[jdcamb]

For the last couple of years there have been reports of Mountain Lion sightings around here. The State has not been able to confirm any of these sightings. There is even a video of one in a suburban back yard. Still the DEC says it is impossible for them to be here as the closest known habitat is 1500 miles away in Canada. They have been expatriated from NY since the 1890's. No evidence no cats.

Well the DEC has a Bear tracking program as they are trying to monitor Bear that have come up from PA. They use motion control cameras for this tracking program. Well look at what they found! Supposedly this shot was taken in the woods just south of Honeoye Lake in Springwater NY. HH Spenser park a popular riding area is here. I pretty much trust the source of this photo but still.... I have my questions. It is a cool photo regardless.......jdcamb

 

[BigHit-Maniac]

Here kitty kitty kitty....

 

[BurlyShirley]

that deer has about had it. damn.

Those things must be really, really, quiet.

 

[rvlacich]

I wonder if that picture was taken by one of those motion sensing cameras that deer hunters use to see if the deer are hitting up their salt licks.

 

[BurlyShirley]

I wonder if that picture was taken by one of those motion sensing cameras that deer hunters use to see if the deer are hitting up their salt licks.

I wonder if you read the first post.

 

[Lexx D]

I wonder if you read the first post.

 

[jdcamb]

I wonder if that picture was taken by one of those motion sensing cameras that deer hunters use to see if the deer are hitting up their salt licks.

Why would you need a camera to see if deer have been hitting your salt lick? ....jdcamb

 

[Crashby]

ummmm yikes - My mom lives on the count road that goes right into HH park... about 1.5 miles away from said kitty...

Ill have her cary a vile of elephant urine with her...

 

[BurlyShirley]

Why would you need a camera to see if deer have been hitting your salt lick? ....jdcamb

just so you can see if any big bucks are in the area, that way you know how to set up your hunt. Obviously if one salt lick has more big bucks coming than the other ones, that'd be the one to hunt.

 

[jdcamb]

just so you can see if any big bucks are in the area, that way you know how to set up your hunt. Obviously if one salt lick has more big bucks coming than the other ones, that'd be the one to hunt.

Cheating. It takes away from the hunt. How about just going out and checking out the lick to see how busy things are? Isn't that apart of the fun? Stalking the prey, being apart of the woods, knowing your range? If you spend enough time in the woods you will know where the big bucks are.....

 

[BurlyShirley]

Cheating. It takes away from the hunt. How about just going out and checking out the lick to see how busy things are? Isn't that apart of the fun? Stalking the prey, being apart of the woods, knowing your range? If you spend enough time in the woods you will know where the big bucks are.....

Well yes, you and I see that. But the 300 pound rednecks around here dont. But whatever, there's more than enough deer to go around. There populations now are higher than when columbus discovered america, oddly enough. They're stocked to be shot, essentially.

 

[Mike B.]

A got this 3rd hand so take it for what it's worth, here goes. A guy I work with has a brother-in-law that is a NY state trooper and supposedly back in September the ST pulled a truck over on 15 south here in the southern tier of NY, asked to review the truckers logs (standard procedure) and see what he was hauling. The truck driver said he couldn't open the trailer, that it was locked and it was DEC cargo and if he wanted to see what was inside he'd have to contact the DEC. The trooper gets a hold of the DEC and learns that there are caged mountain lions inside that are being used to control deer population. They are tagged and tracked like the bear are so they can "retrieve" them as needed. True or not, it is feasible because they hand out a lot of deer tags around here and the population is huge.

Second related story from Campbell, NY that comes from another guy a work with and lives in the area. His father has a farm in Addison and a fellow farmer was having a problem with the occasional sheep disappearing and figured it may be coyotes which are certainly in the area. Apparently they spent some late evenings in fields to try and shoot the coyotes and ended up shooting a mountain lion. They drug the cat off and let it go at that. A couple of days later the DEC shows up looking for their cat because they knew it wasn't moving around anymore (tracking device). The farmer confessed and they left it at that (no mountain lion season or protection?) and told him to keep it quiet.

Rumors at best I guess but sometimes where there is smoke there is fire.

