I saw a tan one near Crawford, Ga. back in 1987. Now I know it was a zoo escapee of someones pet out for an evening walk but it did not have a collar of leash on it and it was stalking two deer I had just sighted. Strange feeling walking back to the truck in the dark that night!
Black Panther...are they real? See Post #1
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DeathGrip
US Veteran
Straightshooter2,
I've only heard of the black ones by the same story tellers that have seen the Skunk Ape also.
They say there's a population of Panthers in the Big Cypress still but trusted friends that live next to the Seminole Reservation have never seen one of any color and they have lived there for several generations. Bobcats are common and I even saw a small bear on my friends place but Fl. Panthers are a elusive and a rare treat to see. Where I live in West Broward it's been built out to the edge of the 'Glades yet a year or two ago someone spotted a Black Bear in Weston. (Weston is the furthest city west.)
I was surprised a couple of years ago to see a couple of deer walking down the side of the canal on the south side of Weston.
Black Fl. Panthers? I'd have to see a dead one and have the DNA checked before I'd draw a conclusion. There's to many nut cases here and anything is possible.
I've only heard of the black ones by the same story tellers that have seen the Skunk Ape also.
They say there's a population of Panthers in the Big Cypress still but trusted friends that live next to the Seminole Reservation have never seen one of any color and they have lived there for several generations. Bobcats are common and I even saw a small bear on my friends place but Fl. Panthers are a elusive and a rare treat to see. Where I live in West Broward it's been built out to the edge of the 'Glades yet a year or two ago someone spotted a Black Bear in Weston. (Weston is the furthest city west.)
I was surprised a couple of years ago to see a couple of deer walking down the side of the canal on the south side of Weston.
Black Fl. Panthers? I'd have to see a dead one and have the DNA checked before I'd draw a conclusion. There's to many nut cases here and anything is possible.
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Porterb123
Member
My father owned about 120acres of property in Kentwood, LA, where we used to hunt. There were thousands of acres of paper company land adjoining the back of his place. Dad had a friend that saw a black large cat while sitting in a deer blind one morning. He had it in his scope but was afraid to shoot it. Not sure I believed him at the time.
Later I heard a scream at night that scared the begeezus out of me! A year or so later( 1985) I was walking a lumber road with about 100 acres of clear cut with his German Shepherd with me. Tree top piles were scattered around. I heard something and turned around. The dog was standing at full alert with the hair on his back standing up. In the middle of the road was a large black cat. Maybe 100 yards out. It looked to be about 6 ft long, nose to tail. The dog took off after it but it was gone over the brush pile in a second. Man he was fast! Walked back to the spot and looked at the prints in the dust. They were very clearly feline and about the size of my palm!
I cannot say wether it was a Jaguar or a cougar. Only, I saw it.
Later I heard a scream at night that scared the begeezus out of me! A year or so later( 1985) I was walking a lumber road with about 100 acres of clear cut with his German Shepherd with me. Tree top piles were scattered around. I heard something and turned around. The dog was standing at full alert with the hair on his back standing up. In the middle of the road was a large black cat. Maybe 100 yards out. It looked to be about 6 ft long, nose to tail. The dog took off after it but it was gone over the brush pile in a second. Man he was fast! Walked back to the spot and looked at the prints in the dust. They were very clearly feline and about the size of my palm!
I cannot say wether it was a Jaguar or a cougar. Only, I saw it.
UrsisHoribilis
Member
If the game and fish people admit the cougars exist they would have to manage them, an almost impossible task given their range. I have seen two from my car within 20 miles of my home here in SouthEast Arkansas, near the Ouachita River bottom.
627 city hunter
Member
The cougar is definitely present in S.E. Arkansas adjoining with the LA and MS border. Trail cams of my hunting buddies have shown them.
bluegrassarms
Member
Saw a black cat when I was much younger. Now I was young so maybe I misjudged, but I spent a lot of time stomping around the fields and this thing was up on a fallen log along a fence row. About the time my friend and I got close enough to debate what it was it took off into the tall grass.
Like I said I may be wrong, but it looked like a very sleek black cat, way too big for a feral domestic cat, and cool as a cucumber. Cats have very distinctive movements, different from any other kind of animal. You can tell a domestic cat from another animal like a possum in near total darkness by the way they move.
I know too many people I believe who have seen big cats in this part of the country to think they cannot possibly exist. We could all be wrong but if one shows up one day happily camping out in a city park complete with TV coverage I won't be horribly surprised.
Like I said I may be wrong, but it looked like a very sleek black cat, way too big for a feral domestic cat, and cool as a cucumber. Cats have very distinctive movements, different from any other kind of animal. You can tell a domestic cat from another animal like a possum in near total darkness by the way they move.
I know too many people I believe who have seen big cats in this part of the country to think they cannot possibly exist. We could all be wrong but if one shows up one day happily camping out in a city park complete with TV coverage I won't be horribly surprised.
MK
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I generally agree about the cougars. Anything is possible, but I've never
seen any indication that there are black cougars.
Ditto for the mountain lions.
Only the jaguars are known to show this with any regularity.
Of course, in my case, I was almost positive what I saw was a jaguar.
There have been mountain lions seen in the same general area that I
saw the jaguar, but they are not black by any stretch of the imagination.
I know one guy in AZ that sees a lot of cats on his trail cams.
They even come right up to the front of his house to drink from the
bird baths, etc.. But they are all the tan variety. Big too...
LVSteve
Member
LVSteve
Member
I cannot decide what drives the wildlife divisions of some states to say the things they do. Is it that they are required to maintain an air of "knowing all" to placate the public or is it the basic human conceit of thinking they "know all" and events to the contrary are not welcome.
If these creatures can survive in the UK then having a few around in the US is almost a given. They are also breeding in England, and shown by a short piece of video released by a lady a few years ago. She only let out a short piece to avoid identifying the location and took a mighty amount of flak for it from the hard-hat and yellow jacket brigade in England.
All I can say about seeing weird stuff is that I started a minor hobby in photographing dragonflies and damselflies soon after I came to the US. In a remarkably short space of time I was credited as the first observer or several species in certain NV counties and even got the first state records for some others. The idea that the stupid humans on this rock know everything that goes on in the natural world is laughable.
If these creatures can survive in the UK then having a few around in the US is almost a given. They are also breeding in England, and shown by a short piece of video released by a lady a few years ago. She only let out a short piece to avoid identifying the location and took a mighty amount of flak for it from the hard-hat and yellow jacket brigade in England.
All I can say about seeing weird stuff is that I started a minor hobby in photographing dragonflies and damselflies soon after I came to the US. In a remarkably short space of time I was credited as the first observer or several species in certain NV counties and even got the first state records for some others. The idea that the stupid humans on this rock know everything that goes on in the natural world is laughable.
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