Panthers/Mountain Lions in Southern Indiana (Multiple sightings)

[MRP2003]

There were rumors/stories of the game commission in PA that brought in coyotes to keep the deer popluation down and also the same that the insurance companies were doing the same. Even heard that someone shot a coyote that had a tag on it that traced back to some farm in Texas. I believe that they all came out to be untrue.

I also believe that we are seeing more and more animals in areas that they have existed for years or decades. I am surprised we do not have bears or more bears in southern IN.

It would be great to see Elk in southern IN

 

[Hotdoger]

"Why not open up deer season more, instead of releasing a predator that will kill dogs, chickens, children, etc? Wasn't this scenario part of the story about the lady who swallowed a fly!? "

You can shot many does in many counties. What do you mean "open up deer season more"?

 

[hooky]

I couldn't image they would bring in wolves and mountain lions for deer. Would't they learn their lesson with killer bee, zebra muscle, and Asian carp?

Don't forget the rattlesnakes they stocked via helicopter.

 

[singlestacksig]

The DNR did not release mountain lions, But we do have them around.. They simply traveled from western areas.. I personally have seen one in my woods near the IL border, Chicago police shot and killed one a few years ago. Indiana DNR has photos from a game camera.
A leapord was shot & kill by a guy a few months ago.. It was a young one, maybe a year old..

 

[ViperJock]

Last fall a colleague told me that her son had personally seen people from black helicopters unloading poisoned deer feed onto public land. I assumed it was the tinfoil that caused the illusion. Has anyone else heard this one?

 

[Willie]

My hunt yesterday evening...

I ended up seeing the young buck, 2 does and 1 fawn. While changing out of my hunting clothes at the truck after hunting i heard what I believe was cat scream. Hopefully a bobcat, but I have heard of a cougar sighting and a cougar track not far from where I was hunting. Whatever it was it was about 200 yards away and really LOUD. The scream started loud and then tapered off. I think I need to start using the flashlight coming out and pack.

 

[Willie]

Btw - this was in northern Warrick county

 

[hooky]

Personally, I'd be careful using a light on the way in or out. I've heard the light attracts the bears that the DNR has stocked in an attempt to control the cougars.

 

[Jason R. Bruce]

Mt. Lions have been spotted, killed, tranquelized and photographed in Indiana. Even in the counties you mention, in the last five years, confirmed by officers I know personally. Of all these lions, I've never heard of one being confirmed as wild - IE: Western US Migrant. They've either escaped or been released from human captivity. There have been South Dakota lions (confirmed through DNA research) killed in Missouri.

These threads usually have little variations of truth that evolve into falsities. There was an episode with an escaped lion walking past an elementary school in Sullivan County back around 08-09'. I was there tracking that lion. Even the "tamest" of lions is a proficient hunter and wastes no time getting into the rythem of killing food, we learned that lesson a couple of times in West Central Indiana. I think they're killing deer within a week. Slim chance they'd catch a coyote, nor would they want too, nor were they released by the IDNR to do so.

Today marks the beginning of coyote season in Indiana, I will be covering most of the counties discussed in this thread with predator calls and rifle in hand until March. I've called in a variety of carnivores, stumbled into some amazing non-native species, but haven't seen a lion in Indiana. I will regularly call in bobcats in Indiana this year, which is where I believe most of these "lion sightings" are coming from.

 

[hammer24]

Personally, I'd be careful using a light on the way in or out. I've heard the light attracts the bears that the DNR has stocked in an attempt to control the cougars.

The monkeys will be attracted by the light too....don't forget the MONKEYS! They were released by the DNR because they thought they were soft and cuddly, and they would spice up southern Indiana's ecosystem. I think this pic was taken in Brown county!

P.S. I've heard all the released monkeys and their offspring have a penchant for Lee Enfields.

 

[Kart29]

My uncle told me he's seen lots of black panthers - mostly back when he was in the national guard back in the 60's. 'Course now that was up around Detroit city but I guess they could have migrated down to southern Indiana.

 

[indiucky]

Which bar was it at?

On a more serious note, what is the difference between a cougar, mountain lion, and a panther?

A Cougar is 40 plus years of age and hangs out at Jim Porter's in Louisville searching for her prey, usually drunk twenty something males, while a Black Panther intimidates voters in Philadelphia, PA with baseball bats. A mountain lion is what it's name implies. It's a lion with no mane that lives in up in the Mountains.

 

[snapping turtle]

I have seen the trail cam pic of one in clay county and pics from a hunters tree stand on camera. It was an escape artist from the big cAt rescue center in the area. It is named and is known to be in that area for a few yeArs. I have the email of the teacher that took the photos.

while doing work for several months off and on at crane naval warfare center several of the workers there were talking about the
mated pAir they kept seeing just inside the restricted weapons range. Thing is I believe that mt lions don't really pair up outside of breeding. Now could it have been a mom and cub. I guess since it is living in an area nobody can go into (unexplored shells) it
makes it easy to say that Bigfoot lives there also. One of the guys did sound very confidant about seeing them often.

i have a friend who's wife owns an Ocicat. A cross between a big house cat and an Ocelot. That thing walks on a leash and weighs in at about 40 pounds. I have not weighed it but it is bigger than lots of dogs. I could see people making that mistake if they did not
know mt lions did not have spots. A huge black cat of the domestic type could be the black panther we hear about.

