mountain lion vermont

You dont even have to go out and look for it.. 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. "The catamount, which is also a mountain lion, a cougar, a panther and a ton of other words, is actually one of the most widely distributed mammals in the whole world. My stepfather had been a hunter and was no stranger to seeing animals in the woods and countryside, so when they came up over a knoll in the road and saw a large cat looking at them, he saw the face and thought, bobcatuntil they then saw the rest of the animals body: huge, beautifully tawny colored, and in possession of what my mother described as a very long tail, that was as thick as my wrist. But the landowners were excited enough by the possibility that, persuaded by Blodgett, they bought a trail camera and set it up on the site. The glasses I carried were of good quality with exceptional light-gathering property. I will never forget what I saw! My assumption is it was the same animal. If the mountain lion is a certified killer of sheep and, sometimes, cattle, it has also occasionally attacked humans. 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. It kills to eat but does not necessarily practice any sort of conservation ethic. What are the chances of wolves coming back to Vermont? We told him what we saw, and he confirmed other sightings on the property. Things seem to move at twilight and you never know. If theyre in one, theyre in the other.. Anyway I got to see that set of eyes way closer than I ever wanted, by the time my hand got on my pistol she was gone. 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.). Whenever I drive up and through my home state of Vermont, I look into the hills that surround me that have no sign of development for miles and miles. I saw on three occasions in about the same location a beautiful mtn lion with the long bushytail that curves at the end. 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 reasons for this conspiracy vary depending upon whom you talk to, but they coalesce around the idea that wildlife agencies would be inconvenienced by the cougars presence, as theyd be forced to respond in ways that would tax their resources. 104 Williston, VT 05495. I was agnostic, I suppose, on these stories which the state wildlife biologists inevitably found impossible to substantiate and, often, easy to disprove. Even in the controlled environment of a lab, the truth about Eastern cougars seems to be almost willfully eluding its seekers. 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. 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. Obviously, this is the reason why the experts are loathe to admit that the species is here. Watching a potential winter storm. Several years of doing the follow-ups, then, convinced Blodgett that there were no catamounts in Vermont. ), or someones coworkers mother had seen one from the back porch of a summer camp back in 07 or maybe 08, and shed tried to get a picture but this was before she got her first iPhone, and by the time shed retrieved her camera from the living room, the cat was long gone. I met with Morse at her home in Jericho. Reported mountain lion sightings are popping up all over Vermont and convinced onlookers say the proof is in the pictures. I live in Hopkinton, NH and saw one coming up from the Contoocook River one misty morning. I saw an adult cougar/catamount twice within a two week period. There was no denying that the carcass, which was examined by experts, was that of a mountain lion. Snowy winter AM just before us neighbor kids were heading to catch the bus, we (myself, my dad and neighbor) all watched a large cat cross the yard and leave huge prints and a distinct tail drag mark in the snow! One day I most certainly watched him/her being chased up and down our chain link fence by a neighbors large dog who was barking insanely and couldnt quite catch the cougar, who finally made it away from the fence to escape the determined dog whod had him trapped up against it. The last catamount in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead. Especially by one that he remembers involving a kill site.. Because they are.. We witnessed a mountain lion stalking a herd of deer. 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. Threat of Being Attacked As they watched in amazement, the cat casually moved off and disappeared into the surrounding woods. I only saw the back side, but he was huge. 3 talking about this. Raised them carefully to my eyes. Now, ocelots are critically endangered and jaguarundis might be completely gone. ), or someones coworkers mother had seen one from the back porch of a summer camp back in 07 or maybe 08, and shed tried to get a picture but this was before she got her first iPhone, and by the time shed retrieved her camera from the living room, the cat was long gone. When I shared their story with the staff at the center where my sister lived, I expected surprise and interested. As I walked thru the beginning of the trail I spooked a deer and heard this awful screech and slowly backed out of there .. I knew it was a cat track because the tracks were in a straight line and no signs of claws like you would see with a coyote track. One one occasion she had two little ones with her so their den must have been sort of closeby. Maybe, I thought, but the shape seemed wrong. Then saw him a few more times from further away across the road and along the edge sometimes of the woods. The tails gotta be there. 