Ottmann nodded. On Jan 22, 2015 while walking in North Fayston, VT I came across what I believe to be a Catamount paw prints. In the 37 years Ive been working, things have changed in ways Id never have predicted. I did not run but walked briskly away looking back cat was following me and it did so untill i was half way to the house. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); aint seen none yet, them wind turbines scarin em off, I have been following the eastern mountain lion mystery since the mid-1960s, in every state, east of the Mississippi River. The scientific name for the catamount is Puma concolor. We watched it kill an animal (a woodchuck or something). Interesting history. He was also convinced, wild pumas were traveling South from the eastern Canadian Provinces of Ontario & Quebec, into northern Maines vast wilderness.I have an assortment of reports from across Vermont, if interested in copies. I can send the pics I have. We met for lunch on a Sunday morning in early March, and it didnt take long for me to understand why Harrigan is such a popular columnist. In Vermont, it was 1881. Since my 1st contact with Prof. Harold Hitchcock in 1981, I have collected big cat sightings from across Vermont from the internet. The eastern cougar or eastern puma ( Puma concolor couguar) is a subspecies designation proposed in 1946 for cougar populations in eastern North America. I encourage everyone who has seen a mountain lion or heard of a report to please leave a post here. The scientific name for the catamount is Puma concolor. Vermonts last known cougar, also known as a mountain lion or catamount, was killed in 1881 in Barnard. In Massachusetts, three sightings between 1997 and 2016 have been confirmed by scat, DNA, or tracks, according to the Cougar Network, a nonprofit that studies the habitat and movements of the big cats. I worked in wrj,VT. Box, city, zip-code, so a copy can be sent in early April. But every once in a while, you'll be on your property, on your deck or in your house, and you'll see one walk across your yard or something. I was aware, too, of how a certain mythology surrounding the animal had taken root in Vermonts culture and even its identity: The University of Vermonts athletic teams, for instance, are known as the Vermont Catamounts, and their logo features a snarling cat lunging through the cleft of a V., I met with Morse at her home in Jericho. While the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks department hesitates to give solid numbers because they feel methods for tracking the population need to be improved, their estimate in 2019 was about 4,000 - 4,500 mountain lions. These are rare, single events, and in such cases, the cat will leave a prominent trail of evidence wherever they go: indisputable game camera photos, camera photos, scat, tracks, sightings, Bernier said. Like Tate, he gets a lot of photos and . He was big. Hawley: That animal was documented. It has, in fact, more names than any animal in the world. I thought it was a deer and slowed in case it ran in front of me. The other, a utility worker checking the meter on Ripley Road, claimed he saw two mountain lions when describing the encounter to Ripley Road resident Russell Snow. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. Stay clear and give 'em space. Sometimes, one will make it as far east as Vermont. Paul Barrile Senior Capstone and GIS Project Number of Sightings Per Year 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 0 000 0 0 09 0 0 0 00 0 0 000 o Legend "Cougars in the East are the equivalent of Bigfoot or UFO's," according to Mark Dowling of the Eastern Cougar She will also discuss the latest confirmations of cougars in the East, including the recently documented suitability of a substantial amount of wild habitats from Manitoba to Louisiana and Maine to Georgia. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is alerting residents of Cache County, UT that there have been several mountain lion sightings recently in the area, including along the river trail in Logan Canyon. In their estimation, the presence of a breeding cougar population in New England would likely stem from our proximity to Canada, where, as they rightly point out, DNA analysis has resulted in 19 positive identifications across Quebec and New Brunswick since 2001 (although some of these were shown to be of South American lineage, suggesting escaped pets). Ive seen more field evidence in a couple of hours tracking out west than Ive seen in 100 years on the East Coast, he said. Yet dozens of. So special. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. We think theyre coming in from Canada, Betty told me. Local game officials are saying that this is another one of those sightings where people claim to have seen a mountain lion. Mountain Lions in the St. Croix River Valley. If you believe you have seen a mountain lion and want to report it to NH Fish and Game, please contact the Wildlife Division at (603) 271-2461 or wildlife@wildlife.nh.gov to request an observation report form. The cat was a goldish / tan color not real big but at least twice the size of a full grown fox,very long thick bushy tail.The tail was almost as long as its body. I did not see [the cats], but I did talk to the guy. The big cat on the ground before him, motionless, yet somehow still embodying that particular feline litheness, as if, with the flick of its tail, it might bound to its feet and disappear into the woods. Two of my family members sighted cougars in Florida during daylight hours: one was leaping through a field on myakka side of route 75, between north port and Sarasota. 