 

[jdcamb]

Well yes, you and I see that. But the 300 pound rednecks around here dont. But whatever, there's more than enough deer to go around. There populations now are higher than when columbus discovered america, oddly enough. They're stocked to be shot, essentially.

True. So true. Hunting is now the only resource management program to control deer populations in many states. Nature and the fact that the corn harvest was wet have produced a bumper crop of corn fed deer around here Everyone in my family hunts so we will be eating Venison until the spring. Natures bounty has smiled upon us this year. We ate fresh loins the other night......

 

[jdcamb]

His father has a farm in Addison and a fellow farmer was having a problem with the occasional sheep disappearing and figured it may be coyotes which are certainly in the area. Apparently they spent some late evenings in fields to try and shoot the coyotes and ended up shooting a mountain lion.

I don't believe the first part. But I did hear about the story above. Why would the DEC hold back info concerning the repopulation of a edangered species? I figure the Governor would have a news conference and announce it as a success. He is a sportmens supposedly.... Just doesn't ring true.....jdcamb

 

[Echo]

I call bogus on that pic, that deer would be long gone.

 

[BuddhaRoadkill]

What happened to your photo? Mines in mint condition
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102437

 

[jdcamb]

What happened to your photo? Mines in mint condition
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102437

Oh well I kind of was suspect of that photo. Still a cool shot....jdcamb

 

[BuddhaRoadkill]

Great shot, regardless of origin. Let's wait a month and see what the next story is.

Toshi will figure it out for us.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

A got this 3rd hand... ...there is fire.

They decided the trucks were too obvious, so they taught the cats to fly black helicopters.

 

[.:Jeenyus:.]

I've seen a bobcat while riding, pretty scary.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I've seen a bobcat while riding, pretty scary.

OK, I have to ask: Why is it scary? It's not going to jump you.

We have 'em in my neighborhood, and I have met a couple at one time or another when in the woods. One got within about twenty feet before skulking off.

J

 

[BurlyShirley]

OK, I have to ask: Why is it scary? It's not going to jump you.

We have 'em in my neighborhood, and I have met a couple at one time or another when in the woods. One got within about twenty feet before skulking off.

J

Bobcats (down here anyway) will Kill a baby deer, and word has it that if you mess with one's kittens, it will own your face off.

So maybe if you were riding along and a kitten got stuck in your spokes...

 

[johnbryanpeters]

OK, I won't do that. Playing cards work much better than kittens anyway.

 

[.:Jeenyus:.]

OK, I have to ask: Why is it scary? It's not going to jump you.

We have 'em in my neighborhood, and I have met a couple at one time or another when in the woods. One got within about twenty feet before skulking off.

J

My friend and I were 12 at the time and up at a quarry full of jumps, when all of a sudden we start to hear leaves crackling in a fashon that sounds like footsteps, so we call out ask whos there. No reply. So we finally climb up onto a drop and there is a bobcat about 50ft away slowely walking towards us and our bikes were down the hill a bit. We do get stories of bobcats attacking hikers out here every once in a while in the paper.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I heard a story a couple years ago about someone in Bristol who got jumped by one, but it's the only incident i recall in about thirty years, and they're pretty common up here.

J

I went looking and could find no statistics for bobcat attacks on humans, but I did find this.

J'

 

[BurlyShirley]

I heard a story a couple years ago about someone in Bristol who got jumped by one, but it's the only incident i recall in about thirty years, and they're pretty common up here.

J

Hahhah, Im 10 minutes from Bristol. AWEsomE!

 

[Mike B.]

I read this the other day and have been trying to remember where I read it
Mountain lion story in USA Today

 

[Skookum]

I call bogus on that pic, that deer would be long gone.

Sneaking up on deer isn't really that hard. If us humans can do with how bad we stink then i'm sure a strong hungry cat can do it. i've ridden up and gotten very very close to blacktails and muleys on rides many many times, and elk a few times as well.
Here's a pic of one of the encounters a few years back when i happened to have a camera ready.

 

[Skookum]

I read this the other day and have been trying to remember where I read it
Mountain lion story in USA Today

haha that article is funny are east coasters really afraid of the big kitty cats?

