This normal school was founded by veterans of both the Union and the Confederacy, Concord is named for the ideal of "harmony and sweet . Virginia's population of mountain lions went extinct in the 1970s, even if there have always been sightings reported in the state. I was taking my wife to work eraly Thursday about 4 am..We had just passed the airport on 58 east in Danville, Va. To the right side shoulder of the road there stood some type of cat. How many people have actually saw a bobcat in the wild? I live in Spout Spring. The cougars wandering far from their original homes in the West are, naturally, searching for three things: habitat, food and mates. Many mountain lions live at altitudes as high as 19,000 feet, hence the name mountain lion. He said, I went out at about dusk and I was looking around my property and at the edge of the woods I saw a mountain lion with a half dead groundhog in its mouth and it was tossing it into the air and catching it.. I guess I just dont want to believe they are here, because we live in the woods. It was the scarriest night of my life and if anyone wants to confirm that there are mountain lions in Shenandoah Park just park at hogback at mile point 21 and set up camp where i did. just wanted to know more about wolves in Virginia. I too hope to see mountain lions return to Virginia, but I really dont think there are many here yet, if any all. In reply to Beowulf it may interest you to know I accomplied a rabit hunter back to Appomattox County where he had found a cougar carcass. It turned around when it got to the side of the road and went back into the tall grass. Virginia's mountain lions, known as the Eastern puma, were once on the endangered species list. Mountain lion sightings in eastern North America, outside of southern Florida, are still more likely to be escaped or abandoned "pet" mountain lions or other large . We made eye contact. During one of our walks last weekend my sister spotted a very !large! For decades, the chances of coming across one of these big cats in an eastern state were slim to none, and much to the chagrin of residents like Marchibroda who have reported sightings, the U.S. Cougars, also known as mountain lions, were once common here and they have left a legacy of place names throughout the state indeed, the entire Southeast. Where are mountain lions in Virginia? Well, then dont dress them up like sheep, he said with a chuckle. I saw the cats long tail as he ran into the woods. Various wolf packs took up residence in the nearly 900-square-mile area over the years, and this pack settled atop a massive, rocky cliffside. I would guess that the overbundance of whitetail deer could have contributed to the return? of the puma. It glanced in my direction but the headlights seemed to blind it and it proceeded to cross the road and enter the grass on the other side. 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. 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. Officials captured the escaped mountain lion and found a second one that had also escapedoutside of Harrisonburg, harassing turkeys on a farm. Could a mountain lion or cougar be in my area? The left rare flank was eaten and the entrails were gone. As I inched my way down the road I saw the tall grass to my left move as if something was approaching the road. Way back in 1977 I was firebossing a mine in McDowell Co WVa. Had an Eagle land right outside the living room window one time. Remember Ligertown? Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Eastern Cougar Recovery Plan, morphological differences identified from museum specimens was used to classify over 30 subspecies of the Eastern Cougar, before DNA analysis was available So, wanting to get them closer, I called them. We have no intentions, but if they show up, they show up.. The species can adjust to different habitats anywhere from mountains to forests to swamps. I lived on the border of the Great Smoky Mt Natl Park for 7 years. Still no pictures though. Managing them in that way allowed for populations to rebound, and thats what we think is fueling the dispersal. If anyone is interested, you may write me at thatwhitekid247@aol.com. We were too busy looking at each other asking, Did you see that? We should have ben focusing on details. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. Motion-sensitive infrared cameras have been deployed near Appalachian Trail to try to determine whether cougars are back. Victim of animal attack treated for rabies. He always said it sat there for just a moment and then slipped into the woods and was gone. As for what a new population of mountain lions would mean for nearby residents, education is crucial. This also was a sighting near Callands, VA: my wife was out jogging on our dirt road and came across a very large bobcat, about the size of a large dog, stubby tail, brown color, only about fifty yards from her, just staring at her. D. Racey I dont think you have to worry about your horse at all. Email me. Also 16-20 at the shoulder seems short for 120lbs. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. In reply to D. Racey we would like to review your photo of the track. No good road kill presented to VDWR or local newspapers, none trapped by hunters or researchers, none seen by professional naturalists or captured by wildlife photographers. Holly Kuchera/Shutterstock.com. As for photos circulating via social media, he thinks it may start out light humored and then get carried away. My husband and I got a real good look at it though and there was no doubt a mountain lion in Page County Virginia! No more mountain lions in Virginia, only bobcats. Its actually kind of scary if you think about it. The range of a Mountain Lion may cover 25 to 785 square miles. It was last June that my husband and brother in law were traveling on rt 66 where it goes into rt 81 (somewhere between Front Royal and Strasburg) and saw a cougar dead on the side of the highway! Thanks, Beowulf, I am looking for someone in the Frederick county/Clarke county area to confirm a track/print I took a picture of. Others have been clustered in the Valley. She got quite close to them while on Jake but as soon as she began to dismount they scattered. I saw what I thought was a mountain lion today in Fairfax County off of Bull Run Post Office Rd and Glory Creek Trail near the Loudoun County line. few turkeys this spring and summer. About 200 yards west of the main gate of Mount Weather (Morgans Mill Road) in Clarke county. Thus the tight lips. It was in the early evening but well before dark. We had stopped outside the portal to warm ourselves briefly before returning to the mine office when we heard a scream from the cliff face above us. Since 1970, 121 sightings have been identified as possible mountain lions, but have not been officially . Only a few are substantiated, and those have all been from escaped captives or males migrating eastward. Flash to present day. Well, then we know theres a cougar there, Peterson said simply. WVa Sanctuary provides safe home for mountain lions and bobcat. They say the last mountain lion in Virginia was killed in 1882. It was a brownish tan in color and was at least as large as my yellow lab. One reason is that admitting to their return would require counting/protection as they are an endangered species. Never have seen the cat again. I sometimes doubt local farmers reports. Near the paw print I found tracks of a small deer moving very fast (tracks far apart and just the point of the hoof.) Without as many wolves around, coyote populations began to thrive and expand eastward. You want to talk about uneasy its almost like it was stalking us. When they said they had we advised them of the origin and told them about the cougar incident on their property. Hmmm, but then we have pictures of bear in the local paper sometimes. No one has since today, reported seeing one. This was a night time sighting. Human expansion and economic progress have driven natural predators out of Virginia, giving the deer free rein. There are certainly plenty of remote areas for them in VA and W.VA. We do have pictures of that! . My father assumed it was a released pet, but then my good friend a licensed vet tech and very knowledgeable saw one with her husband in Nokesville VA on her horse farm, it was just on the edge of the wood line watching them, when they felt they were being watched and noticed the huge cat it dissappeared quickly, they have 2 miniature horses that are less than 200 lbs, it may have been observing. "According to Handley and Pattons 'Wild Mammals of Virginia'published in 1947, the last Virginia mountain lion was killed in Washington County in 1882. My 70lb lab is 24 at the shoulder for comparison. I live in Rockbridge Baths and found a trail of 4 dog prints in the woods! Figure 1 - Mountain lion range and confirmed sightings from 1990-2008. . cat with a !very long! Does anyone want to speculate about the Appalachians being populated by African Lions? I live in Fairfax County, Northern Virginia and the area is pretty urban, although there are woods adjacent to my home and I have seen plenty of deer and fox. First, the nature of the mountain lion is to be elusive. They came out and investigated. The US Fish and Wildlife Service considered the lack of sightings during that period to be key evidence that no breeding population survived in the eastern states. Currently, there is only one species of wild cat that lives in Virginia. This picture seemed to have been at night. While driving down a winding mountain road in Madison County (Northwest, VA), I witnessed a large cat trotting up the road toward me. I stopped thinking I would see a deer cross the old farm road. https://www.whsv.com/content/news/Mountain-lion-attack-reported-near-Humpback-Rock-385246261.html. oct, 20-07 amherst va near big mount pleasent. It was extremely cold out, maybe -20F and we had just come out of the portal against the strong winds of the ventilation fans. It looked to be about 90 to 100 pounds. So these sightings have been confirmed, and there is in fact at least one mountain lion roaming around in Tennessee. While hiking in the winter after a good snowfall I came across huge cat tracks that were fresh. It is the timeline that is in dispute. He got only a few yards from the back door when the flashlight moved in the direction of a large cougar crouching in the garden and staring directly at him! Im thinking they are here though. 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. 