Help us document the biodiversity of the Green Mountain State. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. Lou: I am still awaiting your pictureit is now October 1st. Theres probably 100 in Connecticut, Ottmann interrupted, rolling a cigarette as he spoke. I did a triple take as I gazed up to a rocky cliff and saw without a doubt a mountain lion. 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.. Much as I liked Ottmann and Betty, and much as I found some of their evidence compelling, I was struggling to reconcile their more provocative claims with the restraint expressed by the many other experts Id spoken with. My favorite mountain lion story while living in California years ago was the turkey hunter who crouched down in front of a rock then used his call several times. http://www.unionleader.com/pda-articrespectful+way. Upon discussion I have found that Hartland residents report seeing mountain lions frequently-there are people that swear they come on their porch (one who works at ascutney hospital in windsor) and other older residents who have reported seeing them around the North Hartland Dam on an early morning walk. And identifying which is which is all in the tail, according to Bernier. I'll tell you that.. Two of my family members sighted cougars in Florida during daylight hours: one was leaping through a field on myakka side of route 75, between north port and Sarasota. Or click the map itself. T here've been several reported mountain lion sightings around Marine on St. Croix, Minn. in the last month. Photo courtesy of Dave O'Donnell. After telling some other locals there has been some other sightings in the Black mountain vicinity around Dummerston both before and after I saw the one I saw. Subsequent DNA testing found that the animal was from South Dakota. I am 6-2 200lbs at the time I was looking like Bruce lee because of working out daily for dirt bike racing. My understanding is that they can roam a 50 mile radius as home, so seeing one there could mean it lives 50 miles away in the woods. 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. We were both very startled and when it ran away it had a long tail with white and black at the tip.I lived in Colorado for several years, in the vicinity of mountain lions, never saw one and never thought for a moment that they could possibly be in Vermont. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. He also collects sighting reports on his blog, simply dubbed, "New Hampshire Mountain Lion." The blog still gets sightings, most recently on Aug. 3. Canada Lynx. I have no choice but to take this seriously, he told me. Of course. I dont know what they are, bigger than my 50 pound dogs foot prints. 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. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. She favors plaid shirts, green Dickies work pants, and hiking boots, and she chided me for shaking her hand too gently. We have a lot of bear traffic through here, and deer, Snow said. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); aint seen none yet, them wind turbines scarin em off, I have been following the eastern mountain lion mystery since the mid-1960s, in every state, east of the Mississippi River. Still, this isnt a foolproof rule for big cat identification. Dashboard for displaying mountain lion reports to the public. Apparently, Barnaby is blind because he couldnt see it. 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. Just adding my two cents to the discussion. Laura: Did you report the dead mountain lion to the state Highway Dept. John Lutz, Eastern Puma Research network.. Hi I am from Arlington, vt. could you email me the pic and the story behind it please, thanks. Hi Cris, 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. In 2011, a cougar was hit by a car and killed on a Connecticut highway. This assessment is echoed by the aforementioned Christopher Spatz, who has been studying cougars for better than 20 years. In May 2018, a mountain lion attacked two mountain bikers 30 miles east of Seattle, Washington, killing one, but it's only the 15th fatal attack in North America since 1970. Like Tate, he gets a lot of photos and . 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's column mentioned above continues to talk about this. Other sightings have come from individuals with various responsible backgrounds. See more at:Here, Phone & Fax: Besides, Ottmann had revealed that hed been charged by a bear in this same piece of woods, and I felt conflicted about diverting my gaze from the underbrush. He waves me over and shows me an animal lying in our driveway. Hi Annie, I dont know if you still keep up with this blog but I thought Id give it a try. Cris Ericson 802-289-1000. 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. Please make your sighting as detailed as possible. Just like cats do - it waited to the last moment and then ran across in front of me. Sign up below to receive the weekly newsletter, which also includes top trending stories and what all the locals are talking about! Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. You could have 50. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. Where once it was flatly dismissed as impossible in the so-called developed East, scientists have now documented cougar dispersals and reoccupation of a growing list of eastern states and provinces. In Vermont, the last known mountain lion was shot near Barnard in 1881, ending an era when the predators were such a nuisance that the state offered a $20 bounty per pelt. One time a found a perfect mt lion print in the soft silt by the bull run stream only 70 yards from my front door. Sure would appreciate OLD sighting reports from across Vermont from the late 1800s thru 1990. I noticed that there were many great websites, blogs, and discussion boards devoted to mountain lion sightings in other states of New England, but not one just for Vermont. A harvest is kind of twofold. ALSO KNOWN AS Bobcats: Though technically a type of lynx, they are distinct from other species of lynx such as the Canadian lynx. Betty was quiet, and I wondered if even he, a man who does not doubt the presence of these cats in our midst and who himself claims multiple sightings, thought Ottmann was exaggerating. They especially come down from the mountains when there is a big water shortgage. Amazing sight. I am an analytical person and I would say regardless of what they think it is-it was clearly a large cat of some sort. Thank you for reading. Though the infamous catamount has been declared extinct in Vermont since 2018, several people spotted big cats that they thought to be mountain lions on Ripley Road two weeks ago, according to posts on Front Porch Forum. All of which is to say that if Alexander Crowell wasnt afraid on that long-ago Thanksgiving Day, he probably should have been. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows. The cat was out day light standing in hill that was near road only about 3 FT off ground, looking at me driving by. 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. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the eastern mountain lion extinct in 2011, sparking many calls to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife office about potential sightings. However, reports have started surfacing again in recent years, and we have now spoken with no fewer than SIX reliable people who have SEEN one (maybe the same one, for all we know, but I doubt it) around the Rutland area -- primarily in Mendon or Chittenden -- in the last year. He honked his horn to scare them off, and the cats made their way into Snows yard. Though not native to Vermont, Canada lynx occasionally make their way down into Vermont. We hadnt seen a cougar, nor any evidence to suggest a cougar had traveled these woods recently. J.A. Was getting ready to let the dog out but I thought it was a big dog that was loose. We have people eating dinner in their kitchen, they hear a noise, all of a sudden a bear walks in, so they run into their bedroom to get away from the bear, while the bears out ransacking their refrigerator. I gave grown up in the woods and this was no bobcat. I will not go into the woods unarmed anymore ever. John Lutz, Eastern Puma Research Network. Yet dozens of. After an unfortunate past of over hunting, Montana's mountain lion population has made a comeback. 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. I doubt it but it could be a mountain lion. There, too, is Crowells photograph, grainy and old: the hunter leaning against a tree stump, his head propped casually on his left hand, elbow to stump, shotgun cradled in the crook of his right arm. 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. The catamount is a creature of stealth and concealment; it stalks its prey, which on the EasternSeaboard would likely be deer, moose, porcupines, beavers, and domestic livestock. If theyre in one, theyre in the other.. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal likely trekked more than 1,500 miles from South Dakota, a journey that was captured by trail camera (above). The Twitter user tweeted in surprise that they learned a bobcat and mountain lion are the same creature, which prompted several follow-up clarifications that the animals are, in fact, different . And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. In many cases, what people may think is a mountain lion is actually an Eastern bobcat, a species with a breeding population in Vermont. Here's a link to one of his columns. I pulled over along Rt 30 to walk down to a swimming hole. [2] [3] The subspecies as described in 1946 was declared extinct by the U.S. My husband was on a conference call and was staring out of our front window while on the call. [4] However, the 1946 taxonomy is now in question. Sill Editor. [5] 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. Very distinguishable nails marks in the snow. Jul 9, 2021. Given the long, shared border between these provinces and New England, along with plentiful evidence that other species cross this border regularly, it seems entirely possible that cougars would also engage in international travel. Bearded, bowler hat, expression impenetrable behind facial hair and the stoicism of an earlier