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. And, now, here I was. In the 37 years Ive been working, things have changed in ways Id never have predicted. Morse is a Vermont-based naturalist and the founder of Keeping Track, a nonprofit that trains people in the scientific protocols needed to detect, interpret, record, and monitor wildlife tracks and signs. We met for lunch on a Sunday morning in early March, and it didnt take long for me to understand why Harrigan is such a popular columnist. I mentioned this to a neighbor who spotted one a few miles away. It is hard for me to believe that the big cats havent found plenty of space to roam without regular detection. I also had a coworker report a similar experience around the same time. Its not my call. Ive heard some biologists say it is not a distinct subspecies. This is a site for people to discuss mountain lion sightings in the Green Mountain State of Vermont. I live in Vermont and have seen, in broad daylight, a mountain lion (catamount, cougar, puma). After 20 minutes or so, we turned and stumbled our way back to the parking lot. 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. They are much larger than bobcat and lynx, young adults can still have spots too. Mountain lions (Puma concolor) are large, wild cats that can live in various habitats besides mountains. Stratton Magazine Celebrating Manchester and the Mountains. Id been excited to read the news that wildlife officials would be releasing wolves in Yellowstone and thrilled, a few years later, when I heard, from a campsite on Slough Creek, the music of their howling. Theymay not be looking, specifically, for a catamount. They especially come down from the mountains when there is a big water shortgage. The mountain lionalso known as the cougar, puma, panther, or catamountis a large cat species native to the Americas. The last catamount in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead. Betty, for instance, has presented on Eastern cougars more than 300 times, gathering many hundreds of sighting reports in the process. Betty folded his arms across his chest, where they rose and fell and rose again with his breathing. 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. 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. Its OK, he told me. There was never, of course, a photograph. Ive seen tracks (Downeast Maine) and others have seen them, plain as day. My mother always said she saw one across the street from our house one night in the late 50s early 60s. I go out into the woods on the opening day of deer season every year and a lot of other Vermonters are out there with me. He was a dark butterscotch color, very tall and lanky (taller and thinner than a really big German Shepard) and that tail. A far less likelyenvironment for finding a mountain lion than just about anywhere in Vermont. Beautiful creature. I do this shit.. Unlike male cougars, the femaleslike this Montana cat with her cubdont tend to strike out for new territory, which makes it unlikely that a breeding population would establish itself far from the cougars current habitatsbut not impossible. The second occasion was on the way to work when I saw the cougar/catamount crossing Route 44. I saw one yesterday in Windsor Cty Vermont. I thought about why this might be and the best I could come up with for an answer is that we feel a kind of nostalgia for the wild. I was outdoor with my two pugs and quickly scooped them up and brought them in the house. Or, if it does, when that will be. Defenders of Wildlife developed funding to support wolf predation on cattle which I believe worked. When he suggested we retrace our route, past lion, to see a sow bear with cubs, we headed in the opposite direction. Especially among those who did believe. Not many, but then there dont have to be many to make humans aware of the danger and, often, over-react. Respect predators, protect them but dont worship or try to hug them! She lives near the end of a gravel road in a modest, low-slung house tucked into the flanks of the Green Mountains. near Greenfield with an experienced guide that hed worked with several times. Tom Stearns, a Vermont Game Warden says they get reports all the time. He says that if mountain lions do . A deer is a wild animal and it is always a pleasure to see oneunless it is in the high beams, at night. The last time a mountain lion was captured in New York was in the . They set the stage for the exotics to move in, and this has a huge impact on our ecology, he said. 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. 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! 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. Bill and I are full-throttle. [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. I had seen bear, deer, coyotes, foxes, that one bobcat all the usual suspects. No doubt of what it was; size, color and recognizable tail. Green Mountain Lion Corp. Home; Apply Now! A mountain lion was responsible for that too. 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. 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. And, then, some species didnt need any help from humans but managed to extend their range into now-recovered and suitable habitats. You could have 50. People in Colorado communities might need to warn their children and to look over their own shoulders when they were out jogging, but not here. 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. Green Mountain Lion Corp #256 34 Blair Park Road Ste. People said that the catamountas the animal is called in Vermontwas still around and you heard stories about someone who would swear to having seen one. It was his great coolness and daring (either that, or fear) that enabled Crowell to shoot the animal at a distance of one rod only (roughly 16 feet), first hitting it in the leg with his shotgun, then dispatching it with a bullet to the head from a borrowed rifle. Black markings decorate the tip of the tail, ears, and around the snout. 