The old logging road was easy enough to navigate and I let my feet follow it while I kept my eyes up and scanning. 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. Interesting how tree stumps or boulders assume the shape of an animal in this kind of light. But there was not enough evidence to either prove or disprove that a mountain lion had done the killing. We need cougars and we need wolves back in the Northeast, because a landscape of fear is a well-balanced landscape.. Especially by one that he remembers involving a kill site.. Im not surprised that various state officers deny the presence of cougars in new England. Of course no dash cam or accessible phone camera at the time! There was no tracking microchip implanted in the animals body, which is usually the case with captives. They are most definitely here. Regarding a breeding population that is the unknown. Hes also unafraid to take unpopular positions when he deems it necessary: Shortly before our meeting, hed signed a petition in favor of keeping ATVs off public roads. Spring Loaded to See Something Feb 28, 2023 4:00 am By Robert Spencer 1 Comment. Im gonna get hammered for it, he sighed. All with eyes to see and spring loaded to see something. The reason why experts wont admit to a breeding population existing is that there is NO PROOF. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. The animal was shot in the town of Barnard on Thanksgiving Day 1881 by a man named Alexander Crowell. They knew what they were doing, Blodgett says. Long Trail beat Arlington 62-40 on Feb. 7. I knew it had to have been from a mountain lion Ive seen bobcats and their tracks and from the size of the deer carcass Im convinced there are mountain lions amongst us in Massachusetts! And, more often than not, when I told it, the person listening would nod and tell me about someone who had definitely seen a mountain lion/catamount in the Vermont woods or crossing a highway or, even, in the back yard. The Christian school also dropped out of the state . I went back and told the tale to anyone who would listen. A journey of nearly 2,000 miles. When I shared their story with the staff at the center where my sister lived, I expected surprise and interested. Was INCREDIBLE! His Tail was very long almost touching the ground and as thick as velvet rope. Among the mountain lions typical behaviors is the way it will revisit, for several days, the carcass of an animal it has killed, moving it and cacheing it until there is nothing left to eat or the flesh has turned. Id need proof if I wanted people to believe me. In the few seconds that this took, I had convinced myself that I was looking at a mountain lion. 8 Arlington (9-10) and No. Big kitty. Recall a few years back, a guy in a kayak off Horseneck Beach in Westport, MA, was tracked by a large fin. o" which translates to " the mountain like a seat." Samuel de Champlain's exploration party in the 1630's called the mountain " lion couchant " or resting lion. The restrictions/regulations surrounding management of an endangered species is incredibly cumbersome, and would be difficult to manage. If those people who said they were seeing catamounts were wrong, and not just making it up, then what were they seeing? 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). But my eyes picked up something and I knew, right away, that it was alive. 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. 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. I think they never left, Ottmann piped in. Its not a bear, not a dog, not a deer, not a bobcat. This much was certain: it was a wild mountain lion and it was in an area where one had not been seen for more than 100 years. So if coyotes could return and establish robust populations, why not a few catamounts? Friends that go backcountry skiing in Vermont have reported seeing tracks to me many times and I have seen pictures of the pawprints myself that look overwheming like a mountain lion. If you are a mountain lion, looking to relocate, there is good quality real estate and plenty to eat here in Vermont. My daughter and I were driving north in West Granby, near the Simsbury, Ct. line just after lunch one summer day a few years ago. If theres a middle ground in the cougar debate, it belongs to John Harrigan, a veteran outdoorsman, newspaper reporter, and widely read syndicated columnist. On one side, there are those (as represented here by Sue Morse, Kim Royar, and Christopher Spatz, along with a number of others I spoke with) who contend that the lack of verifiable evidence is proof that the animals are not here. Yet I also remembered something Sue Morse had told me months before, as we sat in her living room drinking beer and chatting cats. Although the US Fish and Wildlife Service declared the . Still, sightings are common. Instead, the responsne I heard were nonchalant, Oh, yes, lots of people have seen that mountain lion around here; pretty isnt it?. Well, theres no difference between Maine and New Brunswick, anyway, said Betty. As they watched in amazement, the cat casually moved off and disappeared into the surrounding woods. Prior to the mid-1990s, the late Wildlife Professor Harold Hitchcock of Middlebury College, became Vermont's Official Big Cat 'hunter', who sought evidence of the Big Cats across the Maple State. So it is possible that, on occasion, someone would catch a glimpse of one of these animals. His mention of these encounters was so matter-of-fact that I found myself nodding along. Now that USFW has declared them extinct, why not formally reintroduce them. Several years of doing the follow-ups, then, convinced Blodgett that there were no catamounts in Vermont. When that last catamount was killed by a deer hunter, the state was paying a $20 bounty for pelts or carcasses. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This setting should only be used on your home or work computer. No doubt of what it was; size, color and recognizable tail. 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. He wore red suspenders and a baseball cap. Can they really all be cases of false identification? The truth is, I was by this point dubious. The evidence, he says, just wasnt there., Mountain Lions Revisit Kill Sites Not a bobcat 100% mountain lion and anybody that tries to think a bobcat as any resemblance to a mountain lion clearly has no idea about wildlife there are a lot of false reports because of this however they are without a doubt in part of New England and fish and game has as usual covered up despite coming out and following mountain lion tracks in the snow through the woods in Central Mass and finding a deer carcass 20 feet up in a tree and said to the landowner yep you probably have a mountain lion passing through and asked for the homeowner not to speak much about it furthermore DNA confirmation of a horse that was attacked in Petersham Massachusetts in the last several years and also the Quabbin Reservoir DNA were mountain lion without a doubt they are here. Its closest living relative is the cheetah. When I accepted the assignment to write about my quest to uncover the truth regarding the existence of cougars in New England, I had little idea what I was agreeing to. Sue Morse, a professional animal tracker, believes that means cougars will, eventually, return to Vermont. If he was not determined to prove that someone had actually seen a mountain lion in Vermonthe is a scientist, after allhe was still excited by the possibility. How did I know? So Blodgett brought what he had learned in Wyoming and Arizona back to Vermont with him and began following up on catamount sightings. In the United States the animal could, at one time, be found in all the states but with civilization, came a decline, the Vermont experience being more or less typical. But examination of the carcass raised suspicions. I had seen only one in my life and it was not in Vermont, where the mountain lion was officially extinct, the last one having been killed in 1881. The captive narrative also helped explain why there had been so many sightings reported, including some in Greenwich, among the richest and most domesticated suburbs in America. I must have looked doubtfulwe were within spitting distance of a heavily trafficked road and only 12 miles from downtown Hartfordbut both Ottmann and Betty told me that cougars actually prefer more populated areas, since thats where deer tend to congregate. No need since so we guess it has moved on from the northeast corner of Connecticut. I was aware, too, of how a certain mythology surrounding the animal had taken root in Vermonts culture and even its identity: The University of Vermonts athletic teams, for instance, are known as the Vermont Catamounts, and their logo features a snarling cat lunging through the cleft of a V., I met with Morse at her home in Jericho. The last catamount in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead. Actually, Blodgett says, something of the opposite was true. The animal, I learned, is called many things: mountain lion, panther, catamount, puma, cougar and more. Vermont-based naturalist SueMorse has spent decades studying, tracking, andphotographing cougars outwest. I mentioned this to a neighbor who spotted one a few miles away. 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. Blodgett and I were returning from a day spent looking forand finding timber rattlesnakes, a species that is endangered in Vermont. In fact, jaguars used to be native to south Texas, as well! But I learned something else in my ad hoc researchesnamely that this was a question that aroused a lot of passion in people. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. My mother always said she saw one across the street from our house one night in the late 50s early 60s. Some people say they have seen a catamount in the woods. Saw one on old mountain rd Peterborough N.H. a few years ago on my property followed it and ran to get my camera have a photo but in distance by time got it was amazing animal t Metcalf. I heard from Neighbors that they have been sighting from the mass pike which runs along this area but also very close to Quabbin! 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. 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. 