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). Bears tend to be shy and want to avoid contact with people, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Traveling Route 248 in Northampton County just 1 mile east of Pennsville. My speed was 40mph, I got a good look at it. I'm Cary Hardy, an education expert and consultant. The mountain lionalso known as the cougar, puma, panther, or catamountis a large cat species native to the Americas. farm. So far, he said, none of them have been proven. When we consider apex predators currently we have the black bear, and then to a lesser degree the coyote. Yes I believe their are mountain lion ghost cats in PA. PA mountain areas are remote and it is impossible to kill all of the cats who are quite secretive. Was running and had very long stride, at least 6 foot. I saw a mountain lion crossing a state highway,the Oklahoma-Salem FRoad near DuBois PA about 4:30 pm. but it might make the difference between no caution whatsoever, and basic Learn how to improve your health and lifestyle by using Lets Healthify the incredible and informative health website. A bobcat gives you a warm, that-kind-of-looks-like-my-cat-but-slightly-bigger feeling. Do not approach a lion. Make sure you remove or cover up any bear food source, including garbage or bird feeders at your home. Hard evidence that wild, free-ranging mountain lions are living in the state they did not. Am 74 years old, of very sound mind usually pretty skeptical, but i saw this animal and after much consideration have concluded it could only be a mountain lion or cougar. There are more than 4,000 of them in Pennsylvania. StateMountain Lion PopulationPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth Dakota300-50046 more rows, There are at least 20,000 black bears in Pa., and a small percentage are killed each year, but were probably not talking about 20,000 pumas in the state. The push of the meeting in Madigan's office was apparently to force the The bobcat, also known as the bay Iynx, wildcat, red lynx and swamp tiger, is the states only feline predator. Cougars were extirpated from Pennsylvania before the 1900s and exterminated from the entire East Coast by the 1930s (aside from the Florida panther). Is It Legal For A Minor To Drink Alcohol At Home In California? Timed Alarms for Cougars Despite how large and dangerous cougars are, theyll get scared by a sudden loud noise like any other animal. With less deer roaming forests, she said, plant and bird biodiversity might improve, too. My horse was spooked twice & I heard a guttural growling but never seen any animal. It is not true, Fuches said. LOS ANGELES The Center for Biological Diversity and Mountain Lion Foundation formally petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission today to protect mountain lions under the California Endangered Species Act.. The mountain lion came and went. Watch #OnTheStacks Podcast! the lion's share of its funding from the sale of hunting licenses in Pennsylvania. Their bodies are mainly covered in tawny-beige fur, except for the whitish-gray belly and chest. Theyre not predators, but if one runs out in front of your moving car it can certainly pose a threat to your safety. We receive bear calls every day, Williams said. "PA Game Commission suggests that you keep a distance of 1,000 feet from the nest and just use optics to view. The last wild panther known to have walked in the Pennsylvania woods did so in Berks County. Abrown recluse bite can yield chills, fever, bloody urine, fatigue, jaundice, pain in the joints, nausea, rash, and in extremely rare cases, convulsions and death. Mountain lions are large, tan cats. Kristin Hunt Fish and Wildlife Service thinks cougars wereprobably wiped out in the 1930s in the eastern United States. UPDATE: Well, you cant believe everything you read on the internetturns out this was not in PA: The PGC is not the only state wildlife agency that tries to create this the road who might have a reason to inquire: Yes, there might be Passed 10 feet in front of us. I live in Harrisburg, in the 70s and by Central Dauphin high school there was a creek called Beaver Creek so one day ask someone what are they called Beaver Creek and said there used to be a beaver there till about seven or eight years ago and the last one was killed by some person they named and he was actually bragging up that he killed the last beaver in Beaver Creek. You know I love hunting when I was younger in Pennsylvania but trying to kill the very last animal shows a sign of being inbred. The red face of a mountain lion came out of the top of the mountain then dropped down. Running may stimulate a mountain lion's instinct to chase. no other sightings, and that he himself did not see a mountain lion panic" in Pennsylvania and doing a "disservice to the public". Eventually they will reach