There are so many camera traps now for both research (academic inductions, VDWR and VDACS) and private hunters. Thats my opinion. I would love to get a photo of it. To improve the genetics of the Florida Panther, eight Texas females were brought to South Florida. Do wolves live on the Appalachian Trail, more specifically on Roan Mountain? I was almost back to sleep when it happened again and this time it was no house cat! It looked like it could have easily weighed 100-120 pounds ( I have a 100 pound lab, and this cat was larger than my dog). Full grown, the bulls can weigh up to 700 pounds, so be sure to keep a respectful distance should you see one of these beautiful creatures! More info if you want itG. I would think by the time you get your phone/camera on, & ready, the cougars gone. However, wildlife experts in the area have disagreed with the sightings and think people are confusing bobcats with mountain lions. ANY REPLY IS WELCOME, Dont know if you have any cougar there, but it sure sounds like a good place for wolves. Today I looked outside and in the middle of the yard was a large looking black cat with a long tail, much larger then any cat. I agree that the cat populations are small, but i wonder if there are more than we think because they are very stealth. A seasoned hiker whos lived in Virginia since the 1970s and is deeply familiar with the areas wildlife, shes confident in what she saw. We cant even find criminals when we know where to look, let alone a cougar who;s very existence depends on its ability to remain hidden. Fish & Wildlife Resource declared the eastern cougar extinct, LaRue said. And add to that the fact that someone may have actually been wrong. We didnt know what it was, but later walking in the field we found lots of turkey feathers but no specific sign of coyote or lion. A large, darkish animal approximately the height of a retriever/setter, long tail that curved at the very end, large cat-like head, and very close, prominent shoulders, that I still can see moving up and down when I think about it crossing Meetze Road. It had a long bushy tail and appeared to weigh about 70 or 80 pounds. A few months later we saw another where route 740 (Sinkhole Road) intersects route 8 a few miles northwest of Stuart, VA. On both occasions it was mid-afternoon and we had a view (from a car) of the animals as they strolled 70 to 80 feet across open spaces. That is if it is still around. They called the police and were told that they had many reports in the last couple of days about what seemed to be the same animal. This was kind of cool to me so I was on the lookout for any other animals, also keeping in mind that they might run onto the road. The last mountain lion in Virginia was killed In 1882! I was camping up there with some friends and we could have sworn we heard howling! Females have gradually made their way into states like Nebraska, South Dakota, Arkansas, and Missouri, but according to LaRue, it turns out the midwest largely is not a great habitat. So its not unreasonable to assume that theyll continue on and eventually end up in states near and on the eastern seaboard, where lush mountain ranges like the Blue Ridge and Smokies offer prime habitat and sustenance (deer, primarily) for the cats. The Florida Panther was also listed as a separate subspecies, Puma concolor coryi. Secondly, the sightings of mountain lions are likely the result of escaped or released animals that were once captive. It was great, probably one of the most exciting experiences of my life, and I feel very fortunate.. Period. A co-worker and I had a run in with a very large black cat in Floyd, VA in 2002. We were vacationing near the Shenandoah River. Wild Cats in Virginia. Since my reported sighting of a perhaps cougar several local farmers have told me of similiar beasts they have seen. of Wildlife. Interestingly, the does seem to have very new fawns (twins generally). I took an impression of the track (which I still have) and have showed it to many, some knowledgeable which identified it as a mountain lion. Well, then we know theres a cougar there, Peterson said simply. Updated: Jul 3, 2016 / 10:29 PM EDT. When I was young they killed a cougar at Stone Mountain. twice in the last 6 months. Mountain Lions are back, maybe. Hmmmm. People often see bobcats & mistakenly call them a mountain lion. The West Virginia Wildlife Center . A breeding population moves very slowly due to the natural hindrance of having cubs. Ihad only one game warden to believe me. "They've been found as far east as western Tennessee," Fies said. In many states, the season dates are often further broken down depending on the hunt area you plan to visit. I was taking my wife to work eraly Thursday about 4 am..We had just passed the airport on 58 east in Danville, Va. To the right side shoulder of the road there stood some type of cat. I just saw one a couple of hourse ago. This single escaped cat showed up on several security and trail cams in a year or two and there haven't been recordings of mountain lions in a very long time. The cougar hesitated and then left the path. Red wolves have been reintroduced into the state. A few weeks later, I saw it dart across the dirt road for a split second. A neighbors cat was outside and I could see that she was visibly frightened and crouching under a car. Virginia is home to a bounty of beautiful wildlife, including