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Apparently.

 

[Skookum]

Apparently.

i skimmed the first page, can you please tell everyone to stop being such ninnies on behalf of the riders of the Pacific Northwest....
A cougar won't attack unless it's young or old or starving or cornered so in 99.99% that you encounter one, it'll be no big deal..... and i'm sure a high percentage of encounters you'll be completely oblivious.
i've still to see one myself but i'm fairly certain some have seen me.
Like i've said a million times on here the only animal i fear in the woods is human.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

i skimmed the first page, can you please tell everyone to stop being such ninnies on behalf of the riders of the Pacific Northwest....
A cougar won't attack unless it's young or old or starving or cornered so in 99.99% that you encounter one, it'll be no big deal..... and i'm sure a high percentage of encounters you'll be completely oblivious.
i've still to see one myself but i'm fairly certain some have seen me.
Like i've said a million times on here the only animal i fear in the woods is human.

Yeah - I hear that mothers-in-law are starting to prowl in the eastern forests...

In the link I provided, the beastie turned out to be a big dog.

Statistics:

In the 75 or so documented cougar attacks in the past century or so, only ten were fatal.

Git out 'n ride.

J

 

[Skookum]

Yeah - I hear that mothers-in-law are starting to prowl in the eastern forests...

In the link I provided, the beastie turned out to be a big dog.

Statistics:

In the 75 or so documented cougar attacks in the past century or so, only ten were fatal.

Git out 'n ride.

J

well i had to read the rest of the thread you posted. A lot of funny shtuff on how seriously scared people are. i'm just glad i don't ride in New Zealand where just about everything is poisinous. Crash and land in a bush and get bit by a poisinous snail.

 

[BurlyShirley]

Like i've said a million times on here the only animal i fear in the woods is human.

Id be afraid of Grizzly Bears if we had them in our woods.

 

[narlus]

well i had to read the rest of the thread you posted. A lot of funny shtuff on how seriously scared people are. i'm just glad i don't ride in New Zealand where just about everything is poisinous. Crash and land in a bush and get bit by a poisinous snail.

actually, that's australia yr thinking of. NZ is very innocuous (not to mention breathtakingly beautiful).

 

[biggins]

Death To All Large Predators!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Slugman]

i skimmed the first page, can you please tell everyone to stop being such ninnies on behalf of the riders of the Pacific Northwest....
A cougar won't attack unless it's young or old or starving or cornered so in 99.99% that you encounter one, it'll be no big deal...

I wouldn't be so cavalier about it if I were you. About a year ago in SoCal two mountain bikers were attacked by a mountain lion (also known as Puma or Cougar) - one biker was saved by her friends, the other was killed.

I saw a Lynx in Foxboro, MA about 10 years ago - thing was 20 feet away and scared the piss outta us. Didn't do anything; just looked at the crazy mountain bikers sliding in the snow and turned around and disappeared.

I saw a bobcat about 3 months ago here in SoCal, thing walked right at me like it was my pet. I didn't realize that he was a bobcat until it was within 10 feet of me - it was just a bit larger than my cat so at first I thought it was a house cat... then I noticed the ears and tail. It got pretty close, turned and went into the bushes... didn't hear it the entire time.

 

[qualude]

I saw one in southern Oregon when I was still living there, outside of Emigrant lake, right on a powerline access road that my friend and I were riding. It crossed the road about 30 feet in front of us, and was upwind. We saw him, he saw us, and was gone. We turned around and got out of there. I don't care what anyone says, those cats will put the fear in ya. Very impressive animal.

 

[Lexx D]

So after talking to people at work I got a few more stories. One guy told me his hunting buddy looked out his window(lives in the catskills in NY) a couple weeks ago and saw a mountain lion in the driveway just hanging out. He went to another window and saw that it had a collar of some sort on. The guy called the DEC and they said it was impossible, he said he was gonna go shoot it then call them back. DEC of course told him what would happen if he did shoot it, when he got off the phone it was gone.
I would not be a bit surprised if the cats have made thier way back east, a little scary but cool.

 

[qualude]

Wouldn't suprise me either with the deer populations out here.

<------Brooklyn is full of 'em.