Panthers in North Texas? (Dallas, Spring: crime, new house, school)

[formertx]

I realize I have joined this conversation late. However, I just wanted to add that I lived in Riverby several years back and I myself heard the "scream" one night while in the back yard. I had seen and heard numerous bobcats, coyotes, etc. but the old timers there had always told us that if you ever hear the "panther" scream you would know what it was. I also grew up exploring the vast woods along the Red River and had no fear but that night the hair stood up on the back of my neck. Also, a tractor driver that worked on the farm told us that he had seen a "panther" (we assumed a panther was a mountain lion) come out of the woods just northeast of Monkstown while he was plowing. He was scared to death. I hate it that that the fire ants have wreaked havoc on the quail population. One of my favorite things was watching the quail with her little ones cross the road near Bois D'Arc Creek.

[blueskies49]

sleepingpanther.com Here is the story of the sleeping panther. Panther City is a nickname for Fort Worth, besides Cowtown. There is a sculpture of a twice-life sized panther at Main and Weatherford in downtown.

I had a coworker who lives in Fort Worth in an area where there is a small bit of acreage but the city is plainly all around him. He said he has seen a cougar a time or two on his property.

[MyNameIsKyle]

My dad lives on the northwest side of Grapevine Lake in Flower Mound and about 5 years back had a black (or dark brown) panther/mountain lion jump from his side lot, over his fence and into the empty lot (thicket) directly across the street one night just after sundown. At that time he had goats in his extra lot in order to clear out the brush and the cat had apparently been stalking them when my dad walked out of the house and startled it (the frantic beying had brought my dad out).

He swears up and down the cat crossed the street, disappeared into the underbrush and started that deep throaty growl, building up to a brief "scream" and was gone. Apparently there had been other sightings in the previous and subsequent months in the Marshall Creek and Roanoke areas.

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by Dorothy1960

and just wondering, how many come across these snakes, water mocassins and tarantulas or other large spiders in the Dallas 'burbs? Like Garland-Richardson-Allen area?

Forgive me if I appear to be ignorant here... I live in Virginia and we only have deer, squirrels & turtles... I've seen a few foxes, and a groundhog or 2.

I used to live in Virginia. Including the ones you listed, we had wild turkeys and cotton mouths in most bodies of water.

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by Zhang Fei

This is why I think people in rural areas will probably need a firearm of some kind - for those rare occasions when a hungry-looking critter is standing between your pet and your home. By the time animal control shows up, it will have been long over.

If you're shooting at a mountain lion, you'd better have a pretty good sized rifle, because all a pistol will do, is **** it off......and then, you're history.

Where I recently moved from in Oregon, it was common to have mountain lion sightings. I saw them several times right on my own land. I had one walk about 20 feet off my deck following the scent of a dead deer that was dragged up from the river, to a truck in my driveway - BIG MISTAKE! It was a state animal control person who dragged it up there.

They're nothing to mess with, and don't ever take off running if they see you. I used to work with a guy who tracked them for the county I lived in. His advice was if you do come face to face with one.....don't look it in the eyes, and slowly raise your arms out to make yourself look bigger.

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by formertx

I realize I have joined this conversation late. However, I just wanted to add that I lived in Riverby several years back and I myself heard the "scream" one night while in the back yard. I had seen and heard numerous bobcats, coyotes, etc. but the old timers there had always told us that if you ever hear the "panther" scream you would know what it was. I also grew up exploring the vast woods along the Red River and had no fear but that night the hair stood up on the back of my neck. Also, a tractor driver that worked on the farm told us that he had seen a "panther" (we assumed a panther was a mountain lion) come out of the woods just northeast of Monkstown while he was plowing. He was scared to death. I hate it that that the fire ants have wreaked havoc on the quail population. One of my favorite things was watching the quail with her little ones cross the road near Bois D'Arc Creek.

Yes, that scream is unmistakable, and scarey!

[Drip]

I swear to God that I saw one this morning just outside of Dripping Springs, Texas. My Wife saw it also.
Observed it for a couple of minutes through the field glasses and then I went to get the camera. Of course, he was gone when I returned.
He had been laying on a large rock when spotted. A couple of minutes later the cat stood up and went to another rocky spot.
I had an excellent view of him at fifty yards without the bino's, wasn't a domesticated cat buy any means.

Big cat, totally black and was larger than my English Springer. This cat had to
weigh in at a minimum of 60 lbs.

The Drip in Drippin'

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by Drip

I swear to God that I saw one this morning just outside of Dripping Springs, Texas. My Wife saw it also.
Observed it for a couple of minutes through the field glasses and then I went to get the camera. Of course, he was gone when I returned.
He had been laying on a large rock when spotted. A couple of minutes later the cat stood up and went to another rocky spot.
I had an excellent view of him at fifty yards without the bino's, wasn't a domesticated cat buy any means.

Big cat, totally black and was larger than my English Springer. This cat had to
weigh in at a minimum of 60 lbs.

The Drip in Drippin'

I don't know how large mountain lions get in Texas, but a 60 pounder would usually be considered pretty small. Of course it could have been young too.

If you have any livestock of any kind, they're going to be prey for it if it is a mountain lion, so keep them penned up during the day, and in a barn at night.

[subijmt]

We just had a notice in our monthly HOA newsletter that there had been a few local sightings in our area. I am up off of 380, north of Little Elm.

[ladysrodgers]

Originally Posted by Drip

I swear to God that I saw one this morning just outside of Dripping Springs, Texas. My Wife saw it also.
Observed it for a couple of minutes through the field glasses and then I went to get the camera. Of course, he was gone when I returned.
He had been laying on a large rock when spotted. A couple of minutes later the cat stood up and went to another rocky spot.
I had an excellent view of him at fifty yards without the bino's, wasn't a domesticated cat buy any means.

Big cat, totally black and was larger than my English Springer. This cat had to
weigh in at a minimum of 60 lbs.

The Drip in Drippin'

They love to climb around on rocks. They also make their dens there.