some magical animals that any of us would be lucky to spot. If anyone is interested, you may write me at thatwhitekid247@aol.com. Which is the only large native cat that we have.. They say the last mountain lion in Virginia was killed in 1882. Is it a change in the regime their [sic]? Its part of mother nature I guess. But the majesty and strength of the Mountain Lion was still apparent! Do you know what it is? However, experts claim that even if those would turn out to be true, it wouldn't be a return of the original population. I got a couple of pictures of paw prints. One on a Farm just a bit out of Town. Blue Ridge Outdoors is your guide to fly fishing, the Appalachian Trail, biking, travel, and more in the Blue Ridge and beyond. But we are talking about an actual animal which has a possibility of existing in localized population in some areas of the east. We know what we saw. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Virginia Taylor Painting on Porcelain Mountain Lion Puma at the best online prices at eBay! I think the nuts are attracting game, and a lion is preying. I bearly got a glimpse, thought at first it was a deer. A French naturalist created the name "cougar" by combining "puma" with "jaguar." It was a shame no one was with me because no one believed what a I saw, but I know that is was a black cougar or panther. I live in Rockbridge Baths and found a trail of 4 dog prints in the woods! I was going to let him walk on by obviously, when suddenly he sat down about 25 yards right in front of me, not facing me, I had a beautiful side view of him. When they said they had we advised them of the origin and told them about the cougar incident on their property. If you have any similiar stories let me know please. I was out for a morning run on some back roads (in Page County, north of Luray, just west of Route 340.) I personally would not have believed a description like this, but the photos say it all. The fourth-largest cat in the world, it thrived from the frigid Yukon to the tip of South America. There used to be cougar there, and with that large a prey base, its possible. Last week in a dusty spot I found what I thought might be catamount signs. Sadly, mountain lions no longer live in Virginia. Nobody even thinks anything of it because of its regularity. Fish & Wildlife Resources recent decision to declare eastern cougars extinct, and she knew unless she was able to produce some sort of physical evidence like a photo, shed be hard pressed to convince any wildlife expert of what she saw. Does anyone know the black bear population in Amelia county? I have friends in Wyoming and Montana, where mountain lions have always been. There are certainly plenty of remote areas for them in VA and W.VA. It was a state car. The very sad news: there was a PGC ear tag on it. lions do not inhabit the Virginia mountains. I thought it was a bear at first, until I saw its long thick tail. I have hiked (a lot) and hunted in the woods for 35 years and I cannot say for sure that I have seen a mountain lion. 12. Thus the tight lips. We know they were two different animals because the tail-tips were different. I don't think we're real close to that.". This is between Fairfax and Reston. Others have been clustered in the Valley. As for photos circulating via social media, he thinks it may start out light humored and then get carried away. This normal school was founded by veterans of both the Union and the Confederacy, Concord is named for the ideal of "harmony and sweet . Ok, me again. But the thing about mountain lions is that females dont travel as far or as often, and when they disperse they dont go very far or very well.. "Pumas, mountain lions are still in the Appalachians," Larry Messenger posted on Facebook. The U.S. My parents were having their Sunday drive today (9-2-07) in an area called Mabe, near Duffield, Virginia and saw a mountain lion. The cat was totally black with a long tail. THANK YOU KATHY, I KNOW THEY HAVE LET SOME COYETTES(SPELLIN) LOOSE AND THERE ARE FOX HERE. Someone is trying to instill fear about mountain lions on the loose in Virginia, though the Department of Game & Inland Fisheries says it's fake news. The good news is that because it was right beside the road, others undoubtedly saw it, too, leaving no doubt that it was indeed a mountain lion because it was much too good a view for there to be any doubt of its species. This animal was a good thirty inches at the shoulder and must have weighted 150 pounds. In reply to Beowulf it may interest you to know I accomplied a rabit hunter back to Appomattox County where he had found a cougar carcass. What about the fact no roadkill is ever claimed to be found of a cougar? I suppose it could have been a super-sized coyote or an interbred coyote. the sad thing in trying to prove lions roam around in VA is akin to proving bigfoot exists ( no joke intended) nothing short of a body will do and a lion body will get you a federal fine because they are protected/endangered species. Today is Sept. 29, 2008. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. into the places they were often in but not noticed until recently. Today, a new hybrid known as the coywolf is slowly returning to the state. Scientific reports one claimed that the Florida Panther was an obligate forest species and used lands only within 100 yards of forests. One glanced at us. The Midwest can offer two of the three, but the males dont have much luck repopulating the area on their own. few turkeys this spring and summer. Here in southern Utah, lions have been known to occupy home ranges as large as 513 square miles. Mountain lions in Nebraska are a division of the larger population spread through all western U.S. states, and predators move unobstructedly among Nebraska and neighboring U.S. states, especially South Dakota and Wyoming. I am in the Linville, NC area and have had several people tell me that they have seen a mountain lion during the past three to four years. He said it was from the Mattaponi Trial in Caroline County. Ideas? We know theres at least one there, and if we get reports of a cougar causing damage then theres a possibility well need to investigate that. He then went to our pond & disappeared into the woods. I do not know of any dogs in the area with feet that big. On June 17, 2015, the U.S. They wondered if it was a kind of dog or even a cat. I have pictures of the tracks and of the mares injuries. THERE ARE MOUNTAIN LIONS IN VIRGINIA, I HAVE PROOF. Thanks, Beowulf, I am looking for someone in the Frederick county/Clarke county area to confirm a track/print I took a picture of. The states beautiful wilderness and mountainous terrain are prime mountain lion habitats. I have helped skin and mount wild cats before and definitely know the difference. Do you think what I heard may have been a cougar or a mountain lion? The mountain lions that once roamed the hills and hollows of West Virginia are long gone. It was, without question, a mountain lion. Whatever it was was big and right under my window. Even thou it is a much smaller cat , its scream is much scarier ! I also found a recording online of a cougar cry and it was EXACTLY the sound I heard. However, my husband couldnt contain his excitement and called me immediately to tell me he had his own personal proof of the existance of cougars in Virginia! In the case where two mountain lions had been found locally, it didn't take long for them to stir up trouble. This medium-sized cat weighs between 9-33 lbs, has stubby tails and characteristic tufts of hair coming out of its ears. It was approximately 5 ft. long & 2 ft. high. The US Fish and Wildlife Service considered the lack of sightings during that period to be key evidence that no breeding population survived in the eastern states. I came out of the pasture and one was less than 20 feet. While 4 wheeling in our Bronco on Buffalo Creek in Logan County, WV. Interesting enough on October 28 just over two weeks later it was reported on the local news that two women had seen a mountain lion in Bon Air. Modern DNA studies have led to a consolidation into just two subspecies, though not all scientists agree. As we rounded a curve in the road, we saw the cat jump out of a overhanging tree on the left hand side of the road and landed in the middle of the road. This weekend, had dinner with a new neighbor who mentioned that he had seen a black cat near Carrington Road in Markham, VA. Heard back from Animal Control and VDGIF. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. People always had a story to tell about seeing one or hearing one whenever they were in the woods, and claimed the government was turning a blind eye to their reports. I also am wondering what others think about the fact that so far a documented photo of a cougar in Virginia has not been taken by any of the ECFs cameras. The "coywolf" is an informal term for a unique hybrid of western coyotes and eastern timber wolves. Reading these stories and seeing a documentry (Monsterquest) only confirms that there is definitely something out there. Also the Coyotes up there are getting out of hand in my eyes. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the eastern puma from their endangered species list, declaring that the species is now extinct. Given my report in spring of 07 of a lion sighting could this be a return of the catamount? But, there is always a chance that one day the sighting will be real. Look at his PAWS!. Coming home today, August 12, 2009 about 4:00 on Route 210 in Amherst, VA, a large black animal came loping up to the road. A large heel pad larger than the others but blurred. Could a mountain lion or cougar be in my area? She was never spotted, but that sound is something that you never can forget or confuse for anything else. The question is how big is the population. It does not benefit the DNR, Fish and Game Dept, etc. My husband quickly put our dog into his pen. They prefer deer.. There are at least 10 different subspecies of white-tailed deer, and it doesnt make a bit of difference in the grand scheme of things.. Cat like head and ears and face, long tail (about 20+ inches), bristly fur, grayish-brown in color, rather thin overall. This. They dont know that, theyre not genetically testing these animals.. At least, that was the case until recently, when a moose was spotted near Lake Frederick in northern Virginia. Beowolf the key to your sighting is the tail . I havent seen it or signs of it since my 15 May report. Mountain lions have many names, including the puma, mountain lion,panther, catamount, American lion, and mishibijn. Most of the time we can find the original photo on the internet where it was taken out west or wherever. Broad daylight, it crossed the road approx. If they