Possible Cougar in NH (Concord, Barnstead: 2009, house, high school)

[fishnfool]

POSSIBLE MOUNTAIN LION SIGHTING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

CONCORD, N.H. -- The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department today reported that one of its staff members, following up on a routine report of a mountain lion sighting, saw what is believed to be a mountain lion in a rural area of Barnstead, N.H.

Moderator cut: copyright issue - see TOS - please post snippet and then a link to the article

http://www.wildnh.com/Newsroom/News_...on_091809.html

[Be Free]

I was dozing off to the news the other night when they said that story was coming up next, so I stayed awake to hear it. I thought sure they were going to say it was somewhere way up north. Nope, practically next door to me.

It would be cool to see a mountain lion here (passing through). Not so cool if we saw them all the time. I wish they would've given more details, like where exactly he saw it and if there was any tracks or DNA samples to test.

[Ken E]

I have friends who have trail cams in that general area. Haven't heard of any mountain lion pic's yet.

[Brave Stranger]

There have been reports in that area about this big cat going back to last year. I suspect it was a pet someone let lose.

[GregW]

There are lots of cougars in New Hampshire. They can usually be found hanging around the popular nightclubs although I have heard some favor high school football games as hunting grounds,

Just kidding, I think?

[Be Free]

This article has a little more info:

sentinelsource.com/articles/2009/09/19/news/state/free/id_372216.txt

No tracks or scat, as usual. I wouldn't blame Fish & Game for not wanting to admit it if we did have a lot of mountain lions here. Once there's an established population, they'll be forced to "manage" them and protect habitat for them (look how well that turned out with the wolves).

[fishnfool]

Yeah...and look at the way people freak out about having a fisher or coyote near their home....a cougar would really make waves.

This whole debate was REALLY making issues in Michigan where the sightings and evidence have really mounted up. Fish and game still try to say they are feral pets but there is just too much evidence....photos, video, tracks, scat, kills. Google in "Michigan Cougar" to see where this debate could go to in ME and NH if sightings continue.

On a similar note....someone from my hiking forum is very convinced they saw a wolf this week hiking in the whites. I'd be surprised if it's not a coyote but this couple spends every weekend hiking and they have seen plenty of coyotes. Most experts agree it's only a matter of time until wolves make a real comeback into northern New England and NY. Personally I would love to hear their howl return to NH....it's one of the greatest sounds in nature.

[Be Free]

John Harrigan reported in the Union Leader that he and his wife have had 3 close encounters of the wolf kind around Colebrook.

There's a couple of wolf preserves in the state, so not impossible that it could be an escapee, or maybe a wild one from Quebec. I read a report by some wolf-hugger group that said they think the wolves would naturally re-establish in NH if the trapping was slowed down outside of Quebec. Apparently, it's hard for a wolf to make it here from there.

Personally, I hope it stays just like it is now - people see them from time to time and Fish & Game doesn't find any evidence.

[Colebrook]

There is a wolf kennel? just on the other side of the Conn. River from Colebrook in VT. If you take a left onto 102 from 26 coming from Colebrook it's about 1 1/2 miles on the right. You can see the wolves in a fenced area in the back yard of house . It looks about 15 -20 pens.

[Aptor hours]

Goodness I was thinking a whole different kind of cougar Duh!!!!!