Big cats in East TN

[Silver Searcher]

That picture looks more like a dog to me.

However, my farm is on the base of a mountain in Southwest Virginia with over 5,000 acres of forest around me up the North Slope with as much down the South slope.

My mother has taken pictures of bear in my yard, twice in the last few weeks I've heard something very large on hooves running through the woods above my house, and from the high pitched grunts with its' front hooves landing - I believe that's a very large wild pig.

And last Summer Mom said a mountain lion much larger than she expected they would be, came up in the front yard. She didn't get a picture of that one, and she doesn't live in "Disneyland". She's credible. And she doesn't walk to the mailbox on my one kilometer (6/10's of a mile) driveway.

Yes nice looking lab that

SS

 

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[kuger]

What about this paw print Kuger...

SS

Hard with the edge crumble and Blur Colin,but appears to posess toe nail indentions....which is canine all the way,also the side toes have an oblong appearance which is also characteristic of a canine.....dog

 

[Silver Searcher]

Hard with the edge crumble and Blur Colin,but appears to posess toe nail indentions....which is canine all the way,also the side toes have an oblong appearance which is also characteristic of a canine.....dog

Here's the link Mate.. .BBC - Gloucestershire - Features - Trailing Gloucestershire's big cats

 

[Number9]

I will say it again.....if you folks lived out west,with your fears you would never leave the house!!!They are thicker than flea's out here....hell a picture of one in the post office last week....was across the street from the PO...DOWNTOWN.We had one radio collared that would send GPS cords every few hours tracking where the cat was and where it traveled....that lion lived in a large city for several weeks,crossed a major freeway 6 times....and not one time was reported...and trust me,if anybody would have seen it we would have got the report...then it would have been in the news...THEN...everybody would claim they seen one too....happens everytime...not one report.How many lbs do yall figure an adult lion weigh's?

The cat on Signal Mt looked to weigh around 125#.. we didn't weigh it.
The black cat I saw twice looked to be bigger.

I don't fear much... at 65, my fear days are about gone! HA!
I do go armed when out in the hills... but I fear man a lot more than any animal. But...
I do keep my eyes open for wild boar, especially in the mountains around Tellico Plains. I believe some of the hogs still have enough "russin" in them to be mean. They were imported to the area of Hooper's Bald(NC side) around 1920.

As for the Big Frog Wilderness... No telling what's around that place! Several cats has been seen on the Georgia side plus the black one I saw near my house.
This is the view looking east from my home...

Big Frog Mountain(Wilderness)...

 

[kuger]

Here's the link Mate.. .BBC - Gloucestershire - Features - Trailing Gloucestershire's big cats

Colin....that is a dog.The other picture in the link leaves no question...that "Expert",is a wank!

#9 125 lbs is about right for an average cat.Its a scientific fact that black animals/objects appear larger than they are...but.......Jaguars are larger

I couldnt help but note in the comments of SS link,somebody there is seeing black cats over the pond too

 

[Silver Searcher]

Colin....that is a dog.The other picture in the link leaves no question...that "Expert",is a wank!

#9 125 lbs is about right for an average cat.Its a scientific fact that black animals/objects appear larger than they are...but.......Jaguars are larger

I couldnt help but note in the comments of SS link,somebody there is seeing black cats over the pond too

A lot were introduced into the wild when the dangerous animal act came into force in1976.. BBC News | ENGLAND | More big cats recorded second highest sightings are in my county, yet to see one though, although I talked to a guy at my Roman Villa site who said he had seen one, he was jogging up on a high wooded ridge and one ran out of a opening in front of him.

SS

 

[kuger]

A lot were introduced into the wild when the dangerous animal act came into force in1976.. BBC News | ENGLAND | More big cats recorded second highest sightings are in my county, yet to see one though, although I talked to a guy at my Roman Villa site who said he had seen one, he was jogging up on a high wooded ridge and one ran out of a opening in front of him.

SS

That is very interesting!!!!!That very well could be why there are some sightings in the east of the US.Odd that with the $$$ and populations out here we dont have that issue.Michael Jacksons that escaped was my only experience with a black cat

 

[Number9]

"A little further research shows there have been thousands of sightings of panthers in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, the western part of Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri and the southern part of Ohio. Even though the number of cats captured on video or still frame has been increasing, acceptable proof of a breeding population outside of South Florida has not been established.
Several states DNR's acknowledge that some of the cats roaming about might have come from private ownership and either escaped or were released, including Georgia."

The true number of large cats in the US is not known.. but with 10,000 to 15,000 cats held by private owners...
what would be the odds of seeing a released cat!?

