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Mountain Lions In the News again......

T

THEBAD

Member
Below is a recent article taken out of the Logan, Iowa newspaper.....

By Dick Johnson, Retired DNR Officer


Cougars! (Mountain Lions).
These big cats have been showing
up in Western Iowa. One was killed
by a vehicle in the north side of
Harlan, Shelby County. Sightings
have been made in Harrison County.

December 1st, Saturday evening,
one was treed by coon hunters,
hunting between Magnolia and
Logan.

Other sightings and tracks have
been reported in the Pisgah-
Little Sioux area.( I have checked
out the tracks !)

Rumor has it that the Iowa DNR
has stocked twenty pairs to
thin down the deer herd.

Now wait a minute, catching
and releasing these big cats
would be very expensive. The
DNR doesn't have the money for this
type of program as it would have
to be listed in the budget.

Second these big cats ARE NOT
PROTECTED IN IOWA so the DNR would
have had cougars listed on the
protected list before any releasing.

These cats are big with males
average weight being 160 pounds
but can get up to 250 pounds. Both
sexes look alike with females being
smaller, about 100 pounds.

Territories of cougars can range
40 t0 50 square miles, depending
on food availability. Cougar's prey
is mainly deer, birds (turkeys) and
other small mammals (including pet
dogs and cats).

Cougar's have been known to attack
humans, like people or kids out running.

Next Question. Do we wan this
cat protected in Iowa or do you want more
of them around ? If you protect them you'll
be having them in your back yard!

This will be very interesting in the future.
 
I hunt by Little Sioux and Pisgah. I personally don't want them any where near me.
Are they any threat to hunters walking to and from their stands in the dark?
 
If you do run into one, just make sure to NOT TURN AROUND AND RUN! It is said that this will prompt the cat to attack. Those with kids that are outdoors alot shout take a few minutes to tell them if they come in contact with a cougar to NOT RUN, instead make a lot of noise and throw sticks and things like that at it.
 
I have herd the same roomer today;can anybody verifie it? And if so, why wasn't the public notified? And, what happens if we shot one?
 
If you shot one I think that it's a law that you can't shoot them in Iowa and I'm almost positive that their protected in Iowa. I'm not sure if this is right or not but check with Blind Sow. He'd know he's a DNR officer.
 
Why in the world do we even want or need that predator in this state?
I guess I will have to carry a can of mace with me from now on. That would only help if you see it comming. That 200lb Tom would be at my throat before I even knew what happen.
Would they attack? Would it rather attack deer of small game? I suppose it would attack humans depending on how hungry it was. It's very possible that a person would never see it comming if it wanted you.
Are my concerns unwarrented?
 
I'm kind of for and a gainst these cats. But it kind of cool to have a "new" animal roaming around. But I would hate to see some one getting hurt.
But i was wondering, if there are any in southe east iowa. like around washington county, it would be cool to see one!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>instead make a lot of noise and throw sticks and things like that at it.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Are you serious??? I have a few choice words for your strategy... none of which could be posted on a "family" forum such as this.

You can bet that if they become prominent where I hunt, and I'm about to get attacked, I'll be making a lot of noise, like blam! blam! Anyone who wants to protect the cat can chain themselves to one, like the 'huggers do with trees out west.

The last thing I want is a picture of my bloody carcass on the front page of the Gore-zette with a headline that reads, "Poetic Justice for White Male Corporate Oppressor and Hunter."
 
Gianni I totally agree. Though Im not in the area these cats are being spotted in if one ever came near me there be some noise made. If my life depends on it there aint no way that cat will be protected from me.

Numba1
 
In the post I was saying what to tell "kids." By all means if I see one anywhere me acting agressive blam!

Jamie
 
"Blind Sow" has answered this question once already and it IS legal to shoot one of these cats in the state of Iowa.

BB
 
Don't quote me on this guys but I was told from a reliable source that mountain lions switch mountain ranges every now and then to help prevent in-breeding. Cats from the Rockies will travel to the Appalaichians and vice versa. If you look at it, it makes sense. Look at all of the cat sightings throughout the midwest lately. And of course the cats go where the food is "deer".
 
Glad to see that I'm not the only one who isn't blindly embracing the mountain lions for the sake of biodiversity.

Seems odd to me that, "If it saves the life of just one child, wouldn't a total ban on firearms be worth it?" but yet somehow, "Attacks on children by mountain lions are extremely rare, with only a few recorded examples in recent years."

The inbreeding comment is interesting. It would be fascinating if it were true.
 
I don't think that the cats are in one particular area of the state. I have recently heard stories of sightings in NE Iowa, as well as a logger who found a deer carcass stuck in a crotch of a tree. Don't think a coon could drag a deer up a tree.
 
Tinks69 when you sober up go back and read your post it's good for a hearty laugh. Hope you think it's as funny as I do.
 
Hey Iowa1, as I stated in my post I said don't quote me. I also said I had heard this from a reliable source. One of my buddies who has his degree in fish and wildlife said it was discussed during a class in college and they were looking into the possibilities. Do you honestly think that this could not be possible. Where do you thing the elk and moose that Iowa gets every now and then come from. Do they just magically appear one day and people see them. No, they come from places like Colorado, Northern Minnesota and Western South Dakota. I guess then in all likely hood it would be impossible for a big cat to travel all that way across the US. I am glad my post made you laugh, why don't you open up your mind to new ideas, you might learn something every now and then.
 
The big cats and sign of them are really getting quite frequent here in western Iowa. I personally have seen evidence of four differnt sightings with in 5 miles or so of where I live in the last year alone.

Im not really worried about them or coming in contact with them while out in about. I grew up in a state where we could hunt bobcats and as far as animals being stealthy; a smart cat is much tougher to hunt than a smart deer any day. I would also assume that the dumbest lion is still smarter or at least an eqaul to any bobcat in the smarts department....just my thoughts for what there worth
 
As a parent, I'd prefer not to have them around. And if one ever attacked one of my boys, I think I'd get some hounds and hunt them with a vengence. (DNR with me or against me, it wouldn't matter)

But since that is extremely unlikely to happen even if cougar populations skyrocket, the hunter in me says I really don't care much if they are around our not. If I started seeing them where I hunt, it would make the walk in the dark to & from my tree stand a little tense.

As far as the DNR stocking them, I'd have to hear them admit to it before I would believe that. But I have been acused of being naive before.

As a side note, I have a friend in Pagosa Springs who has cougar roasts and burger in his freezer. He claims they make excellent table fare, but I told him I'd try it some other time. (it doesn't sound good to me)
 
I have relatives that live @ lake Okoboji and reported seeing a "Big Cat" near the lakes. They could not believe what they where seeing but it was definately not a dog or house cat.
 
Are these cats around Washington Iowa, or any other surrounding counties?
 
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