This seems strange for late in the summer. Females need to show up. This medium-sized cat weighs between 9-33 lbs, has stubby tails and characteristic tufts of hair coming out of its ears. http://www.cougarnet.org, I LIVE NEAR PATRICK CO VA AND WORK NEAR ROCKINGHAM CO. NC. Broad daylight, it crossed the road approx. I believe that area was once habitat for the red wolf. like when you see a wolf look at the paws for positive ID. Sandra Gray. Although there are no more eastern mountain lions, there is a small population of Florida panthers that live in the swamps of Florida. Last year I saw a very large cat print left in the snow. I started to get out and get an even closer look but I decided that probably wasnt a good idea, so I stayed in my car . Reason being: If mountain lions are show to exist east of the Mississippi River, the states game departments may be liable for livestock damages. According to LaRue and her research, lions recolonize by stepping stone dispersal, which essentially means they start traveling, find a nice habitat to set up shop for a little while, then move on to the next area with a suitable habitatand theyll do this for hundreds, even up to thousands of miles. Whenever I see a big cat I look for tail characteristics for a sighting confirmation. I have a house about 3 miles from Orlean, VA in Fauquier County. In Dec, 1981 my husband, sons and I were out in the woods on our property target shooting with bows. My uncle always swore he saw a mtn lion on the family farm in Montvale in the early 1990s sitting at the treeline across a field watching him as he worked with his pigs. I HAVE HEARD OF AN OLD WOMAN THAT HAD A DOBERMAN THAT STAYED ON HER BACK PORCH NEAR ROCKINGHAM CO NC. Peterson said he understands the excitement around the idea of crossing paths with a mountain lion, but nearly all of the photos and videos he receives are not what they seem. For anyone that has seen a cougar in the East or would like to support or be involved in their return then jointing ECF is only logical. Due to an abuse of hunting privileges, the species was completely wiped out. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. There have been 121 mountain lion sightings in Virginia since 1970. That would be earth shattering for the depts. There has been speculation of the cougars being in Rockingham county so I am very excited to hear from the commmunity on any other possible sightings. I havent seen it or signs of it since my 15 May report. Kentucky and N. Carolina. I think its all the same.. Cant say what it was and hope to never see again. And while common throughout the state . I was wrestles camping (alone) and decided to hike over Big Hump Mountain to the next campsite. For a solid four seconds, Marchibroda watched as a large, sleek cat standing about three feet tall with a long, curled tail crossed Skyline Drive near Gavel Springs Gap less than 100 feet in front of them. Mountain Lions are back, maybe. THanks CArole. I just saw a photograph of one today that is EASILY 150-200 lbs. I failed to mention the eyes looking at us! Interestingly, the does seem to have very new fawns (twins generally). Currently, there is only one species of wild cat that lives in Virginia. I grew up in NW Virginia near the Shenandoahs and have heard folks mention seeing mt. I was only able to see from just behind the shoulders down but it was about 16 20 inchs tall and I would guess that it weight a little over 120 pounds if not more. Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Eastern Cougar Recovery Plan, morphological differences identified from museum specimens was used to classify over 30 subspecies of the Eastern Cougar, before DNA analysis was available It didnt appear to be hunting, or have any kind of agenda, just comfortable in its surroundings. It turned out the claim was based on selective use of daytime telemetry data only, and the panther is most active at night. It's nearly impossible to imagine, but elk once roamed freely here in Virginia. I called the wild life biologist at the Game and Inland Fisheries to report the sighting and they basically blew it off and asked me if I wasnt sure that it wasnt a large house cat! Forestry rangers say they have spotted several mountain lions in the area. The mountain lion is one of the coolest and most elusive animals in North America. https://www.whsv.com/content/news/Mountain-lion-attack-reported-near-Humpback-Rock-385246261.html Its been confirmed by by fish and game. Tracks found near the sighting was confirmed by a retired wildlife biologist with the Smithsonian. Are there mountain lions in the Shenandoah Valley? I have helped skin and mount wild cats before and definitely know the difference. Male cougars migrate further than females, but so far only a few have followed the pattern of coyotes and reached the eastern side of North America. Coming home today, August 12, 2009 about 4:00 on Route 210 in Amherst, VA, a large black animal came loping up to the road. Bobcats generally live away from humans, preferring places like the Great Dismal Swamp and the mountains. . Officials explained the deceased animal must have wandered from the Black Hills of South Dakota. A few weeks later, I saw it dart across the dirt road for a split second. It Had a very long tail, and had a light brown coloring with black spots. Many of which are kept illegally. "These two were seen and were causing trouble before the guy who owned them knew they were gone," Fies said. But recent expert-confirmed sightingswhich have involved photographs, videos, and DNAin Tennessee support a theory that mountain lions, whose populations out west have continued to expand, are slowly making their way back to this side of the country. They deny mt lions