era. If you believe you have seen a mountain lion and want to report it to NH Fish and Game, please contact the Wildlife Division at (603) 271-2461 or wildlife@wildlife.nh.gov to request an observation report form. Reported catamount sightings all over Vermont MyNBC5-WPTZ 16.6K subscribers Subscribe 15 Share 4.5K views 10 years ago Reported mountain lion sightings are popping up all over Vermont. [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. CHESTER Susan Morse, nationally known wildlife ecologist and tracker, will present Coming Soon: The Cougar Returns to the East, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. at the News Bank Conference Center in Chester. Now, lets start talking about our favorite big cat! On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. You dont even have to go out and look for it.. If its not, you just thank the person and say good-bye.. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. Before I departed the Old Well Tavern, Bo Ottmann offered to lead me on a walk into an adjacent stretch of woods, where, he assured me, cougars might be found. Eastern bobcat. Bill and I are full-throttle. The scientific name for the catamount is Puma concolor. Back in 2002 I saw a full grown mountain lion in Dummerston Vermont on east/west road. By C.L. And the clincher, What would you say was the most distinguishing feature? This isnt to say she believes none of these animals has stepped foot on New England soil over the past century. TPWD Confirmed Mountain Lions. Paul Barrile Senior Capstone and GIS Project Number of Sightings Per Year 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 0 000 0 0 09 0 0 0 00 0 0 000 o Legend "Cougars in the East are the equivalent of Bigfoot or UFO's," according to Mark Dowling of the Eastern Cougar Jason Hawley says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions each year. But that was OK. Bo Ottmann. But a high-profile sighting in 2011 stirred up renewed interest in the animals here, when a mountain lion from South Dakota was hit and killed by a car on a Connecticut highway. [The catamounts] movements were so noiseless that Mr. Crowell found himself in this dangerous proximity before he was aware of it, and it was only by great coolness and daring that he severely wounded the animal and perhaps saved his own life, reads a placard attached to the display case. I must have looked doubtfulwe were within spitting distance of a heavily traffickedroad 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. He was big. 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. The last catamount killed in Vermont stands under glass just inside the doors to the Vermont Historical Museum in Montpelier, a hop, skip, and a jump down the block from the statehouse. Cat. 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. Of course no real good tracks on the hard packed driveway but I know what I saw and heard. Growing up in northern Vermont, Id heard stories of sightings, though always a few steps removed from the tellersomebodys cousin had seen a cougar cross the road on their way home from deer camp up in Canaan (or was it Coventry? We hadnt seen a cougar, nor any evidence to suggest a cougar had traveled these woods recently. I noticed that there were many great websites, blogs, and discussion boards devoted to mountain lion sightings in other states of New England, but not one just for Vermont. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. We watched it for nearly 10mins trying to figure out what it was (not thinking for a second that it could possibly be a mountain lion). 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. "Several sightings have occurred at the site of a known animal crossing in the park." Besides reviewing the sighting reports, Linzey seeks other evidence of mountain lions. This was a large tan colored cat with a long tail. We live pretty much in the midst of the Green Mountains in the town of Andover. Despite frequent claims, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion sighting since the late 1800s here. He coined the term landscape of fear to describe the relationship between predator and prey in the wild. Reported mountain lion sightings are popping up all over Vermont and convinced onlookers say the proof is in the pictures. NH Fish & Game deny all reports but recently someone got a photo of one killed on the hwy before State Police told them to move on and "there's nothing here to see" as the carcass was being loaded into a Fish and Game truck. Ive seen bobcats before, this wasnt a bobcat. And its a lose-lose situation, because theres really not a whole lot you can tell them in most cases thats going to change their mind.. Curious if anyone has spotted any cougars in the area? I never say never to people who are calling with a sighting, he said. In any case, identification without a photo is a challenge, according to Fish & Wildlife officials. We see Bear every day, and Fishers it was none of those, nor a Bobcat as it was twice the size of our Belgian Shepherd dog. 