It it is rather easy to get permitted in Indiana for large cats as pets. So I believe many are just lost pets. I do think some males might travel far and wide to find a mate. So anything might hAppen .

 

[J Starkey]

I have a buddy who has pics from his tree stand in brown county of a mt lion last deer season. Also my dad lives in miami county and the three farmers that live around him all reported seeing a mt lion last year and two of his neighbors say they also seen it.

 

[OWGEM]

My father's daughter's uncle's nephew says

 

[hooky]

I have a buddy who has pics from his tree stand in brown county of a mt lion last deer season. Also my dad lives in miami county and the three farmers that live around him all reported seeing a mt lion last year and two of his neighbors say they also seen it.

My family lives in Cass county and both of my brothers have heard the stories. So far, they've each seen what they think is the same bobcat a few times in the last 12 months.

 

[J Starkey]

I've seen bobcat in Miami county twice myself. I'm waiting on my buddy to try to send me pics of the mt lion. It was his dad that got pics of it.

 

[Lammchop93]

I've seen a bobcat before. I thought everyone knew those were here. Mountain Lions are the ones that seem to be moving in recently.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

I have seen the trail cam pic of one in clay county and pics from a hunters tree stand on camera. It was an escape artist from the big cAt rescue center in the area. It is named and is known to be in that area for a few yeArs. I have the email of the teacher that took the photos.

while doing work for several months off and on at crane naval warfare center several of the workers there were talking about the
mated pAir they kept seeing just inside the restricted weapons range. Thing is I believe that mt lions don't really pair up outside of breeding. Now could it have been a mom and cub. I guess since it is living in an area nobody can go into (unexplored shells) it
makes it easy to say that Bigfoot lives there also. One of the guys did sound very confidant about seeing them often.

i have a friend who's wife owns an Ocicat. A cross between a big house cat and an Ocelot. That thing walks on a leash and weighs in at about 40 pounds. I have not weighed it but it is bigger than lots of dogs. I could see people making that mistake if they did not
know mt lions did not have spots. A huge black cat of the domestic type could be the black panther we hear about.

It it is rather easy to get permitted in Indiana for large cats as pets. So I believe many are just lost pets. I do think some males might travel far and wide to find a mate. So anything might hAppen .

Been working and hunting at Crane for over 28 years. I've seen two cougars in that time. First time was in 1985 and the second time was this summer. Would give anything to have had a gopro on my bike, but didn't. It was standing right beside a guard rail and I got within 30 yards of it before it disappeared into the brush. I measured the strides/jumps from the road to the entry point - 10' each. The height to the shoulder I measured the guard rail and estimate the shoulder height of the cat to be 30" - he was right at the top rib on the end stop. The tail was at least as long at the body and looked to be about the diameter of my wrist. A cougar is the only thing that fits that description I know of. Anyway I turned in the sighting to Natural Resources, they put out some cameras but did not get any pics. To my knowledge there are no confirmed (by photo or video) sightings at Crane.

Cougars do cache their kills, but so do bobcats. I know they put a camera on a cached kill and came up with a ton of bobcat photos.

Cougars eviscerate (mostly eat the liver) first...don't think bobcats do that. So if you find a kill fitting that description especially with puncture marks on the skull or back of the neck, set a camera - love to see what shows up.

 

[sig shooter]

Mt. Lions have been spotted, killed, tranquelized and photographed in Indiana. Even in the counties you mention, in the last five years, confirmed by officers I know personally. Of all these lions, I've never heard of one being confirmed as wild - IE: Western US Migrant. They've either escaped or been released from human captivity. There have been South Dakota lions (confirmed through DNA research) killed in Missouri.

These threads usually have little variations of truth that evolve into falsities. There was an episode with an escaped lion walking past an elementary school in Sullivan County back around 08-09'. I was there tracking that lion. Even the "tamest" of lions is a proficient hunter and wastes no time getting into the rythem of killing food, we learned that lesson a couple of times in West Central Indiana. I think they're killing deer within a week. Slim chance they'd catch a coyote, nor would they want too, nor were they released by the IDNR to do so.

Today marks the beginning of coyote season in Indiana, I will be covering most of the counties discussed in this thread with predator calls and rifle in hand until March. I've called in a variety of carnivores, stumbled into some amazing non-native species, but haven't seen a lion in Indiana. I will regularly call in bobcats in Indiana this year, which is where I believe most of these "lion sightings" are coming from.

Braver that I am. Posting a picture of a Bobcat next to a firearm. You do know they are protected in Indiana