They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. The expert opinion held up until a man was killed by a Great White not too far away. They also generally have spots on their fur. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. No doubt of what it was; size, color and recognizable tail. Young pumas dispersing from Western habitats are being killed at the source, compromising the Easts critical opportunity for ecosystem health and the return of an apex carnivore., Regardless of where they are found, or whether people want to hunt or protect them, people are enchanted by mountain lions. Could UConn women's basketball be back to 'square one' with seven available players at Seton Hall? They have been absent from this state since the late 1800s; however, there have been a few isolated sightings. Join Us. community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years. And its not just Vermont. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. He drove me out to the spot. Were arrogant if we think were the only species that makes decisions based on fear, he told me when I called him at his home in Oregon. Even so, Abbott has heard of mountain lion sightings from what he deems reliable sources and believes its possible that other animals have made the difficult, some say almost miraculous trek, from the West to Connecticut. 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. An attack is verified only when a physician, law enforcement officer or CDFW personnel determine the injuries were caused by a . Not long after, what was believed to be the same mountain lion was struck and killed on Route 15 in Milford. LINCOLN, Neb. It is also the most common wild cat found in North America. Mountain lions inhabit the badlands and Missouri River breaks regions of North Dakota. And even the home entries are kind of changing. I only saw the back side, but he was huge. But other hard evidence of the big cats presence is elusive. This guy was very intelligent, he had abandoned a professional career to pursue his dream of guiding. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. Yes I have seen several pictures on game cameras from people in Massachusetts in Central and western Mass that do have mountain lions on their game camera so please dont be ignorant. However, the National Wildlife Federation notes that the mountain lions range spreads all across the Americas, from the Canadian Yukon to The Strait of Magellan, making it the greatest range of any living mammal in the Americas.. Hawley: Yeah. 75-170 pounds. Additional samples were collected and are pending DNA analysis. About Us; At least once a year thered be a story from somewhere, but I only ran the absolute best, he told me. Weights range from 80 to 225 pounds, but the average is 140 pounds. TOLLAND A local woman reported Friday that she saw a mountain lion in the area of Sand Hill Road, . These sightings are so persistent that there is a conspiracy theory that says DEEP officials know mountain lions are in the state but cover up their existence. Cougars, Lynx, Bobcats, Wolves, Bears etc were and are a There was no mistake. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. My mother always said she saw one across the street from our house one night in the late 50s early 60s. Stay Connected Sign up. He and his clients were 100% sure of what they saw, and its very difficult to imagine any other animal being mistaken for a cougar in this case. CNN . It also doesnt mean there wont be more sightings in the future, as these animals have been known to reclaim areas their species once roamed. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. Body coloration can range from tan to gray and cubs are usually covered with blackish brown spots. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. Westford, MA, crossing Dunstable Rd from Long Sought For Pond into the woods. Despite frequent claims, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion sighting since the late 1800s here. Its OK, he told me. 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. 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. Once at dusk driving in the Berkshires, he saw what he initially thought was a cat-like creature that was far bigger than a bobcat leap across the road. Hunters and property owners have also set up tens of thousands of trail cameras at various locations throughout the state. 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.. It was definitely a cougar. But what might be his most compelling argument is that since this is Connecticut, the budget is too limited. Snow Camp Market. I saw a Mountain Lion in 2007 in Northfield, MA at the junctions of Rtes 10 and 63. The scientific name for the catamount is Puma concolor. Someone told New Canaan police that a mountain lion was spotted on Gerdes Road, just north of the Darien-New Canaan border, at about 6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 14.. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. There were pine cones on window sills, a well-used hatchet and a variety of animal figurines on display, and, near the television, a stack of videos including. Bearded, bowler hat, expression impenetrable behind facial hair and the stoicism of an earlier era. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. The young typically remain with their mother for 2 years. The animal was shot in the town of Barnard on Thanksgiving Day 1881 by a man named Alexander Crowell. According to Jason Hawley, a wildlife biologist for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protections Wildlife Division, the department gets around 100 sighting reports of mountain lions each year, but upon further investigation, a good proportion of the sightings end up being bobcats. However, because they are capable of traveling great distances, they have turned up in all parts of North Dakota. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. Rumors of their hidden presence persisted. Mountain lion facts. This is a carousel. Mountain Lion Weight: 80-160 pounds Length: About 7-8 feet long Tail: 2-3 feet long (up to half of the total length) Identification The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. As unlikely as it sounds, it was a more believable theory than some of the alternatives, among them that the cat was evidence of a breeding population in the state that was being kept secret by, . I lived in great Barrington mass and I took photos of tracks in a field in April of 2009 (and of course lost them). It lowers the population in a way thats not going to affect the long-term population. The sighting on Gerdes Road is the third in the past month and very close to the most recent one, on . They are here & ..just a matter of time with photo or kill on a highway/road. Defenders of Wildlife developed funding to support wolf predation on cattle which I believe worked. Still, sightings are common. 90th Annual New Haven Register All-State Football First Team. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. Ottmann nodded. 60-108 inches. The Mountain Lion will return to feed on the prey for up to 10 days. Neither resemble a cougar! This is part of the cougar business. State conservation officials believe this photo, taken in Greenwich in 2011, shows a mountain lion. Of course no dash cam or accessible phone camera at the time! One cat will leave more than 10,000 tracks per day. They are much larger than bobcat and lynx, young adults can still have spots too. But honest misidentifications are more common. I just heard from a fellow college student of a siting in Greenfield last fall and two in Colrain this spring. I heard from Neighbors that they have been sighting from the mass pike which runs along this area but also very close to Quabbin! Even though the experts say there arent any mountain lions in CT, there are. Many on both sides of the cougar debate beileve that New Englands natural habitat would benefit from having an apex predator in the ecosystem again. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. We have plenty of suitable habitat, he says. On November 22, about 20 miles north of Rowlett there was another . She didnt claim to see the mountain lions long tail, but optical illusions can lead people to think theyve seen a tail. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. This isnt to say she believes none of these animals has stepped foot on New England soil over the past century. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. I saw a cougar in Wolfeboro NH crossing / running across 28 ; close call between myself and a car traveling in the opposite direction over 12 years ago . When we reached tower, a ranger arrived in a pickup. Emaileditor@connecticutmag.com, or contact usonFacebook@connecticutmagazine orTwitter@connecticutmag. People clearly arent lying when they say they saw a cougar; [the sighting] has a profound effect on them.. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. Our Mission. Harrigans interest in cougars was sparked in the late 70s, after he took ownership of The Coos County Democrat and began noticing the steady influx of reported sightings. Also known as 'cougars' or 'pumas,' mountain lions are reclusive creatures that feed mainly on deer, raccoons, rodents and various small mammals, experts say. There also should have been evidence of animals killed by the predators and roadkill. The Cougar, also known as mountain lion and puma, is Canada's largest and most powerful wildcat. Diana Marchibroda and her miniature schnauzer froze in their tracks when the mountain lion stepped out of the woods last May. It had rained previously. So yes they are here and not to sure why they dont admit to them being around ! Nowhere in New England is the matter definitively settled. Continued investigation revealed mountain lion tracks, scat deposits and an additional cache of an elk calf. We dont have extra money to do secret projects, he says. Anyone who encounters a Mountain lion should file a report with CPW online or by calling CPW Headquarters in Denver at (303) 297-1192, or the Northeast Region Office (also in Denver) at (303) 291 . Yale New Haven Health Check; . Lol Here is a small glimpse at what these dogs were bred to do (if you got sensitive eyes, do not view): By now, I knew the answer to that one. 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. Harrigan nodded. I have pictures of tracks around my car and up to the back steps of my deck in Arkville, NY . Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. His bicycle was later found with the chain unbroken, but off the sprockets. Bobcats are plentiful across Connecticut and are between 18 and 35 pounds. A harvest is kind of twofold. We hadnt seen a cougar, nor any evidence to suggest a cougar had traveled these woods recently. There was the vaguest of trails, crisscrossed by deadfalls and a sharp-thorned bush that soon drew blood from Ottmanns right hand. Kim Royar, a biologist at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, told me she receives 40 to 50 reports annually, and although she believes that few, if any, are actual cougar sightings, she doesnt dismiss the possibility that someday someone will happen upon the real deal. He published his first book in 1959, The Ghost of North America: The Story of the Eastern Panther. Sometimes referred to as the ghosts of the forest, mountain lions or cougars are stealthy hunters that are hard to spot, even in areas they are known to inhabit. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. Weve done a lot of work over the years investigating sightings. When a cats around, its not hard to find evidence. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Still, Spatz acknowledged that the word hope is very different from the word believe. Bobcats and a possible mountain lion have been mentioned within the past few weeks. Heres what to know about mountain lions (and other large cats) in Connecticut. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. So its this gathering storm. Others have seen cougar in neighboring towns . Several years ago, I was bicycling with a buddy up Quabbin Reservoirs Administration Rd. In the second camp, there are those issuing the denials, pointing to the lack of photographic evidence, or the absence of tracks, or the simple truth that many people dont seem to know the difference between a cougar and a bobcat and a lynx and even, in some cases, a golden retriever. Even in parts of the country where there are documented breeding populations of mountain lions, there are still many false reports. Almost every state has some sort of legend of something thats hiding somewhere, he says. One one occasion she had two little ones with her so their den must have been sort of closeby. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. I started asking a lot of questions, and realized theres only one explanation for the answers I was getting: They are here., You could have 30 in Connecticut alone. 10186. The cat is dead. We get a lot of pictures sent to us, and people say, I took this picture of a mountain lion in my backyard. And Ill look at it, and to me, its clearly a bobcat, Hawley said. The Damned Story: Eastern mountain lions, or pumas or cougars, were last officially seen in Connecticut near the end of the 19th century. There were pine cones on window sills, a well-used hatchet and a variety of animal figurines on display, and, near the television, a stack of videos including Life of a Predator and The African Lion. But that was OK. Bo Ottmann, A Lobster Trap Menorah Shines in Gloucester, Massachusetts, Chips Off the Old Block | Knowledge & Wisdom, Yankee Candle | New England by the Numbers, First Christmas | Krissy OSheas Scandinavian-Inspired Holiday Cottage, The Sweet Life | Holiday Baking with Dorie Greenspan, 2019 Yankee Magazine Editors Choice Food Awards, In the Kitchen at Mayfair Farm | Weekends with Yankee. And it was this curiosity that led me to the Old Well Tavern in Simsbury, Connecticut, at a time of day (11:30 a.m.) that does not normally find me ensconced in the dim confines of a drinking establishment. Then saw him a few more times from further away across the road and along the edge sometimes of the woods. In July 2019, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Mountain Lion Foundation petitioned the Fish and Game Commission to list mountain lions as a candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act ( CESA) within a proposed evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) located in Southern California and the central coast of California. I always hold out the possibility of a sighting to be genuine, but at the same time, over decades of experience, we know that the vast majority are misidentifications and a small number are actually hoaxes, he says. Distinguished by a boxy head, big paws and a VERY long tail. Hawley: Yeah. 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 reason why experts wont admit to a breeding population existing is that there is NO PROOF. To obtain grouse distribution and harvest information, the Wildlife Division is asking grouse hunters to submit hunting reports through the Ruffed Grouse Hunter Log . Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. My encounter was in Middlesex, VT along the river road (Route 2) just below I89. However, the population declined in the early 1900's due to unregulated hunting and bounties were placed on mountain lions until 1966. These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Black panthers, which are not found in the U.S., are actually black jaguars or leopards. She adds, I think its because a lot of people are fascinated by wild cats; they are the embodiment of the wild.. Mountain Lions: They are officially extinct. The second occasion was on the way to work when I saw the cougar/catamount crossing Route 44. Morse, 70, comports herself in a friendly and no-nonsense manner. It was fast as hell but there was no mistaking its not only long,but THICK tail as it disappeared into the woods. You can subscribe to Connecticut Magazine here, or find the current issue on sale here. Adult males can be around 8 feet in length and weigh between 130 and 150 pounds, while adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds. Below are some of the first-hand. Otherwise, Hawley said cats like bobcats want nothing to do with people, and they will generally prey on chickens, small dogs or cats. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. Or at least theyre not supposed to be. The mountain lion is also known as cougar, panther, or puma. I thought I saw signs posted in Pawling NY about 8 years ago, that DEC released a pair to control deer population,mane several people have seen them in Wingdale, NY. