Cougars in Tennessee

T

Terry Hunter

New member
Over the past few days three people have claimed to have seen a cougar about 6 miles from my house.I hunt as much as anyone and I have never seen the animal.

Have there been any confirmed cougars in TN?
 
http://endangered.fws.gov/i/a/saa48.html

I have heard recent stories of a cougar(s) in Unicoi county, an area 60 miles from the Smoky Mountain Nat'l Park. Evidently, from my grandmother, there where possibly more "painters" (panthers) in the eastern mountains when she was a little girl in the 1920's.

If there are any Eastern Cougars left, I sure wouldn't want to be caught with one, because the feds would nail that person to the wall with rusty nails. It would be far worse than shooting an elk in the Cumberland.
 
Seems as though they are being spotted in several states. I believe Missouri had confirmed car kills recently. There have been many sightings in New Hampshire and Massachusetts also, even been DNA analysis done on scat found in NH and confirmed it as cat, but the Fish and Wildlife Dept. will NOT acknowledge they exist here. I don't know if it is because they don't want to alarm the general public or what.
 
Terry,
Cougars in Tennessee? Yep, it’s possible because it happened to me. About 4 years ago, a cougar came in while I was calling for bobcats. This sighting was in a semi-wilderness area of Roane County. I had set up above an old two track that ran along a large rapidly flowing creek. This area is in the bottom of a rather large ravine with high bluffs and rocky outcroppings on both sides. Anyway, I saw the cat about 50-75 yards away, pacing back and forth on the opposite side of the creek. In total disbelief, I turned off the caller and watched for a few minutes hoping it would leave. Soon, I realized it was looking for a way to get across the deep water. Not good! I yelled and it ran off. After my encounter, several local residents, a deputy sheriff and a animal control officer also reported seeing the cat. At that time, TWRA claimed there were no cougars in Tn. They felt this one had escaped from a game preserve that was busted a few months earlier for illegally keeping exotic animals.
On the other hand, this fall in one area of Morgan County, several deer hunters reported seeing a big tan colored cat. One of these guys, I know personally and feel he is sincere. Be careful out there!
 
I am pretty sure I have confirmed the existence of a cougar aka mountain lion, aka panther hanging very close to my parents house. At least three people in the area have described the sound it was making and so they listened to some sounds on one of the boards and two of the women said, "That's it," when they heard the sound of the Mountain Lion chirp, I think it's called.

Then Monday I found some very unusual tracks in my parents yard after a 8" snow. I am not sure what they were due to some melting, but I do know they weren't dog, coyote or small cat. I feel almost 100% sure that I'm dealing with a lion. I could use some help on this one Chet. I know I haven't got to hunt this year, but I'm gonna have to make an exception on this one. My kids play there, along with other neighbor kids.

TWRA is still sticking to their stance on no mountain lions in Tennessee. What poppycock!
 
There was one killed about 30 minutes from my house, right across the state line in GA. About 3 years ago.

Thats about 2 miles as the crow flys from the are i hunt often.

I'm hoping one day I will be graced with the presence of one.
 
Well here in MO, the conservation dept. says we have 4-5 mountain lions according to the state conservation website about 2 months ago.... kind of funny that we have had two hit by cars in the last two years... poor cats can't cross the road... or we have more than 4-5.
 
Here in Carroll County Tn. there have been rumors of cougar sightings for a long time.
About 3yrs. ago myself and a friend were driving down a feild road with corn on both sides. As we started around a curve a saw something going into the corn. It had a long tail and was dark brown.
All I saw was its rear. The ground was so hard there were no tracks.
Another time I was trapping a creek and come upon a sand bar there deer tracks deer hair and some flecks of meat and blood.Best I could tell something propably jumped from the bank which was about 8 ft. higher than the sand bar.I looked for a deer carcass but found none.I dont think a bobcat would have jumped on a deer like that but who knows?
 
About a month ago one was supposedly spotted in Williamson Co. in a neighborhood that borders a head of woods. Three months ago had a guy contact me about one in columbia that was killing his goats. He wanted it traped but wasn't willing to pay. Five years ago some friends and I were deer hunting in Lincoln Co. in the afternoon. One guy swears he saw a large cat with a slick coat and a long tail. This is a honest guy that doesn't lie. He was so scared, he would not come out of the tree stand until we came and got him. TWRA denies they are here becouse they are not supposed to be here. There are people all across the country that have cats legally and illegally. I'm sure that the illegals get released from time to time.
 
There have been reports of cat sightings in west ky as well.I my self have seen a mountian lion up close, within 30 yds, twice. next door neighbors have reported seeing a blondish colored cat as well as a black one. of course the kdfw says they arent here, but, if its a released pet and we felt threatened to kill it.thats how they handled it. a few weeks ago i got a picture on a trail cam that wasnt close enough to tell for sure, but was a cat of some kind, and i got pics also of tracks in the snow. I contacted the kdfw again, they said they would send a bioligist out here......havent seen him yet. we are on lake barkley, lots of cliffs, rocks, old mining caves.
 
Not in TN, but close. My son-in-law had one come by his treestand on Skyline Mgt. Area in N. Alabama. I came within 40yds of him and he watched it to about 200yds.
 
We have a picture of a large Black animal which is undoutably a black panter, for it is structured nothing like a bear or dog and is way to big to be a housecat taken from a relatives house in the neighbors front yard... Now that you know that, its in Semi Urban Pennsylvania (altoona, Blair county)... And our PGC denies mountian lions...lol yeah right
 


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