 

[roaddust66]

One of the guys posted a photo of Big Frog. That's where I THOUGHT I saw a Black Panther. I was one the back side of Parksville near the ymca camp. I went back the next day to look for tracks and guess what I saw ? At the very last house on the road going into the Cherokee National Forest , I saw a black great dane in the yard. It had a very very long tail like I had seen the night before crossing in front of me. A freak occurrence ? He was about a mile from his house up into the forest. But to be driving thru the wilderness at night and then all of a sudden a black great dane jumps off a bank in front of your head lights and crosses the road in front of you... He looked like a cat. i had no clue what he was until I saw him in his yard the next day but it was a shocking event

 

[Number9]

One of the guys posted a photo of Big Frog. That's where I THOUGHT I saw a Black Panther. I was one the back side of Parksville near the ymca camp. I went back the next day to look for tracks and guess what I saw ? At the very last house on the road going into the Cherokee National Forest , I saw a black great dane in the yard. It had a very very long tail like I had seen the night before crossing in front of me. A freak occurrence ? He was about a mile from his house up into the forest. But to be driving thru the wilderness at night and then all of a sudden a black great dane jumps off a bank in front of your head lights and crosses the road in front of you... He looked like a cat. i had no clue what he was until I saw him in his yard the next day but it was a shocking event

Now.. what was it you were drinking.. or smoking!?

 

[roaddust66]

well i was not smoking or drinking anything but after seeing a black great dane out the in the middle of nowhere , at night .....it was enough to make me want to head straight for a bar

 

[scuba1970]

I grew up in Southern Illinois and had always heard of mountain lions or panthers as the old guys called them. Had seen mostly tracks of large cats as a kid while out arrowhead hunting but crossed paths with a real one in late 80's. Was no dog was no bobcat was a black giant mountain lion. In recent years there have been more sightings also. Area grew up in is very rural and have tons of bluffs and Shawnee National Forest nearby. If I saw one in Illinois I'm sure there's some down your way.

 

[kuger]

still baffling to me that never in the history of the US has a Black Mt. Lion been killed,in the wild.Out west where 80% of the Lion population of the US is,you never hear these stories about black lion sightings either....and trust me in my years of trouble shooting,I have heard some out right doozy stories!!!!!I have seen one dead albino lion and just heard of another captured on trail cam last week in Montana

 

[dirtscratcher]

I think Sasquachs breed them for pets.

 

[kuger]

I think Sasquachs breed them for pets.

.........them and chubacabra's...........boy,I have some funny stories about those calls!!!!The first one(I have never heard of Chubacabra)turned out to be an escaped Emu!!!!I have to tell ya,the gal was dead set,and the three toed tracks had this country boy a bit baffled!!!!I have seen some things in my time afield that just cant be explained though

 

[Number9]

This link shows a picture of a "so-called" black cougar killed in Costa Rica.

Black Pumas

 

[huntsman53]

I have no idea where they come from? I believe many could be "pets" that were put-out by their owners, but I'm not sure.
I do know for a fact that large cats are out there!

Just so that you all will know, Black Panthers were placed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park back in the 1960's! At the time, tourism was on the influx, an over-population of Wild Boar in the GSMNP were attacking tourists and the Department of Interior and the TWA (Tennessee Wildlife Agency) forerunner to the TWRA (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency) partnered up to do something about the Wild Boar problem since they had no natural enemy in the GSMNP. They co-sponsered a study of (I believe it was) the Florida Black Panther and found that this species of Big Cat could easily adapt to just about any environment in which it was placed. It was believed from previous studies if Male and Female Black Panthers were released into the wild and separated from each other by another 50 miles from their normal roaming/hunting/feeding range, that they would not easily mate and produce an over-population of Black Panther. So, I believe that it was 1964 (the story was in the Knoxville News Sentinel), some Florida Black Panthers were trapped and shipped to the GSMNP and released into the wild, making use of the buffer zone in the study to prevent an over-population of these Big Cats. In releasing the Black Panthers into the GSMNP, they culled the over-population of Wild Boar and the attacks on tourists were pretty much solved by the late 1960's. However, after having killed off a lot of deer and Wild Boar in the GSMNP, these Big Cats had to increase their hunting/feeding range to survive. In doing so, they eventually came in contact with Black Panthers of the opposite sex and thus a population boom began with the Black Panthers. Once their food sources were pretty much depleted, the Black Panther began venturing outside of the GSMNP to find more food. I can remember as early as the mid-1970's of stories of sightings all over Sevier and Blount Counties and especially around English Mountain. A friends mom and dad bought a place almost at the foot of English Mountain (on the North side) around this time and actually had a Black Panther come by every night and eat their dog's food. I was visiting a friend that lived about half the way up English Mountain a Summer evening in 1978 and we heard a Black Panther let out a blood curdling scream. Due to road kills, farmer/cattlemen kills and lack of food, the population of Black Panthers in East Tennessee has steadily diminished since the early to mid 1980's but at the same time, these Big Cats have moved much further North, East, South and West and thus the sightings in Middle Tennessee and other States.

