Would that declaration close that ridge to hunting? What do I think of the Canon 1D Mark IV? You've got a mountain lion story or photo? They once inhabited the entire United States, but were killed off and pushed west. About half of the state of Montana is ideal for mountain lions, primarily in her western and central regions. "They're getting a lot of that out west. A Mountain Lion Cover Up Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. There had been 17 other mastodon finds in Pennsylvania up to 1968, but all were fragmentary. Like Arizona, New Mexico is the perfect home for mountain lions. I've never seen or heard of a verified black puma anywhere, whether wild or captive, so I'd be inclined to dismiss reports of truly black big cats as misidentifications, even when a group of guys all see the same thing. Mountain lion sightings could indicate its comeback to Pa. Pocono beasts: Mastodons, wolves, cougars once abundant in region It has long been popular with honeymooners, but today the Poconos are a popular destination for families, skiers, adventure seekers, NASCAR fans, and those from urban areas around New England, New York City, Philadelphia . I've spoken to PGC personnel, two being friends, and neither believe there are pumas in Pa. One cited how a bobcat's tail can be much longer than you expect, although I've never seen a bobcat tail longer than, at most, twice the size of the tails illustrated above of the bobcat. In 2011, a confirmed mountain lion was killed by a vehicle in Connecticut and which had been determined that it had wandered east from the Mid-West. Biologists traced it. "It was in Worthington State Forest just across the Delaware River from Smithfield Beach). Foster, the Messiah College professor, said he has investigated about 15 reported mountain lion sightings since late May, and believed "three or four are pretty likely a mountain lion." Noted Wayne County historian Phineas Goodrich recorded in his 1880 book on local history that the common gray wolf was much more common in this area than the cougar. They know what they saw, regardless of what the facts say, and they know they saw a puma. I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. They often would catch sheep in broad daylight. They've been extinct in the eastern part of North America for more than a century. The mountain lion, which is also called a cougar, puma or panther, weighs on average between 75-120 pounds, has long whiskers and a distinctive swooping tail. Note the long, usually thick tail. I'd suspect it would still be considered very rare, after all, it was thought to be extinct. A mastodon's skull was first located in Marshalls Creek, Monroe County, on July 5, 1968. A recent alleged sighting in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups abuzz. You would think someone would have a picture on a trail camera or whatever. If you can figure out how to travel far back in time for even a day, get lots of wildlife photos, as the rest of us might never believe your story. I could fill pages recounting the eye-witness reports I've heard, and for every report critics could certainly say 'but there's no physical evidence!' Cougar Network tracks mountain lion expansion from the western U.S. to the east. I receive about one email or phone call a month, on average, from people that I do not know who are contacting me because their sighting compelled them to do a Google search on puma sightings, and they found my site and previously posted questions. The sightings were great bear views, but too fast or fleeting to allow me to grab a camera. Angel, her African lioness who snarls at strangers, is a big girl. In prior interviews with the Game Commission, the suggestion was made to this writer that what many people may actually be seeing is a bobcat, perhaps in less than ideal circumstances. with a fluted projectile point were found near Middletown, Orange County, New York. Pocono Mountains - Travel guide at Wikivoyage Archived Questions of the Month Mountain Lions - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service) NPS.gov Park Home Learn About the Park Nature Animals Mammals Mountain Lion Mountain Lion Last updated: May 4, 2018 Was this page helpful? All rights reserved (About Us). I've seen hoaxes, of pumas carrying deer shot with game cameras, but these were of western cats. Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? You be the judge. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. Outdoor adventures abound, and so do our fabulous shopping and restaurants. If there were wild cougars in our midst, the Game Commission also pointed out, eventually there would be solid evidence such as a carcass, scat and paw prints that could be verified. One man, in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania, had seen one, at night, about 25 years ago. Pocono Mountains: Best Things To See And Do - TravelAwaits Imagine my surprise. To be fair, I've also spoken with people who, at first, thought they'd seen a puma only to find, to their embarassment, that they were looking at a house cat! One might argue that the eastern puma is extinct, but that does not mean that there are not pumas (mountain lions, cougars) in the east. The Cougar Network, working with state agencies, have documented multiple mountain lions as far east as Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan in recent years, as well as that cat killed on a highway in Milford, Connecticut, in June 2011. However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. Can so many people be so wrong? Pocono Record sports writer Mike Kuhns wrote a great piece on Oct. 14, "Does the mountain lion roam PA?" Among those who have investigated the primeval times of the Pocono Plateau and Delaware River valleys and tributaries was the late Vernon Leslie, Ph.D., a Wayne County historian and archaeologist. "I'm proud to know her," Murray said of the tiger, "but I wish I didn't.". Mountain lions thrive there due to the high elk population, dense forests, and isolated mountain ranges. But more importantly, he also said that regardless of color, he saw a big cat, with a tail that looked to be about 4 feet long! They mostly live in the far western Trans-Pecos region of the state, where they can freely roam 50,000 to 80,000 acres of land. Some experts predict that this wide-ranging predator, which can travel 600 miles in search of a territory, will surely reach our eastern states sometime in the next few decades. do I get an immediate, 'Oh yeah!' Provided by Touchpoints In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? The other three images are from my file, selected to most closely approximate the pose of the cat from the game camera. Geologist Dr. John Yolton made the identification. Very, very rarely, when I ask someone who would be a likely candidate (a hunter, someone who owns a camp in the deep woods, travels likely routes often, foresters), 'Have you ever seen a mountain lion?' Leap transferred ownership rights to the state. 