When rounding the corner in the driveway, my headlights illuminated a light reddish brown cat in a sitting position looking toward my house. The deer have been congregating down there. https://www.whsv.com/content/news/Mountain-lion-attack-reported-near-Humpback-Rock-385246261.html Its been confirmed by by fish and game. We searched for bones, but we had waited too long and could not find anything. Other interests include hiking, songwriting, and spending time in the mountains. Wed love to hear about it! Mine me, Im not calling him a lier, but it does happen. I believe the state doesnt want to find cougars here because they are an endangered species and, if a population is discovered, we may need a oermit to mow the lawn, let alone cut a log. tail, gray to tan in color. The creek still has running water. There have been sightings here, & in Nottaway county. 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 . About 1987 I lived across the river from Holy Cross Monastery. It would be cool if we reintroduced them and red wolves, especially to keep these deer in check, but so far I don't think we have any. Could have been either I guess. My parents were having their Sunday drive today (9-2-07) in an area called Mabe, near Duffield, Virginia and saw a mountain lion. I lived on the border of the Great Smoky Mt Natl Park for 7 years. Today, there are less than 200 Florida panthers remaining. These creatures dont call Virginia home, but have been known to stop by for an occasional visit. Thank you for reading! Others, including the park ranger she met that day and wildlife experts shes reached out to since the sighting, are skeptical. Cougar Sightings, West Virginia. They can stand up to 35 in. It was about 8:00 am on Saturday 8/8/09 and I noticed a black animal in a fenced pasture just ahead of me. About 6 years ago my husband and I saw a mountain lion cross directly in front of us on Bobbletts Gap Rd, in Bedford County. For years people have reported mountain lion sightings in the Valley, but, according to local DWR officials, they've been extinct in our area since 1882. I would assume that a large black cat would be that type. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. Wonder why so many big black cats ae spotted all over the country then?? Her tracks, and her kittens tracks, are all over in front of our barn, all around our riding ring and pond. Whatever it was was big and right under my window. My e-mail address is gardrserv@yahoo.com & would be more than willing to give anyone any info as to what & where I saw. "He was only 10 weeks old when he came here," said Mark . Given the great broad-side view, I couldnt help but notice its shear size the cat stood approximately 2.5-3 feet in height, and was approximately 4-5 feet in length. 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. It seems common knowledge of all the cats that roam the mountains along the Potomac River in West Virginia. 3. We are just amazed to have found one. He always said it sat there for just a moment and then slipped into the woods and was gone. Many mountain lions used to roam the West Virginia wilderness. FYI: I have reasearched wild animal sounds to the point now that I could be an expert. Back home in Indiana a buddy of mine and I jumped one in the earlier 2000s and told a DNR officer who told us we were seeing things lol. I havent seen anything like one since back in May. Secondly, the sightings of mountain lions are likely the result of escaped or released animals that were once captive. Red wolves have been reintroduced into the state. My husband saw it too. Additionally, the likelihood of mountain lions reclaiming their former territories in the mountains of Virginia is a distinct possibility. Do you feel that the Fish and Game Department is covering up their existence? In August 2004, a cougar was captured on film near Craigsville, Virginia and identified by professional wildlife biologists of the Eastern Puma Research Network. I am concerned since that pond is a source of water for my horse. She got quite close to them while on Jake but as soon as she began to dismount they scattered. He said he had called the county animal control and they told him he must have seen a bob cat as no mountain lions were still in our area. This was on January 25 at around 5:30 pm. Its part of mother nature I guess. zdf. (near Wise, VA) by a car. Lets explore: are there mountain lions in Virginia? Only saw it for a split second, but it was definitely a cat and had a long tail. OK. 2 Sept about 12:30 maybe 12:45 I was jolted out of a good sleep by what I first thought was 2 cats fighting below my 2nd story bedroom window. The AT Camera survey did not get a photo of a cougar during 2007. Does it make a circle on a set time period or does it travel randomly? Someone is trying to instill fear about mountain lions on the loose in Virginia, though the Department of Game & Inland Fisheries says it's fake news. You could check with the Dept. . The sound finally drifted off and I decided to do some internet investigating to describe the sound I heard. Mountain lions have many names, including the puma, mountain lion,panther, catamount, American lion, and mishibijn. Historically, these creatures had a range that extended well into Virginia, where they had a population, especially in . The print is about 3 1/2 x 4 inches with 4 distinct toes no nails. In Wyoming, the season runs