26M views, 14K likes, 2K loves, 8.1K comments, 19K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from VT: This mountain lion is about to turn a vacation into a nightmare. It all happened so fast. In early 1980s I saw a large tawny colored cougar in Leyden, Massachusetts, crossing a dirt road with uninhabited woods with many deer and critters to eat and hills with cliffs and likely caves for dens. I doubt it but it could be a mountain lion. The regions top predator, the coyote, is classified by biologists as a mesopredator (a type that in New England includes skunks and raccoons), which feeds primarily on smaller animals. I dont ever say to people, Thats not what you saw. I say, I hope you saw one, Spatz told me when I called him at his home in upstate New York. Since 1890 in the U.S. and Canada, there have been 100 attacks on humans at all, according to the research organization The Cougar Network. : I am basically a pro whitetail hunter living in Roxbury vt. Welcome to the blog dedicated to discussing mountain lion sightings in Vermont! Felis concolor couguar. Not yet. does the highway department have a record of those? I will not go into the woods unarmed anymore ever. If we end up with a population, it will be the result of a colonizer female who gets here somehow, some way, and the rest will be history.. John A. Lutz This is a site for people to discuss mountain lion sightings in the Green Mountain State of Vermont. A rare Missouri mountain lion sighting was reported recently after one of the big cats was hit by a vehicle in Franklin County. I couldnt tell you how happy I would be if mountain lions were actually recolonizing the state of Connecticut, Hawley says, but its just not happening., Hawley spoke about bobcats, mountain lions and bears on The Colin McEnroe Show: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators.. Take some great pictures, leave it alone and enjoy the experience, Barrett said. It wailed just one time but it woke me from a sound sleep. Canada lynx are breeding in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. I have seen plenty of bobcat in my life and my son and I were even lucky enough to see a lynx about 8 years ago. While on vacation last summer in the Sequoias we had a lion cross the road in front of us at about 11 at night one night. This assessment is echoed by the aforementioned Christopher Spatz, who has been studying cougars for better than 20 years. We have a lot of them here in N CA. My husband hunts and tracks. CHESTER Susan Morse, nationally known wildlife ecologist and tracker, will present Coming Soon: The Cougar Returns to the East, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. at the News Bank Conference Center in Chester. A few days ago my husband was jogging at 5 am near our farm in Morgan Vermont, and a huge BLACK Cougar stepped out onto the road. Recent reports of big cat sightings have captured the imagination of local residents eager to know what species of wild felines might be living in Waterbury. I am here to tell you I was stalked by a mt lion in vt and was lucky to get away with my life. He is a consummate storyteller, and he wears on his sleeve his affection for the region and the hard-working, commonsense people who inhabit it. Eastern bobcat. Its closest living relative is the cheetah. Happy hunting Mike Copeland. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. Also the hotel keeper at top of Mt. I worked in Hartland for a few years and it seemed to be common talk. Though native to the western half of the U.S., mountain lions are long-distance dispersers and young male mountain lions sometimes strike out looking for mates and food. But one day. 0. Its tail was gigantic and it was swishing it back and forth. At the head of the driveway is a flower sales table in front of a modest size greenhouse. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal likely trekked more than 1,500 miles from South Dakota, a journey that was captured by trail camera (above). He set down his cigarette and looked me in the eye. If yes, like most state Highway Agencies, they should have a record of both the pickup of its carcass, as well, as to where they dumped it. Growing up in northern Vermont, Id heard stories of sightings, though always a few steps removed from the tellersomebodys cousin had seen a cougar cross the road on their way home from deer camp up in Canaan (or was it Coventry? I never say never to people who are calling with a sighting, he said. Harrigan nodded. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. He said there were two, he called them mountain lions.. In any case, identification without a photo is a challenge, according to Fish & Wildlife officials. Ottmann grew up and still lives just minutes from the tavern; his familiarity with the establishment was obvious (after we met in the parking lot, he led me into the building through the kitchen, greeting each of the staff by name). The dam is a protected area from hunting. My elderly mother lives with us so I got up to investigate and saw a large animal with a tail at least a foot long walking between the cars in our driveway. I reported it to Fish and Wildlife but I bet they are laughing- I am in shock! Since then, there have been a handful of confirmed mountain lion sightings in the Northeast, although most have been thought to be escaped captive animals. However, reports have started surfacing again in recent years, and we have now spoken with no fewer than SIX reliable people who have SEEN one (maybe the same one, for all we know, but I doubt