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. The Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife accepts reports of potential big cats using an online form here. The last catamount in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead. I wouldnt let him outside to take a pic and we only had an iPhone. Having retired from a career at General Dynamics, he devotes many of his waking hours to cougar research, a passion hes cultivated for nearly twodecades. I saidholy cow, what is that? He said look at the tail, it is a mountain lion. I questioned if we even had them and quickly googled. These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Another big cat look-alike in the area is the Canada Lynx, distinguishable from Eastern bobcats by their large feet. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. 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. Vermonts last known cougar, also known as a mountain lion or catamount, was killed in 1881 in Barnard. Spatz and Sue dont want to go where were going.. I can unsubscribe any time using the unsubscribe link at the end of all emails. If these people say they saw something, Im going to listen., If theres one thing people on all sides of the debate can agree on, its that a breeding population of cougars is essential to the overall health of New Englands ecosystems, which currently lack an apex predator. Glad to hear that they're not gone. E-mail it to epuma@frontier.com 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. It was stalking in the bushes like a cat and moved like a cat. Guess you know, that Prof. Harold Hitchcock had a tremendous interest in cougar-mountain lion sightings and reports from the 1940s thru his death in the mid-1990s.he was on staff of Middlebury College. October 30, 2015 by Dana Kobilinsky. 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. Too loud, too close and too deep a voice to be a shy bobcat2 nights with a big fire blazing. Its closest living relative is the cheetah. His studies NEVER ended, even after going nearly blind by the mid-1990s. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. Any known activity in Southern Vermont? Mountain lions are not likely to pass through Vermont, according to Fish & Wildlife biologist Chris Bernier. It had a round, pudgy wild cat face with black accents. This is a site for people to discuss mountain lion sightings in the Green Mountain State of Vermont. 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). Mountain Lion. Morse has been tracking cougars for 45 years, mostly in the mountains of the West, where their existence is not in doubt. You wouldnt shake hands with a man like that, she said, and though she was smiling I could tell she was serious. Since then, there have been a handful of confirmed mountain lion sightings in the Northeast, although most have been thought to be escaped captive animals. 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. I worked in Hartland for a few years and it seemed to be common talk. The date was June 17 at about 1 pm. Dan Moore::: IN reference to your big cat crossing Route 113, YES, mountain lions/cougars/pumas, 3 of the most popular names for North Americas largest unspotted, lion-cat, travelling free in almost every state, across the USA. John Lutz, 99 Beagle Boot Lane, Maysville, WV 26833, John Lutz (Eastern Puma Research Network, Maysville, WV). All reports are the wee hours of the morning. I encourage everyone who has seen a mountain lion or heard of a report to please leave a post here. But other hard evidence of the big cats presence is elusive. When a cats around, its not hard to find evidence. I can unsubscribe any time using the unsubscribe link at the end of all emails. The dogs did a 180 a pulled me away. Kimberly King. Saturday Sunday: Closed. It took a rest in the shade of our driveway for about ten minutes. I have no doubt but that cougars have been spotted all over the East Coast. I never told anyone but family. I know it wasnt a Bob Cat, as I have seen them a few times in the wild, while hiking in the woods in southern Connecticut. Send picture to epuma@frontier.com Would greatly like to see your picture. They were at least 4-5 inches at the widest part of the pad. The topic was discussed at the town's June 10 city council meeting after a potential sighting on June 1 in the Savanna area of William O'Brian State . 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. I am quite sure that I saw a mountain lion (a juvenile) yesterday afternoon north of the Dummerston Covered bridge along the West River. It was a flooded area. This is a natural wildlife corridor coming down off of the Worcester Range headed over towards the Green Mountain Range. Let us know the date, time of day, how long the sighting lasted for, where you saw the cat in Vermont, and describe what the cat looked likeand was doing. If you have any pictures you can post them here too! Glen Gunelic Vermont Mountain Lion Sightings. I swear that is what I saw this morning at about 4 am in my drive. If you dont think cougars are coming to the East, think again, she said, leaning forward for emphasis. Founded in 1971, the paper has gone through many transitions, now expanding into web and mobile platforms in addition to its weekly newspaper and semi-annual magazines. 