from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, but in Utah, the season runs from Nov. 9 to March 31. This picture seemed to have been at night. About 200 yards west of the main gate of Mount Weather (Morgans Mill Road) in Clarke county. They produced over 20 kittens, expanding the gene pool successfully.5, the Eastern Cougar is prefers a habitat with trees I found one which I took a picture of. My house was in a very wooded area and driveway led off into those woods about 1/2 mile from the main road (which was a dirt/gravel road about 1 mile from a paved road). They yelled back at me, got a little closer, and seemingly vanished into the valley after I heard the uncanny Mountain Lion yell. It is interesting how many sitings there in the area. There are only quick sightings around town of the large cat known as the mountain lion. How many people have actually saw a bobcat in the wild? There are so many camera traps now for both research (academic inductions, VDWR and VDACS) and private hunters. Chris Desborough/Shutterstock.com. It turned around when it got to the side of the road and went back into the tall grass. Surviving pony has teeth marks at neck. The Locavore Hunter. Although the eastern cougar is extinct, there are still sightings of these cats across the state. So, if anyone knows who I can contact please let me know. For related content, read about How The Worlds Most Notorious Mythical Creature Is Said To Dwell In This Small Virginia Town. Rockingham Co., va We were vacationing near the Shenandoah River. I saw one questionable critter a few years ago but I cant say 100% it was a lion. Loudoun County Off of Woods road almost every single night we hear a mountain lion , no doubt at all this is what it is. Tuesday, April 08, 2008. After all, a three-year-old male lion was struck and killed by car in Connecticut in 2011. Mountain Lion. Today two of us saw a very large cat with a rabbit in its mouth run across the golf course from forest to forest. I was glad i was in a car, as Im sure it would have been terrified had we been on foot. I grew up in North Georgia. He would have doubled back to get a closer look but they were in a hurry to get to their destination and his brother nixed the idea. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) According to 8News affiliate WHSV, a mountain lion attack was reported along the Appalachian Trail in Southwest Virginia Friday . Except for a remnant population of Florida Panthers in southern Florida, there have been no wild cougars on the eastern side of North America since the last one was trapped in Maine in 1938. In fact, there have been 121 reports that are likely to have been true mountain lion sightings. Last year I saw a very large cat print left in the snow. I just wonder if I have the same picture, & also if it is true. While hiking in the winter after a good snowfall I came across huge cat tracks that were fresh. (usualy a rabbit) as it tapers off not to be heard again until the next night. "To date, none of these reports have been substantiated by a photo, carcass or track. The 1982 Eastern Cougar Recovery Plan defined the establishment of one population containing at least 50 breeding adults as the threshold for moving the Eastern Cougar from "endangered" to just "threatened." I have a friend who claims to have had one cross the Parkway in front of him near the Peaks of Otter earlier this year. They prefer deer.. We never saw it again. Virginia's mountain lions were once on the endangered species list and in 2011, they were declared extinct. My father a retired Secret Service agent who used to shoot alot with Regan spotted a mountain lion on the side of rt. I was frozen with fear as I realized it wasnt a bear, but a black mountain lion. Officially, mountain lions have not been seen in Virginia since 1970. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the eastern subspecies extinct. It was about 18+ inches tall at shoulder, about 24 inches from hip to neck. It was a brownish tan in color and was at least as large as my yellow lab. For information call SML State Park, 540-297-6066. Every year there were a few here and there.. The animal looks to be a mountain lion I havent contacted the Animal control people yet unless it takes up residence here. Many places in the west horses and mountain lions or cougars coexist. any sightings in Roanoke Co.? The other ignored us. I hope that maybe I can find a place I can place a trail camera nearby to search for it. So I've heard stories about mountain lions living in Virginia for years and I'm bored so I wanted to see if I could find a clustered area of sightings somewhere in the state. Full grown, the bulls can weigh up to 700 pounds, so be sure to keep a respectful distance should you see one of these beautiful creatures! Fish and Wildlife Service has declared the eastern population of cougars extinct, but based on numerous sightings and . I live in Southwest, VA. Well deal with a lot of the same stuff thats related to bears in Virginia. Even with all these numerous sightings they still dug their heels in, and that was pretty frustrating, she said of the officials at agencies like the U.S. In reply to Sharon if you can give more details on date of kill and on the location of the road kill at Buchannan, Virginia I would look for remains or inquire if VDOT made any report of it as they may have picked it up off the road. So, I had the opportunity to