Black panther video!

Yellowhammer,

Just out of curiousity why are you so opposed to the thought of there actually being Black Cats in North America? You always seem to be a strong voice of dis-credit whenever this topic comes up around here and I would really like to know your thoughts on why.

I certainly don't know what the animal in the video is for sure, seems no one else ever will either, but to dismiss it as a housecat is the easy way out. Maybe it's an escaped pet or a zoo animal? Who knows? But I've deer hunting long enough in some feral cat invested woods to know that deer don't typically seem to worry about housecats as much as those two in the video are.

Maybe one of these days somebody will actually shoot some hard evidence.
 
soreloser,

I personally think that the problem doesnt lie with discrediting the possibility, but more crediting it. Maybe the reason for the quick discredit is because hearing the same story over and over for years finally wears on ya. I personally have heard some whoppers, and the problem is that the person has told the story so many times, they themselves truely believe it. Even a story that started with "what was that!" over the years turns into a "4 foot tail, solid black, with eyes that peirced right through ya" .

Come do a trade show with me and your tolerance will go way down in a hurry. Its hard to tell someone the story that is now a family favorite, was likely not even close to what is actually the truth.

As far as "one of these days", I think the last 60 years is good enough for me. Thats a pretty good survey with no proof of any sighting, photo, or actual animal. The video provided here on this thread looks to be a feral cat. Doesnt look bigger than a house cat to me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif

Not trying to ruffle any feathers, it just doesnt make sense to me that the stories still float around without ANY proof of any kind, and are believed by so many.

Take care,

Todd
 
Not trying to speak for Yellowhammer or any one else or against any one else.. Just stateing some facts as I see them.
I have a friend that I hunted with for about two or three years that shares the profession that Yellowhammer has. A wildlife biologist. They have been schooled in the book knowledge that the cats don't live in this area,(speeking now of Central Texas). That along with their tremoundous amount of time spent in the wild--at night and other times without haveing seen said examples of the illusionary animal, and to them it just doesn't exist unless they can varify it, as in If I haven't seen it , It ain't so!!
Not to demean anyones opinion of the existence or the possibility of the existence or anything else, but to some people, If I ain't seen it, it cain't be so.
I understand all this negativeity and respect thier right to it...However, I'm on the other side of this senerio since I have seen one at night and know exactly what I saw and no one can make me change my mind.
It's the old saying that goes something like don't beleave anything you hear and only half of what you see. Well I saw, so I half way beleave they exist. Those that haven't seen have to take the sightings at face value and let it go or dwell on it and try to demean those who have seen.
Just remember. "EXPERTS AREN'T ALWAYS RIGHT", but even they are entitled to their opinions.
Enough said
Later
DF2
 
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...see what you believe to be an honest to goodness "black panther." Would you keep shifting back to the whitetail,....



+1 here

I called my daughter in to watch and she immediately asked the same question, so that's +2 from here.
 
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Yellowhammer,

Just out of curiousity why are you so opposed to the thought of there actually being Black Cats in North America? You always seem to be a strong voice of dis-credit whenever this topic comes up around here and I would really like to know your thoughts on why.



I am not anymore "opposed to the thought" of black panthers than I am the thought of UFOs, big foot, the Loch Ness Monster or chupacapras.

But, I would like to see some hard evidence.

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I have a friend that I hunted with for about two or three years that shares the profession that Yellowhammer has. A wildlife biologist. They have been schooled in the book knowledge that the cats don't live in this area,(speeking now of Central Texas). That along with their tremoundous amount of time spent in the wild--at night and other times without haveing seen said examples of the illusionary animal, and to them it just doesn't exist unless they can varify it, as in If I haven't seen it , It ain't so!!
Not to demean anyones opinion of the existence or the possibility of the existence or anything else, but to some people, If I ain't seen it, it cain't be so.




What area DO they live in. I don't disbelieve it because I have never seen one. There are a LOT of things I have never seen, that I believe and know exist.

I don't believe it because NO ONE has ever produced hard evidense of one. Blurry pictures or video of something is not hard enough for me.

Don't you honestly think that if they were out there someone, anyone, would have been able to conclusively proved it to be so?

Can you name one other creature other than the ones I named above that you or other people think exist but have not been proven?
 
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I don't believe it because NO ONE has ever produced hard evidense of one. Blurry pictures or video of something is not hard enough for me.



Agree. It's hard to believe that all these people have seen the thing and no one yet has shot or run over one. I _assure_ you that if I see a black panther or chupacabras and I have a gun handy (and I usually do), I'm shooting it for the advancement of science. If I get charged by such a thing (like the forester in one of our old threads), I'm going to do my best to take it down mano y mano (well, okay, I get to use the 4" blade I carry clipped in my pocket....). I've spent my entire life in the outdoors and believe me, I've seen some things that scared me at first, but held my ground (and cool) and found out what they were.

Anyway, I wanna see a live/dead one (or enough parts- I'll accept molted ivory-billed woodpecker feathers, for instance), the DNA analysis, and then, hey, I'll be first in line to ask for a hunting season on it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Out here for instance, I've talked to guys who swear there's maned African lions running around in the canyons (seriously!!!) and yet they don't lose cattle, no one's shot one, etc.
 
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Here's some info....