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 The last one seen was last summer. Interestingly, the does seem to have very new fawns (twins generally). I havent seen it or signs of it since my 15 May report. I was sitting in my tent in the darkness (no fires permitted in the back country of the park) when i heard a loud crashing sound coming towards my tent. Crossing by the large boulders on the trails was terrifying, only once did i see one behind a boulder when I passed. A friend that lives in that community told me it is not uncommon to see them in the area. Purposeful reintroduction, bringing breeding-age females to a suitable area in the Appalachians, could speed the process dramatically. The states beautiful wilderness and mountainous terrain are prime mountain lion habitats. I also had NO idea they lived in that area, so close to my home :). Im not suggesting this a farm animal. I have a house about 3 miles from Orlean, VA in Fauquier County. Virginia is home to a bounty of beautiful wildlife, including some magical animals that any of us would be lucky to spot. I should have said that I think I may have seen one myself. I walked to my car and turned my lights on. I expect they will confirm puma presence. Biologists and wildlife specialists speculate that cougars will reestablish themselves in states like Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia within the next 25 to 50 years. But these cats are on experts radars, and the TWRA has even established a Cougar Response Committee to answer questions and sift through reported sightingsof which Peterson said he expects to see an influx later in the year. With numerous supposed sightings since the 1970s to present, it doesn't sound too far fetched. Bobcats, yellow labs, and feral house cats are all common culprits for mountain lion mis . But the sound again didnt seem characterstic of a fox, it wasnt a barking or a yelping, it was a scream/cry. 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. Their conclusion: "Sir, you don't have a mountain lion.". To improve the genetics of the Florida Panther, eight Texas females were brought to South Florida. But the majesty and strength of the Mountain Lion was still apparent! Be that as it may, I have happened upon a number of large feline tracks similar to those of the cougar, and while rerunning the indelible images of my sighting, can only deduce that the animal I saw was just that. (We use a copy of the original picture in lectures across Virginia). Our family moved to the Manassas National Battlefield area in 1983. I remember it freaked my dad out a lot because he had several small children. It certainly is rare to get more than just a glimpse of them. It lived across the cove form us, and it would scream out at night sometimes, so loud that chills ran down our spines. They have been absent from this state since the late 1800s; however, there have been a few isolated sightings. Mr. Lutz do you have internet picture of the Virginia cougar that you show arround? If you have any similiar stories let me know please. There are several reasons that government agencies dont want to admit to the presence of pumas in the area. We coundnt believe what we saw. We had tons of deer, albino too! The good news is that because it was right beside the road, others undoubtedly saw it, too, leaving no doubt that it was indeed a mountain lion because it was much too good a view for there to be any doubt of its species. Blue Ridge Outdoors is your guide to fly fishing, the Appalachian Trail, biking, travel, and more in the Blue Ridge and beyond. Staff writer BRUCETON MILLS Orphaned when his mother was shot by a poacher near Yellowstone National Park in 2003, Montana the mountain lion now prowls a well-fenced section of hillside next to a fast-flowing creek in the wilds of Preston County. It really burns me up to hear so called experts say that there are no mountain lions or even wolves for that matter in VA. About 10-12 years ago, there was a pretty severe drought, and I know I saw a wolf in the Woodlake area of Midlothian, but everyone said are you sure it wasnt a big dog? If you see a wolf, you know its not a dog. I just wonder if I have the same picture, & also if it is true. By 1900, hunting in North America had limited pumas to their present range of southwestern Canada, western U.S. wilderness areas, southern Florida, and isolated areas in Mexico. 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. Period. Jaguars can be black with black spots, so if indeed you saw a large cat, someone let loose a black jaguar. I saw a large bobcat at around mile 205-203 heading south on I-81. Further north, you can find mountain lions in . Mountain lions once lived in much of the eastern United States. Oct 3, 2017. I have chickens, belgian mules (not worried about them) and a herd of miniature donkeys but Im far more concerned about marauding bears than a mountain lion. Now, after a reintroduction that began in 2012, these magical creatures have made their way back. If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it! I live in Chilesburg, Caroline county. He charged at the Fish and Game guy in the process. So they say Mt. I never had heard anything like it before. As my friends wife was leaving, she looked out the window and said that saw what she thought to be dear. The cat was totally black with a long tail. But even when a new population does begin to grow, LaRue said the likelihood of crossing paths with them will still be miniscule. Colby is a freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. According to the rangers, there was an ongoing debate as to whether or not it was an authentic photo. Though they are pushing steadily eastward from the Rockies. 211 just north of Warrenton VA. 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