Panthers/Mountain Lions in Southern Indiana (Multiple sightings)

[Leggdpms]

Here's a big print my buddy found on his land out in new albany

 

[Hkindiana]

4:00 AM Friday morning on HWY37 just south of Bloomington, near the construction area, my nephew spotted one investigating a road kill dear.

 

[19Dcavscout]

From what I understand, Panthers are black, Mountain Lions are a tawny color, and Cougars have stretch marks...

 

[dshaf]

I ask a a DNR officer about mountain lion/couger sightings in Indiana. He told me that the DNR have officially recognized the fact that there are some present in Indiana.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I ask a a DNR officer about mountain lion/couger sightings in Indiana. He told me that the DNR have officially recognized the fact that there are some present in Indiana.

Sure... because they finally caught pictures of one on a camera they placed... up until that point their mantra was "DENY DENY DENY"... it was hard for them to keep up the "DENY DENY DENY" mantra after they caught pictures on one of their own cameras...

They still won't admit or accept it as a "sighting" if it isn't on one of their cameras that they placed... for some reason they are very hesitant to admit that they are more common than thought.

 

[dshaf]

Sure... because they finally caught pictures of one on a camera they placed... up until that point their mantra was "DENY DENY DENY"... it was hard for them to keep up the "DENY DENY DENY" mantra after they caught pictures on one of their own cameras...

They still won't admit or accept it as a "sighting" if it isn't on one of their cameras that they placed... for some reason they are very hesitant to admit that they are more common than thought.

Do you think it possible that they deny it because the released them to keep deer herd population down. Perhaps they dont want to be accountable if someone was injured by one of them.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

I don't believe for a minute IDNR released cougars into the wild for deer population. I've heard that, there's no evidence of it, something of that magnitude would be impossible to keep a secret PLUS it's illegal.

As for cougars in Indiana - yes there are some. Not many, but there are some. Where did they come from? Likely escapees and perhaps a few migratory, but they are definitely here.

Now, I've been searching the net and can't find anything on it. Supposedly - according to my niece that lives near Booneville (Evansville), there was a cougar hit on a road in Folsomeville near Booneville. Does anyone have a news link or anything?

 

[SteveM4A1]

I don't believe for a minute IDNR released cougars into the wild for deer population. I've heard that, there's no evidence of it, something of that magnitude would be impossible to keep a secret PLUS it's illegal.

As for cougars in Indiana - yes there are some. Not many, but there are some. Where did they come from? Likely escapees and perhaps a few migratory, but they are definitely here.

Now, I've been searching the net and can't find anything on it. Supposedly - according to my niece that lives near Booneville (Evansville), there was a cougar hit on a road in Folsomeville near Booneville. Does anyone have a news link or anything?

What is it with this rumor around the area? I've heard this, plus I have heard someone has pictures on a trail camera of a cougar around Folsomeville eating a deer. Personally, I don't believe it.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

I don't live near Evansville/Booneville/Folsomeville, but my niece does. She heard it but can't find a link, pic, article or anything...just a rumor so far.

As for DNR having pictures that was in Greene County and that's true. I've personally sited two different cats at Crane in my 31 years here. Both times I was VERY close - there's no mistake.

 

[chubbs]

Black Panthers, I thought they were those guys with the bandoliers on by the fair grounds.

Also, a "black panther" is just term everyone uses. They are actually black jaguars or leopards. We for sure do not have these creatures in the americas lol

 

[Field King]

I have seen a large black cat in Morgan county 3 times, the last time I got within 40 yards in my truck, it walked away in some woods but stopped and looked back for several minutes. Size of a Bobcat but long tail and all black. Slightly shorter than a coyote. All 3 sightings have been within 1/8 mile of each other.

 

[DragonGunner]

I have seen a large black cat in Morgan county 3 times, the last time I got within 40 yards in my truck, it walked away in some woods but stopped and looked back for several minutes. Size of a Bobcat but long tail and all black. Slightly shorter than a coyote. All 3 sightings have been within 1/8 mile of each other.

That reminds be back around 1980 when I was 18 and fox trapping a lot, there seemed to be a few years that there were wild feral cats of some type around. Another trapper told me one year close by he had caught 3 huge cats over 25-30 lbs. I thought to myself thats crazy, although we had a tame black cat that was about 15 lbs. and no fat. Anyway checking traps I thought I had a huge red fox but as I got closer it was a tabby cat and the thing was huge and hissed at me and I shot it in the head. The head was 4 times the size of our big tame cat, it was incredible. I was about 6' then and holding its back legs to my chest its front feet touch the ground and I guess it weighed at least 25 lbs. I regret to this day I didn't take it home and take a picture of it. That was the first and last big cat like that I had caught.

 

[dshaf]

I have seen the trail cam picture of what appeared to be a cougar taken in western Indiana by a coworker of mine that lives there. He does not seem like the type of guy to fabricate this story. I saw the dated trail cam pic a couple days after it was taken

 

[lionhunt64]

 

[lionhunt64]

From what I understand, Panthers are black, Mountain Lions are a tawny color, and Cougars have stretch marks...

 

[mike46060]

We saw on each in Floyd County a few years back. I thought it was just a bobcat at first.

 

[AboveTheBest]

I saw something about two weeks ago on Crane that I first thought to be a coyote due to its size, but then assumed it must be a bobcat due to the fact that it moved just like a cat. I was driving to work and it ran in front of my truck, but I only got to really look at it for a second or two.

Something didn't sit right with me though, as the height was much more than that of any bobcat I've ever seen.

After watching videos of mountain lions running I determined that had to be what I saw. I initially thought it was insane to have spotted one in Southern Indiana, but then noticed that there have been several sightings over the past few years.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Here's an odd one:

Mountain lion found with unusual deformity | Fox News

 

[gewehr3]

I recently went to the Exoctic Feline Rescue Center. The staff stated there had been multiple sightings of a mountain lion west of the Bloomington area last fall. It's a good place to see these animals up and close.

Also, according to their staff there are quite a few irresponsible people who have bought, and then can no longer care for these cats. Seems that there is a large grey market in exotic animals.
So I would not be surprised that if there are several of these former exotic pets roaming our state.

Here's a few articles about Indiana mountain lions:

http://www.thebraziltimes.com/story/1578453.html

An account of the female cougar that escaped the Feline Rescue Center
http://www.easterncougar.org/newltr_pdf/ecfnew_nov07.pdf

 

[seedubs1]

Eh.....If they were out there, I'm pretty sure we'd have some confirmed reports and probably a few dead to prove it considering how many people hunt in this state. If they were there, the DNR wouldn't "hide it." They are forthcoming about other deadly animals (rattle snakes, for example, in BC and surrounding areas). Why in the world would people think the DNR would hide it if they knew there were mountain lions.....It's tin foil hat BS.

I'm not discounting it completely. There's probably a couple that get loose from an idiot that has them as a "pet." But I SERIOUSLY question it. Hell, my brother still claims he sees cotton mouths in Lafayette, and he's a hunter/fisher that's in the woods all the dang time. So I seriously do not trust any of the people claiming to see stuff in the woods. People's memory and what they think they saw is often not correct. They see something brown and largeish moving in the woods.....it MUST be a mountain lion. Never mind that they were nervous and on edge from their buddies stories about killer mountain lions in Southern IN they heard before they went into the woods.

I don't believe any of it at this point. Show me a dead one confirmed by the DNR.