Black Panthers

I've seen one about 30 miles from here, but it was in a large cage owned by a guy that owns quite a few rare & exotic animals. I took quite a few pics and might post a few when I find them. That sucker had a growl so powerful and deep that made your insides vibrate. Pretty cool to watch. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Todd is right....I've heard more about jaguarundi sightings all over Texas than you'd ever believe. I'm sure the people think they saw a jaguarundi, but in actuality they saw a dark colored feral cat. If that many people actually were seeing jaguarundis, I'm sure the Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. would have found them, too. The last I read from a recent survey conducted by the TP&WD was that no jaguarundis were found during their survey and there was a chance that there weren't any remaining in Texas. If there were any, they would be located in the southernmost counties of Texas.

Take care and God Bless,

Rusty
 
Looks like somebody's house cat to me. It acts like a housecat and moves like a housecat and the perspective doesn't work out.
 
Yellowhammer,
Quote:

I don't disbelieve it because I have never seen one. There are a LOT of things I have never seen, that I believe and know exist.

I don't believe it because NO ONE has ever produced hard evidense of one. Blurry pictures or video of something is not hard enough for me.

Don't you honestly think that if they were out there someone, anyone, would have been able to conclusively proved it to be so?



Thats basicilly the same answer my local biologist gave.
His further coments went along the lines of "let me know if you kill one so I can see it but don't tell any one else" i.e. Game Wardens etc!!
Remember my sighting was back in the early 80's and at the time the discussion between myself and the caller was more about weather it was legel to shoot the animal, and or if it's fur were worth anything. We were fur hunting and not just killing for the fun of it. Also there is the fact that I had a 222 loaded with 50 gr full metal jacket, this made for a reason not to be taking the shot at something I wasn't sure was legal to kill or weather the amunition I was using was capable of doing the intended job..
Do I regret not shooting at it? Not really, since I have always only shot at legal predators or fur bearing animals at night or any other time. Not knowinig what or if it's legal should make you hesitate!!
After the land owner told us to shoot the black cat if we saw it--(two days after the fact) because the deer hunters said it had been seen chasing some of the deer on the place, we were never able to get a second chance.
Back then there were no digital cameras, all we had was a Polaroid for pictures after the fact..
Besides how many people hunt with a camera, I know I don't!!
I am a little suprised no one has harvested one but the people I have been in contact with that have reportedly seen them were never armed when the encounter took place. Guess the cats really do have nine or more lives!!
I would like to furnish you the evidence if the oppertunity presents itself again since now the hunts are not for fur but for the controlling of predators and the fur issue would not be a factor. But please tell me for sure, what are the legalities associated with harvesting one of these fine animals, just to prove it exist????? Sounds kind of counter productive to me...

Later
DF2
 
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From the first explorers, trappers, Indian traders, hunters, and the settlement of this country by colonial farmers and stock producers, large predators have been killed and nearly driven to extinction. Large predators have been exterminated from much of what was once their territory by man in the Lower 48. Don't you find it curious that in 400 some odd years not one, NOT ONE, black pelt exists? Surely some scientific mention would have been made at some point in history of such a creature? Pretty much everything else on the continent has been documented. And that includes some pretty teeny tiny little organisms, even itsy bitsy micro stuff. How'd they miss a 150 pound black mountain lion in all this research and discovery? Not one early drawing, not one mention in crediable journals, no early photo's, no recent history trail cam video or photo's, no car/black lion collisions... nuttin', nada... In this case the burdon of proof isn't on the person wanting evidence of a black panther. The burdon of proof is on your cousins crazy moonshine runnin' buddy that saw the creature one moonlit night in the swamp, on the folk tales, hazy memory, and blurred and botched up photo's. Some of ya'll gotta quit having a chip on your shoulder and just reason it out. Where they at, the black "panthers" that is?

And please no 1960's - 70's racial remarks. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
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But please tell me for sure, what are the legalities associated with harvesting one of these fine animals, just to prove it exist????? Sounds kind of counter productive to me...




I am not aware of any laws that prohibit the killing of something that doesn't exist.

IF it turned out the me a black (melanistic) mountain lion which I assume it would be IF there were one, if may be illegal to kill in some states.

In Texas, there is no season or bag limit on mountain lions, so it would be completely legal.

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His further coments went along the lines of "let me know if you kill one so I can see it but don't tell any one else" i.e. Game Wardens etc!!



Mine are just the opposite. I tell them to let me know so I can make them famous. They would be on every major news network in the country, and they could sell their story and endorsements for millions. Not to mention what the carcass would be worth to science or some collector.
 
Yellowhammer,
Missouri's Wildlife Code is Permissive, meaning that unless the activity is spelled out in the Code Book, then it is illegal. The Code Book doesn't mention a season or anything about killing "black panthers", so in Missouri it would then be illegal to kill one.
 
I guess silver bullets, wolfsbane, garlic, and Holy water are "illegal means and methods" in Missouri. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Why yellarhammer....are you a callin' my daddys third cousin,from his second uncles thrid marriage a "liar"!!!! Why you rascal, I bet you don't even believe the Texas windy about those thar giant catfish down under the dam, that will plumb eat any diver that dares venture into the depths:)
 
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could these just be black pumas? i know there are black coyotes so could it jsut be a different color of a puma perhaps?





Arn't pumas, cougars, mountain lions, catamounts and painters, and panthers all the same thing? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
My gandpa and I was trapping back in the 70's and caught a big black cat and my grandpa told me it was a wildcat. I said a wildcat and he said yep. Those are housecats that have become wild. This cat looked to be about 20-25 pounds and had long hair. RIck
 
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