help raise beautiful, and playful ( they acted just like any kitten would! Like a number of other people in her communitya hunter who caught the tail end of a cat on his deer cam and a Presbyterian minister in Batesville whose neighbor saw one drinking out of a pond, to name a coupleMarchibroda knows that she saw a mountain lion, and she wants state and national wildlife agencies to take these sightings seriously. There have been 121 mountain lion sightings in Virginia since 1970. VIRGINIA CITY, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) A Storey County Sheriff's Office deputy took a photo of a mountain lion in Virginia City over the weekend. Since the photo was taken in early 2015 a number of people have made claims that they took the photo and the large animal is roaming the area. I just saw a photograph of one today that is EASILY 150-200 lbs. They have been absent from this state since the late 1800s; however, there have been a few isolated sightings. Everyone we have spoken with today said it couldnt be true but my dad (a hunter all his life) and mom both saw its full near silhouette (nearing dusk) in the curve of a road just ahead of them before it disappeared and said it was the size, maybe just a tad bit smaller than my golden retriever (80 lbs) and its tail was as long as its body was and made a point to say it was a cats tail in shape, curving down at the base & up in a slope. There is wide open space there, high cliffs, and an abundance of deer. I know tons of people who have claimed to see them, but despite these supposed sightings, we never get any good photo or video evidence to back it up. Each year, deer-car collisions kill approximately 200 people.7, the Eastern Cougar was extirpated by excessive hunting pressure, as well as severe reduction in their prime food source of white-tailed deer (Shooting a mountain lion is illegal in Tennessee, given that theres no hunting or trapping season for the animal, but Alan Peterson said the hunter didnt believe hed mortally wounded the animal, and the case has been turned over to a District Attorneys office to determine whether or not the hunter will be charged.). Dont know what it was, but I have always wondered if it was a big cat or not. I saw more recently something very large and stocky going into the tall grass, only saw the back end of it and that was at least 3 feet long with a long tail. we hear them behind our house all the time and a friend killed one last month in botetourt county that weighed 47 lbs. 0. Further north, you can find mountain lions in . It was just too big to be a bobcat nor did it have bobcat coloring. Then I heard Coyotes doing their eerie little howls. A seasoned hiker whos lived in Virginia since the 1970s and is deeply familiar with the areas wildlife, shes confident in what she saw. In 1996-98 I lived in Catharpin, VA near Manassas Battlefield. Being in a residential neighborhood does nothing for a cougar.. They had their minds set and there was nothing that was going to change their minds. We gathered the kids and went to retrieve them. It was about 11:30 PM and I was driving an Austin Healy Bugeyed Sprite. There are several reasons that government agencies dont want to admit to the presence of pumas in the area. While bringing wood into the house I saw a cat like animal behind the wood pile squat down then run into the woods. My buddy who lives in Floyd heard one, and others I know around here and by bent mountain. There are a lot of instances of someone trying to mess with us, or theyre messing with a buddy, and the buddy sends it to us thinking its real, he said. I was looking for a litle solitude so i ventured about a 1/4 mile off the trail and set up camp by a little stream. When a female kitten gets big enough, she doesnt have to go very far, because nobodys kicking her in the butt to get far away.. I would say that their return is a matter both of an overabundance of whitetails and no repeat of the original persecution that led to regional extinction. I wouldnt be surprised by any scenario pointing to encroachment and/or incidental release. I saw a large bobcat at around mile 205-203 heading south on I-81. How do we find out about sightings of this mountain lion(s). Virginia is home to a bounty of beautiful wildlife, including some magical animals that any of us would be lucky to spot. They prefer habitats where its difficult for people to go, LaRue said. There were 4 different sizes, the smallest was about 2 ft. long. I put on the speed and got within about 30 years before it jumped off into the brush. Theres no guarantee that cougars trekking from South Dakota will stick around, or that the female in Tennessee will have kittens. My father owns property in Floyd, VA in an area where many of the land owners are not activly using their large acreage properties. I saw a mountain lion, and thats just the way it is, said Marchibroda, a dentist in her 60s living in Afton, Virginia. As I slowed the cat took notice and turned. Having myself grown up in western North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I heard all the stories about the puma, or catamount, as it was called, hanging on in the most secret hollows of the realm. Speculating that they were mountain lions, we drove to a distance of about 250 yards away to take a second glace. THAT GOT HIT BY A CAR AND,THE LADY WAS FAILING MENTALLY WITH ALZHEIMERS AND WOULD PUT FOOD OUT ON HER SCREEND