have you seen a Mountain Lion ?
 

I have reliable, sober neighbors, here on the east side of Buzzell Cove, who tell me they have seen a mountain lion(s?) padding around on Curtis Lane and Granny Hill rd. this past week
I have NOT seen it/them and I really don't want to, unless I have my camera in one hand and a firearm in the other.
Have any (reliable, sober) forum members seen such a beast walking around and, if so where and when.
From my reading, I see that authorities (Fish and Game, Police Depts.) are reluctant to admit to the presence of mountain lions (pumas?) in our area, but I assume that is just to keep tourists calm.

Sal

Out here they are called cougars....we had one walk right down the middle of our street one night....but not so unusual....this is big foot country!

Yes, I have seen one. Not around here and not in the last 12 years.
Coming home (late) from a band gig, I turned into my then girlfriends street in Boxford, MA no less and there was a mountain lion on the edge of the road.
In a flash, it jumped into the tangled roadside brush and was gone.
Of course the police dept denied hat I saw and left it unchecked.
Upon “googling” any sightings in the area, I found that some sightings were reported just south of there in local news articles.
I believe they are “out there” but not in any numbers. I have had game cams out for years and have not had any on cams...everything but! :D
Incidentally, the sighting was in mid-late May which is the fawning season for deer (of which there are many in that area).
Reports of sightings pop up now and again...there used to be an online “group” devoted to anything ”Eastern Mt Lion” but I don’t know if they still exist.

By the way, even though they don’t exist according to NH F&G they are a protected species, so don’t shoot unless your life is endangered.

I have seen one
 

My wife and I were driving to the Merrimack dump in the winter way back in the early 90s. A very large and long cat slowly crossed the road about 50 feet in front of us on the dirt road near the dump. It was very dark grey, almost like charcoal. It had a somewhat bulbous head and a thick long tail, that was very much like one we saw at the MOS in Boston, though the one at the MOS was yawned. It was very cold and there was a hard layer of crusty snow, so there were no tracks left behind.

I know they also found some droppings a number of years back in the Ossipee mountains in Moultonborough. When I hiked there I did see some large cat-like tracks in the mud, but I am no expert.

I think there is clear evidence that there are mountain lions in the area occasionally. I think the official position is they are just transients and do not really live here.

And Florida's Panther--They're Everywhere!
 

To translate from "Boston talk"--like Boston directions...take the tunnel to the bridge and it'll take you right there. :rolleye2:

MOS=Museum of Science?
Yawned=tawny?

Alternative names a-plenty:

Mountain Lion=Puma=Catamount=Cat-a-Mountain=Cougar=Panther...all are Puma concolor to the people who study them.

There was a Mountain Lion roadkill in Connecticut--maybe ten years ago. I think it was a male, which is typical of New England's transient species.

Videos of Porch-prowling, too, but the state (CT) was in dispute. :confused:

Florida has a sub-species of Panther, but their numbers are fewer than 50 statewide. (Too few to maintain the species without interbreeding with its Western cousins).

There's a YouTube video of a Puma's successful attack on an alligator in a jungle pond. :eek2:

I saw one in the early 80's in southern NH. I was about 30 feet away from it and we were both surprised. I haven't seen one since but I have no doubt now they visit.

Not a local
 

The CT animal killed 70 miles from NYC was 1500 miles from home.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-m...76Q5ZE20110727

Dave

NH Mountain Lion Blog
 

There's a pretty cool blog on this subject that I bookmarked years ago after reading various accounts (including the Ossipee Mountains trace mentioned above). Lots of reader-provided sightings, and you'll have to decide for yourselves which you believe or not.

Still, some good reading.

https://nhmountainlion.wordpress.com/about/

They are definitely, here! :D

For years, one of the arguments against there being any in the region has been, "Well, why hasn't anyone found a dead one?" I think about it this way: There are way more moose and bear in the state (by a few orders of magnitude), and when was the last time you found a dead moose or bear? Dead stuff doesn't last long in the woods! Same with the cell phone photo argument. I was REALLY lucky to capture a few moose photos over the years, as well as a couple of bear shots, but all were pretty lame photos, and were taken when I was on foot. Having the presence of mind (plus the fine motor skills) to whip out a phone, activate a camera app, and capture an image is tough. Even tougher (and ill-advised) when driving.

I tend to believe that they are around, and would welcome a sighting.

