Thread: More on big cats

Brian Broom, The Clarion-Ledger11:06 p.m. CST November 26, 2014

(Photo: Florida Wildlife Commission/Special to The Clarion-Ledger)

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The Clarion-Ledger’s Sunday story about mountain lions moving closer to Mississippi drew a strong reaction from readers on social media. The majority felt this cat was long out of the bag and has already returned to the state.
Albert K. Stowers commented: “They have been around for years. I have seen two different ones.”
Robert E. Hays described his encounter.
“I just want you to know that I saw one in the middle of a sunny summer day when I was stone cold sober and on the job,” Hays wrote. “I was driving on Caney Creek Road south of Conehatta and one crossed the road, slowly, in front of me.
“As he started across, I saw him, and I slowed down so as not to hit what I thought was a dog. But it was not a dog. It was a mountain lion. He crossed the road about 50 feet in front of me and went into some tall grass where he turned and looked at me, now stopped!, before moving on off to the east.”
Katie Webb also said she has run into one.
“Saw one through the scope at 200 yds with my husband about a year ago here in the delta 20 (minutes) south of Greenwood,” Webb wrote on Facebook. “Watched it for about 3 minutes and there was no denying what it was.
“And someone else saw 2 together about 500 yds from that spot the year before. Haven't gotten a trail picture yet though!”
While there was no shortage of commenters claiming to have seen or heard about big cats in Mississippi, all the reports lack one thing — physical proof.
Richard Rummel, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks’ Exotic Species Program director, said he has investigated hundreds of reported sightings over the past 30 years.
While he considered some of the reports credible, he has been unable to find any proof.
Many times, the sighting is reported weeks after it happened and any prints or other evidence has been washed away by rain. Other times, tracks thought to be made by a panther turn out to be those of a large dog.
Despite every lead over three decades coming to a dead end, Rummel said no one wants to see a panther in Mississippi more than him and he is anxious to find proof.
“Photographs, definite tracks that we can confirm or a fresh kill that can be attributed to a cat,” Rummel said. “Scrapes. They make scrapes like a bobcat.
“That will generally leave an impression of a back foot.”
Rummel said the scrapes are generally made by cats pawing in forest debris such as leaves or pine needles.
“It’s kind of a territory thing,” Rummel said.
If you think you’ve seen a panther, Rummel said to report it to MDWFP quickly before any evidence is lost.
If a possible paw print is found, Rummel said to take a photo of it with something in the picture for size reference. Objects mentioned were a quarter, pocket knife, or anything else on hand to give a size comparison.
Contact Brian Broom at (601) 961-7225 or [email protected]. Follow The Clarion-Ledger Outdoors on Facebook or @BrianBroom on Twitter.

One was killed here in Arkansas, down at Hermitage, opening week of rifle season. G&F says " we don't have a breeding population"