Mountain Lion spotted in Oldham County

[arctichomesteader]

Genetically the Eastern and Western mountain lions are the same; most biologists don't really agree with the subspecies classification anymore.

And the big cats are in the East.

[Bluefox]

Just read this article this morning:

BBC News - Florida panthers and Yellowstone wolves in the backyard

May help put some people at ease if there are in fact mountain lions nearby, or at least clear up some misconceptions about the creatures and highlight how truly important these predators our to America's ecosystems.

[tigerlillydownunder]

Originally Posted by Off Topic

Unfortunately, I think fear can be over-rated. Oldham County is not the bush of Australia. It is adjacent to the largest metropolitan county in the state, with about 1 million people.

I do agree awareness is a good thing. But worrying about mountain lions grabbing your children in Oldham County strikes me as overkill. If you are worrying about that, then you should also worry about getting hit by a meteor, because the odds are about the same.

To me, this is one of those examples of misplaced worry. I can think of dozens things that are far more dangerous to kids than this, including stuffing them with happy meals. People really seem to have their priorities misplaced about dangers we face. So yes, worry about your kids, but worry about things that are most likely to damage them.

Just my two cents.

Definately agree....and I think that maintaining vigilance, awareness of your surroundings and being prepared is just plain common sense.

Personally, I do not think it's that much of a danger in Oldham County. and to be honest, I don't think it's a real danger in Australia either. I'm more worried about a big male roo getting hold of me and gutting me with his big ol'
hoppers than a big cat attack.

Still....I know they're out there. It doesn't disuade me from going about my business though. I think kids are relatively safe in Oldham County!

[beckyrogers]

I live in Morehead, KY. I live on a private lake called Lake Lewman. It is a very rural area with very few people activity. Last Saturday morning a mountain lion was spotted here at the lake where I live. A man who owns a cabin here at the lake was traveling on the gravel road that goes along the lake and came upon the mountain lion just laying in the road. He said it was definetly a mountain lion and not a bob cat because it had a long tail !! He said it did not act scared or skittish. He slowly inched upon it with his car until it just got up and slowly walked off the road and back into the woods. Only a couple of days later I got up at daylight to watch a coyote walking around my car in my driveway and in my front yard. It even tried to get under my car for some reason. The area he was in was where I had dumped some table scraps a couple of days before (won't do that anymore!). There is a large population of coyotes in this area however. Almost every night you can hear their bone-chilling howls coming from an entire pack of coyotes not far at all from my house, often right in the field right behind my house. We have lost cats before and I assume it was due to the coyotes. They sometimes just disappear as they are outside cats and run around at all hours of the night. Coyotes I am used to, but mountain lions is another thing!! I'm not ready to see those around here. I love being outdoors and don't like the idea of that being in the woods with me and my dog !
I was told that a wild-life biologist is supposed to be coming to this area to set up a wild life camera and food station for the mountain lion to try to capture pics of it. If so, I will try to get ahold of them and post them.

[orogenicman]

Wild mountain lions in Oldham county? I'll believe it when I see it. That said:

Are Mountain Lions Attacking Pets In Kentucky? - 14 News, WFIE, Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro

Louisville Zoo Big Cat Expert Dave Hodge says mountain lions, called cougars in Kentucky, do not surprise him. "It's going to be hard on the dog population and cat population." But he adds, it's not a natural occurrence. "It's a 99.9% likelihood these are captive animals that have gotten loose or were released."

Investigators with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife say the tracks they've studied so far are inconclusive. So the mystery continues. Officials urge anyone with more information to give them a call.

[LucasJT]

I have a picture, taken by a game camera, on the Oldham/Henry County line of a Mountain Lion dragging a 8-10 point buck. This is about 25-30 minutes from Louisville.

[LucasJT]

Originally Posted by censusdata

I was listening to the "Great Outdoors" show on 840 am tonight & the host said that there had been another Mountain Lion sitting in Oldham County on KY 22 near the Henry County line, possibly with a small dog or ground hog in its mouth.

He said that based on reliable sources he personally knows that there are probably 2 to 5 young male Mountain Lions in the Oldham/ Henry/ Trimble area that have migrated in from the Appalachians. He believes that if there was a breeding population there would be many more sightings.

I have a picture, taken by a game camera, on the Oldham/Henry County line of a Mountain Lion dragging a 8-10 point buck deer.

[Stephsserenity]

I live in Crestwood, off of Abbott Lane. I was coming home one morning from dropping my daughter off at school (early this year or late last year....can't remember exactly) and saw a Bobcat. I was on Hwy 22 between the 329 Bypass and the little bridge. There are always deer in that area, especially in that field to the right and I saw something out of the corner of my right eye and expected to turn and see one but it wasn't a deer....it was a Bobcat. I didn't know at the time what type of "cat" it was until I stumbled across this forum. I called around to make sure that it was known that there was some large "cat" and it wasn't a damn housecat either, less than a mile from Crestwood Elementary because I feared that children may be on the playground one day and not know the danger. I haven't seen any since but I'm sure they are out there. I turned around to go back and take a picture but it was gone. I was completely shocked!

[EricOldTime]

I have heard of Panthers and Bobcats being sighted alot in western Ky