2023 www.poconorecord.com. The woman, a 66-year-old grandmother, asked not to be identified because she's a senior and didn't want people "bothering" her about it. "We should be getting more pictures. How, Who, and Why? Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania - Hoot Hollow "When I started telling people, most of them didn't believe me, but I will never forget that huge face staring right at me," said a Montgomery County woman who says she saw a lion last summer in Limerick Township while walking her dog. Accounts abound concerning interaction between these great beasts and people in northeast Pennsylvania, with wolves into the early 19th century and in the case with cougars, well into the early 20th century. At the end of the last Ice Age, many animals in Pennsylvania died out. The Cougar Network, working with state agencies, have documented multiple mountain lions as far east as Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan in recent years, as well as one cat killed on a highway in Milford, Connecticut, in June 2011. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. On that note, I was speaking with a Fed Ex driver recently who told me that one of his colleagues had seen what he swore was a dead mountain lion on the side of a road. And a bit of an unpleasant one at that, as they now faced ridicule or doubt whenever they discussed their sightings. A brief look, yes, but no question we saw a coyote. Of course, the writer's comments were hearsay, but it does make sense. ", (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence, including in a reported Berks County sighting on January 8. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? In July and August I received seven different reports, and everyone involved had done a search of some type to compare images of bobcats and pumas. This animal was undoubtedly a bobcat. Michelle LaRue, executive director of the Cougar Network and a research ecologist at the University of Minnesota, will discuss the eastern expansion of cougars from their core range in the western U.S. at 7 p.m. in Moravian College's Haupert Union Building, Bethlehem. Just take your pick of all these incredible Pocono lake house rentals or just a Pocono cabin for rent, in luxury of course! Over the last two years I have occasionally posted a Question of the Month soliciting sightings from people who believed that they have seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania or in other areas in the mid-Atlantic states. With that in mind, lets break down how we classified the states. "There hasn't been one solid piece of proof to believe they are here. It is almost safe to say that the panther has in these parts become extinct, Goodrich wrote. 25 Best Things to Do in The Pocono Mountains Area (for 2023) In all those hours I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and yet all live in my area. Well, right behind our property lies a mountain ridge, one of several that makes a continuous forest that extends, with little interruption, for scores of miles in three directions. He saw his cat at very close range -- 20 yards or less, and when I pointed out to him that pumas are never black he said that perhaps it was the light. Mountain lions typically eat about one deer per week, along with other smaller prey as the opportunity arises. An article in last year's New York State Conservationist magazine about mountain lions concluded that none exists in that state, even in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Mountain wilderness. At one time this fact almost resulted in this cat not being protected, since it wasn't a pure strain. In his 1973 book "Faces in Clay" Leslie lays open the archaeological treasures of stone arrow or spear points and tools lost long ago by a succession of native peoples. You know, the Penn State Nittany Lions.". Over the last few years I've done several Questions of the Month regarding Mountain Lions, or Pumas as they should properly be called, in the Mid-Atlantic States and in Pennsylvania. Editor's note: The Pocono Record and Tri-County Independent have collaborated for a series of stories called Mountain Beasts: Pocono cryptids, legends and lore. When he isn't distracted by his backyard birdfeeder, you can find him camping, exploring, and telling everyone around him about what he's recently learned. Mountain lions have an interesting life cycle that consists of a few different characteristics. Is it the New Best Pack? The mountains and isolated forests of the state allow these large cats to live their lives without encountering humans very often. Some cats had a South American genetic profile. Big cats in Pennsylvania: mountain lions or bobcats? - Pocono Record The photographer had no reason to stage the shot -- indeed, the composition and background was terrible, and not what you'd expect for something staged, but the shot wasn't perfectly clear. The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. Then there is Rocky. A second image of the same cat, in a different light, reveals the trademark spots of a bobcat. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. In Pennsylvania, I receive a few reports of black, big cats, which makes one wonder -- are there melanistic (black) pumas out there, or are those sightings always wrong. State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. In the area around the border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia there are mountains and deep caves that contain some of the coal mines that were a major part of the state's industry in the early part of the 19 th century.