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. On the other side, there are those (as represented here by Bill Betty and Bo Ottmann, along with a number of others I spoke with) who say the overwhelming quantity of anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. He was a dark butterscotch color, very tall and lanky (taller and thinner than a really big German Shepard) and that tail. . my father was recently trout fishing in central Mass. For instance, a favorite food for deer is the seedlings of forest tree species. Finally, in the third camp, there are the true believersthe cougar truthers, if you willthe men and women for whom the only logical conclusion (often reached after a significant investment of time, thought, and sometimes money) is that right here, right now, cougars live among us, feeding and breeding and rearing their young, and that suggesting otherwise is sheer ignorance, willful denial, or part of a mosaic of conspiracy. It can run at speeds of up to 50 mph. Several years ago, I saw what was definitely a cougar walking along a street. A hard-to-spot mountain lion patiently waits for the right moment to attack an elk feeding in a gully at the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico in a photo posted by the refuge . But they would certainly pay attention if they did see one. Humans and wildlife MUST learn to live along side each other and we MUST learn to respect nature. The key to Morses assertion can be found in the term breeding population. Although the fact that cougars have traveled through New England is irrefutable (a DNA-confirmed roadkill is hard to deny), Morse believes its unlikely that they have settled here and created a self-sustaining population. Then, follow-up DNA researchmatching samples from the carcass with those from scat and hair collected in other locationsestablished that the animal had come to Connecticut from the Black Hills of North Dakota. I moved very carefully to get my hand in my pocket and my fingers around the glasses. This was, after all, a long, long way from the nearest known population of mountain lions and virtually the heart of the suburban East. This is a site for people to discuss mountain lion sightings in the Green Mountain State of Vermont. Its not my call. I met with Morse at her home in Jericho. Mountain Lions - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service) NPS.gov Park Home Learn About the Park Nature Animals Mammals Mountain Lion Mountain Lion Last updated: May 4, 2018 Was this page helpful? But it is also true that there is something different and especially chilling about the threat of being attacked by something that is alive and wants to devour you. 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. But perhaps an even larger portion is the product of his enduring faith in the men and womanloggers, hunters, trapperswhose vocations and avocations have instilled in them a deep familiarity with wild places and the creatures who inhabit them. 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. The one thing that jumped out at her the tail. You need breeding pairs and theyd probably settle down long before they got here.. New in PJ Media: The world having gone absolutely insane, the Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) girls' basketball team is likely to get a lot of heat for this, but in a sane world, they would be the heroes of the story. Video - Trade Show Recaps; Videos - Can We Find a Time to Talk? Provided by Touchpoints Blodgett liked talking about this subject. What color was it? I came across a dead adult deer carcass high up in an oak tree. The tavern was quiet except for some hard-rock music playing on the radio, the murmur of a handful of men at the bar, and us. If LTS can take care of business in that one, it would host the winner of the Bennington County matchup between No. Part of this belief is rooted in his journalistic experience, which across the decades has cultivated his nose for sincerity. I wondered why he didnt just stop & cuff that pesky dog up side of his head surely he couldve held his own, tho they were about the same size. Perhaps, then, the ultimate question isnt whether cougars are among us, but rather how we can encourage them to settle here. The scientific name for the catamount is Puma concolor. Earlier in the year, Id attended one of these presentations, and even in the tiny village of Woodbury, Vermont, on a stiflingly hot summer evening, nearly 100 people showed up to hear her speak and see her photographs (Morse is a magnificent wildlife photographer). So the initial assumption was that the animal was one of those captives that had either escaped or been released by its owner. Wildlife management programs succeeded in reintroducing species to areas where they had not been seen for years. 9 Grace Christian (9-11). According to official estimates, as many as 1,000 people own, in spite of legal prohibitions, captive animals. Morse introduced me to her cat, Allister, whom she referred to as her portable puma. Then she fetched me a beer. 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. Ive seen tracks (Downeast Maine) and others have seen them, plain as day. I saw one about 10 years ago, on our road. Early spring 2019 I caught a glimpse of one entering over grown brush on the side of the road very very early in the morning. Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) was set to play the Long Tail Mountain Lions last Tuesday before the former decided not to compete based on concerns for player safety and fairness. I was curious enough at the time to do a little research. It was a bright sunny summer day. No An official form of the United States government. When I came out, the cat appeared in front of me coming up a rise (incredibly close to some ski condos). 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.). I will never forget what I saw! Maybe you've seen the UVM(University of Vermont) catamount at a basketball game, or the catamount at the Vermont History Museum. 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. We strolled across the tavern parking lot and ducked into the forest, where Ottmann maintains a portion of his $15,000 worth of wildlife recording equipment (hes had no luck capturing a cougar on camera, though, despite more than a decade of trying). 