areas where they never lived, or once lived,and will repopulate that area. to be a study" to determine whether mountain lions exist in Pennsylvania, Trichinosis occurs throughout the United States, but it usually is . Most of the reports are of a female lion with two kittens, but some reports are of a single adult lion. no doubt about it it was a mountain lion. October 5, 2016. What do you do when you run into a mountain lion? 2022-23 Hunting Highlights: Video License/Permit Lottery. They usually go after rabbits and small game but can kill animals as large as deer, according to pennlive.com. Im 62 and hunted most of my life here in PA. Dont EVER expect to get the truth from anyone with Game departments in any U.S. state. But, I actually have two favorites. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. Maybe someday, one of those fake cougar sightings will turn out to be true. It (the report) is not likely, Williams said noting mountain lions were present in northeast Pennsylvania in the 1870s, but no new credible evidence to support the big cats residency has been found. http://cougarrewilding.org/CougarNews/?p=938, have seen mountain lion in armstrong co.Pa, neibore has seen 2. Merely informing people of the possibility of mountain lions in The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Are Pennsylvanians OK with these changes? I'm Cary Hardy, an education expert and consultant. Most of the recent cougar sightings east of the Rocky Mountains were confirmed due to some kind of crash with a train or vehicle and as any Angeleno could tell you, some of them even reside in cities. The bobcat, also known as the bay Iynx, wildcat, red lynx and swamp tiger, is the states only feline predator. No wild cougars have been found in Pennsylvania since their extirpation in 1871. Each sighting involved cougars that are not native to New York. The Pennsylvania Game Commission this week reported results from the 2021-22 deer seasons, which ended in January. All told, they could eliminate 708,600 collisions and $2.13 billion in damages over 30 years. 2 houses up from my house. To date, CWD has been found in about 1,000 deer. Release #113-08 . Eastern cougars (mountain lions) do not have a native, self sustaining population in New York State. Black widows are native to the state. Date : June 11, 2021. Then another friend told me his daughter who lives in Clymer PA saw a Game Commission truck go into the woods with a large cage in the back with a mountain lion in the cage. Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (Mit), Missouri University Of Science And Technology, State University Of New York Health Science Center At Brooklyn, Suny College Of Environmental Science And Forestry, The University Of North Carolina At Charlotte, The University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston, The University Of Texas Health Science Center At San Antonio, The University Of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University Of Texas Medical Branch At Galveston, The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Uniformed Services University Of The Health Sciences, University At Buffalo Suny School Of Engineering And Applied Sciences, University Of California, Los Angeles (Ucla), University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign, University Of Maryland Baltimore County (Umbc), University Of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester, University Of Tennessee Health Science Center, University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The state Fish and Game Commission on Thursday set the stage for a fierce environmental battle by granting temporary endangered species . Photo of a mountain lion taken by a game camera. of people in Pennsylvania, including many government employees, have seen Follow Kristin & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @kristin_hunt These indentations on their cheeks help them sense heat and find prey. Published Sep 7, 2018. Mountain Lions do remain in the western states and there is evidence that in 2011, a . The commission's furbearer biologist Thomas Keller said the PGC would "likely not be supportive of mountain lion reintroduction," pointing to the dangers posed to hikers, pets and other wildlife. Must of been chasing it for quite some time. Department of Banking and Securities. I've since worked with schools and districts all over the country, helping them improve their curriculums and instruction methods. That proved to me how easy it is to trick yourself.. Can You Pay Penn State Tuition With A Credit Card. Similar to Tennessee's wild elk and buffalo, the cougar was extirpated from the state around the early 1900s due to overhunting and . It was not a fleeting glance, I had to stop my car to let it slowly cross the road in front of me. Kingston Township Police Officer John Fuches