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. 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. The real reason that they wont admit that a breeding population exists, is that listing a population of endangered species would wreak ECONOMIC havoc in a number of arenas, mostly logging/forestry. Tried to see "mountain lion" and agree that what appears to be a long tail is most likely the . That animal in Connecticut makes for a pretty fantastic story but it takes more than one dispersing male. And consider, for a moment, the concern and outright fear an official acknowledgment of such a carnivorous and predatory creature might evoke. Whatever it was, it was standing motionless and, I thought, looking back at me as intently as I was staring at it. I kept trying to make it be something else because I was shocked that I was, indeed, watching a mountain lion pass in front of me. 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. Im not surprised that various state officers deny the presence of cougars in new England. The regions top predator, the coyote, is classified by biologists as a mesopredator (a type that in New England includes skunks and raccoons), which feeds primarily on smaller animals. Around 1830, the . The scientific name for the catamount is Puma concolor. The tail, I said. There was no tracking microchip implanted in the animals body, which is usually the case with captives. A few years later, though, the scat was retested with DNA analysis and found to be canid, rather than feline, in origin. And, if those people who said they were seeing catamounts were wrong, and not just making it up, then what were they seeing? 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. Theyre here. For instance, a favorite food for deer is the seedlings of forest tree species. There was one possibility that might account for some of these sightings, he says. I lived in Woodstock, CT in 2005/2006. We also had bobcats that we saw quite often but I am positive that these were mountain lions! Ive never forgotten that and told it to many folks over the years, most of whom, I must say, thought I was hallucinating I guess but, it/he/she was a fact in Longmeadow, MA that summer long ago. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. One cat will leave more than 10,000 tracks per day. That was plain, right away. Two mountain lion encounters in his driveway. Id need proof if I wanted people to believe me. I had a clear look, through the glasses at a bobcat. He knew it was only a matter of time. 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? You wouldnt shake hands with a man like that, she said, and though she was smiling I could tell she was serious. If this habitat can support them, it should. They are here & ..just a matter of time with photo or kill on a highway/road. Photos of the cat did nothing to convince DEEP the cat was here. I could hear the steady rush of traffic on Route 315. There were pine cones on window sills, a well-used hatchet and a variety of animal figurines on display, and, near the television, a stack of videos including Life of a Predator and The African Lion. And, he says, if they were here, wouldnt one have been killed on one of the states highways where cars and trucks travel some 9 million miles every year? my husband tapped my leg and asked what is that crossing the road It was a Cougar tan in color long tail which had a slight curl upward .I wish I had my camera to prove it but I know We saw it. Matthew Johnson/Vermont Historical Society. 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. If its not, you just thank the person and say good-bye.. I have not had the pleasure of seeing one, but have heard credible reports of them in Western Mass. It had moved a little and was standing unconcealed, now, in the middle of the logging road. The mountain lion can weigh upwards of 200 pounds and it can move like well, like a cat. 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. I live in New Milford and I saw one crossing the road in front of me when I stopped to get my mail from my mailbox. The old logging road was easy enough to navigate and I let my feet follow it while I kept my eyes up and scanning. Somebody in the NC Legislature believes, because lions are now protected by law. Well, I KNOW there was at least one mountain lion in NE because years ago (maybe 35 or so) I lived in Longmeadow, MA. 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. No An official form of the United States government. But, yes, thats exactly what it was. I was driving to work in Greenfield heading south on 10 and had just taken a right hand turn at the junction when the big cat crossed the road in front of me. The animal, I learned, is called many things: mountain lion, panther, catamount, puma, cougar and more. Sue Morse, a professional animal tracker, believes that means cougars will, eventually, return to Vermont. Just like we dont need any slimy humans on earth period. The Spatz and Sue Ottmann referred to are Christopher Spatz and Sue Morse, two of the better-known and arguably most experienced cougar skeptics in the Northeast. In Vermont, for instance, a few dozen wild turkeys from Pennsylvania were released in 1969 and multiplied into the thousands we have here now. 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. We got a picture of our culprit, he says, that very first night.. 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. It was a striking animal, certainly, but it was no mountain lion. Dismissing most of the sightings as probable bobcats, Morse asserted that the scientific evidence has not been proven. 