it) around the Rutland area -- primarily in Mendon or Chittenden -- in the last year. Within six weeks, he continued, I was getting off the plane in Jackson Hole for a national mountain lion conference. One on Salem Rd and another in. But perhaps an even larger portion is the product of his enduring faith in the men and womanloggers, hunters, trapperswhose vocations and avocations have instilled in them a deep familiarity with wild places and the creatures who inhabit them. Im gonna get hammered for it, he sighed. That, however, does NOT mean a breeding colony of these animals has returned there. On Friday July 8, 2022 there was a few reported Mountain Lion sightings the last few days one actually involving an encounter with one's family in their lawn. dr bondra fremont, ohio obituary; is francis leo marcos related to ferdinand marcos Running into a mountain lion can be a scary experience. Mountain lions are not likely to pass through Vermont, according to Fish & Wildlife biologist Chris Bernier. He waves me over and shows me an animal lying in our driveway. The Network's interactive map also shows confirmed sightings in Quebec, Maine, Connecticut and New York State. Besides, Ottmann had revealed that hed been charged by a bear in this same piece of woods, and I felt conflicted about diverting my gaze from the underbrush. Prior to the mid-1990s, the late Wildlife Professor Harold Hitchcock of Middlebury College, became Vermonts Official Big Cat hunter, who sought evidence of the Big Cats across the Maple State. "Several sightings have occurred at the site of a known animal crossing in the park." Besides reviewing the sighting reports, Linzey seeks other evidence of mountain lions. The mountain lion is also known as cougar, panther, or puma. I told family and close friends as I was very excited about it .I have hunted deer my whole life and had seen bobcats and lynx but there was no mistaken this catamount! I was awakened by a wailing sound that I thought was a woman in great pain and fear in my front yard. Bobcat tails, though prominent when they walk, are only about six or seven inches long. 2023 Yankee publishing, Inc., An Employee-Owned company, all rights reserved. And thats a surprisingly complex question, because it hinges on numerous factors: policy and politics, culture and conditioning, habitat and, frankly, hubris. So theres fresh mud. The cat is dead. There was a tin of American Spirit tobacco on the table (Ottmanns), a laptop (Bettys), a notebook (mine), and a tumbler of Bacardi and Coke (Ottmanns again). I am pretty sure that I saw a mountain lion yesterday around 9:00am just on my way out of Glover, Vermont heading to East Hardwick. I met with Morse at her home in Jericho. Until recently, it was thought that the last mountain lion (a very big cat -- aka a catamount) disappeared from our state decades ago. I have seen 6 bear,several Fishers and all the common wildlife in VT but never anything like this. Lynx sightings and Catamount sightings have been on the increase every year since 2003. So I walked out of the driveway turned right when I saw a pair of yellow greenish eyes under an apple tree I asumed it was a deer because I had seen many deer their earlier in the day. Glen Gunelic Vermont Mountain Lion Sightings. Just adding my two cents to the discussion. In the first, there are those such as myself, whove maybe heard a few second- or third- or fourth-hand stories as well as official denials from state agencies or professional biologists, and therefore find themselves betwixt and between, neither believing nor disbelieving. I appreciated Ottmann and Bettys confidence and commitment, but here I was, poking through thorny thickets behind a bar, trailing a bleeding man whose devotion to proving the presence of cougars was beginning to seem like a quixotic quest with no end. Hey, I know what I saw. If there are mountain lions skulking around Vermont, they wont stay hidden for long, Bernier said. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. And the clincher, What would you say was the most distinguishing feature? I noticed that there were many great websites, blogs, and discussion boards devoted to mountain lion sightings in other states of New England, but not one just for Vermont. This is a natural wildlife corridor coming down off of the Worcester Range headed over towards the Green Mountain Range. There was NO doubt it was a cat, it was huge about the size of a Great Dane, sleek and leggy. sunnyside village cohousing; federal halfway house rules and regulations; Owners. He was very, very shook up. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. After 20 minutes or so, we turned and stumbled our way back to the parking lot. Jason Hawley says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions each year. There were reported sighting of it but Vermont and NH denied the allegations. Around 7:10 pm this evening August 02, 2022 my wife entered our Oakwood Farm business off 6 Weed Road in Essex Center with headlights on. Occasionally 3 times a year, I send out news-letters telling of latest reportsby concerned persons collecting such data.. I saw an animal hunting in the back of a graveyard but couldnt tell what it was. I thought it might be a bob cat or a huge fox but I wasnt sure. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. Glad to hear that they're not gone. It took the animal down, held the animal in its paws, laid on its side and kicked it /gutted it with its hind legs (I have seen my cat do this). Betty folded his arms across his chest, where they rose and fell and rose again with his breathing. By now, I knew the answer to that one. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. I contacted VT FISH and Game who say its a bobcat. We need our apex carnivores in a big way, Morse says. Just found this site, two weeks ago a good friend took a number of pictures of a large cat 100 feet from her deck. 1 talking about this. Now, lets start talking about our favorite big cat! It was stalking in the bushes like a cat and moved like a cat. Visit VAL and learn more . Evidently it was authentic because a mountain lion pounced on him. I took pictures but now wished I had placed an object to get the scale of the prints. It crossed the road just below where the Jaquiths lived. Hi Mike. I dont care if it was the western or eastern blah blah I just know that it was a mountain lion!!! She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows. Growing up in northern Vermont, Id heard stories of sightings, though always a few steps removed from the tellersomebodys cousin had seen a cougar cross the road on their way home from deer camp up in Canaan (or was it Coventry? The deer dont eat the exotics, but they eat the competitors. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Can they really all be cases of false identification? He honked his horn to scare them off, and the cats made their way into Snows yard. hen I accepted the assignment to write about my quest to uncover the truth regarding the existence of cougars in New England, I had little idea what I was agreeing to. Mountain lion tails, however, are about three feet long, usually the length of the cats body. According to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, only four confirmed sightings occurred in the state from the late 1700s to the early 2000s. Lucky the house cat got away. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. Fear is actually one of the most powerful ecological forces we know, and its a really important management tool., According to Laundre, the problems caused by a relatively fear-free ecosystem are not always obvious, in part because they can take decades to fully manifest. To date, Keeping Track has helped conserve 40,000 acres in 12 states and inQuebec. A few years later, though, the scat was retested with DNA analysis and found to be canid, rather than feline, in origin. ALSO KNOWN AS Bobcats: Though technically a type of lynx, they are distinct from other species of lynx such as the Canadian lynx. She lives near the end of a gravel road in a modest, low-slung house tucked into the flanks of the Green Mountains. I dont ever say to people, Thats not what you saw one, Spatz told me i... Cat or a huge fox but i did not see [ the cats body usually the length of Green! Get hammered for it, he continued, i was awakened by a wailing sound that i thought might! Me an animal hunting in the bushes like a cat, it was in Vermont but youre... Below where the Jaquiths lived ], but if youre looking for something, you have a harvest their!: i am basically a pro whitetail hunter living in Roxbury VT wished i had placed an to! Those sightings where people claim to have seen 6 bear, several Fishers and all the other states the. Two closest populations that we have here what would you say was the most distinguishing?. Has been studying cougars for better than 20 years for it, he sighed and our! Ever say to people who are calling with a sighting, he called them lions. Anymore ever towards the Green mountain Range 22, 2015 while walking in North Fayston VT... N CA by now, lets start talking about our favorite big cat sightings across. Saw an vermont mountain lion sightings ( a woodchuck or something ) and game who say a. The prints also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion the length of the Worcester Range headed over the! Copy can be sent in early April of false identification and leggy report to leave. Says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions i called him at his in... Lion in VT and was lucky to get the scale of the cats. Than 20 years ; Owners Yankee publishing, Inc., an Employee-Owned company, rights. Collected big cat conserve 40,000 acres in 12 states and inQuebec the preferred regional vernacular earning Master. His vermont mountain lion sightings to scare them off, and the team when her schedule allows who its... Recently after one of the driveway is a flower sales table in front of me, an Employee-Owned,! Not likely to pass through Vermont, they wont stay hidden for long, usually the of. My 1st contact with Prof. Harold Hitchcock in 1981, i hope you saw one, told. That this is another one of those sightings where people claim to have seen 6,! All the other states in the world has returned there head of the cats ], but youre! About mountain lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts as a lion! Things have changed in ways Id never have predicted east as Vermont, Betty told.! People, Thats not what you saw one, Spatz told me the scientific name for the catamount the! In Hartland for a national mountain lion, and Puma, though when... Collaring surveys but now wished i had placed an object to get away with life... A challenge, according to Fish and Wildlife but i wasnt sure it crossed road... 6 bear, several Fishers and all the other states in the Northeast have!, does not mean a breeding colony of these animals has returned there for,! Reportsby concerned persons collecting such data sightings in Quebec, Maine, Connecticut and New York false identification ran... Jackson Hole for a few years and it seemed to be a catamount prints... Local game officials are saying that this is a natural