escape, who is to say that they will not do what is natural and find a mate? And yet there are numerous reports of hikers and residents spotting these creatures, especially in the mountains. Though they are pushing steadily eastward from the Rockies. Probably 10s of thousands across the Appalachian regions of the state. cat ran across the road in front of our truck. When I was a kid we lived on a mountain in the Shenandoah Valley (near Front Royal/ Linden) and there were several mountain Lion sightings and people who claimed to have heard them. TWRA has had their collective heads up their cloacas for a very long time in denial of these sitings [sic] and reports, reads a comment on a December 2015 article about the video footage. People have been reporting sightings of mountain lions in our area for years, but the Virginia DWR says they haven't been in our area since 1882. There are no mountain lions in Virginia. Cougars, also known as mountain lions, were once common here and they have left a legacy of place names throughout the state indeed, the entire Southeast. Historically, these creatures had a range that extended well into Virginia, where they had a population, especially in . He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News. It Had a very long tail, and had a light brown coloring with black spots. If for some reason there were any cougars rediscovered in the east that werent migrants from the west, the protection status is up to the state in which it is found, LaRue said. It didnt appear to be hunting, or have any kind of agenda, just comfortable in its surroundings. I hope that maybe I can find a place I can place a trail camera nearby to search for it. It was about 18+ inches tall at shoulder, about 24 inches from hip to neck. If some one ask if there are lions in Danville, Va tell them hell yes! We were tracking a deer one night and ended up lost for 6 hours and found a small field. Im not doubting that people see black cat like animals, although true size is often hard to tell. It was about the size of a friends dog, which is about 15 tall and 2 1/2 feet long. It isnt certain, but some researchers claim that there could be native cougar populations across the Blue Ridge in as little as 25-30 years. I KNOW ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, WHILE SITTING IN A CONVENIENCE STORE PARKING LOT NEAR PHILPOT DAM(BASSETT) I SAW A BLACK BEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY 11 AM. With numerous supposed sightings since the 1970s to present, it doesn't sound too far fetched. I truly look forward to a repeat performance, but highly doubt I will happen upon such a circumstance of chance with the enigmatic creature. I havent seen anything like one since back in May. I have photos of the kill. Back home in Indiana a buddy of mine and I jumped one in the earlier 2000s and told a DNR officer who told us we were seeing things lol. Virginia's mountain lions, known as the Eastern puma, were once on the endangered species list. i just moved to roanoke just wondering are there really mountain lions or any wild animals of size and chances of them attacking people not scrared just try not to invade respect their space and hope they respect mine. Females need to show up. I told everyone the next day what I had seen and I was told there no big cats here any more. We coundnt believe what we saw. i would love their return to our wilds. I initially thought it was a bear, until it ran, jumped a 5 foot pasture fence with ease, and landed about 4 feet from the fence. I think I have now seen a mountain lion! Remember Ligertown? If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Even though the WV DNR says there are no wild mountain lions in the state, there are some held in captivity at the West Virginia Wildlife Center in French Creek.. I stopped thinking I would see a deer cross the old farm road. at the shoulder, that's nearly 3 ft. tall! All of this happened just out of bow range and its heart wrenching knowing there is nothing you can do. In August 2007 on my way to work from the Meadowview Virginia area , between Meadowview and Abingdon there was a Mountain Lion crossed the road in frount of me, So people can say what they want , there are big cats in the area. Photos are difficult to confirm, Peterson saidthe process involves sending wildlife experts to the exact spot where the cat was allegedly seen to take another photo in order to compare it to the original and verify the location. Because they are lone animals that are not breeding. Similar to Tennessee's wild elk and buffalo, the cougar was extirpated from the state around the early 1900s due to overhunting and habitat loss. I just wonder if I have the same picture, & also if it is true. A mountain lion photo has been circulating on social media for more than a year, claiming people have seenmountain lions in the state, and officials are calling shenanigans on the post. It took another 3 minutes or so before all the fogs quieted down. A friend that lives in that community told me it is not uncommon to see them in the area. Hello My dog and all the dogs in the neighborhood were going nuts. A week later the farmer shot the mountain lion. In reply to D. Racey we would like to review your photo of the track. I was so shocked that I could even stop the car in time to see it again. 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