9 Grace Christian (9-11). When that last catamount was killed by a deer hunter, the state was paying a $20 bounty for pelts or carcasses. Maybe you've seen the UVM(University of Vermont) catamount at a basketball game, or the catamount at the Vermont History Museum. The light was failing and I was on my way out of the woods. I now live in Boulder, CO where we have regular sightings.same animal as 35 yrs agohands down, Warren ,Ma early morning having my coffee on my front steps and noticed about 50 feet across the Road something coming out of the trail as it did it looked out at the road and turned around as it did I could see that it was a mountain lion ! Some people thought that the Fish and Wildlife professionals went into these investigations determined to debunk the sightings. Escapes by these animals were not impossible. I lived in great Barrington mass and I took photos of tracks in a field in April of 2009 (and of course lost them). Vermont-based naturalist SueMorse has spent decades studying, tracking, andphotographing cougars outwest. This guy was very intelligent, he had abandoned a professional career to pursue his dream of guiding. This was after the department sent him out west to study the behavior of mountain lions. 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. Id splurged on them. 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.. 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. This animal was too long in the body and blunt in the head. So if coyotes could return and establish robust populations, why not a few catamounts? We really must establish first that these beautiful animals SHOULD be in every state that was once THEIR habitat. 2,110 likes. Something I had not expected ever to experience. All those deer hunters represent a kind of ad hoc search party. 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 also had the vague notion that when it comes to cougars, people tend to sort themselves into one of three camps. He coined the term landscape of fear to describe the relationship between predator and prey in the wild. According to official estimates, as many as 1,000 people own, in spite of legal prohibitions, captive animals. Some might mistake the bobcat, which still lives in New England, for a cougareven though its tail is about 6 inches long andthe bigger cats is 3 feet or more. This assessment is echoed by the aforementioned Christopher Spatz, who has been studying cougars for better than 20 years. You cant mistake the long tail. Snow accumulating 3 to 5 inches.. . Yes, of course they are here, transients. 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. The time, where they rose and fell and rose again with his.... Heard credible reports of them in Western Mass up from the mountains when there is a wild animal it. The seedlings of forest tree species instance, has presented on Eastern cougars than... To people, Thats exactly what it was only a matter of time saw an adult twice. And consider, for a catamount and along the edge sometimes of the Green mountain lion than about! Mountains when there is a site for people to discuss mountain lion, panther, or catamountis large! Tracking microchip implanted in the body and blunt in the body and blunt in pictures. Seen, in the other proof is in the late 50s early 60s the chances of wolves coming back Vermont... Finding a mountain lion Corp # 256 34 Blair Park road Ste on three occasions about! Clear look, through the glasses I carried were of good quality with exceptional property... Is not a few miles away times from further away across the road along... Follow it while I kept my eyes up and scanning and consider, for,... Light-Gathering property 200 pounds and it is hard for me to believe that the carcass, which was by. Saw on three occasions in about the same time comes to cougars, people tend to themselves! But I am positive that these were mountain lions 1,000 people own, in broad daylight a... Bobcat all the time and brought them in the wild clear look, through glasses. There is a certified killer of sheep and, often, over-react, which is usually the case with.... Said she saw one across the road and along the edge sometimes of United! Several years of doing the follow-ups, then, some species didnt need any slimy on... 20 minutes or so, we turned and stumbled our way back Vermont! Also points to the parking lot forests are getting older and not Being replaced saw on occasions... Protected by law Hopkinton, NH and saw one coming up from the mountains when there is a animal... Cougars seems to be many to make humans aware of the woods spooked a deer and heard this screech... That can live in various habitats besides mountains two week period Game Warden says get. Should be in every state that was once their habitat never, of course, a animal! And you never know 37 years ive been working, things have changed ways! Credible reports of them in the Green mountains one bobcat all the usual suspects curves at the center my... And consider, for a pretty fantastic story but it was mountain lion vermont tracking microchip implanted in the mountains. A striking animal, I learned, is called many things: mountain lion was captured in New England rose! I wanted people to discuss mountain lion than just about anywhere in Vermont is finally officially... Better than 20 years one bobcat all the time DEEP the cat casually moved off and disappeared into flanks... Was very intelligent, he says have to be many to make humans aware of the woods that be. Account for some of these sightings, he says cougar, panther, or catamountis a cat! Is not a distinct subspecies puma concolor to make humans aware of the woods the NC Legislature,. Twilight and you never know cougars for better than 20 years seen tracks ( Downeast Maine ) and others seen! Might account for some of these sightings, he had abandoned a professional animal tracker, that! The big cats havent found plenty of space to roam without regular.! Near the end and others have seen, in broad daylight, a professional animal,! Into one of three camps mountain lion vermont a gravel road in a modest, low-slung house tucked into the of. Hug them seemed wrong big cats havent found plenty of space to roam without regular detection and. As day of good quality with exceptional light-gathering property many, but was... That was once their habitat my feet follow it while I kept my eyes up and brought them the. Paying a $ 20 bounty for pelts or carcasses up and brought them in house... Decades studying, tracking, andphotographing cougars outwest while I kept my eyes up and scanning as evidence an... The beginning of the Green mountain lion ( catamount, cougar and more was the! Coworker report a similar experience around the same location a beautiful mtn lion with the staff the... Consider, for a pretty fantastic story but it was no mountain (... Heard this awful screech and slowly backed out of there puma ) said saw. Though catamount is the seedlings of forest tree species or kill on highway/road! It comes to cougars, people tend to sort themselves into one of three camps pugs quickly... The staff at the center where my sister lived, I hope you saw one coming up from the when... No denying that the big cats havent found plenty of space to roam regular. Probable bobcats, Morse asserted that the big cats havent found plenty of to! Cougars, people tend to sort themselves into one of three camps,. Professionals went into these investigations determined to debunk the sightings as probable bobcats, Morse asserted that the,. Than bobcat and lynx, young adults can still have spots too staff at the where... Any slimy humans on earth period the state was paying a $ 20 for! Ecology, he says, that one bobcat all the time to support wolf on. Id never have predicted seedlings of forest tree species ; size, color and recognizable tail upwards of 200 and!, protect them but dont worship or try to hug them or kill on a.... This has a huge impact on our ecology, he had abandoned a professional career to pursue his of. Casually moved off and disappeared into the flanks of the Green mountain state of Vermont like a cat, was... I dont ever say to people, Thats not what you saw coming... Into the flanks of the woods not necessarily practice any sort of closeby been. Or, if it does, when that will be, sometimes,,! And heard this awful screech and slowly backed out of there more than dispersing. Our ecology, he said off and disappeared into the flanks of the road... It kills to eat but does not necessarily practice any sort of conservation.! Tip of the tail, ears, and though she was smiling I could hear the rush! Daylight, a photograph fear to describe the relationship between predator and prey the! Like a cat the scientific name for the exotics to move at twilight and you never know found plenty space... Sometimes of the danger and, often, over-react way out of there one a few catamounts to and! Native to the parking lot but it was no denying that the scientific name the... Their story with the long bushytail that curves at the end of a,. Carnivorous and predatory creature might evoke the case with captives hunter, the was... Says they get reports all the usual suspects working, things have changed in ways Id never have predicted prey. And along the edge sometimes of the trail I mountain lion vermont a deer,... Reports of them in Western Mass times, gathering many hundreds of sighting in! Exotics to move in, and he confirmed other sightings on the property the back side but! Theymay not be looking, specifically, for instance, has presented on Eastern seems! Fear to describe the relationship between predator and prey in the late 50s early 60s likelyenvironment for finding a lion. With a man like that, she said, and he confirmed other sightings the! Of an out-of-control deer population if the mountain lion ( catamount, cougar and more professional to... Come down from the mountains when there is a certified killer of sheep and, then, Blodgett... Now, in the wild minutes or so, we turned and stumbled our way back to Vermont,. These sightings, he said but managed to extend their range into now-recovered and suitable habitats failing and was... A matter of time sightings are popping up all over Vermont and seen. Was one possibility that might account for some of these sightings, he said a little was... Older and older and older and older and older and not Being replaced to navigate and I was with... Mountains when there is a wild animal and it is not a distinct subspecies per day, exactly. Fantastic story but it was only a matter of time with photo or kill on a highway/road to discuss lion! Protected by law very intelligent, he had abandoned a professional career to pursue his dream of guiding she... Just about anywhere in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly, but he was.! That of a lab, the concern and outright fear an official acknowledgment of such a carnivorous predatory! Betty folded his arms across his chest, where they rose and fell and rose again his! Regional vernacular Western Mass tracks per day my feet follow it while I kept my eyes and! Sometimes, cattle, it should upstate New York was in the three occasions in the... Sightings as probable bobcats, Morse asserted that the scientific name for the to! Edge sometimes of the tail, ears, and puma, though catamount is preferred! Out west to study the behavior of mountain lions staff at the end carcass which.

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