As far as Mountain Lions are concerned in East Tennessee, there have been sightings as far back as the late 1990's. The (I believe) TWRA even had a female collared and tracked her from Blount County to Claiborne County and back several years in a row until she was killed by a car. My nephew seen one once at the edge of the woods in a field just off of Boyds Creek Road in Sevier County near Kodak. While Gold prospecting, a friend (Brad) and myself came across a set of Mountain Lion tracks on the old logging road I use to get to my prospecting spot (I noted this earlier in my Thread - http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/g...ice-eroding-volcanic-pipe-producing-gold.html).


Frank

 

[kuger]

Just so that you all will know, Black Panthers were placed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park back in the 1960's! At the time, tourism was on the influx, an over-population of Wild Boar in the GSMNP were attacking tourists and the Department of Interior and the TWA (Tennessee Wildlife Agency) forerunner to the TWRA (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency) partnered up to do something about the Wild Boar problem since they had no natural enemy in the GSMNP. They co-sponsered a study of (I believe it was) the Florida Black Panther and found that this species of Big Cat could easily adapt to just about any environment in which it was placed. It was believed from previous studies if Male and Female Black Panthers were released into the wild and separated from each other by another 50 miles from their normal roaming/hunting/feeding range, that they would not easily mate and produce an over-population of Black Panther. So, I believe that it was 1964 (the story was in the Knoxville News Sentinel), some Florida Black Panthers were trapped and shipped to the GSMNP and released into the wild, making use of the buffer zone in the study to prevent an over-population of these Big Cats. In releasing the Black Panthers into the GSMNP, they culled the over-population of Wild Boar and the attacks on tourists were pretty much solved by the late 1960's. However, after having killed off a lot of deer and Wild Boar in the GSMNP, these Big Cats had to increase their hunting/feeding range to survive. In doing so, they eventually came in contact with Black Panthers of the opposite sex and thus a population boom began with the Black Panthers. Once their food sources were pretty much depleted, the Black Panther began venturing outside of the GSMNP to find more food. I can remember as early as the mid-1970's of stories of sightings all over Sevier and Blount Counties and especially around English Mountain. A friends mom and dad bought a place almost at the foot of English Mountain (on the North side) around this time and actually had a Black Panther come by every night and eat their dog's food. I was visiting a friend that lived about half the way up English Mountain a Summer evening in 1978 and we heard a Black Panther let out a blood curdling scream. Due to road kills, farmer/cattlemen kills and lack of food, the population of Black Panthers in East Tennessee has steadily diminished since the early to mid 1980's but at the same time, these Big Cats have moved much further North, East, South and West and thus the sightings in Middle Tennessee and other States.

As far as Mountain Lions are concerned in East Tennessee, there have been sightings as far back as the late 1990's. The (I believe) TWRA even had a female collared and tracked her from Blount County to Claiborne County and back several years in a row until she was killed by a car. My nephew seen one once at the edge of the woods in a field just off of Boyds Creek Road in Sevier County near Kodak. While Gold prospecting, a friend (Brad) and myself came across a set of Mountain Lion tracks on the old logging road I use to get to my prospecting spot (I noted this earlier in my Thread - http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/g...ice-eroding-volcanic-pipe-producing-gold.html).


Frank

...this may top the list of all time doozies!!!!!

Please show me where you got that info.....there is NO BREED of Black Lion,and Lions are definitely no population control for PIGS!!!!I have worked professionally in an an area with one of the highest densities of both wild pigs and lions and can honestly tell you I have never seen a lion killed pig.Also as I said before there HAS NEVER been a documented BLACK lion killed in the US...in the wild,by car,gun,or any other means,please show me where all these Black lions were killed!!!Think about this too....please.....lions are known to kill people....right?I have worked human fatalities...how many people have been killed by hogs?Now what sense would it make to put in an animal known to kill people to protect them from an animal not known to kill people?Didnt happen

 

[newnan man]

A lot of Panthers in Florida. The state people don't like to make a big deal out of sightings and hits by cars outside the Big Cypress/Everglades area. They get a lot of research money to use as long as they remain endangered. There are however many in Florida especially in N .Central and the Panhandle. Very extensive woods full of deer and pigs (piglets, yum)for the cats to eat. Bears are becoming a nuisance around Orlando as well.

 

[kuger]

A lot of Panthers in Florida. The state people don't like to make a big deal out of sightings and hits by cars outside the Big Cypress/Everglades area. They get a lot of research money to use as long as they remain endangered. There are however many in Florida especially in N .Central and the Panhandle. Very extensive woods full of deer and pigs (piglets, yum)for the cats to eat. Bears are becoming a nuisance around Orlando as well.

.......but not Black ones!

I want to point out too,that lions are very conscience of their well being...not wanting to be injured.This trait is very evident in studying there methods of prey take.As I said,I have never or recall witnessing where a lion killed an adult wild hog(not saying they would not,but given the fact I have spent years studying their habits and kills,one would presume if they habitually preyed on hogs,a person would see this)as far as young pigs...piglets,mamma pig is seldom far away,and comes real quick when little pigs are distressed(I have scars to prove this)Lions are not dumb animals and would quickly learn this fact,and by their nature would not make habit of having to deal with a situation that would run a high chance of great injury.