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. I knew it was a cat track because the tracks were in a straight line and no signs of claws like you would see with a coyote track. . If its not, you just thank the person and say good-bye.. Hawley said the last confirmed mountain lion sighting in the state was one that was killed on the Merritt Parkway in 2011 when a car struck the animal near Exit 55. LOS ANGELES (AP) A mountain lion that was part of a National Park Service study was fatally struck by a vehicle on a highway near Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains. Now, ocelots are critically endangered and jaguarundis might be completely gone. As I turned a corner going north toward Waterbury, I saw the cat come up from the cornfield, saunter across the highway, turn and look in my direction and then amble off into the brush. They are there and thriving!!!! October 12, 2020 10:47 pm ET. To answer these and other questions about sightings of mountain lions, I turned to DEEPs Rego, who has investigated many purported cougar sightings over the past three decades. It was a flooded area. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. July 20, 2022. And theyre not going to find one, because the females don't disperse like that. near Greenfield with an experienced guide that hed worked with several times. Sue Morse, the founder and science director of Keeping Track, a Vermont-based organization dedicated to protecting wildlife habitats, has studied mountain lions over her career as a naturalist, and says the majority of cougar sightings in the Northeast are misidentifications. Got a question or comment? But that doesnt stop people from seeing them. This was as clear as day had a long tail and long body I was thinking someones pet was on the loose or escaped form a zoo !! 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). Also known as cougars, panthers or pumas, mountain lions range in color from tan to grey, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultures Forest Service. Walking our dog in the woods, she had just seen a giant feline saunter across the path. What set it off was a National Geographic special on mountain lions in California, right after my daughter and I had two encounters in my driveway, Betty told me. To date, Keeping Track has helped conserve 40,000 acres in 12 states and inQuebec. Spatz and Sue dont want to go where were going.. Regarding a breeding population that is the unknown. The 1881 death of this catamount officially marked the end of cougars in Vermont; however, the very last Eastern cougar is thought to be an animal that was killed in Somerset County, Maine, in 1938. (My wife didnt get a look at the tail.) And there are different schools of thought about that. And yet there I was, on a Saturday in early November, crammed into a booth with Bo Ottmann, 48, and Bill Betty, 72, of Cougars of the Valley, the organization that Ottmann founded in 2007 to gather evidence of and alert the public to the big cats living among us. Morse is a Vermont-based naturalist and the founder of Keeping Track, a nonprofit that trains people in the scientific protocols needed to detect, interpret, record, and monitor wildlife tracks and signs. Mr. Betty and Mr.Ottomans passion and efforts are impressive. In 1994, scat collected after a sighting in Craftsbury, Vermont, was found to contain cougar hair (the animals are prone to ingesting their hair while grooming), and the commissioner of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department circulated a memo with the following line: Harrigans interest in cougars was sparked in the late 70s, after he took ownership of, Perhaps, then, the ultimate question isnt whether cougars are among us, but rather how we can encourage them to settle here, After 20 minutes or so, we turned and stumbled our way back to the parking lot. Have a question or comment? Mountain Lions:They can have similar coloring and their tails can look alike, which has lead to some house cats being mistaken for them, even though mountain lions are much, much bigger. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. Weve got a growing bear population. By mid-19th century, forests made up only about 30 percent of New England (its notable that today that number stands at approximately 80 percent, nearer to what it was when cougars thrived here). Uscinski, a Connecticut native, adds that the theory that the government is covering up the existence of mountain lions is likely motivated by a distrust of authority. It seems humans just cant resist destroying these animals and either dont realize or dont care what damage we have done to our natural environment over the centuries. Well, I KNOW there was at least one mountain lion in NE because years ago (maybe 35 or so) I lived in Longmeadow, MA. Im gonna get hammered for it, he sighed. Advocates of the proposed Aid in Dying bill made an emotional plea to state legislators in Hartford on Wednesday to approve the legislation, introduced 15 separate times in Connecticut since 1994. Ive attended talks with Sue Morse. They can be seen at any time of the day or night, but are most active at dawn and dusk, corresponding with deer activity. Its not my call. Facebook Twitter Email Copy to clipboard Live Now All times eastern NOW - 8:30 AM 8:30 AM 9:00 AM 9:30 AM 10:00 AM 10:30 AM Fox News. Mountain lions, however, arent seen much in the Nutmeg State, even though several have reportedly been spotted around the Woodbridge area this month. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. In fact, jaguars used to be native to south Texas, as well! He knew it was only a matter of time. Morse has been tracking cougars for 45 years, mostly in the mountains of the West, where their existence is not in doubt. In the 1930s, Bruce Wright, an influential wildlife manager from New Brunswick, Canada, began gathering reports of sightings of mountain lions in the East and searching for their tracks. According to the Smithsonians National Zoo, bobcats are part of the lynx genus, which means they are related to other cats like the Canadian lynx, Iberian lynx and Eurasian lynx. You cansubscribe here, orfind the current issue on sale here. Probably because of all the hunters that would be out trying to get their trophy and endangering others. I was driving to work in Greenfield heading south on 10 and had just taken a right hand turn at the junction when the big cat crossed the road in front of me. I live in New Milford and I saw one crossing the road in front of me when I stopped to get my mail from my mailbox. 5-7 yards from me. Another important difference: bobcats are found in Connecticut while mountain lions are not. It can run at speeds of up to 50 mph. The truth is, I was by this point dubious. Weve had housecats misidentified as mountain lions and even deer, Rego says. There were caribou antlers mounted above the front doors, and the interior walls were covered in row upon row of books; a long table was piled high with still more books in seemingly random arrangements. Weve done a lot of work over the years investigating sightings. How big was the animal? In 2011, genetic testing confirmed that a mountain lion originated in South Dakota and traveled more than 1,500 miles before being struck by a car on the Merritt Parkway, according to Reuters. In yet another variant, DEEP is said to be helicoptering mountain lions in to help control the deer population. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. Mountain lion front tracks are 3 to 4 1/4 long and 3 1/4 to 4 3/4 wide. Put bluntly, Morse does not believe that New England is home to cougars. Fight at end of CT high school basketball game involving Middletown, Weaver second in as many days, How UConn women's basketball forward Amari DeBerry landed on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 plays, Connecticut boys hockey top performers / games to watch (Jan. 17), Goggles? And so we come to the great divide over cougars in New England. Responding to complaints about a predator eating a local farmers sheep, Crowell and a small group of fellow hunters had tracked the big cat through the snow. Here in southern Utah, lions have been known to occupy home ranges as large as 513 square miles. The states beautiful wilderness and mountainous terrain are prime mountain lion habitats. Mountain lions have traveled through Fairfield County in the past. . The CDFW defines a mountain lion attack as an incident resulting in direct physical contact between a human and a mountain lion resulting in physical injury or death to the person. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. The bobcat population has since recovered due to improving forest habitat conditions and legal protections. I came across a dead adult deer carcass high up in an oak tree. Hawley: That animal was documented. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. Was INCREDIBLE! Its closest living relative is the cheetah. Bobcats: Whiskered face and are gray in the winter and tan in the summer, with black spots on their fur that are not always visible. But, I think with education and planning, we should reintroduce wolves and cougar in the Northeast. I had been foraging up in an area that is rocky. And follow us on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag. [An overabundance of deer] means our forests are getting older and older and not being replaced. He also points to the influx of invasive plant species in New England as evidence of an out-of-control deer population. Adult males can be around 8 feet in length and weigh between 130 and 150 pounds, while adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds. Males (100 to 170 lbs.) Anyway I got to see that set of eyes way closer than I ever wanted, by the time my hand got on my pistol she was gone. I will never forget what I saw! What would motivate DEEP officials to do this isnt clear. According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, mountain lions became extinct in Connecticut in the 1800s, and bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. Well, theres no difference between Maine and New Brunswick, anyway, said Betty. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. And thats a surprisingly complex question, because it hinges on numerous factors: policy and politics, culture and conditioning, habitat and, frankly, hubris. Despite frequent claims, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion sighting since the late 1800s here. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? Adult Cougars have short fur that is brown or greyish (sometimes reddish) over most of the body, with a white chest and belly. Had trouble sleeping last night cause that was to close and I think she may have stalked me from where I was in the woods. By 1825, only 25% of Connecticut was forested due to deforestation from agricultural activities and other uses of timber. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. I was just amazed as I watched this scene in my own back yard. Wednesday, November 25th 2020. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. He set down his cigarette and looked me in the eye. As I rushed to meet her in the woods, she told me what she had seen. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. I also had a coworker report a similar experience around the same time. Time changes all and Im not going to shut the door on the future and say that a breeding population of cougars is not here because the day after tomorrow they could be here its just a matter of time., Though a deer hunter herself, Morse is opposed to the way mountain lions have been hunted in the western U.S., where they are found. We also had bobcats that we saw quite often but I am positive that these were mountain lions! I live in Hopkinton, NH and saw one coming up from the Contoocook River one misty morning. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. If these animals are not in the habitat, what we see is an overabundance of herbivores., The ecologist John Laundre, who has spent 35 years studying cougars, concurs. We told him what we saw, and he confirmed other sightings on the property. I also know of someone who said they showed F&G a photo of one from a game camera in NH. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are Its distinctive featurethe one that sets it apart from other North American wild catsis its tail, which is thick and often as long as its body. When I shared their story with the staff at the center where my sister lived, I expected surprise and interested. 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My wife is not a wildlife expert, but is not prone to flights of fancy. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This setting should only be used on your home or work computer. And the clincher, What would you say was the most distinguishing feature? She lives near the end of a gravel road in a modest, low-slung house tucked into the flanks of the Green Mountains. Its not a bear, not a dog, not a deer, not a bobcat. Ask people who spend time outside Connecticut cities and you will hear firsthand or secondhand accounts of mountain lions. March 20, 2022; Bob Dylan is Staying Busy in Isolation May 5, 2020; An Argument Against Gen Eds February 18, 2013; Forgive or Forsake: When an Artist Messes Up April 6, 2018; Computer Science and ESPN: An Interview with Christine Chung February 18, 2015; The Emperor Has No Clothes: Trump and COVID-19 April 22, 2020 More recently, unexplained animal sightings in Connecticut and other states became more and more associated with mountain lions. They also want to foster the formation and protection of migration pathways for them and other animals to enter new states. Indeed, one of her steadiest sources of funding for Keeping Track is a presentation on cougars that has been known to draw more than 500 audience members. A trail camera was set up and confirmed the presence of a mountain lion on February 16, 2020. A lifelong Connecticut resident, Nicole has a degree in Communications from Fairfield University. That's not to say that pits are not formidable dogs, they are. Ive never forgotten that and told it to many folks over the years, most of whom, I must say, thought I was hallucinating I guess but, it/he/she was a fact in Longmeadow, MA that summer long ago. The size of a lion's territory depends on the availability of food and habitat quality. Still more confusion ensued when a lab technician said she might have gotten some samples confused, and thus the canid result was thrown into doubt. 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. She favors plaid shirts, green Dickies work pants, and hiking boots, and she chided me for shaking her hand too gently. A threat to livestock, they were hunted out of the state and driven to parts more wild. However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. Mountain lions have been dispersing away from these population areas, and researchers recently mapped all confirmed mountain lion observations from 1990-2008 (LaRue et al. It may not surprise you to learn that I was quite intrigued by this third group. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. Mountain lions, on the other hand, weigh in at between 130 to 150 pounds for males and between 65 and 90 pounds for females. and with my friend Chris Christinat who lives in hartsville we saw one stalking a rabbit on her lawn about autumn of 2009. She said it jumped up on the neighbors stone wall which was pretty high and walked across it. Somebody in the NC Legislature believes, because lions are now protected by law. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection receives 50-100 reports of mountain lions each year, says Paul Rego, a wildlife biologist with the department. Officially, the last mountain lions were hunted to extinction here in the late 1800s. Were getting more and more home entries every year. UConn women's basketball's Dorka Juhsz, Amari DeBerry play 'word sneak' at press conference, Fight breaks out after CT high school basketball game between Bassick, Wilbur Cross, Amanda Bynes, Steve from 'Blues Clues' to appear at 90s Con in CT, Connecticut paranormal convention coming back this spring, Bridgeport woman competes to find love on Paramount+ dating show, Self-taught pianist Serene to perform at Grace Farms. Yes, of course they are here, transients. Unlike male cougars, the femaleslike this Montana cat with her cubdont tend to strike out for new territory, which makes it unlikely that a breeding population would establish itself far from the cougars current habitatsbut not impossible. The guide told him earlier in the