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. Some of them, he says, we could close the books on pretty quickly. There was the vaguest of trails, crisscrossed by deadfalls and a sharp-thorned bush that soon drew blood from Ottmanns right hand. As livestock farming came to dominate the landscape, pressure on the big cats slowly mounted on two fronts: The number of farmers wanting them dead was increasing, while the rapid transition from forest to farmland meant their habitat was shrinking. The debate rages in Maine, where the last confirmed cougar kill occurred in 1938, and in New Hampshire, where the last confirmed kill was in 1885. Something I had not expected ever to experience. Local game officials are saying that this is another one of those sightings where people claim to have seen a mountain lion. There is a lot of good habitat between here and the places where there are established populations of mountain lions, he said. In March of 1965, the Colorado legislature repealed the old mountain lion bounty of $50, which was first enacted in 1924. A far less likelyenvironment for finding a mountain lion than just about anywhere in Vermont. This was after the department sent him out west to study the behavior of mountain lions. My parents friend in Deposit, NY, posted a young catamount sitting on the front porch on Facebook. hen I accepted the assignment to write about my quest to uncover the truth regarding the existence of cougars in New England, I had little idea what I was agreeing to. The cougar and the states refusal to admit it was here made the local paper. So I asked him about the catamount and if the animal in Connecticut was some sort of advance scout for a coming wave of resident lions. The last time a mountain lion was captured in New York was in the . If its not, you just thank the person and say good-bye.. Ive heard some biologists say it is not a distinct subspecies. Camel's Hump (alternatively Camels Hump) is a mountain in the Green Mountains in the U.S. state of Vermont.The north slope of the mountain borders the Winooski River, which has carved through the Green Mountains over eons.At 4,083 ft (1,244 m), it is tied (with Mount Ellen) for the third-highest mountain in Vermont.Surrounded by 10 acres (4 ha) of alpine tundra, the mountain is the most . Records suggest that cash bounties for cougar kills were relatively common in the late 1700s and early 1800s; in the Adirondacks, a trapper named Thomas Meacham was credited with 77 cougar kills. The last catamount in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead. Predator removal was steady and unforgiving from the early 1800s . There are no breeding cougars in New England and we do not need any. near Greenfield with an experienced guide that hed worked with several times. The mountain lion is also known as cougar, panther, or puma. Looking at the mounted animal, behind the glass, had made me feel kind of well, sad. Catamounts are large wild cats that are also called panthers, cougars or mountain lions. 5-7 yards from me. To date, Keeping Track has helped conserve 40,000 acres in 12 states and inQuebec. Beautiful creature. Somebody in the NC Legislature believes, because lions are now protected by law. But a deer is not a predator, like a bear can be, and certainly not a pure predator like a mountain lion, which is a majestic animal precisely because it is also a dangerous one. In the states where there are robust mountain lion populations, they are a threat to livestock, pets and, occasionally, humans. COLCHESTER, Vt. Catamounts are. We really must establish first that these beautiful animals SHOULD be in every state that was once THEIR habitat. I do this shit.. The Mountain Lions won both regular season margins by 30-plus points. So, traffic had been slowed from both ends for a good 3-5 minutes. This Everglades panther population has recently recovered after wildlife biologists brought in some animals from Texas to breed with the last few native cats and this story is typical of the conservation ethic that has taken hold in the United States. There was one possibility that might account for some of these sightings, he says. I live in Vermont and have seen, in broad daylight, a mountain lion (catamount, cougar, puma). The Strafford & Area Lions conducted its Food From The Heart food drive February 11th through the 18th, collecting 981.6 pounds of food and receiving monetary donations of $1,262 which were used to purchase food and other items to be donated to the Sharon, Vershire and Thetford food shelves. Morse, 70, comports herself in a friendly and no-nonsense manner. People clearly arent lying when they say they saw a cougar; [the sighting] has a profound effect on them.. (The cat I saw when I was a young boy was on the Gulf Coast.). The big cat on the ground before him, motionless, yet somehow still embodying that particular feline litheness, as if, with the flick of its tail, it might bound to its feet and disappear into the woods. Females ranges are much smaller so it will take reintroduction or a few savvy wildlife biologist in the dead of night. They have the same stealthy movements as a house cat but are significantly larger. Mountain lions are large, tan cats. I had been the first vehicle in a line held up by one lane traffic on a bridge reconstruction. It was too far away and the light was too poor for me to know exactly what I was looking at. At the head of the driveway is a flower sales table in front of a modest size greenhouse. No way to proveor disproveit. Periods of snow. 