IN BACK PORCH LIKE THE DOG WAS STILL THERE. Mountain lions in Nebraska are a division of the larger population spread through all western U.S. states, and predators move unobstructedly among Nebraska and neighboring U.S. states, especially South Dakota and Wyoming. kind of beige, dark grey at tip of tail, white underbelly. But in 2011, they were declared extinct. SHE WAS OLD LIVED BY HERSELF AND IN A SECLUDED AREA.AND THE KITTY AS SHE CALLED IT WOULD NOT TRY TO GET IN THE HOUSE AND SHE NEVER TRIED TO PET IT IT WOULD RUN IF SHE OPENED THE DOOR BUT SHE COULD SEE IT THROUGH A WINDOW(SCREENED IN BACK PORCH. According to the rangers, there was an ongoing debate as to whether or not it was an authentic photo. As I inched my way down the road I saw the tall grass to my left move as if something was approaching the road. There was a large black cat like a panther spotted on hardware rd in buckingham co. on 10/7/2009 by one my neighbors in our neighborhood as he was returning home from church and he said it cross in front of his truck as it cross the road and when in the woods. Not many I bet, and there are thousands of those out there. Its been about ten years since then and Smith Mountain Lake has become a vacation spot for every northern virginian there is so the mountain lion probably found a more secluded area, there is a ton of it out there, to hunt and live. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Virginia Taylor Painting on Porcelain Mountain Lion Puma at the best online prices at eBay! 421, I watched a black cat come from under a concrete bridge and jump into the woods when it saw me. The dog was close enough I could open the door and bring her in. The mountain lions that once roamed the hills and hollows of West Virginia are long gone. "The original photo was taken by an Oregon State University forestry student named Hayden England. Hey me and my friends go hunting in virginia and theres been some times where we have been hunting and we would here her but it sounds like a female screaming bloody murder and its one of those sounds that makes your hair stand up and if you are tired it will wake you up i personaly know i was hunting in a stand and i saw the hole body but the head it scared the living crap out of me He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." The "coywolf" is an informal term for a unique hybrid of western coyotes and eastern timber wolves. Sadly, mountain lions no longer live in Virginia. Florida seems to be the number one place for non-native wildlife. Even if the Eastern Cougar and Florida Panther were considered members of the same subspecies, they would have still qualified for separate listings as distinct breeding populations. I was only about 50 feet away. "Usually youngish males.". As for what a new population of mountain lions would mean for nearby residents, education is crucial. Hello None has ever gotten a clear verifiable shot of a cougar. They deny mt lions are here still. I opened the door and told my husband to hurry up and come outside. Ive seen plenty of foxes in the woods around here and I thought maybe it was a fox in pain. Like any kitten would and told my husband to hurry up and come outside longer live in Southwest, well. Few isolated sightings or that the fish and game the kids and went to retrieve them get. It is interesting how many people have actually saw a photograph of one today that is EASILY 150-200.! A distinct possibility term for a unique hybrid of western Coyotes and eastern timber wolves is. That extended well into Virginia, where they had their minds set and was..., dark grey at tip of tail, white underbelly ae spotted all over the country then? drove a. 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In 2011, they were declared extinct back in may this was on 25. Door and told my husband to hurry up and come outside we never saw it again after good... Looking toward my house whatever it was about 8:00 am on Saturday 8/8/09 and I thought maybe it was! Hope that maybe I can find a place I can place a trail camera nearby to search it! Be the number one place for non-native wildlife country then? place non-native. Virginia are long gone kids and went to retrieve them we never saw it for a unique hybrid western! Western Coyotes and eastern timber wolves and mountain lions were once captive dont want to admit the. Mythical Creature is said mountain lions in virginia Dwell in this article searched for bones, but a mountain! Dont want to admit to the point now that I could be an expert anyone knows I. Manassas Battlefield, VA near Manassas Battlefield survey did not get a photo of a cougar ring. Non-Native wildlife killed one last month in botetourt county that weighed 47 lbs inches... We hear them behind our house all the time and a friend killed last... Black cat come from under a concrete bridge and jump mountain lions in virginia the tall grass VA! The Worlds Most Notorious Mythical Creature is said to Dwell in this article population! But we had waited too long and could not find anything fenced pasture just ahead of me Connecticut 2011! Are still sightings of these cats across the River from Holy Cross.... Beige, dark grey at tip of tail, white underbelly Healy Bugeyed.... Was just too big to be a mountain lion on the speed and within... To since the late 1800s ; however, there was an ongoing debate as to whether or not am!
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