No Cougars in the eastern US total BS

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Wll I just read this artical and I think its crap. We had 3 sightings in my area last year.

Federal researchers declare eastern cougar extinct - Yahoo! News

 

[HARPERC]

Re: Now Cougars in the eastern US

Kind of brings to mind the US Fish and Wildlife denying there were any wolves pre-transplant In Wyoming or Montana. Up to and including having their dead bodies. Mistakenly shot as coyotes, prosecution was deferred as it would place on the record they were already here. As far as the current Fish and Wildlife saying a transplant would violate the endangered species act and has no plans to do so-well you can tell he's lying his lips are moving. Fool me once shame on you-twice well that's on me.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Re: Now Cougars in the eastern US

The DEC in NY has transplanted breeding pairs to NY but they will not admit it

 

[edge]

Re: Now Cougars in the eastern US

If extinct, then shooting one would not be illegal either would it?

edge.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Re: Now Cougars in the eastern US

If extinct, then shooting one would not be illegal either would it?

edge.

LOL I suppose but I dont want to shoot them no desire to hunt cats at all.

 

[MT4XFore]

Hmmmmmm, that's strange. I thought New York was full of cougars, especially at the bars!

 

[trebark]

Re: Now Cougars in the eastern US

The DEC in NY has transplanted breeding pairs to NY but they will not admit it

What's their motivation to deceive?

 

[Buano]

Wll I just read this artical and I think its crap. We had 3 sightings in my area last year.

Federal researchers declare eastern cougar extinct - Yahoo! News

Big cats get seen because they are around. The question is whether there is a breading population or "pet" cats that have escaped or turned lose. A few years back there were fairly regular sightings of cougar in Chautauqua & Cattaraugus Counties in South Western NY, but as the sightings stopped I presume the cat(s) that had been there died.

A few years back there was also a large male african lion with a red bow around his neck roaming the woods around Erie, PA that some even got pictures of, but that doesn't tell me there is a breading population of African lions in the woods!

In the winter of 1987 or 1988 I stopped to look at an animal that was dead on I-79 just north of Pittsburg & confirmed my first impression — it was a black panther. I wish I would have picked the body up & had it mounted. Obviously, that was someone's pet that had escaped.

The Eastern woods are not like the West where large cats can roam over miles or their territory without being spotted —often. Cats are hunted in the west mostly by spotting a set of tracks & following them. If there were many cats in the East we would do the same. As we don't see the cats, I do not believe there are breeding populations.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Re: Now Cougars in the eastern US

What's their motivation to deceive?

Public perception would be my only guess. Can you imagin if they said oh ya we are going to let some cats loose. People here would freek out. Every time a bear wonders out of the woods they freek out call the police its all over the news etc etc.

 

[DanMan]

Cougar sitings have been fairly common here in the wild parts of Arkansas for quite a while but officially there are no wild populations. A while back a lot of heat got stirred up against the game & fish for the denials when substantial evidence indicated otherwise. Word leaked out that if the Game and Fish admitted that there is a wild population then they would be obligated to assume management of that species. That means $$$$ and manpower. Much easier to say they dont exist.

 

[MSU Marksman]

Cougar sitings have been fairly common here in the wild parts of Arkansas for quite a while but officially there are no wild populations. A while back a lot of heat got stirred up against the game & fish for the denials when substantial evidence indicated otherwise. Word leaked out that if the Game and Fish admitted that there is a wild population then they would be obligated to assume management of that species. That means $$$$ and manpower. Much easier to say they dont exist.

Same thing here in Michigan. Admitting they are out there means that they have one more thing to manage, and no additional money to do so.

But I'm still under the assumption that if I shoot one that they can't do anything about it, because they don't exist.

 

[Buffalobob]

The Eastern Cougar is generally believed to be a distinct sub species much like the Florida panther is a subspecies. However because there have been no Eastern Cougars found in modern times it has become difficult to actually prove they are a distinct subspecies.

Secondly, the eastward expansion of the western cougar is well documented and understood by the biologists. The deer herds were shot out by the hunters as well as the predators and now that the deer herds are at excessive numbers the predator populations will expand.

 

[sullijr]

I thought the article read as no Eastern Cougars ( a sub species) left in the U.S.