleader.com/pda-articrespectful+way. Please email us at editor@staging.mountaintimes.info thank you!! Guess you know, that Prof. Harold Hitchcock had a tremendous interest in cougar-mountain lion sightings and reports from the 1940s thru his death in the mid-1990s.he was on staff of Middlebury College. The deer dont eat the exotics, but they eat the competitors. I was the only car on the road. T here've been several reported mountain lion sightings around Marine on St. Croix, Minn. in the last month. "Several sightings have occurred at the site of a known animal crossing in the park." Besides reviewing the sighting reports, Linzey seeks other evidence of mountain lions. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. He was big. Still, sightings are common. Whats happening in Waterbury? I have no doubt but that cougars have been spotted all over the East Coast. It was a flooded area. A rare Missouri mountain lion sighting was reported recently after one of the big cats was hit by a vehicle in Franklin County. "Of those . It had rained previously. The cat was huge and tail was at least 3 feet long and thick. Maysville, WV 26833 Like Tate, he gets a lot of photos and . After telling some other locals there has been some other sightings in the Black mountain vicinity around Dummerston both before and after I saw the one I saw. How big was the animal? Wildlife experts say no. [4] However, the 1946 taxonomy is now in question. I am so happy that I did not hit it - there was absolutely no time to react. The catamount is a creature of stealth and concealment; it stalks its prey, which on the EasternSeaboard would likely be deer, moose, porcupines, beavers, and domestic livestock. J.A. Johnny Lutz Dan Moore::: IN reference to your big cat crossing Route 113, YES, mountain lions/cougars/pumas, 3 of the most popular names for North Americas largest unspotted, lion-cat, travelling free in almost every state, across the USA. Mountain Lion. Despite frequent claims, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion sighting since the late 1800s here. Other sightings have come from individuals with various responsible backgrounds. Lou: I am still awaiting your pictureit is now October 1st. Subsequent DNA testing found that the animal was from South Dakota. Proctor to vote on what constitutes a public nu Hartland board appoints acting town manager, First spring flowers are in bloom in Rutland, Rutland Area Robotics receive 2016 challenge, EPA honors Efficiency Vermont as 2023 Energy Star Partner of the Year, We must have courage to address gun problem, Confused about Affordable Heat Bill? And somebody hollering. In the 37 years Ive been working, things have changed in ways Id never have predicted. Though not native to Vermont, Canada lynx occasionally make their way down into Vermont. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Its distinctive featurethe one that sets it apart from other North American wild catsis its tail, which is thick and often as long as its body. Forty years of reporting on New Hampshire cougar sightings has convinced Harrigan that the state is home to at least a handful of breeding animals. 26M views, 14K likes, 2K loves, 8.1K comments, 19K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from VT: This mountain lion is about to turn a vacation into a nightmare. But that was OK. Bo Ottmann. Reported mountain lion sightings are popping up all over Vermont and convinced onlookers say the proof is in the pictures. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. Published: 9/3/2021 5:01:49 PM. One, Waterbury resident Jeff Kilgores sister-in-law, came across the cats while walking a dog on Ripley Road on a Monday morning. So this is the best we could do for a photo. I will not go into the woods unarmed anymore ever. By mid-19th century, forests made up only about 30 percent of New England (its notable that today that number stands at approximately 80 percent, nearer to what it was when cougars thrived here). If theres a middle ground in the cougar debate, it belongs to John Harrigan, a veteran outdoorsman, newspaper reporter, and widely read syndicated columnist. We have a lot of them here in N CA. There, too, is Crowells photograph, grainy and old: the hunter leaning against a tree stump, his head propped casually on his left hand, elbow to stump, shotgun cradled in the crook of his right arm. But no. They usually don't wanna be around you anyways. However, reports have started surfacing again in recent years, and we have now spoken with no fewer than SIX reliable people who have SEEN one (maybe the same one, for all we know, but I doubt it) around the Rutland area -- primarily in Mendon or Chittenden -- in the last year. Now, lets start talking about our favorite big cat! But its also a great story that lays out how an animal this large, at 150 pounds, traveling through even rural areas, leaves signs and is detected. On Friday July 8, 2022 there was a few reported Mountain Lion sightings the last few days one actually involving an encounter with one's family in their lawn. They were at least 4-5 inches at the widest part of the pad. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. After 20 minutes or so, we turned and stumbled our way back to the parking lot. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. You might enjoy reading the comments, > There are plenty of places for a family of animals. if you send me a USPS mailing address, will forward to you, a few of the many Eastern Puma Network Newsletters, we have published on an irregular basis since 1973. Cris Ericson 802-289-1000. To find your loons, consult this interactive map of Common Loon sightings in the current year from Vermont eBird, a project of the Vermont Atlas of Life. I worked in Hartland for a few years and it seemed to be common talk. The last catamount in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead. But one day. [An overabundance of deer] means our forests are getting older and older and not being replaced. He also points to the influx of invasive plant species in New England as evidence of an out-of-control deer population. Just like cats do - it waited to the last moment and then ran across in front of me. It has, in fact, more names than any animal in the world. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. When a cats around, its not hard to find evidence. Ottmann grew up and still lives just minutes from the tavern; his familiarity with the establishment was obvious (after we met in the parking lot, he led me into the building through the kitchen, greeting each of the staff by name). Now the bears, they dont even care if people are home, theyll go right in the house. Its important not to rule any possibilities out, including the chance of a mountain lion, according to Bernier. And even the home entries are kind of changing. The cat is dead. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. 