Here we go again cougar spotted in north pelham

[yellow dog]

It's harder to fit into a cougar suit.
I guess there is not a lot of cougars. So they don't get seen much. Lots of other animals are rare. Have you ever seen a fisher?

Ive seen lots of Fisher when i was living in Eastern Ontario.They are not rare.

[yellow dog]

The MNR may have released some. Because this was once there home range.

Lots of stories floating around about the MNR releasing lots of other species as well. They are just stories.

[brent]

The MNR has never released cougars.

However the MNR does admit that there are some roaming around Southern Ontario. Numbers unknown but very low. Where they came from is unknown as well and may be captive ones that were released.

Google "cougar study MNR Trent University". Some interesting info.

[genec]

Been reports for years about one around the south end of the Short Hills area in Pelham.
I used to hunt a farm N. E. of Fonthill, and the farmer mentioned a few times of one at the back of his property (was a big 60+ foot deep wooded gully there leading north to Short Hills Park, so easily concealable terrain for one).
I had a student in one of my courses 3 years ago who had a woods behind his property just south of Welland, and he showed me photos he took of a black panther in his yard chasing after wild turkeys(obviously an escapee from captivity).
Lived near Midland for 8 years, and one fall there was 3 sightings within a 2 week period of a chocolate brown cougar just south of one of my moose hunting buddy's farm. He also had several fisher around his area as well, and we used to see them occasionally.
They were a major problem for rabbits - we went bunny hunting one morning in the snow on the Xmas holidays on his farm (tree farm - he had lots of small evergreens planted), and there were fisher tracks all over his fields checking out every small evergreen for rabbits. Needless to say, we never saw one bunny!!!

[Kilo Charlie]

I heard a hunter at the butcher shop tell about 15 other hunters that his MNR sources told him they brought in cougars to control coyote population and fishers for porcupines.

He was serious and I laughed in his face. He didn't like that. Dumbest thing I've ever heard.

I know of 4 coyote hound gangs that have hunted his area for at least 30 years combined. Shot thousands of coyotes and foxes and even the odd Wolf. BUT NEVER have they ever crossed a cougar track or seen any sign of one. These hound guys cover A LOT of country if they haven't got onto one, I'd say a cougar isn't around here

I had a chance to talk to the same biologist whom the Ottawa Sun called ten years ago for an article regarding fishers. He said that the rumour that MNR had stocked them in Easter Ontario is completely untrue, but accepted as fact by a lot of residents. They came back on their own due to a dearth of trappers and LOTS of porkies!

This cougar debate will go on for a long time, until there are good pictures that get more attention. I know there were photos shot of a puma on Lake of the Woods a few years back, and my Mom, who lives a few miles outside Kenora, saw one crossing the road maybe 60 yards from her house. She hesitates to tell people because she knows how unlikely a sighting it was, but I do believe her.

It's difficult, but not inconceivable, to believe that a few are around in Southern Ontario somewhere. Ever notice how you can drive down a road with a non-hunter and they never seem to notice the deer near the treeline or the grouse on the shoulder of the road? People will be even less likely to spot an animal that likes to remain unseen.

[dave@ont]

I have never personally seen a cougar in the wild but I have seen tracks that I think were large cat, either bobcat or cougar. I know of a number of credible sightings in our area and lots of sightings that I would dismiss as not as credible. The most bullet proof is a local hunter in my area that watched one from his deer stand for about 10 minutes as it prowled along the edge of a swamp near Palmerston. Last year my SIL saw one twice within a week as it walked along the creek behind their house. She saw it once this passed summer with a small one in the same spot. The farm they live on backs onto the Conestogo Lake Conservation Area. A friend's father saw one near Linwood as he was swathing grain about 5 years ago. It walked out of the grain about a 100 yards in front of him and stopped and looked at him before walking into the bush. Two years ago a person we rent a farm from was walking on the sideroad one evening and saw 2 come out of the corn on one side and cross into the bush on the other side near Harriston. Another friend watched one walking through a brushy area behind her house from her kitchen window. This was near Wroxeter. These sightings I find highly credible because of the knowledge of wildlife by of each of these people as well as their honesty and the clarity of their description. I have heard of plenty more sightings in our area that I tend to discount like the neighbor boy who story starts with "I was coming home from a party late Saturday night." Why don't we get more pics on trail cameras? I don't know other than that they have very keen senses and I would believe the population is very thin.

[johny]

[QUOTE=bugs_bunny;999093]Funny how it works around ont. We're I live these so called mountain lion siteings are always the knew kind of loin they have wings and don't need to eat either I know this because they don't leave any tracks in the snow so they must be flying on their ghost lion wings and they don't leave behind any scatt so this proves they don't eat and that's why they never show up on the 20000 game camera's on the bear baits or deer bait cams a cross ont and they don't get caught in live traps or get it on the rd it's almost like their not hear and as far as the hole Mnr letting them out. The m.n.r. let turkeys go I see those on my game camera the m.n.r. let elk go and we see those around to any how I personally would love to see a fresh track or even better see one hanging on a snare or see one running in front of the Hounds if I ever see one of the ones that don't have wings I'm going to shoot it and hang it up in the front yard and that will help sort out the fairy tails until you get one caught or shot I would not be to paranoid about what sells newspaper's take care and if you ever find a big kitty litter box out in the woods you know u are getting closer to killing the ghost lion shoot strait and good day

Bugs. You are correct.
Logic applied says there is not a natural/wild/reproducing population of cougars in Ontario.
Cougars are the outdoorsmans equivalent of "urban myth".

But paranoid conspiracy theorists who believe the MNR secretly released cougars can't be reasoned with.
No more than people who know "reliable people" who claim to have seen one.

Show me a body.
Show me a reliable pic that doesn't have a Douglas Fir in the background.

[bugs_bunny]

For shure thanks for posting that

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

[glen]

Seeing a pair and one with a small one with it means they could be breeding.
It's odd that the population is not increasing to the point that there is more sightings.
I know my friend has a good trail cam pic of one near owensound.

[maximum chaos]

Seeing a pair and one with a small one with it means they could be breeding.
It's odd that the population is not increasing to the point that there is more sightings.
I know my friend has a good trail cam pic of one near owensound.

Post that pic Glen!!