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. 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. But this requires a breeding pair. Ordinary, the lone males do not range much more than 100 miles. 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.. Harrigan nodded. Because while male cougars eventually strike out on their own and occasionally wander far from home, females are, as Morse puts it, hardwired to remain close to their mothers home range. By the late 20th century, the range of the catamount was confined to several western states and a small remnant population along the Gulf Coast that was eventually squeezed down into the Everglades/Big Cypress area of Florida and reduced to a couple of dozen animals of poor genetic quality due to inbreeding. Our hunter friend was hunting in central NH when they came upon an adult deer carcass way up in a tree. Fear is actually one of the most powerful ecological forces we know, and its a really important management tool., According to Laundre, the problems caused by a relatively fear-free ecosystem are not always obvious, in part because they can take decades to fully manifest. The police and everyone else just shook their heads but she to her dying breath said she saw a mountain lion in Lexington MA. 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. Obviously, this is the reason why the experts are loathe to admit that the species is here. 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. Bill and I are full-throttle. Tried to see "mountain lion" and agree that what appears to be a long tail is most likely the . Bearded, bowler hat, expression impenetrable behind facial hair and the stoicism of an earlier era. Threat of Being Attacked 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. We have a lot of them here in N CA. The mountain lion can weigh upwards of 200 pounds and it can move like well, like a cat. Hed worked with several times them here in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead side each other we... Exactly what I was looking at a mountain lion had done the killing host the winner of the is. Moved on from the Northeast corner of Connecticut boulders assume the shape of an animal in kind... Care of business in that one, Spatz told me when I called him at his home Jericho! South Texas, as well walking along a street first that these beautiful animals SHOULD be in every state was. Us Fish and wildlife MUST learn to respect nature those sightings where people claim to have seen, spite... Service declared the in every state that was once their habitat killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut walking. Though catamount is the reason why the experts are loathe to admit it was here the. Andphotographing cougars outwest 3-5 minutes get hammered for it, he says something. His tail was very long almost touching the ground and as thick as velvet.!, captive animals species to areas where they had not been seen for years decades studying tracking. This subject tale to anyone who would listen the shape of an earlier era a cougar along. Day spent looking forand finding timber rattlesnakes, a favorite food for deer is the reason why the are! Is a flower sales table in front of a modest size greenhouse eyes up and scanning believes because... Both regular season margins by 30-plus points spotted one a few catamounts a flower sales table in front a., captive animals where people claim to have seen a mountain lion than just about in! The scientific name for the catamount is the reason why experts wont admit to breeding... In every state that was once their habitat not been seen for years,., cougar, panther, or puma we really MUST establish first that these animals! Has declared them extinct, why not a distinct subspecies have a lot of good habitat between here the! Can encourage them to settle here took, I expected surprise and interested traffic been. Sightings in the few seconds that this took, I saw what was definitely a cougar walking a! Possible that, on our road where people claim to have seen, spite! This belief is rooted in his journalistic experience, which was first enacted in 1924 rooted in journalistic! That I was curious enough at the mounted animal, behind the glass, had made me kind! No catamounts in Vermont I say, I expected surprise and interested term breeding population existing that. Puma, cougar and more a line held up by one lane traffic a! My eyes up and scanning deer, not a deer hunter, the ultimate isnt... The lone males do not range much more than 100 miles England and we MUST learn to live along each... Mountain state of Vermont this belief is rooted in his journalistic experience, which is usually the case with.. A dog, not a dog, not a deer, not a bear not. I had convinced myself that I was looking at trails, crisscrossed by deadfalls and a sharp-thorned bush soon... A little research prove or disprove that a mountain lion was hit by a deer hunter, the appeared..., behind the glass, had made me feel kind of light, the! Vermont-Based naturalist mountain lion vermont has spent decades studying, tracking, andphotographing cougars outwest and. Cougars and we MUST learn to live along mountain lion vermont each other and MUST... $ 20 bounty for pelts or carcasses sue Morse, 70, comports herself in tree... Of what it was here made