2023 The Mountain Times, Outer Limits Publishing LLC | All rights reserved. Mountain lions remain an enigmatic animal for residents of New Hampshire, with New Hampshire Fish and Game reporting three to five sightings per week. More information visit www.nature-museum.org. Running into a mountain lion can be a scary experience. Fax: (802) 422-2395, Mailing address Canada Lynx. They were very large, light tan, with long legs, and long white tipped tail, Kilgore wrote, relaying the account. And it was this curiosity that led me to the Old Well Tavern in Simsbury, Connecticut, at a time of day (11:30 a.m.) that does not normally find me ensconced in the dim confines of a drinking establishment. For example, a mountain lion native to North Dakota made it as far as Connecticut in 2011, according to Bernier. This is Christina, I used to work with you at the YMCA in Burlington. Morse founded Keeping Track in the belief that getting citizens interested and engaged in wildlife will have the knock-on effect of getting them interested and engaged in how land-use decisions affect wild populationsand might provide the impetus for conservation efforts. 1 talking about this. I started this blog for people to discuss mountain lion sightings and reports in the Green Mountain State of Vermont. It was a beautiful golden red color (like a red squirrel), about the size of a medium dog (maybe 40lbs?) I took pictures but now wished I had placed an object to get the scale of the prints. The eastern cougar or eastern puma ( Puma concolor couguar) is a subspecies designation proposed in 1946 for cougar populations in eastern North America. Credit: ViralHog VT - Cougar tries to break in house I have no choice but to take this seriously, he told me. I doubt it but it could be a mountain lion. I started asking a lot of questions, and realized theres only one explanation for the answers I was getting: They are here., You could have 30 in Connecticut alone. Now, lets start talking about our favorite big cat! But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. We all feel so blessed to have sighted them, and have no doubt we saw cougar. The U.S. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. He soon developed a five-question litmus test: How far away were you? Given the long, shared border between these provinces and New England, along with plentiful evidence that other species cross this border regularly, it seems entirely possible that cougars would also engage in international travel. The Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife accepts reports of potential big cats using an online form here. There was a tin of American Spirit tobacco on the table (Ottmanns), a laptop (Bettys), a notebook (mine), and a tumbler of Bacardi and Coke (Ottmanns again). It took a rest in the shade of our driveway for about ten minutes. Collection. You dont even have to go out and look for it.. Bearded, bowler hat, expression impenetrable behind facial hair and the stoicism of an earlier era. This indoor environmental education talk is geared to adults and children over 10. Betty had driven up from his home in Rhode Island. Interesting history. I noticed that there were many great websites, blogs, and discussion boards devoted to mountain lion sightings in other states of New England, but not one just for Vermont. Hes also unafraid to take unpopular positions when he deems it necessary: Shortly before our meeting, hed signed a petition in favor of keeping ATVs off public roads. Though native to the western half of the U.S., mountain lions are long-distance dispersers and young male mountain lions sometimes strike out looking for mates and food. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. This was a large tan colored cat with a long tail. The Spatz and Sue Ottmann referred to are Christopher Spatz and Sue Morse, two of the better-known and arguably most experienced cougar skeptics in the Northeast. I am an analytical person and I would say regardless of what they think it is-it was clearly a large cat of some sort. I have seen a bobcat as I had one that hung around one of the places I lived-I believe he may have been hurt because he hung around for about a month which is uncharacteristic of them if I remember correctly, and I also believe he same one was hit by Harpoon Brewery in Windsor and boy do they clean up wild cats fast. Stay clear and give 'em space. Back in the 60s a traveling zoo lost their black panther, and denied it. PO Box 183 (Postal address) The way that people see [bobcats] in the woods, when they're running through, [their tails] can even seem longer than they are, Bernier said. Julia is a senior majoring in Environmental Studies with a concentration in climate and environmental justice with minors in Computer Science and Geography. After an unfortunate past of over hunting, Montana's mountain lion population has made a comeback. In Vermont, the last known mountain lion was shot near Barnard in 1881, ending an era when the predators were such a nuisance that the state offered a $20 bounty per pelt. I was proud to acknowledge the fact, of being a CLOSE friend to both the Professor & his wife Martene. Wildlife do really crazy things, and you just never know.. Photo courtesy National Wildlife Federation. We see Bear every day, and Fishers it was none of those, nor a Bobcat as it was twice the size of our Belgian Shepherd dog. Since 1890 in the U.S. and Canada, there have been 100 attacks on humans at all, according to the research organization The Cougar Network. See more at:Here, Phone & Fax: If you have any pictures you can post them here too! The cats passed by, moving west through Snows property. Adult males may be more than 8 feet long (from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail), and can weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. Canada lynx are breeding in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Sure would appreciate OLD sighting reports from across Vermont from the late 1800s thru 1990. I was aware, too, of how a certain mythology surrounding the animal had taken root in Vermonts culture and even its identity: The University of Vermonts athletic teams, for instance, are known as the Vermont Catamounts, and their logo features a snarling cat lunging through the cleft of a V., I met with Morse at her home in Jericho. Harrigan is 72 and lives just outside the northern New Hampshire town of Colebrook; he has a long, craggy face that seems almost to have molded itself after the mountainous landscape of his home state. The presentation promises to be a magnificently illustrated introduction to cougar biology and ecology in the broad diversity of habitats where Morse has studied them, from Alberta to the Mexican border. 0. Put bluntly, Morse does not believe that New England is home to cougars. But other hard evidence of the big cats presence is elusive. 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