are here still. A few minutes later another hunter came down from his stand on the same mountain and said, hey youll never guess what I saw this morning. Now, after a reintroduction that began in 2012, these magical creatures have made their way back. Anyone who wants to put this mystery to rest should just spend a few days in those mountainscase would be closed for sure on big black cats. Last week in a dusty spot I found what I thought might be catamount signs. Surviving pony has teeth marks at neck. But these cats are on experts radars, and the TWRA has even established a Cougar Response Committee to answer questions and sift through reported sightingsof which Peterson said he expects to see an influx later in the year. I have seen photos of these as well. "I thought, 'holy cow, where did that come from?'" A seasoned hiker whos lived in Virginia since the 1970s and is deeply familiar with the areas wildlife, shes confident in what she saw. Also the Coyotes up there are getting out of hand in my eyes. If it hadnt been the last day of our trip, I would have gone back to look for tracks to possibly photograph! Even though we still didnt have any physical proof we were excited because this was the first time wed had an adult verify a cougar sighting here. I have been compiling reported cougar sightings around the Bedford, Virginia area and will be manning a booth for them on March 8, 2008 Outdoors Show at the Bedford Armory. This is between Fairfax and Reston. In a Facebook post, the Madison County and Warren . I went out to get something from my car, and about five to ten yards away I see a huge black cat slowly cross the street, pause, look around and go into the surrounding woods. Approximately 4 feet long near Midlothian. This weekend, had dinner with a new neighbor who mentioned that he had seen a black cat near Carrington Road in Markham, VA. Heard back from Animal Control and VDGIF. He charged at the Fish and Game guy in the process. 21 years ago Nancy Hugo published an article in Virginia Wildlife Feb 1987. Was on a guided hunt in Bath county Virginia in November of 06. Here's What, Mountain Lion Size Comparison: How Do They, This Fearless Cougar Doesnt Care How Much Larger the Brown Bear Is and Goes for It, Watch This Family Discover a Mountain Lion Curled Up On Their Porch. Because they are lone animals that are not breeding. It then stopped in the road and turned to look at me. The West Virginia Wildlife Center is open to the public seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sadly, mountain lions no longer live in Virginia. just wanted to know more about wolves in Virginia. Fies doesn't believe that there is this thriving population that has been hidden from the world. Many mountain lions used to roam the West Virginia wilderness. Marchibroda wasnt under any illusions that she could catch or in any way interact with the mountain lion she saw on her hike. Mountain lions are known by many names, including cougar, catamount, painter, panther, and puma. But the thing about mountain lions is that females dont travel as far or as often, and when they disperse they dont go very far or very well.. When I was a kid we lived on a mountain in the Shenandoah Valley (near Front Royal/ Linden) and there were several mountain Lion sightings and people who claimed to have heard them. Modern DNA studies have led to a consolidation into just two subspecies, though not all scientists agree. The cougar (Puma concolor), also known as mountain lion, panther, painter, puma, and catamount, is the largest feline animal in North America.. Weve been searching the internet to identify it, but after reading these messages it sounds as though weve seen a cougar. Cat scratching (claw marks) in a 60 deg arc, drawing back to a point about 2.5 3 feet from the edge of the 4 foot arc. Authorities say there have been reports of . It would disappear and then reappear on the other side of us it did that 3 times. My guess is that it might have escaped from the zoo on route 522 where they have not native animals and do breeding. I have friends in Wyoming and Montana, where mountain lions have always been. I would like to add it to my collection if possible. This area is on the Abingdon end of South Holston Lake. I saw one near my home in Floyd County. I started yelling and making as much noise as i could and heard the sounds of claws running up a tree. The last cougar in Virginia was killed in Washington County in 1882. It had a long bushy tail and appeared to weigh about 70 or 80 pounds. Im guessing it was about 1987 but cant be sure. Several years later one of our neighbors was awakened by a commotion in the barn. As a result, multiple sightings across different time ranges could be attributed to the same cat. They still occur in parts of Central and South America. I walked to my car and turned my lights on. If a mountain lion walks around an area enough, many different humans will notice. The folks living in those areas, at least in WV, mostly keep to themselves and most of those folks do not have computers. or the puma to make official statements confirming its presence in the Eastern US and in fact might prove harmful to the cougar spur public fear if such a confirmation were made. Still no pictures though. I went back to the area for my job maybe 3 weeks later and saw nothing. Dec 27, 2022. I was going to let him walk on by obviously, when suddenly he sat down about 25 yards right in front of me, not facing me, I had a beautiful side view of him. This is not the same picture withe the cat dragging the buck. Secondly, the sightings of mountain lions are likely the result of escaped or released animals that were once captive. 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