summer he and a couple clients had watched a moutain lion come down to the bank of the Deerfield River just upstream and take a small deer, fawn, drag it into the woods and it kill it, they could hear the screams of the deer as the cougar finished the job. The discussion of whether federal lands should be a place to subsidize cattle ranching is another question. In a Facebook poll, 84 people said they believe mountain lions are in the county, 37 say they've personally seen them, and three people say they do not exist. I think of Aldo Leopolds Thinking Like a Mountain essay about how deer decimated the forests and died of starvation because of humans incessant desire to kill. Yet I also remembered something Sue Morse had told me months before, as we sat in her living room drinking beer and chatting cats. Connecticut Republicans are proposing to reduce the cost of electricity by removing state taxes and surcharges from customer invoices. Mrgunsngear (Mr. It was his great coolness and daring (either that, or fear) that enabled Crowell to shoot the animal at a distance of one rod only (roughly 16 feet), first hitting it in the leg with his shotgun, then dispatching it with a bullet to the head from a borrowed rifle. If this habitat can support them, it should. What are the chances of wolves coming back to Vermont? Indeed, in 2011, a male cougar was hit and killed by a car in Milford, Connecticut; through its DNA, wildlife biologists were able to trace the cat back to South Dakotas Black Hills, some 2,000 miles distant. While recent mountain lion sightings in Connecticut have not been confirmed, if someone suspects they encountered a mountain lion, they should not run away, as it might spur a chase. N.H.'s Fish and Game Concerned for people / pets and a school just down the street, stopped to report the sighting where dispatch told me that if I did not have proof they would not respond. UConn women's basketball's Dorka Juhsz, Amari DeBerry play 'word sneak' at press conference, Fight breaks out after CT high school basketball game between Bassick, Wilbur Cross, Guide to Legal Cannabis Dispensaries in CT, The Best Bathroom Remodeling Companies in CT, recent mountain lion sightings in Connecticut have not been confirmed, 10 criminal cases to watch in Connecticut in 2023, Haar: Pepperidge Farm HQ to exit CT for NJ with 170 jobs, After 350 years, the name of a CT river could be changed. Nearby grocery stores include Food Lion, Star Food. Hed encouraged me to keep my eyes open for deer carcasses cached in the trees (according to Ottmann, cougars are fantastic climbers and are known to stash their kills high in trees), but I saw only leaf-bare branches. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. We know that the closest established breeding population is in either the Everglades of Florida theres a small population down there and then out in South Dakota and Nebraska. Our hunter friend was hunting in central NH when they came upon an adult deer carcass way up in a tree. In some versions, state officials dont want to alarm people about the feline predators in their midst. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. Another possibility is to use the dosdude1 patcher to upgrade the MacBook to Sierra, this being generally possible on any unsupported machines mid-2008 or later. Photo of a mountain lion taken by a game camera. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. It is what wildlife biologists call an apex carnivore, which means it can overpower pretty much any other creature in its environmentwith the exception of an armed human. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows. CT Style. I could hear the steady rush of traffic on Route 315. It lowers the population in a way thats not going to affect the long-term population. For instance, a favorite food for deer is the seedlings of forest tree species. I was tracking some deer tracks and I came to a promising deer run with a lot of deer scat on the ground when I noticed a cat track amongst the sign. For who but we humans can look across the landscape and not acknowledge our role in the diminishment of cougars and the myriad ways in which we have knocked the landscape out of balance? Many, many times, in many different ways along its travel up through Minnesota, Michigan and to Canada, down through New York, through hair samples, blood samples, trail camera photos. You could have 50. Bill and I are full-throttle. Manchester, CT 06045 Phone: 800-237-3606 Email: service@journalinquirer.com. Public opinion surveys show many more would support reintroduction, than oppose. Hunt By Species: Mountain Lion | Montana FWP Hunt Species Guide: Mountain Lion Download the 2022 Mountain Lion Hunting Regulations Download now Current Quota Status for Mountain Lions Check Status Find Harvest information for Mountain Lions Harvest Reports Mountain Lion Identification Program Learn More > Automatic Notifications People like you are the problem and cause of extinctions. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. But, yes, thats exactly what it was. Mountain lions also have tails that can grow up to 3 feet. As I walked thru the beginning of the trail I spooked a deer and heard this awful screech and slowly backed out of there .. About This Home This charming 2 bed, 2 bath home, sits on a large lot facing north/south. I have heard several accounts from sober, sane, intelligent people who have seen them (especially a latre, good friend who was a very competent spokesman and hunter.). 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