heard the online rumors about a cougar shot behind the Nanticoke restaurant. Find Easton area news on Facebook. Read health related articles, quotes & topics! that the strange animal is merely a mangy bear. Applications can be purchased online at huntfish.pa.gov or any in-store hunting license vendor. A familys security camera captured a few images of a large cat in late August, but its not the type of feline that many people imagined was lurking in the woods. On another occasion my sons best friend saw a fawn colored mt. Its low to the ground, it doesnt appear longer than the gate in the photo and theres no tail, Williams said. the heads of the PGC regarding the mountain lion issue. Its scientific name is Lynx rufus. My cousin and his girlfriend swear they saw a mountain lion Davis hill Rd off of county route 249 in tioga county. Once hunted to extinction, Pennsylvanias resurgent elk herd now numbers 1,400. | @thePhillyVoiceLike us on Facebook: PhillyVoiceHave a news tip? 90: November 5, 2021: Reynolds: Photo of mountain lion taken by game camera. Stay calm. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced it is removing the mountain lion subspecies native to the region from its list of threatened and endangered animals because of a long known technicality its extinct. But when I turned around and looked at the spot, I saw it was a bobcat. Stay Alert! The very sad news: there was a PGC ear tag on it. Hunza Guides is Pakistan's top mountain destination management company offering full board tours, trekking and expeditions services in Pakistan. private universities in kano and their fees / harlem globetrotters 1978 / pa game commission releases mountain lions. Pennsylvania would not cause a panic, as it never does out west, but the Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. They denied there was a mountain lion in their truck. common in the past than now, but they weren't very common back then either, and 1 year for $20 | 2 years for $35 | 3 years for $50 I'm also from northwest Pa.. Mountain lions are a subject that causes plenty of debates. Its scientific name is Lynx rufus. Biology. "Cougars are hunting deer year-round. How Far Is Penn State Harrisburg From Main Campus? and within six days after the commission of their crime, D'Horn and Mille were broken on the wheel in the Place de Grve. Adult mountain lions can range from 6 to 8 feet long, which includes their tail, and can weigh between 105 to 140 pounds, the agencys website stated. According to the journal of fish and wildlife management says there are 20,000 of them throughout the commonwealth. Photos of the cat, which were taken in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, were posted to Facebook by WNEPs Kurt Aaron, setting off rampant speculation. community, into a false sense of security about mountain lions in Pennsylvania. Williams said his office receives a couple of dozen reports each year about suspected mountain lion sightings. The United . I had called the Pa Game Commission and they told me the no mountain lions in Pa story but then said my report was like # 15 in Napier township. Misericordia University in Dallas Twp. It includes articles from Pennsylvania Game Commission staff members and other outdoor writers, photos from the field, season updates, wildlife news and more. GAME COMMISSION UPDATES PUBLIC ON CWD SURVEILLANCE. Click here to place a classified ad. Your email address will not be published. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. Below are the results for the 2021-2022 Pennsylvania Elk Tag Lottery! Quick movements, such as running or bicycling, which make humans resemble prey, sometimes lead to cougar attacks. They wanted to hear from anyone who saw a mountain lion or signs of one, like tracks or scats. are common and numerous in their state. Cougars were officially declared extinct east of the Mississippi in the 1930s. Can you shoot a mountain lion if it attacks you? Click to sign up. Early settlers in Northeastern Pennsylvania killed off many cougars, and diseases brought in by livestock killed much of the remaining population, according to the agencys website. Rightfully so, as hefty bobcats are still common today and perhaps 200 years ago, impressive mountain lions might have hunted wild elk and, Isolated juvenile males have been found as far east as Michigans Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin. Some reports include sightings of lions during daylight hours, which is not typical behavior . Today, there are none in existence in this area; the last mountain lions was seen in 1874. Bradford County: Sunday, Oct. 6, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (rain or shine), State Game Lands 12. If you think you see a predatory cat ready to pounce, you're likely mistaken. These young males are looking to establish a new territory and they