Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Cougar filmed in Tenneessee

This report doesn't surprise me at all. Although many disagree on this forum, I find it reasonable to assume cougars could range from Canada all the way to Florida along the East Coast - most of those states have sightings or tracks, too. The topography and forests lend themselves hiding a secretive apex predator, and the deer/turkey populations are strong enough to support a few I'd think.

A few years back at one of the PB Cons, there was a presentation about mountain lions and how far they ranged.

It made it clear, to me at least, that a sighting was usually for an animal that was essentially passing through an area vs. actually living in that area, hence the relatively low number of sightings.

I'm with you Tony. Further I believe there exist resident populations of Jaguars in TX, NM, AZ - especially after watching a documentary where DNR officials were investigating reports of Jaguars coming up from Central America and Mexico with game cams, etc. While I don't fear Cougars, the Jaguar is the third largest cat and the 7th largest land predator in the world topping out at 300+, and humans are vulnerable and definitely on the menu. Along with the Longhorns football program, Africanized bees and the lack of SMB, WE, and YP in fisheries, it's yet another proof that anyone living in TX is crazy and solo encounters avoided at all costs.

What gets me is the ridicule people were getting initially by so called experts when they said they saw a cougar in their respective states. But these arrogant experts had to eat their words thanks to the camera technolgy that is now available.

As far as "transient" I'm in agreement with you Tony. And it may take awhile but at some point those males will be joined by females albeit very slowly and gradually from where they are presently established. That's nature's directive and we can clearly see it with other species.

That doesn't say they will never establish themselves in areas that are not suited and move on.

I'm with you Tony. Further I believe there exist resident populations of Jaguars in TX, NM, AZ - especially after watching a documentary where DNR officials were investigating reports of Jaguars coming up from Central America and Mexico with game cams, etc. While I don't fear Cougars, the Jaguar is the third largest cat and the 7th largest land predator in the world topping out at 300+, and humans are vulnerable and definitely on the menu. Along with the Longhorns football program, Africanized bees and the lack of SMB, WE, and YP in fisheries, it's yet another proof that anyone living in TX is crazy and solo encounters avoided at all costs.

TJ, about 10 years ago we had 2 separate deer kills due to a mountain lion just over the dam of my large pond. My dad was scouting for deer season and he saw steam coming from a grass bed just below the dam. He walked over to check it out and a mountain lion ran off. Walked up to the steam and noticed it was coming from the hind quarters of a freshly killed buck (decent size). It was a pretty fascinating crime scene. The lion had jumped from a nearby tree onto the bucks back, slit it jugular, rode its back in circles for quite some time til it dropped, then began eating it. Several hundred yards down the creek we found a similar crime scene but the deer had been eaten down to the skeleton. That made for an interesting deer season knowing that you may be the hunted rather than the hunter.

Also had a confirmed sighting of 2 young cubs by my mother in law 7-8 years ago while deer hunting. Game warden came out and verified by looking at the tracks. Sightings were pretty common around here until disease killed most of the deer.

TJ, my lake home located in Marion Co. Texas and is 10 min from my farm property. Marion Co. has more Bigfoot reports than any other Co. in Texas. maybe, migration here also

Tracy