I believe the reason F&G won't say they're here is that the animals which have been found (dead) in New England can be traced back to the Northern Rockies, so it's true they're here but they're not from here. If they were breeding here I think they would change their message. However, I don't get why they won't say they're here!

Yes, I have seen one!
 

I saw one last fall walking up the street - it walked like a cat and had a very long thick tail that swooped to the ground. By the time I took a picture with my phone, it had walked among trees and out of focus. My neighbor also saw it in her driveway around the same time period. We live in Meredith near the Laconia line and Rt. 3.

A friend saw one in Gilford a few years ago up the hill near the cinema. He saw several growing up in Missouri and knew exactly what they look like.

Just because someone hasn't captured one in a picture or found a dead carcass doesn't mean they are not here. Animals are not aware of state lines!

Mountain Lions
 

I always find this an interesting discussion. My perspective is based on the fact that I have lived in Southern California for over 45 years in a region where they live in sort of a land locked area. During the past 10 years there has been a concerted effort to save what is left of the population. Many have a tracking collar so their activity is monitored. When food sources become limited they will go after farm stock or pets on the fringe of developed areas. Unfortunately the only ones most of us have seen are the dead ones from being hit by a car or dieing from rat poisoning.
Living in NH and the vast amount of wilderness I can see why it is nearly impossible to verify if they are here. They have plenty of wildlife to sustain themselves and being so elusive by nature, there is very little reason for them to go into populated areas. Definitely the best way for verification is the use of trail cams.

Even with trail cameras one would have to walk in front of it. I've seen many deer walking around my cameras and never tripping the camera. I f I wasn't there at the time I would have believed the deer weren't!

Everybody in NH has a cousin or an uncle who has "seen a mountain lion" but everyone also has a camera in their pocket :rolleye1: When I see a picture of one and it is confirmed to have been taken in NH, I'll believe it. Until then, I'm firmly in the "they are not here" camp. AT BEST... MAYBE one passes through once in a very long while but if there were breeding populations in the state, there would be proof.

Just curious... if you're driving down the road and one crosses in front of you will you guarantee that picture? There's no way I would...

I’m in agreement with you. There thousands of trail cams out there that we hunters have in the woods many of which are in there year round. If they were here they would be seen.

I wouldn't guarantee that, no. But you're talking about a hypothetical single sighting. There are so many people across the state every year saying that they see them and there are hundreds (thousands?) of game cameras and trail cameras in the woods all over the state and yet no conclusive pictures or footage. Bobcats are elusive but they are still seen all the time on game cameras and captured on cell phones.

I was getting ready to take a picture of a mountain lion and a damn alien grabbed the phone out of my hands

Big Foot got it back for me but by then the lion was gone!

Mountain lions will remain illusive but someday one will not look twice before crossing the road.

Someday...

A bobcat was seen today on a home camera in the Meredith Bay community.


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We have seen one in South Down Shores in Laconia twice so far.

Bobcat that is, not the lion type.

He/she/shim was traveling the same route across the road so we think it might be two separate sightings of the same cat.

Just because one hasn't been seen on camera doesn't mean they haven't been seen.

Define: the starting point for Loch Ness, Sasquatch, Abominable Snowman...

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Cat-Sitter Wanted...
 

Gotta love cats:

https://mydailymagazine.com/couple-a...uma-and-it/29/

The couple with the male puma must have a very smelly apartment.

Male cats like to mark their territory.

Why More Dachshunds are Necessary...
 

Winston the Loyal Wonder Dog...

Good sized, hungry bobcat
 

In the side-yard 11/4/20. Just off Winona Rd.- Meredith. 25-30lbs?

haha...looking for it's thanksgiving dinner!

Wow...those are great pics! Did the bobcat eventually go after the turkeys?

There must have been something in the air that day. On the morning of 11/4/20 my wife snapped this photo in our yard - rural area in CT. We've lived here 25 years and that's the first time we've seen a bobcat in our yard.

No.
We watched him circle them for about half an hour- hiding behind big rocks and peeking at them- trying to get closer. When he finally just sat (pictures) the turkeys not only didn't run, they all turned at once (more than 20 of them) and stared him down- seriously.
There were so many turkeys I really felt that the cat was afraid. I'm sure 20+ pairs of claws gave him pause! :eek:

I took the pics from inside- maybe 20 yards away, but we were no more than maybe 40 yards away while watching outside. He wasn't interested in us.

Mountain Lion and cub
 

I spoke to an employee from a local landscape company about wild animals since I saw a bobcat on my driveway last week.

