Strange Central Illinois Animals

I was reading the post about the otters and thought I would start up a neat thread.
What are some of the "rare" animals that you have seen in Central Illinois? Or what are some of the cool nature experiences you have had.
Here are mine....

I saw a bobcat while looking for arrowheads once just outside of Moweaqua.
I saw a badger once digging in a ditch just west of the Moweaqua Golf Course.
My grandma said she once saw a black panther while she was out picking up field corn.
I saw a Pileated Woodpecker when I was mushroom hunting one spring morning. They are the crow-sized woodpeckers with the crest on their head.
I was pheasant hunting over by springfield once and my dog was on point and when I went to flush it was a coyote. Weird.

I dont really have any weird ones, thankfully! But mother watched a couger run across a yard and leap across the road right in front of while she was at work on 7 hills road in mattoon! She even pulled up a picture of one to show me and confirm it, creepy!

Did you see where on October 28th a trailcam took a pic of a BIG cougar over by Jacksonville? Made the news. Google it and check it out. Big male probably. I have students that SWARE they have seen them while in the deer stand along the Sangamon River. The cougars that we could potentially have in this area most likely migrated downs from South Dakota. The opinion is that we will most likely see them call this part of the state home again in the next few years. If you think about it we have lots of large prey that they could eat and that prey (deer) are absolutely stupid when it comes to avoiding predators like big cats. I mean, they only have to worry about hunters and we are not nearly as "stealth" as a big kitty. Coyotes RARELY eat deer and they have to be small or sick at that.

That one in Jacksonville was sighted less than a mile from where I have turkey hunted. I'll be a little bit more "aware of my surroundings" before light, if I hunt up there this spring. :yikes

Cougars (same as mountain lion or puma. Different name for the same animal. Varies by region or country) are known for attacking humans. In fact, there are more cougar attacks than any other. They are known as ambush stalkers. They will stalk and often times get in an elevated position and "pounce" on their prey. Seriously, be careful when hunting. There is not a law that states certain animals can't live here. In fact, a black bear was run over by a farmer a few years ago just south of Taylorville! It was pictured on the DNR website. A guy near Moweaqua had several sheep killed by a large predator. The funny thing was whatever did the killing didn't eat it. Just killed for fun. That is the definition of "feline" activity!!!

thanks chad for scaring all us hunters now. haha

I also heard that they like to wait near the shoreline and attack fishermen fishing shallow water..... If you stick to the main lake you are fine.
Stupid shallow fish.......
I am making reference to my poor tournament showing. I gambled on getting some big fish deeper. FAIL........

MEOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here is the kitty from Jacksonville!!Attachment 105945

I was in a tree stand one morning well before dawn and a large dark colored animal came slinking up to the tree and circled it and walked off. It didn't walk like a deer or coyote so it had to be a cat, sure did walk like one. Good thing my scent eliminating spray was working. I was hunting robinson creek bottom near Lakewood. I also saw one of those Pileated woodpecker when I lived in Watson.

Just got to remembering other things, once I caught a king snake in Hidden Springs State Park while I was mushroom hunting and last year I had a Baltimore Oriole at my hummingbird feeder.

I always see pileated woodpeckers every year while turkey huntiing over by Herrick Il. . They sure make a lot of noise and are fun to watch .

See ya Kevin ><)))*>

I once shot an oldsqaw, a sea duck now called a long-tailed duck, in chandlerville.

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I've been seeing a pair of bald eagles at shelbyville and while in my tree stand west of tuscola

Heres my little buddy that hangs out in the slag yard by US Steel.

Attachment 105962

wilbur- thats no buddy to me! choot em lizabef!!

Do coyotes attack humans ?

Doubt it...but they will sure attack quail and pheasants.

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Originally Posted by birdman

wilbur- thats no buddy to me! choot em lizabef!!

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No way this guy is friendly. When he sees my truck, he follows me to the pile im headed to and sits there till I give him a treat. I keep a bag of dog treats in my truck. Actually there are 3 of them. this one is the friendliest one ,the other 2 are a little skittish.

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Originally Posted by cblades

Cougars (same as mountain lion or puma. Different name for the same animal. Varies by region or country) are known for attacking humans. In fact, there are more cougar attacks than any other. They are known as ambush stalkers. They will stalk and often times get in an elevated position and "pounce" on their prey. Seriously, be careful when hunting. There is not a law that states certain animals can't live here. In fact, a black bear was run over by a farmer a few years ago just south of Taylorville! It was pictured on the DNR website. A guy near Moweaqua had several sheep killed by a large predator. The funny thing was whatever did the killing didn't eat it. Just killed for fun. That is the definition of "feline" activity!!!

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Most cases it turns out to be dogs.

Im from more up north in the state but up here the DNR released 5 or so cougars a few years back to attempt to control the deer population and never told anybody about it untill people started seeing/getting pictures of them. Last year a guy shot a wolf up in jo daviess county during the shotgun season. Saw two river otters last month while fishing along with a mink a couple days before. Was on the river a couple days ago and had to have seen atleast 10 different eagles, they are getting to be pretty common up here and stay around all year.

I saw my wife wake up on the wrong side of the bed once. Scariest damn thing I ever saw!!!

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Originally Posted by shakynerves24

I saw my wife wake up on the wrong side of the bed once. Scariest damn thing I ever saw!!!

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LOL... If she happens to read this, that would probably now be the 2nd scariest thing you've ever seen.:yikes

i've seen a lot of strange things outside, comes with the teratory when your a Infantry Marine.

Seen guys unknowingly sleep on a scorpion nest, tranchulas crawl out of holes right next to me in a fox hole I just dug, seen snakes eating rabbits, almost laid down on a rattler, seen the magestic bald eagle scavange garbage, watched numberou birds swoop down and pluck nice looking fish out of the lake, seen bufalo standing in the middle of the road, swam in natural hot springs, seen some of the coolest celestial displays, seen a dog kill a racoon and he brought me his kill for approval, and the list goes on. I have yet to see a bigfoot though. lol

This wasn't in central Illinois, but sure was strange. Was fishing up in Canada with our group and we were trolling the same area, our boat going one way, theirs going opposite. My brother calls out "fish!" And all of a sudden we see a 16" walleye pop out of the water about 5' --and stay there! My brother and a friend in the other boat both caught the same walleye and it was a race back to see who could net it out of the air! Unfortunately they got there first. Never seen that before or since.

it ain't central Illinoisy, but you can see lots of strange animules at the WallyMart in Marion...

I once saw my mother in law throw a small black pill on the ground creating a cloud of smoke and vanishing in it with a shrill of laughter.....

this spring on the illinois river i saw a mileormore bird,a mileormore is a shore bird that runs up and down the river banks or shore.when he sticks head under water or in the ground he whistle threw his butt, you can hear him for a mile or more