Do you think there are wild cougars in Ontario?
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Do you think there are wild cougars in Ontario?
Sure.....
YES !!!
Lots, I've been living with one for a few years.
Give her a slap on the back cheeks and watch any domestic one go wild on ya.
Absolutely, I saw one myself about 45 years ago in behind one of the service centres on the 401 between Gananoque and Brockville. I don't think they're plentiful, but I do believe there's a resident population here in Ontario.
Nope. Until I see someone capture a cougar on a trail cam, or have tracks photographed and verified by MNRF, I don’t believe there are cougars.
As I recall there was one found in a snow bank in the Thunder Bay area back in the springQuote:
Originally Posted by Nina Martin
An urban or perhaps more correctly rural legend (aka BS).
Spent decades in Ontario bush and have yet to see a cougar or cougar 'sign' (scat, tracks, scrapes).
I have lived in BC cougar habitat and know their sign when I see it.
Some people believe anything.
For me seeing is believing.
i am positive i saw one summer of 2016 on hwy 519 north of Wawa
yes because on jan 24 2017 when i retreved my trail cam from a very snowy forest i have a video of what looks like a black cougar run by.its a very short video but as the lights on the cam illuminated the critter blew by, but it looks to be 3 -3 and half ft long with a 3 -3 and half ft long ropey tail. Ive had deer,coyotes and snowshoe hare go pass the camera so perspective and comparison are considered.ive had a buddy say its possible its a fisher but when i googled it the info on them says the largest ever trapped was around 20 lbs.another buddy agrees with the cougar scenario.so as the cougar mystery goes.its inconclusive.its a night time video.short and fuzzy but the gait is catlike and the ropey tail a good indicator.not sure if otters or fishers are capable of this size.to be determined.had a camera in the spot all summer but only captures a few does and fawns and a single bear cub,on haloween i had a young hunter put a leaf over the camera lens after capturing his attempts at pulling on camera.a short window of time to capture an elusive cougar no doubt.so this year will put cameras in the area to follow up.this is a migration route to a deer yard near by so a cougar could have followed deer on there way to deer yard as i did have deer moving south past camera on previous days.
If and when I see even a photo to back up the rumors I'll be less than convinced there are no wild cougars outside of zoos in Ontario.
Haven't as yet seen even a grainy photo like the spaceship proponents sometimes publish to 'support' their speculations.
I dated a few back in the 80s in Oshawa! LMAO
I tend to agree with you and with all the trail cameras out there we should have a few pictures,however the MNR has already confirmed they are out there after years of denial so I believe they are and they have been seen at my camp by several hunters in the past.Would be an interesting question for the trappers section?Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopalong
One or two escape from those who keep them as pets every year.
Cougars can travel great distances and undoubtedly the odd transient animal passes through the province. Whether there is a breeding population stashed away somewhere is a bit of a mystery. To me it seems unlikely.
Certainly a vast majority of reported sightings are hoaxes. There are dozens of sightings in a year in my area and never an animal on a trail camera. Lots of the sightings I've heard of (one in this thread) reference black cougars which do not even exist.
Probably along the lines of the mythical 'athabaska wolf' and the unicorn so they have an excuse to limit and curtail hunting even more to protect so-called endangered species.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilroy
I take whatever the MNR says with a grain (maybe the whole shaker) of salt sometimes.
They're heavy on politics and light on biology these days.
I know they existed up towards North Bay 45 years ago. At least one did, had absolute proof at the time. I was in awe of how big they are. Now maybe it was the only one, but I doubt that.
Where there's one there's moreQuote:
Originally Posted by sabmgb
Of course there is cougars in Ontario i am sleeping with one every night lol
http://www.thesudburystar.com/2014/0...ge-of-a-cougarQuote:
Originally Posted by Nina Martin
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/big-cat-c...town-1.1910607
http://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.c...icle/view/1194
Definitely on the base in Camp Borden back in the 90’s. I saw and reported it. The guard tried to denied it but later confessed.
Of coarse not. The only ones that have been seen or caught were all captive ones that had escaped.