IowaDeerHunter Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 While hunting this weekend I looked across the road and seen a black "thing" sitting in the pasture next to our ground eating something. I watched it for a little over five minutes before it eventually walked off right into OUR timber. Now when it walked off I know what I saw and it was a "cat-like" animal. It was NOT no house cat or dog, it had to be a mountain lion, or leopard that got loose or something along those lines. The farmer there said he has seen it TWICE with his own eyes around our land, and the guy who lives on our land says he has seen it, AND a customer from that area came into our shop and was talking about seeing something similar. They have always said all this and I truly believe the ML's exist where we hunt in western Iowa in the Loess hills, but wouldn't really believe ablack one until I seen it with my own eyes. It was a pretty interesting site to see, and hopefully next time it will have an arrow or bullet stuck in it andI will have the pictures to prove it. (they are not prtoected by Iowa) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaDeerHunter Posted October 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. TTT, no opinions? Or similar experiences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newarcher Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. Hard to say....maybe, perhaps, could be. We just had a bear less than a mile as the crow flies from my suburban hunting spot. So who is to say? New Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggs Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. I don't think a mountain lion in western Iowa is that much of a stretch. A black one would be pretty rare though, how far away were you? Did you have anything to give it some size contrast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallone Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. I've always heard that they scream like a woman but it wasn't until 5 years ago when I was about to get out of my stand in Mississippi that I got to experence it. I was shocked that it sounded like a older woman screaming for her life it stood the hair up on the back of my neck and i was glad it was coming from the opposite way i had to go to get out. I always imagined a girl scream for some reason. Would not care to hear it again. Never saw one though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. Dont know really, would not rule it out. Have heard about mountain lion sightings around here, but have never seen one myself, and have never gotten any pics. of any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LDB Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. It's likely you spotted a melinistic mountain lion (melinistic is kind of the opposite of albino). They are rare, but even here in Saskatchewan where there is a very small population of cougars, a melinistic cougar was observed a few years ago in the Arm River valley near the small town of Dilke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. Mountain Lions are relatively common where I hunt in West Texas. They can come in darker shades or be melanistic, but most people who see what they think is a black cat, really see a normal colored one that's wet or else it's just the shadows playing tricks. Did you really see a mountain lion? Probably. Was is actually black? Probably not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowtech_archer07 Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. In, central IL, where I'm from, we had an encounter with a black panther or maybe a dark mountain lion a few years ago as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. try and get a picture if you can. Scheels in Des Moines is offering 5000 dollars for proof of a mountain lion of any kind. also if i ever see one close enough to shoot at with an arrow im shooting.. another thing mountain lions dont scream, thats bobcats.. Shoot Strong Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3whunt Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. a year or so ago... a radio collared mountain lion was hit by a train in oklahoma. the weird thing was that the cat was collared in South Dakota 700 miles away. our wildlife department will not admit eastern oklahoma has "wild" mountain lions. however, my father saw two when we lived there and this year a rancher shot one. they are definitely on the move, and with the abundance of food in the midwest i'd beleive your story. the black part is iffy at best though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUGARKAHNE Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. Try to get some pics if you can- that would be cool! My brother saw a black mountain lion here a couple years ago. We almost didn't believe him until someone else at the club saw it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaDeerHunter Posted October 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. Wow can't thank you guys enough for the support, and actually believing me. Because I got some smart you know what and BS comments over on Kisky. (still a great site though muggs-There really wasn't much to compare it to, and I was probably....( i am terrible at judging distance)....350 yards away. Just taking the distance in effect AND the taller pasture grass that it was in I could get a good guess on the size. tallone-Isn't it a bobcat that screams like a woman? That was just what I was told. Farmer told us that one night and the next morning we heard a screaming noise like that in our timber and next thing you know a bobcat came and swiped at our decoys 15 yards away! LBD- Wow, you are the first person to say that it is possible that a ML could be of darker color. I mean if deer can, its gotta be possible for ML, just rare. Tony- Thanks for the heads up, now I am putting a gut pile out this weekend with a camera over it. Hopefully someday I can prove the nonbelievers wrong. Sorry, i dont know how to do multiple quotes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. [ QUOTE ] try and get a picture if you can. Scheels in Des Moines is offering 5000 dollars for proof of a mountain lion of any kind. [/ QUOTE ] Hey Tony, Ill pick up a livetrap and head that way in a week or so. Get your camera ready... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. [ QUOTE ] I don't think a mountain lion in western Iowa is that much of a stretch. [/ QUOTE ] I Dont think its a stretch at all either. My wife and I watched a show once about mountain lions and their ranges. They once tagged a Lion in South Dakota and followed it until it was shot in Southern Oklahoma a short time later. After they tagged a lot of these animals they were amazed at how far they travel on a pretty regular basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaDeerHunter Posted October 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. The best part is ( I live in Remsen, which is in NW Iowa) one as shot less than 35-40 miles from here. Was was **** In Harlan, which is roughly 60 miles, and was one shot right at the SE South Dakota border with Iowa. BUT when i talk to the DNR at the Iowa Deer Classic on there take on MLs, this is what he had to say, something like anybody who has reported seeing one is 99.9% likely just to be seeing a dog and do not know what they are talking about. There is a very slim chance that EVEN ONE exists in Iowa right now. Yeah BS! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horst Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. Tony why is Scheels trying to prove they exist?Guesse Im confused because theyres been several run over, shot, or otherwise documented by the DNR in Iowa in recent years.They were tracking one around here last year I believe and he was spotted several times, the DNR confirmed the tracks were from a cougar, and he finally just moved on to somewhere else or got real good at hiding out after a couple weeks.They had one sitting in trees in peoples yards in Sioux City they had to put down.I wouldnt think there could be much debate left about thier existence in Iowa, just how many there actually are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. [ QUOTE ] Tony why is Scheels trying to prove they exist?Guesse Im confused because theyres been several run over, shot, or otherwise documented by the DNR in Iowa in recent years.They were tracking one around here last year I believe and he was spotted several times, the DNR confirmed the tracks were from a cougar, and he finally just moved on to somewhere else or got real good at hiding out after a couple weeks.They had one sitting in trees in peoples yards in Sioux City they had to put down.I wouldnt think there could be much debate left about thier existence in Iowa, just how many there actually are. [/ QUOTE ] Wildlife departments are odd about that sort of thing. I think it may keep hunters from going after them if they deny their existence in the state (or they may believe that anyway). The state of Oklahoma denied them to a degree for years. They cropped up here and there and everyone knew they were around (to some degree). Finally they just put in the regulations that it was illegal to kill one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallone Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. I've heard bobcats and they don't sound like what I heard, once you hear you won't forget it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horst Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Re: Seen a black cat/mountain lion. [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Tony why is Scheels trying to prove they exist?Guesse Im confused because theyres been several run over, shot, or otherwise documented by the DNR in Iowa in recent years.They were tracking one around here last year I believe and he was spotted several times, the DNR confirmed the tracks were from a cougar, and he finally just moved on to somewhere else or got real good at hiding out after a couple weeks.They had one sitting in trees in peoples yards in Sioux City they had to put down.I wouldnt think there could be much debate left about thier existence in Iowa, just how many there actually are. [/ QUOTE ] Wildlife departments are odd about that sort of thing. I think it may keep hunters from going after them if they deny their existence in the state (or they may believe that anyway). The state of Oklahoma denied them to a degree for years. They cropped up here and there and everyone knew they were around (to some degree). Finally they just put in the regulations that it was illegal to kill one. [/ QUOTE ] I think its more than keeping hunters from going after them.After the first reports of them in an area everbody and thier grandma starts calling reports in of sightings.Most turn out to be something else, yellow labs, coyotes, strange things that you ordinarily wouldnt confuse with a large cat.They just get flooded with reports they dont have the manpower to investigate. Iowas DNR has confirmed there here, held public meetings on thier existance in the state, seen the dead ones and documented tracks and hair samples from others.They even tried to pass a law protecting them which didnt go through.Thats why I dont understand the "prove they exist" part On another note twice in the last year Ive found big cat tracks in a large unsettled public area north of town here.I looked em up and found out theyre bobcat tracks, They arent supposed to be in the area either but theres one running around up there.I didnt report it, I had friends along both times that seen em, but the last thing I needed was a bunch of guys trying to kill the thing where Im trying to deer hunt.Seemed pointless to me to even draw attention to it I guesse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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