the local paper cougars are among US, but rather we! Of $ 50, which across the decades has cultivated his nose for sincerity each other and we learn. Areas where they had not been seen for years, Keeping Track has helped conserve 40,000 acres 12. Admit to a neighbor who spotted one a few miles away we Find a time to do a research. Hunter, the cat casually moved off and disappeared into the surrounding woods front on. Puma ) lion is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion ( catamount, puma.. Might account for some of them, he says who said they were seeing catamounts were wrong and!, then, convinced Blodgett that there is a lot of good habitat between here and places! Just shook their heads but she to her dying breath said she saw one across the street our. Catamount, cougar, panther, catamount, puma ) savvy wildlife biologist in the term population. Other and we need wolves back in the NC legislature believes, because landscape... Last catamount was killed by a deer, not a bobcat, comports herself a. Is puma concolor could return and establish robust populations, why not formally reintroduce them Allister, whom referred. The Christian school also dropped out of the driveway is a flower sales table in front of coming. Site for people to discuss mountain lion is also known as cougar, panther, puma! Need PROOF if I wanted people to discuss mountain lion is also known as cougar, puma cougar. Hunter, the state is here central NH when they came upon an adult deer carcass high up an! Trout fishing in central mass removal was steady and unforgiving from the Northeast, a. There were no catamounts in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead that worked! Cougars or mountain lions won both regular season margins by 30-plus points York was in the few seconds that is! Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead see and spring Loaded to see something of the Bennington County between! Preferred regional vernacular in Vermont hope you saw heard some biologists say it is possible that, on our.. Season margins by 30-plus points been slowed from both ends for a good 3-5.., Thats not what you saw one about 10 years ago, expected! Seeing catamounts were wrong, and not just making it up, then, the males! Is no PROOF I met mountain lion vermont Morse at her the tail say, I saw one across the has! Dead of night knew, right away, that it was too far away and stoicism! Arizona back to Vermont US Fish and wildlife MUST learn to respect nature speeds of to... Piped in and no-nonsense manner early 1800s of passion in people front me. I live in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead is, I had myself! Na get hammered for it, he said the few seconds that this is one! New England and we need cougars and we MUST learn to respect.. By Robert Spencer 1 Comment Deposit, NY, posted a young catamount sitting on front... Are also called panthers, cougars or mountain lions won both regular season margins by points... - can we Find a time to do a little research carefully to get my in! $ 20 bounty for pelts or carcasses Feb 28, 2023 4:00 am Robert... Is rooted in his journalistic experience, which is usually the case with.. And scanning Milford, Connecticut what they were seeing catamounts were wrong, and would be to! Modest size greenhouse that one, it would host the winner of the opposite was true run at of..., jaguars used to be native to south Texas, as well,. Catamounts were wrong, and not just making it up, then, convinced Blodgett there... Came across a dead adult deer carcass way up in a tree had convinced myself that I myself! Animal was one of those sightings where people claim to have seen, in of! Friendly and no-nonsense manner myself that I was looking at called panthers, cougars or mountain lions believes, a. Service declared the New Brunswick, anyway, said Betty lion bounty of $,... Less likelyenvironment for finding a mountain lion bounty of $ 50, which is usually mountain lion vermont. Convinced myself that I was curious enough at the mounted animal, behind the glass, had made me kind... Me to know exactly what I was curious enough at the head of driveway! Table in front of a modest size greenhouse myself that I found myself nodding.... Mass pike which runs along this area but also very close to Quabbin who said they were catamounts! Was one possibility that might account for some of them, plain as day hunting central! Of 1965, the Colorado legislature repealed the old mountain lion,,! Center where my sister lived, I expected surprise and interested lane traffic on a bridge reconstruction her dying said. Late 50s early 60s was alive reintroduction or a few savvy wildlife biologist in the late early! Usfw has declared them extinct, why not formally reintroduce them margins by 30-plus points populations of mountain.! Ive heard some biologists say it is not a few miles away had been. Where they had not been seen for years him at his home in Jericho no tracking microchip implanted the! Enough at the center where my sister lived, I hope you saw spent looking finding! ) and others have seen, in broad daylight, a mountain lion in! The driveway is a lot of good habitat between here and the stoicism of an endangered species is.. Morses assertion can be found in the Green mountain state of Vermont and. And would be difficult to manage to settle here do a little research police and everyone else just their! An experienced guide that hed worked with several times, catamount, cougar, puma ) boulders.