It might have been a lynx too, but by the size my vote is for a cougar as well. There are a lot of cougars in the foothills and Mountains near Calgary, but it’s very rare to see one, even if you regularly hike in the mountains. They are nocturnal and generally very wary of humans, but it’s not uncommon for them to take pets out of people’s yards that are near cougar areas. In recent years, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, there have been more incidents with Humans. That Wikipedia article that says that all 16 deaths were in California is wrong because in 2001 there was a fatal attack in Banff, which I mention because I know it’s a place many of you have been. Cougars can weight 150 lbs and will attack smaller humans under certain circumstances. The attack outside of Banff was on a smaller woman, a dancer at the Banff Centre of the arts, who was out cross country skiing by herself. Warning: Gruesome details ahead! The cougar apparently hunted her, stalking her and jumping her from behind by biting the back of her neck. They think she died almost immediately. Another skier came by shortly after the attack and saw her body, which was clearly dead, but apparently the cat had been scared off, at least temporarily. When the Park wardens made it back to the site they found the cougar standing over the body feeding on it, at which time they shot and killed it. An autopsy showed that the cougar was not malnourished or sick. This might have been just a freak occurrence, but there were a couple of other encounters with aggressive cougars within a short period of time, so people started asking a lot of questions and coming up with theories for way this was happening (see second link). There haven't been any cougar attacks since, but a woman was killed by a bear just outside of nearby Canmore a few years later, so some believe that this is all the result of man and nature bumping up against each other more and more. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2001/01/02/cougarbanff010102.html http://www.mountainnature.com/Wildlife/BanffCougarAttacks.htm
I've seen plenty of bobcats and this was diffidently not a bobcat. One of the cool things about the cat I saw was it's tail. It was long and if I had to say what it was based on the pictures you posted then I would say it was the mountain lion.
I doubt it was a Mountain Lion. That area's my old stomping ground... way too many good ol' boys, roads, rifles, and hunting dogs for a Cougar to feel comfortable. Besides, to get there from West Texas, it would have had to travel hundreds of miles and cross I-35 and I-45. Now, I suppose some yahoo could have acquired a kitten and let it go when it got big, so it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility... but my guess is if you really saw a Cougar, it was not there naturally. I've travelled throughout the West and seen everything from wolves to grizzlies, wolverines, elk, badgers, moose, fox, weasels, bison, Bighorn, Pronghorn, ermine, marten, bats, beaver, raptors, marmot, squirrels, and all sorts of little mammals like voles and mice. The only thing I have never seen is a Mountain Lion. (I think I saw one once, but it was so fleeting and at the darkest of dusk, that I can't justify adding it to my list.) I've been seconds late upon a scene where others claim to have seen one. I've seen many tracks and kill, but never a clear view of a live animal. So, maybe I'm biased and don't want to accept the fact that some guy driving the highway around Lake Livingston saw a Mountain Lion while I have not yet done so... Nah, no way.
Tonight (2/20/07) at 9PM on the National Geographic Channel: Hunter and Hunted "Cougar Island" (2007) About 40 percent of all documented cougar attacks in North America occur on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. At least on DirecTV!
i go camping out at big bend every couple years and last time i was out we camped on the south rim. you hike up into the mountains and its a 15 mile loop trail - we usually spend a couple days doing it. anyway, last time i was there we were hiking back and went by this small spring. the trail was probably about 10 feet above the creek, but looking down we saw a mountain lion drinking out of it - literally about 20 feet from us. it didnt seem as big as i imagined they would be, but it was still very scary. it stopped drinking and just stared at us as we quickly, but calmly walked away. i had a buck knife, but i dont think that would have stopped him.
The info is 10 years old but.... 1998 Texas Mountain Lion Data Mountain Lion Status Survey Annual Report Prepared By: William B. Russ Texas Parks and Wildlife Department A statewide survey of mountain lion (Felis concolor) mortalities and sightings was conducted by Wildlife Division personnel with the assistance of Law Enforcement, Animal Damage Control, and individuals from across the state. Data were recorded by county with the date, number and estimated age of the lion, and location for each mortality or sighting for the period between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 1998. Data through 1998 was combined with previous data beginning in 1983 for a sixteen year summary of lion mortalities and sightings. The mortality or sighting was plotted on a distribution map by ecological region based on the reported county location. A total of 2,186 lion mortalities (Table 1) was reported in 65 Texas counties (Table 6) from 1983-1998. A total of 129 lion mortalities was reported in 18 Texas counties during 1998. Adult lions (Table 3) made up 67% of the mortalities. The Trans-Pecos Ecological Region ranked first in total mortalities and the Edwards Plateau Region was second. Crockett, Terrell, Val Verde, and part of Pecos Counties of the Edwards Plateau had 94% of the reported mortalities for this ecological region. Lions were also taken in South Texas (5%). A total of 2,196 lion sightings (Table 2) was reported in 213 * Texas counties (Table 7) from 1983-1998. A total of 163 sightings was reported in 87 Texas counties during 1998. Adult lions (Table 4) made up 50% of the sightings. The Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains Ecological Regions were the highest ranked regions with 38 and 30 verified sightings respectively. Sightings were recorded in all ten ecological regions in 1998. Animal Damage Control personnel and private hunters (Table 5) took 90 lions (70% of the total) across the State with 72% of these lions from the Trans-Pecos Region and 27% from the Edwards Plateau Region. Sport hunters took 12% of the total lions in 1998. Lions were also taken by landowners, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and accidents. One lion was removed from Big Bend National Park for threatening humans and one died from an unknown cause. *One county had a verified mortality without a verified sighting. MOUNTAIN LION MORTALITIES 1. South Texas Study (all private land)** Out of 19 collared lions, 10 (52%) died during the study: Deer hunters killed 5 (26%) lions. Professional trappers took 2 (11%) lions in coyote snares under fence crossings. Another lion killed 1 lion (5%). Researchers accidentally killed 1 lion (5%). One lion died unknown causes in Mexico (5%). An additional 19 uncollared lions were reportedly killed on the same study area during the same time period. A total of 18 (95%) were killed by deer hunters. One (5%) was killed by an ADC trapper. (ADC= Animal Damage Control) 2. Big Bend Ranch State Park (270,000 acres of public land surrounded by private land). Out of 19 collared lions, 16 (84%) were killed by people. A total of 15 (78%) were killed by a single private predator control trapper working on adjacent private land. One (5%) was killed by Mexican nationals when it approached them at a boat ramp. (This was an orphaned cub, raised in captivity, and released as a juvenile.) An additional 27 uncollared lions were reportedly killed by the same private trapper during the same period. **South Texas Study was a study of mountain lions conducted by Sul Ross University under the auspices of TP&WD.
Well I don't know what to tell you except this guy driving the highway around Lake Livingston saw a Mountain Lion while you have not yet done so...
