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On 06/24/17 at 4:45 PM, I was eating dinner at my dining room table when my dog ran across the room to the sliding glass door and was looking outside. When my wife and I looked to see what alarmed him we saw a "Cougar/Mountain Lion" (about 35-45 yards away) walking quickly through a well lit clearing on the top of my property. Before you ask... Yes, I know the difference between a big brown dog, a Bobcat, and a Cougar... and this was beyond any shadow of doubt... a Cougar.
I notified the Carroll County Sheriff Department to see if they felt it was a safety issue and I was told that if no one was in immediate danger they would not dispatch an officer. (Makes sense to me.) The Dispatcher suggested that I notify NH Fish & Wildlife, in the event they tracked such sightings, and provided me with the phone number. Rather than telephone Fish & Wildlife after 5:00 PM, I shot off an email to them. (As of the time of this posting I have yet to receive a reply.)
The thing that I find interesting is... while there have been sightings over the years, there is very little (if any) physical evidence or documentation of Cougars in New Hampshire since the 1800's. However, I can see why there are no photographs of them as the one I saw moved across the landscape very smoothly and quickly.
I'd be interested to hear the opinions of others and to learn if anyone else has seen a Cougar/Mountain Lion in New Hampshire.
I'm sure several have wandered into the state over the years.....NHFW seem to have a policy of never accepting the fact of these sightings as do VT & Maine officials to be fair. As to why this is....I have no answer. I've never seen one, but there has been credible evidence in the past that cougars have been seen in northern New England in the recent past.
I was told F&G doesn't have the funding to deal with another protected species, so they claim it's a sighting from an uninformed public. I've asked a few F&G officials and they all give the same canned answer, they aren't here in NH. Here's a link on Mountain Lions in NH https://nhmountainlion.wordpress.com/about/#comment-71
I would suggest that what the OP saw was a large bobcat or Canadian lynx. They do look similar to cougars and at a distance, it's tough to nail down the actual size.
I would suggest that what the OP saw was a large bobcat or Canadian lynx. They do look similar to cougars and at a distance, it's tough to nail down the actual size.
Scale aside, they lack the dominant traits - short rounded ears and long thick tail.
I've got a large male bobcat who frequents my property and I'd say a quick glance at a coyote or domestic dog is more likely to trigger a false sighting.
I was told F&G doesn't have the funding to deal with another protected species, so they claim it's a sighting from an uninformed public. I've asked a few F&G officials and they all give the same canned answer, they aren't here in NH. Here's a link on Mountain Lions in NH https://nhmountainlion.wordpress.com/about/#comment-71
Thank you for passing this link along. I will view it after responding to a few posts here on this topic.
I would suggest that what the OP saw was a large bobcat or Canadian lynx. They do look similar to cougars and at a distance, it's tough to nail down the actual size.
I appreciate your taking the time to reply to my post... but your "suggestion" does not suit my sighting. To me... a Bobcat and Canadian Lynx look nothing like a cougar at 35-45 yards. The cat that I clearly viewed in an open area was light brown, approximately 2-1/2ft - 3ft tall (top of head), 4ft - 5ft long (6ft-8ft long if tail was extended), and moved very quickly and smoothly through a well lit clear opening. As I said in my original post... this cat was definitely not a Deer, Bobcat, or large brown dog.
Bobcats are regularly seen where I live in the western side of the state, but a mountain lion has been spotted in my neighborhood multiple times this summer, although not by me. The guy across the street got a photo of its a** but that's all so far. We're going to set up a game camera to see if we can do better.
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