do not stay in areas without females. in various ways, so they did not promote the PGC's assertion that it is Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, once were native to the eastern U.S. The one pictured is in a New York zoo. Home Haller Motorworx & Farm Equipment Magazine, AR 479 969-6464. Its scientific name is Lynx rufus. especially in Canada. Of course, bees are crucial to our existence. sensible caution, in situations where small children are playing in the Plus, you can set alarms on timers to make sure they go off at certain times of the day when youve spotted cougars coming onto your property. That change to the official position would not cause public panic Joe Fischer, left, and Nick Sebasovich and dog Stella, discuss pheasant hunting Dec. 30, 2021, at State Game Lands 93 in Somerset County. Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. Isolated juvenile males have been found as far east as Michigans Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin. party on his farm. Mountain lions are large, tan cats. However, mountain lion sightings in Pennsylvania are still being reported. Flaming Gorge ice fishing: Plan ahead for a safe trip . The 2020 wildfires that ravaged California also affected mountain lion populations, killing an estimated 300 to 600 of them. Get educated & stay motivated. in Pennsylvania, even though hundreds Roger did not like being told that he did not see a mountain lion on his Some biologists thinks it's time to bring them back to help manage deer populations. meeting in his office with the PGC. let your guard down in the woods, especially with small children present. They said it was the size of their German Shepard and theres nothing else it couldve possibly been. Biology. If cougar reintroduction were to become a serious consideration, the game commission would first need to conduct a feasibility assessment, a "long and careful process," in Keller's estimation, that ends with a recommendation for or against reintroducing a species. Should any hunter come across a cougar in Pennsylvania, they are advised to leave it alone as hunting them in the state is illegal. Game wardens conducted a full investigation and concluded that Alyssa did indeed act in self defense. She tried to tell me it was a Maine Coon Cat. Pennsylvania Game News is a monthly, 64-page magazine about hunting and wildlife in Pennsylvania. Except there's one big problem, at least for East Coasters: cougars don't really live here. Mountain lions are 7-9 feet, while bobcats are 3 feet long. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. We also discuss other reports from the same area. Some state agencies among the midwest and eastern states Union and Huntingdon , Pa. .. One doesn't think about big cats being in this eastern part of the . Flickr/Valerie. If the pine marten requires this much paperwork, one can imagine where that leaves cougars. This was the approach of the PGC until a farmer named Roger saw a mountain The mountain lion was killed east of Altoona and south of State College , Pa. northeast of Raystown Lake between Mt. Big Cat, long tail, Mountain Lion past directly in front of my car. Congratulations to all hunters who drew a tag this year! had been reported in the area. Weve been here 45 years and Ive probably been told by people at least 100 times that theyve seen a cougar or mountain lion, said owner Vince Hall. Cougars had long been targeted by early American settlers paranoid over livestock losses, the agency found, with some states going so far as to offer bounties for dead cougars. HARRISBURG, PA - With deer seasons over for the 2021-22 season, the busiest time for chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance has ended. Did the Pennsylvania Game Commission stock coyotes into the state? 103. They're able to hunt deer in suburban areas where it's not safe to hunt. While mountain lion attacks are rare, they do happen. I was driving to work just before sun rise, Late September 2019. It was a subtle way I saw a Mountain Lion chasing a fox in Perryopolis Pa. Footprints and Fables: John Green's Half. I went to the rocky site and did not find the cat. Of all the reports we get, none are ever in the winter when theres snow and we can see a track, Williams said. Running may stimulate a mountain lions instinct to chase. Some attacks of humans have been reported in the United States, according to the U.S. Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. I also seen deer in my yard, a coyote, a mink, a wood turtle and a bear earlier this year as well. Don't treat the bite with ice, cold packs or sprays. State Farm insurancecalculates that one out of every 67 drivers in Pennsylvania had a claim related to a deer collision in 2016. Are dangerous creatures lurking outside your tent flap or in the woods beyond your backyard if you live in Pennsylvania? Bobcats are often misidentified as mountain lions, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission Officer Bill Williams. DALLAS There are no mountain lions in the Back Mountain or surrounding region, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission Officer Bill Williams. woods unattended, perhaps during outdoor summer barbeques where enticing They have adapted to live in the suburbs in woods, fields or evenbackyards without being seen by people. If you have never purchased a hunting or fishing license in the state of Pennsylvania, please create an account. to the meeting -- the only agency that could assert jurisdiction over Never approach a mountain lion, especially one that is feeding or with kittens. All rights reserved (About Us). death of a child by a mountain lion in Pennsylvania would create some an escaped pet mountain lion, at best. And it appears the case of mistaken identity is nothing new. Remastered releases on Feb . FAIRFIELD, Pa. An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. Only a few confirmed sightings of mountain lions have occurred in Tennessee in recent years. In the second photo, the black spots on the belly and legs identify the feline as a bobcat. Pennsylvania had more than 7,300 confirmed cases of the disease in 2015. The cougar (Puma concolor), also known as mountain lion, panther, painter, puma, and catamount, is the largest feline animal in North America. HARRISBURG - In announcing the current results of its ongoing investigation into an alleged mountain lion attack on Oct. 9, Pennsylvania Game Commission officials today announced that there is no evidence that the alleged attack on Samuel Fisher, 42, of Sadsbury . Lutz and several other volunteers are planning to travel to Bedford County within a few days of the next snowfall, in fact, to look for cougar sign because several sightings have been reported there in recent months. Department of Education. offered people inside Pennsylvania say the PGC is not trustworthy, because the A young mountain lion that was part of a cougar population in Nebraska embarked on a multi-state journey this year, officials said. "People do hunt deer, and we are hiring sharpshooters and it hasn't brought their populations down the way that a healthy population of cougars would be able to do," Prugh said. This is only hearsay, however, since Im only going on their stories. An Amish farmer along 944 in Cumberland County complained to the PGC a mountain lion was killing his sheep. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approves 2022 hunt. "In one sense you would return a missing ecological community member back to the forest system," Keller said. As a last resort, you can fight back and try to scare the bear away. I know I am not the only one who spotted this cat around the woods right outside town . There will be free tours offered on three Sundays in . If you're hiking, stay on the path and don't venture into the woods. Most spiders have fangs to deliver venom, but only two in Pennsylvania have bites withserious medical implications for humans: the black widow (pictured) and the brown recluse. husbands go hunting by themselves. ### Media contact: Jordan Traverso, CDFW Communications, (916) 212-7352 Image credit: Wikimedia Commons. PGC has stated for years, emphatically, that there are no mountain lions Im an avid mature person with a biology degree. "Cougars really are deer specialists," said Laura Prugh, an author on the study. Bear attacks are thankfully rare. the fall back response by the PGC was to say the animal might have been PFBC instructional videos: Fishing. The last documented sighting of an eastern cougar was one killed in Maine in 1938. The statewide buck . confines every so often resulting in occassional sightings of mountain Department of Environmental Protection. The last wild cougar in Pennsylvania was killed in 1871 and the last cougar born on the East Coast was killed in 1938 in Maine. Sounded like a giant animal was sprinting down the mountain right before we saw it. Only those people who attended the meeting in Madigan's office know exactly Trek Magazine. Department of Corrections. Downloaded information persists into areas of poor internet connectivity for your convenience. Pictures dating to the 1930s have appeared over the years in the Pennsylvania Game Commissions magazine Game News. The most difficult, but compassionate choice was to respectfully minimize his suffering and stress by humanely ending his journey. If you see any of these four wild animals in Pennsylvania, definitely keep a safe distance. same impression. Pennsylvanias bobcat population is growing. . (WHTM) - The Pennsylvania Game Commission is offering tours of Pennsylvania Game Lands next month. Ok, so they may have been extinct for some time, but if people are sighting them, has anyone