He said a few weeks ago he was driving out of Wolfeboro on 109 towards Route 16, and right past Wentworth Park, beyond the Top of the Hill Farm, a mother and cub mountain lion ran across the road in front of his truck.

He also said that last winter, one of the homes he works at off of 109A in Tuftonboro had huge cat paw marks in the snow with dragging tail marks in their yard. He is positive it was a mountain lion and saw the tracks often during plowing days, but never saw the cat.

The bobcat I saw was also seen by my mail truck guy since it crossed right in front of him leaving the house. Crazy!

I saw a Bobcat get hit this summer right down the street from Skelleys in Mlbro. I didn't "see" it get hit I drove by right after it was still in the road dead with the people driving the vehicle standing over it looking totally puzzled. I didn't stop.

Saw a large bobcat last night in Alton as I was headed south on 28 from Wolfeboro. Ok, really I just saw half of a bobcat--it dashed across the front of my car, by the time I realized something was there I was looking at the rear haunch at the left edge of my headlight beam. Big, fast, stubbed tail--it was a rush :)

Cougar, Puma, Catamount, Panther...
 

Mountain Lions seem to be everywhere around the globe. Malaysia, Brazil, Texas, Chile, Africa.

Be sure to view the National Geographic video at this site:
https://api-nationalgeographic-com.c...rom%20%251%24s

Also, don't depend on coloration. They can be very dark (Black Panther), or even white! :eek2:

Family of Lions
 

This neighborhood, not too far from me has been visited over the past few nights by mountain lions. Because they are solitary animals I am guessing the visitors are young cubs or mom and cubs. This area is at the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains just over the hill from Malibu.
https://d16kzk4negkp9h.cloudfront.ne...BZNN3ZZBIBSIDQ

Monday night on NH Chronicle 7 PM
 

Mountain lions back in NH.

https://www.wmur.com/article/new-ham...ions/35061089#

Fairly certain I saw tonight’s NH chronical is exploring mountain lions in NH and if they exist.

Couldn't get that link...."No longer available
Did someone document a lion here in NH?

https://www.wmur.com/article/new-ham...lions/35061111

Appears that last week WMUR did a story talking to folks who thought they had seen one. That’s my reading of what is in the link.

This sounds like an indirect invitation to stay tuned to an upcoming episode of the Animal Planet show "NORTH WOODS LAW" and maybe they'll show a rare glimpse of a New Hampshire Mountain Lion.......

All kidding aside. If they are back in NH this is a dangerous situation


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WMUR documentary
 

Watched it yesterday.
Interviews with a couple of eye witnesses but no physical evidence.
Also, interviews with NH F & G and the director of the Squam Science Center.

You can watch it here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gDJyqmJtQOo.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gDJyqmJtQOo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Dangerous for whom? Most likely the mountain lions! If they are there and they were not able to easily catch prey, they would go after the easier stuff like farm animals and pets. Which would have been reported to F & G.

I think the turkey and deer populations should keep the predators pretty well fed .

What amount of evidence is required by F&G to say mountain lions are back. Carcass or 2? Film? Similar to Bigfoot evidence?


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NH F&G will never ever admit to there Being Mountain Lions in NH. Those Cats have been here for years. To many sightings for them not to be here. Any Hunter or Outdoor person with Common Sense knows this.

Agree. Then why the smoke and mirrors from F&G?


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Why don't they want to admit to them being here?

evidence
 

F&G will need a picture of a mountain lion in front of a WELCOME TO NEW HAMPSHIRE sign.

Wait, are y'all suggesting that it's unreasonable to ask for more than just eyewitness accounts to support the existence of something?

Here's an eyewitness account of a leprechaun: https://youtu.be/K1ljOcl39PQ

And here's the latest on Nessie: https://www.sciencealert.com/this-ne...s-totally-fake

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Some form of evidence
 

I'm amazed that with all the sightings, no one had any pictures on nearby game cameras, no one could direct F&G to where the cat crossed the road so that tracks could be analyzed, etc., .

I'd believe in Bigfoot as long as the picture was clear and didn't have a tag on the back lif the neck that says "Made in China".

Dave

I did some seasonal summer work with NH F & G in the early 90's. When this question came up the answer was that "individuals may be seen while passing through the state but there was no known resident population." Based on that I'd say that when someone finds a denning female then they'll have to say NH has mountain lions again. As for why any agency or group might be reluctant to declare that mountain lions are back in the state; really? Making such a declaration doesn't have any impact on reality so no one needs to make it. However such a declaration does impact perception and with a species that's behavior is not necessarily well understood by the general population but has a reputation or "mythos" associated with it that could create disquiet among some... why would anyone be in a hurry to kick that hornet's nest?

