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one reason I think it's so rare to see any cougar sign is because in the lowcountry most of our woods that looks like miles n miles of deep private woods really isn't as private as most think
those miles of woods are divided into leased sections through mead westvaco, georgia timber and several other timber companies too hunt clubs... most of which are dog hunting clubs
that means any intelligent wildlife in them is well adjusted to hiding from the thousands of people and dogs that trample all through them much of the year long... there is no "out in the sticks" where no one is anymore
can't tell you how many times I've went miles deep in the woods thinking maybe this time was deep enough to actually be alone only to hear some car door or kids screaming when's dinner in short time... lol
nothing like getting all settled into a tree stand, waiting a couple of hours for dark and just when the sun starts to go down, which is when most animals start to move the most, and anticipating a good hunt only to start hearing PEOPLE MOVE!!
wouldn't you know it, that's when people get home from work too and go out to play with their kids on 4 wheelers and the like... nother day doomed... lol
long story short, if there are any cougars out there they know when we move too and are smart enough to wait it out IMHO
If there are any left, obviously these people don't know about them: Federal researchers declare eastern cougar extinct - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110302/ap_on_sc/us_eastern_cougar - broken link)
When verifiable proof is given I will believe it. Until then, there are no large black cats native to North America. The smallest exception would be the jaguar that ranges just far enough north to inhabit the extreme lower portion of Arizona. This cat can have a melanistic disorder that causes it to be black...but still with it's spots visible.
Other than the jaguar, the only other big cat in the world ever to show a black coloration is the leopard...again, with a melanistic disorder.
If they are seen so often, then a dead one would certainly be able to be found...whether by auto strike, gung-ho hunter kill, or simply a carcass found in the woods.
This I would have to disagree with . Cougers can have a melanistic black color as well. I personally have seen a black panther (i believe to have been a melanistic couger) near Lenoir NC about 25 years ago , so i know they exist . How many bear carcasses have you found in the woods? I live in an area in Nc that has a huntable population and i am an avid deer and small game hunter and i have never found a dead bear carcass or bones from anything other than deer racoons and a possum.
This I would have to disagree with . Cougers can have a melanistic black color as well. I personally have seen a black panther (i believe to have been a melanistic couger) near Lenoir NC about 25 years ago , so i know they exist . How many bear carcasses have you found in the woods? I live in an area in Nc that has a huntable population and i am an avid deer and small game hunter and i have never found a dead bear carcass or bones from anything other than deer racoons and a possum.
How many of these black panthers have ever been killed & produced for review? As many hunters as there are in our woods you would think someone would shoot one of these beasts. What? They are stealthy cats and don't present themselves as often as a deer or bear? Well let me pose another question then. How many of these black panthers have killed and/or maimed people in N. or S. Carolina? Do you know of any? Cougar attacks aren't exactly uncommon out west. If these cats roam our forests, do you think there would have been some sort of attack in the past hundred years?
And didn't you know that big cats only eat bears while leaving deer, raccoons, and opossums to rot? They must eat all the coyotes too because I've never seen a dead one. They must eat themselves when they die also since no one has ever found one...they aren't near as stealthy once dead.
This past June In rivertown I saw a large golden colored cat walking along a tree line.
It was early AM.
I watched from a distance of about 50+ yards for 15-20 seconds before the animal turned into the woods. It was looking into the woods and never became aware of me.
It was much larger than a bobcat. At first i thought it might have been the neighbors large golden retreiver. However, It definately appeared feline and the fur was much shorter than the retreivers.
My heart was beating fast and my mouth hung open.
It might be possible it was a large fox.
However, I dont think thats what I saw.
I think it was a mountain lion.
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