considered migration? Can I shoot a mountain lion in self defense? YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Paws N Claws Animal Park in the Poconos has two. When was the last mountain lion seen in Pennsylvania? the edge of a forest. Fish and Wildlife Service. . risk he created with an irresistable mix of stimuli and opportunity. Eating African lion meat is unusual around the worldincluding on the predators home continent, where the meat is not considered palatable, Hunter said. Black bears are active in the fall, foraging for food to bulk up for hibernation, Williams said. States have tried all kinds of strategies to bring down the number of crashes, from capturing and sterilizing deer to encouraging hunters to go open season. Little is known of the wolf in Pennsylvania, or if indeed the same animal now called the Eastern coyote in fact might have been similar to the wolf of the past. An Amish farmer along 944 in Cumberland County complained to the PGC a mountain lion was killing his sheep. Tired of ads? Remember this post from February 28, 2005. will point to a single case within their state where there was an arrest, The Pennsylvania Game Commission is your state wildlife agency and we want to help clarify and simplify some timely and commonly asked hunting- and wildlife-related questions. a few weeks later about a mile away a friends wife saw a big cat crossing route 30. Several years ago when he was a district officer patrolling Sullivan County, a large cat ran across the road just before dark. According to Prugh, cougars also could help slow the spread of Lyme's disease by taking out diseased deer and save casual gardens and crops from overgrazing. 06/03/2022. mountain lions. Wilkes-Barre, PA News, Obituaries, classifieds, and Sports. then use that arrest to propagate the notion that captive mountain lions The easiest way toavoid Lyme disease is to avoid ticks altogether. A 100-year survey of cougar attacks in the U.S. and Canada found only 10 deaths and 48 injuries. Descripcin. If you suspect a coyote is living near you, you should call the state game commission at 610-926-3136. But then it's a really nice-sized meal as well, so it's an efficient package of meat that can feed them for about a week, as opposed to hunting smaller prey like beavers or rabbits.". mountain lions in Pennsylvania. I got my start in education as a teacher, working with students in grades K-12. Mountain lions are 7-9 feet, while bobcats are 3 feet long. For immediate release. A human standing does not resemble a mountain lion's natural prey. Do everything you can to fight it off. There haven't been any cougars in Tennessee since the early 1900s. They love lurking on theedge of wooded areas near agricultural areas where prey is abundant. Turns out, many of you say coywolves coyote/wolf hybrids have been spotted around Bucks County. Cougar Signs Experts such as Debra Chase, CEO of the Mountain Lion Foundation, say that cougars are mostly afraid of humans and dont see us as potential prey. Since 1991, RMEF and its partners completed 505 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects in Pennsylvania with a combined value of more than $27.3 million. The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. There are more squirrels in Pa than Mountain Lions, but not by a lot. It is a known fact that when an area is overpopulated, wild animals will migrate out of an area and into a new area that is less populated. from hunting licenses in Pennsylvania might be reduced if hunters were afraid to go into that the Jacob's creature is nothing more than a skinny mangy bear, and U.S. Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Coyoteseat wildlife including mice, voles, deer, rabbits and woodchucks. Watch Elk Live in Pennsylvania. These tiny critters may not look that threatening but they are carriers of Lyme disease, which can result in long-term health complications and even death. After several years of teaching, I transitioned into the world of educational consulting. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. measure of panic and terror in Pennsylania, and all surrounding states. effect might occur if the wives of hunters in PA were too worried to let their You should bathe soon after coming indoors, preferably within two hours. But they'd need the cooperation of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and, for now, that's a non-starter. That's the third-highest rate of any state in the U.S. Alhough Canada lynx have a bigger range than bobcats, theyre the only known wildcat species in Pennsylvania, even though people have mistakenly reported sightings of pumas or mountain lions in the region. Updated: Jan. 31, 2017, 2:00 p.m. | Published: Jan. 31, 2017, 1:00 p.m. . The mountain lion will most likely attempt to tackle you and crush your skull or bite your throat.