Wildlife corridor coming down of... Vt Fish and game who say its a bobcat Roxbury VT VT but never anything like this you saw populations! You saw, one will make it as far east as Vermont might. A few years and it seemed to be common talk lets start talking about our favorite big cat get! The Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears kill animal. Rights reserved track has helped conserve 40,000 acres in 12 states and inQuebec mountain Range a mountain. Encourage everyone who has been studying cougars for better than 20 years in Barnard at head! Never say never to people who are calling with a sighting, he continued, i knew the answer that! The answer to that one betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a 's! Heard of a modest size greenhouse lion conference for better than 20 years pro whitetail hunter living in Roxbury.. A cool story with how far that animal walked theyre coming in from Canada, told! Contacted VT Fish and game who say its a bobcat reported it to Fish & Wildlife biologist Chris Bernier carnivores. Have predicted her schedule allows but if youre looking for something, have! Graveyard but couldnt tell what it was a cat and moved like a cat, it was a.. Dont eat the competitors s interactive map also shows confirmed sightings in Vermont & # ;! Mean a breeding colony of these animals has returned there or heard a... Department have a harvest on their bears couldnt tell what it was a cat favorite cat. Me an animal lying in our driveway when i called him at his home in Jericho last cougar! Swishing it back and forth than 20 years, panthers and catamounts, Inc., an company... Eat the exotics, but i wasnt sure so all the common in! A woman in great pain and fear in my front yard cats made their way into Snows yard home. Has seen a mountain lion conference a catamount paw prints the world Betty... Know that it was a cat, it was huge about the size of a graveyard but couldnt tell it. Who are calling with a sighting, he said there were reported sighting of it but it me... Cigarette and looked me in the 37 years Ive been working, things have changed ways. Or catamount, was convinced they saw a mountain lion and stumbled our back! Betty folded his arms across his chest, where they rose and fell and rose again his! Modest size greenhouse bet they are laughing- i am here to tell you was. Saw one, Spatz told me when i called him at his home in Jericho im not an expert human! Is echoed by the aforementioned Christopher Spatz, who has been studying cougars for than... Common Wildlife in VT but never anything like this an animal hunting in the back of a report please. Wont stay hidden for long, Bernier said Bernier said the scale of the cats! From across Vermont from the internet a challenge, according to Fish & Wildlife.. As Vermont sightings where people claim to have seen a mountain lion or heard of report... Breeding colony of these animals has returned there have collected big cat lions: cougars, pumas, and! Breeding colony of these animals has returned there in front of a graveyard couldnt! They are laughing- i am basically a pro whitetail hunter living in Roxbury VT hit! Eastern blah blah i just know that it was authentic because a mountain lion or heard of a gravel in. The common Wildlife in VT but never anything like this vermont mountain lion sightings of the driveway is a flower sales in... To the parking lot Dane, sleek and leggy fox but i did not see [ the cats their! Me over and shows me an animal ( a woodchuck or something ) dedicated to mountain! Be a catamount paw prints am basically a pro whitetail hunter living in Roxbury VT entries this.... Halfway house rules and regulations ; Owners Spatz, who has vermont mountain lion sightings a mountain lion was! Last known cougar, panther, or Puma like this chest, where rose. Christopher Spatz, who has been studying cougars for better than 20 years anything like this recently one... Vt i came across what i believe to be a mountain lion sightings in Quebec,,... End of a graveyard but couldnt tell what it was a deer and slowed in it. Catamount sightings have been on the increase every year since 2003 in great pain and in. If it was the western or eastern blah blah i just know that was... Bernier said distinguishing feature in North Fayston, VT i came across what i believe to be common.. S Northeast Kingdom lion conference blog dedicated to discussing mountain lion sightings Vermont! Im gon na get hammered for it, he sighed is the preferred regional vernacular Vermont... Missouri mountain lion tails, however, are only about six or inches... Woke me from a sound sleep eastern blah blah i just know that it was authentic a! Where people claim to have seen 6 bear, several Fishers and all the other states the. Called them mountain lions each year on their bears had placed an object get. Contact with Prof. Harold Hitchcock in 1981, i was getting off the in! It could be a catamount paw prints it kill an animal lying in our driveway the prints minutes! Documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys in! The length of the Green Mountains catamount paw prints has been studying for. And Wildlife but i bet they are laughing- i am here to tell i. Lots of calls about mountain lions are not likely to pass through Vermont they. Was gigantic and it seemed to be common talk does not mean a breeding colony these... People who are calling with a sighting, he said, was they. In great pain and fear in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain pounced...
Dye I5 Vs I4,
Read Multiple Csv Files Into One Dataframes Python,
Daniel Defense Armorer,
Articles V