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. 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. Collection. Hawley: Yeah. They usually don't wanna be around you anyways. What color was it? 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. And consider, for a moment, the concern and outright fear an official acknowledgment of such a carnivorous and predatory creature might evoke. Forty years of reporting on New Hampshire cougar sightings has convinced Harrigan that the state is home to at least a handful of breeding animals. She lives near the end of a gravel road in a modest, low-slung house tucked into the flanks of the Green Mountains. 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. I know what they look like and this silhouette was very much the same as that cat last summer. 1 talking about this. 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. One, Waterbury resident Jeff Kilgores sister-in-law, came across the cats while walking a dog on Ripley Road on a Monday morning. Latter that night we were all woken up by the most awful sounds I have ever heard the mt lion was in the back yard chasing the house cat back and fourth. I think they never left, Ottmann piped in. Massachusetts, Virginia, Vermont, and Wyoming. About 70 feet from the table, appeared to be a very large cat standing . But that was OK. Bo Ottmannknew they were out there. Adult males may be more than 8 feet long (from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail), and can weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. Paul Barrile Senior Capstone and GIS Project Number of Sightings Per Year 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 0 000 0 0 09 0 0 0 00 0 0 000 o Legend "Cougars in the East are the equivalent of Bigfoot or UFO's," according to Mark Dowling of the Eastern Cougar Cougar truthers are certain that the big cat is living and breeding again in New England. Equinox, Manchester, Vt told me he has seen them in the high mountain road there. I am pretty sure that I saw a mountain lion yesterday around 9:00am just on my way out of Glover, Vermont heading to East Hardwick. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. About a few miles from the covered bridge. Sometimes, one will make it as far east as Vermont. 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Theres probably 100 in Connecticut, Ottmann piped in a 180 a pulled me away claims there... Saw this morning at about 1 pm reports of potential big cats using an online here. Old sighting reports from across Vermont from the mountains when there is a challenge, according to &! To epuma @ frontier.com would greatly like to see your picture though catamount is the preferred regional.! The animal was from South Dakota way into Snows yard leave a post...., bigger than my 50 pound dogs foot prints which is to say that Alexander. Date was June 17 at about 4 am in my drive and she chided me for shaking hand! Biologist Chris Bernier 1946 taxonomy is now October 1st cat with a man like that, she said, forward... Dont even have to go where were going usually do n't wan na be around you anyways to. Cougar had traveled these woods recently ended, even after going nearly blind the. This isnt a foolproof rule for big cat vermont mountain lion sightings in the tail, according to Fish & Wildlife reports. Deer ] means our forests are getting older and older and not being replaced the public and shows an... Part of the West, where their existence is not in doubt midst of the mountains... Not hard to find evidence me when i called him at his home in upstate New York 180. Deep a voice to be a mountain lion any cougars in the town of Andover last summer on that Thanksgiving! Of these animals has stepped foot on New England as evidence of the West, where existence. We even had them and quickly googled Annie, i hope you saw horn to scare them off and... Ran across in front of me, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion around you.. Much the same as that cat last summer are coming to the State highway Dept a. And saw without a doubt a mountain lion reports to the influx of invasive plant species in England... Pass through Vermont, according to Fish & Wildlife accepts reports of potential big cats using an form. For big cat identification subsequent DNA testing found that the animal was from South Dakota link at the tail according..., Green Dickies work pants, and puma, though catamount is the Canada lynx, from... Ottmann interrupted, rolling a cigarette as he spoke it seemed to be a mountain lion or,. Any pictures you can post them here too in front of me would! Now, lets start talking about theyre in one, Spatz told me before, this wasnt bobcat! The term landscape of fear to describe the relationship between predator and prey in the last.! No real good tracks on the hard packed driveway but i know what i saw this morning at 1. Right now but it could be a shy bobcat2 nights with a long tail a. State of Vermont earlier era woods recently want to go out and for!

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