Law & Order: SVU
 

I still watch 20 y.o. reruns that I already watched as 10 y.o. reruns- it's just great entertainment!

I believe it was "Fin" who once said, "The worst witness you can have, an eye-witness".

The allusion of people thinking they remember what they've seen has been covered on the forum, somewhere!

So... seen a mountain lion?

I don't think their (F&G) approach is unreasonable at all. They are scientists that deal in facts. Until one is legitimately seen or captured and physical proof is submitted why would they believe it. Show them a dead one found a road, or a kill scene from one that someone finds with identifiable proof and then they have something to work with. As I said before there are thousands of trail cams out there in the wood and thousands of hunters that invade the woods each fall and spring and no one has great proof.

Exactly, and in that same period of time how many kitties are mistaken for bobcats, etc.?

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Funny. One of the F&G officers in "North Woods Law" just used this quote in this weeks show.

Just curious for all that responded. Are you from New Hampshire or did you Move here? If you moved here, how long ago did you move here?

?
 

Are you trying to separate "natives" from non-natives?

Did you go to school, or carry your lunch? :laugh:

:)How about if you were born here and relocated then returned? What if you were born in another state but raised in NH? Would that make the sighting of a lion any different?:emb:

The NH Mountain Lion in its natural habitat...Attachment 16664

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LOL, Just your replies tell me everything I was curious about. Not quite sure why people are afraid to admit where they moved here from. But you must have your reasons. If it was CT,MA,RI,NJ, I totally understand why you are afraid to admit it. I wouldn't either. Happy new Year.

CT...

CT + house in NH...

Now NH only

That Makes Sense...
 

That makes sense.

There was a recent confirmed kill in Connecticut.

And no confirmed sightings in New Hampshire!

Ahhhh!
 

A new troll is born!
12/31/20- tax deductible.

So jeep, where did you say you moved here from? With your Terrible Attitude you must not be from around here. I hope you're not ashamed of telling us?

Oh boy...
 

Oh boy, here we go:cool:

Dave

:argue:It was Just a question! A Question.... Why are people afraid of answering a Question. IT'S JUST A QUESTION... My word dave, Now we are not allowed to ask a QUESTION? Where are you from dave. Now remember, It's JUST a question. :rolleye1: :argue:

Native
 

My parents moved me here in 1943 from Macon Georgia, Another ten years and I might be a native!! Also I live south of the notch thus I'm a flatlander.

Seventh generation native. When and where did you come from?

Grandmother born 1903 in Laconia. Father was born 1927 Laconia, I was born 1956 in Laconia. My Granparent's owned Richaven Cottages on the Blvd right next to the old Paugus Bay Sporting Goods store owned by a guy called " RED " until around 68-69ish, My Grand parents also started Richardson's Taxi out of the old Train Station in Downtown Laconia in the 50's. See, It really doesn't hurt at all to answer a question. :cheers:


What about you?

Have you seen a mountain lion
 

I think Upthesaukee's point was that this question has nothing to do with mountain lions. This might be an interesting topic on its own, but getting upset because you tried to hijack a thread is....well, I don't want you mad at me too.

Subaruliving sounds just like nitrovandam, kickinbassnh, and that other dude that went nuts about non-natives ruining NH a year or so ago. Same dude, multiple usernames? How sad would that be?

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Wow, just Wow. You seem like a man without a life. Try getting outdoors and enjoy some fresh air. You just proved that some people do not have a good life or family and nothing in their life. I'm sorry you are like that. Maybe try Church or Senior Citizen Program. I wish you the best, But I really think you need to talk to someone about your Anger Issues before it gets to bad. Please let us know how that works out for you if you don't mind.

Sometimes learning someone is from Laconia is really all you need to know to draw your conclusions....

Wow, just wow! Subaru, you are trying to pick fights with my friends here on the forum! Knock it off! While you are pointing your finger at someone else for anger issues, three fingers are pointing back at you. You are the instigator here, so please just stop! Oh yes, Happy New Year.

Hmmmmmmm....:confused::confused:

Now Now Sue, No anger in my bones. He did have some and it showed. It's really that simple, I am truly hoping he does attend to it. And Oh yes, Happy New Year to you as well.:cheers:

In the words of Rodney...

"People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along? Can we get along?"