Cougars / Mountain Lions in MO

[Hydrilla Gorilla]

From Thursdays KC Star The picture was in the paper as well: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/...1.htm

Cat caught on camera confirmed as cougar
Associated Press
CHILLICOTHE, Mo. - Mountain lions appear to be gaining ground in Missouri.

The Missouri Mountain Lion Response Team this week confirmed the ninth and 10th of the big cats to be verified in the state since 1994.

"It'll make you think about those noises in the woods that everyone assumes are just rabbits," said Joe Neis of Chillicothe, who set up a digital camera that photographed a cougar in Livingston County on Dec. 7.

Neis, 28, was looking for deer when he placed a camera on a tree close to a deer trail in a wooded ravine near Chillicothe, which is about 90 miles northeast of Kansas City. The camera takes photos when a motion sensor is tripped.

He found a mountain lion, also known as a cougar, looking back at him on his computer screen when he downloaded the images.

"It was a shock to see it on the screen," Neis said. "I didn't hardly believe it. I was jumping up and down."

The Mountain Lion Response Team visited the site on Monday and confirmed the photo.

"No doubt about it, it's a mountain lion," said Dave Hamilton, a biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Most native Missouri mountain lions were wiped out by hunting and habitat loss by the late 1800s. One killed in 1927 was the last confirmed until an Ozark case in 1999.

Kansas has only one recent confirmation. Tests showed that droppings found in Lawrence in 2003 were from a mountain lion.

Hamilton said reports are often received but rarely confirmed. He has investigated seven reports this week.

He said the cat Neis had images of weighed about 120 pounds and is between 18 months and 3 years old.

In another case, a hunter in Shannon County in southeast Missouri wounded a deer Nov. 18. The next day he found the deer partly eaten and covered with leaves and brush.

Wildlife forensic experts concluded that a mountain lion had killed the deer, Hamilton said.

It's likely both cats are young males that have detached from established populations to the west.


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[TimS]

Would love to see one someday...from a distance.

At least the MDC admits they exist in the state, unlike KDWP...

[Bassman25]

My folks see them pretty often in their house in colorado....

[jbassman87]

I seen one at 50 feet, along with 7 other guys while playing paintball in the timber by my house in Woodson county Kansas south of Yates Center. Seen it twice but haven't seen it since. That was eight years ago!!

[chunter_ksu]

I have seen a couple of them and from a distance it is okay but less than that and you need Depends.

They are scary critters. When I was little (6 or 7) I was fishing on a ranch that adjoins our property and watched one kill one of our heifers. It ran up next to it and just slapped it in the head and broke it's neck. I hid in a water discharge pipe for a couple hours after that as it ate it about 50 yards away. It just looked at me the entire time it was chowing down.

I hear them at night on our farm. They scream like a woman and it makes the hair on your neck stand straight up.

[chunter_ksu]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TimS &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Would love to see one someday...from a distance.

At least the MDC admits they exist in the state, unlike KDWP...</TD></TR></TABLE>

That ain't no chit.
KDWP officials get downright pissy when you say something about it. Hear all kinds of rumors about it. I have heard they dropped them off in Kansas to control the deer population but I don't know. I would think that it would be a better story to think they came from the west.

They do seem to be halfway timid though as there haven't been any maulings. I know for a fact they are here though.

[bigfishingstud]

HERE KITTY, KITTY, KITTY BOOM

[chunter_ksu]

Well after the first of the year I have a couple friends that are going back with me and we are going to set up a predator call and whack coyotes, bobcats and if we get the chance a big cat. I know that we will for sure get a group of coyotes. I had a pack of 11 come through when I was deer hunting. Got 2 of them.

[bigfishingstud]

whacked a nice one this morning, 250 yds.. standing there look at me, put the crosshairs between the eyes and hit her right above the right eye, one less puppy

[Luke]

we have one out by my parents house
ne of the neighbors has seen it and it was killing his calves he tried to sit and wait opne night with the big boomer gun but it came way to late after dark and he decided it was time to leave
in deer season 2 years ago my dad found tracks of one on some property we hunt and decided to track it for a while ran out of snow so he lost the tracks

they are here we know it but the MDC wont let anyone do anything about them
the freind of ours threatened to kill it since it was getting his calves but the MDC said that under no circimstance that he kill it.......not even if it was killing his calves

[Bassman25]

Kill em and burry them on the neighbors place

[bigfishingstud]

if it was killing my livestock,, i'd drop it if i got the chance

[bigfishingstud]

kill it and throw it on the states door steps

[chunter_ksu]

If I shoot a cougar you can bet it will be hanging on a fencepost right off the highway. They can suck it. I will say it was killing my cattle then he will say what cattle, to which I will respond EXACTLY.

They run us plum out of business

[jbassman87]

Put one of them cats in front of me and I have the chance to kill it there will be one less wildcat oround.

[H2O_Fowl]

I have no doubt that we have them here.

I was turkey hunting once out by Tuttle Creek lake and way up about head high on a cedar tree were scratch marks that would be similar to what a house cat does only much larger and higher up.

Think about how many bobcats we have and how often you see them. Not very often compared to how many we have. How often do you think one would see a cougar?

[R.D.]

I have a feeling that a lot of Midwest states Re-introduced them and don't want to fess up to it.......NE Game and Parks has denied the same aquisations(sp) over the years and has been Ticketing/Fining people who shoot them. I remember reading an article on an old farmer who shot a 125 lb Cougar and called NGP out to get it.....they werer going to give him a ticket for shooting it and basically told em to stick it where the sun don't shine......He told them it was threatening his livestock.....they claimed that that was not grounds to kill one....he said it was within 100 yards of his house and domestic animals and was threatening his life.......they could not do anything after that. The County Sheriff was then interviewed by press and was asked of he would have killed it knowing it was within 100 yards of his house.......He had No comment at the time.........I dont blame him for not answering that stupid question either.

thats just my .02 copper(jasonism )