"From three really reliable sources who are always around the woods from Monroe County to Bradford, there is no doubt that there are mountain lions in Pennsylvania," East Stroudsburg University football team offensive coordinator and avid hunter Mike Terwilliger said. The state of Arizona is home to a large, stable population of mountain lions. Me? Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. It has long been popular with honeymooners, but today the Poconos are a popular destination for families, skiers, adventure seekers, NASCAR fans, and those from urban areas around New England, New York City, Philadelphia . with a fluted projectile point were found near Middletown, Orange County, New York. When he isn't distracted by his backyard birdfeeder, you can find him camping, exploring, and telling everyone around him about what he's recently learned. "We should be getting more pictures. Who knows? So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. I've read a lot about this, and the usual explanation is the very human desire to see something, to see what someone wants to see, and thus these people are seeing bobcats or brown cats or dogs or foxes and, because they 'want' to see a puma, they do. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. I have not spoken with a Game Commission officer personally, so I don't know whether anyone killing a puma in Pennsylvania could do so without legal repercussions. 2023 www.poconorecord.com. I believe that the folks that are reporting, in detail, their sightings are faced with a similar situation. "He doesn't like men too much," said Suzanne Murray, owner of East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue in this south-central Pennsylvania town. The woman, a 66-year-old grandmother, asked not to be identified because she's a senior and didn't want people "bothering" her about it. Here's a glimpse at what long-gone Pocono beasts the region's very first wave of residents may have seen, and the wild things that followed up to as late as the early 20th century. They know what they saw, regardless of what the facts say, and they know they saw a puma. Something to consider, even though we all trust the government. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). These creatures lurking in Pa.'s woods can hurt or kill you If you see a puma (mountain lion-cougar), contact me. Wyoming has a historically stable population of mountain lions, but recent drops in numbers have caused some to worry. Recently, on our Arizona Hummingbird and Bat Photo Shoot, I found a deer that had been hit by a car and had moved off to die beside a stream just 200 yards upstream from our lodge. Mountain Lion Habitat in Tennessee - ArcGIS StoryMaps This is only hearsay, however, since I'm only going on their stories. But more and more people in Pennsylvania, from the Alleghenies to the Poconos to rolling farmlands in York County, claim they are seeing the big cats here, even though the state's "last" native lion, also known as a cougar or puma, was shot and killed in Berks County in 1871 and the feds have declared the Eastern subspecies extinct. DCNR gave the following as examples: the saber-tooth cat; a small, three-toed horse; the Pleistocene beaver, and the mastodon. Only once has anyone later determined that they had misidentified the cat, seeing a bobcat and not a mountain lion. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Among other uses, the tax was levied "for destroying wolves, foxes, heads and crows." The Pennsylvania Game Commission is always open to review evidence, but to date only hoaxes have crossed the PGC. I hope no one ever shoots a puma to prove their existence here, but I hope someone gets a great photo, of the cat, of a road-kill, of tracks, and that I see it. A few could, perhaps, be mistaken idenity. The story behind our new web site. Where can I find Depth of Field reference charts? Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? Accounts abound concerning interaction between these great beasts and people in northeast Pennsylvania, with wolves into the early 19th century and in the case with cougars, well into the early 20th century. 25 Best Things to Do in The Pocono Mountains Area (for 2023) However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. About half of the state of Montana is ideal for mountain lions, primarily in her western and central regions. The large tracts of untouched rocky land and bighorn sheep populations make for pristine mountain lion habitat. As a state known for its mountains, its no wonder that mountain lions live here! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. I am bothered by the constricted neck of the cat on the game camera; 2. the tail is curved down, rather than up, but it may have been in mid-swing; 3. the goldenrod-appearing flower, and the background of cars, gives a sense of scale and location. Where reports dating that far back from escapees? See also: She feeds and cares for them with donations and grants. "There hasn't been one solid piece of proof to believe they are here. It seems unlikely, considering captives have never shown this trait, but people are reporting big black cats. Very, very rarely, when I ask someone who would be a likely candidate (a hunter, someone who owns a camp in the deep woods, travels likely routes often, foresters), 'Have you ever seen a mountain lion?' Mt Lions in WV, NY, and PA - Hoot Hollow I wanted to know if they're here, so I called some people I trust and asked them one simple question: Are there mountain lions in Pennsylvania? Their are two web sites I know of that dealt with eastern pumas, with the one, the Eastern Puma Research Network, concentrating on sightings in the east. By the mid-1900s pumas were eliminated from almost all of the eastern states, and by mid-century were officially extinct east of the Mississippi, except for a remnant population in southern Florida. Conversely, an outdoor writer I know told me that when Pa. enacted a menagerie permit law years ago, 'a lot of mountain lions suddenly died,' as the owners of these cats, rather than going through the paperwork, simply released their pumas and claimed that they had died. What would account for the long tails? Hunting is legal, but the use of dogs was banned in 1996. Adults are a uniform tan or tawny in color, with a white or cream-colored chin, undersides and inner legs. Editor's note: The Pocono Record and Tri-County Independent have collaborated for a series of stories called Mountain Beasts: Pocono cryptids, legends and lore. Same story as 'black panthers' across the country, because of course there, scientifically, can be no such thing. None of these sightings has been authenticated, and many of them, including a recent, alleged mountain lion picked up on a surveillance camera in Lackawanna County, turned out to be bobcats. Here's an example: A man is holding a dead eastern diamondback rattlesnake, which was found in North Carolina and measured more than 9 feet long and weighed 95 pounds. I'd love to hear of any reports you have. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? The mountain lion, which is also called a cougar, puma or panther, weighs on average between 75-120 pounds, has long whiskers and a distinctive swooping tail. But more importantly, he also said that regardless of color, he saw a big cat, with a tail that looked to be about 4 feet long! One came to her as the result of an owner's divorce. Can so many people be so wrong? There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? The other two clans were the Turtle and Turkey. If mountain lions are discovered in PA anytime soon they'll either be big foot's pets or genetically engineered and released by the DCNR to cull the orangu-bear population. More conclusive evidence is needed: Keep your cameras handy. Luxury Cabin Rentals: Pocono Mountain Getaways | Glamping Hub Biologists traced it. So, couldn't that same argument apply to pumas in the Northeast? The cat was far enough away that I couldn't get a size reference, and I believed the cat was further away than it actually was. You would think someone would have a picture on a trail camera or whatever. Biologists traced it back to the Black Hills of South Dakota, from where it ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new mate. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. Reports generally go uninvestigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which discounts them as mistaken identities, illegal pets escaped or released and outright fabrications. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". In 2015, a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker was placed near the site where the mastodon was found. The bobcat wouldn't survive. In Pennsylvania, I receive a few reports of black, big cats, which makes one wonder -- are there melanistic (black) pumas out there, or are those sightings always wrong. I'm a photographer, yet I've never had a chance to snap a photograph of one of these bears. Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. Apparently, this picture was really making the rounds. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? Contrary to popular belief, there are no black panthers in North America; no one has ever captured or killed a black Mountain Lion. Those special two were across a river just outside Glacier National Park in Montana, and consisted of a mother and two cubs (Mary saw both cubs, I only saw one, and we did so separately, as we were driving two vehicles). Not only do hunting licenses support the various state game commissions, and in some states the acquisition and maintenance of public hunting lands, but hunters are a huge boon to local economies each fall, with purchases of food, lodging, hunting equipment, etc. "From people that I trust have had visual sightings, they've seen mountain lions.". While the chances that I'll ever see a puma in Pennsylvania myself are virtually zero, I'm always on the alert -- for the bobcat I've never seen in Pa., for a fisher, bear, deer, red salamander, toad, or snake, and yes, I'm always hoping that I too will become one of those who saw something that officially cannot exist within the state, a puma I know I saw but, of course, could not have! This will be one of your best identification marks, along with size. The first settlers kept sheep to supply their household with wool. In many regions, the population within the state is actually increasing! Activities Milford Things To Do Hotels Map Of Activities Delaware Water Gap Hotels Bushkill Lake Harmony Hawley Skytop Tannersville Pocono Mountains Counties About the Poconos Pocono Mountains History Weather Area Services . Then there is Rocky. They're common in the rural areas of the Lehigh Valley but are moving into more populated areas as evidenced by a 600-pound specimen (pictured) that was tranquilized in March after neighbors in. DNR: Fish & Wildlife: Mountain Lion Over the last few months several people have responded to this question with reports of their own. If it were, it would be listed. The coat can be spotted or solid. This one streaked across the road in the early evening, and fortunately, it stopped when it climbed a hill on the other side where I had another view from my side of the truck. That's significant because, in states where mountain lions live, they're often struck by vehicles or otherwise found dead. In 2011, a confirmed mountain lion was killed by a vehicle in Connecticut and which had been determined that it had wandered east from the Mid-West.