Bobcats, even cougars, could be on prowl in Ohio woods, naturalists say

Last July I was going down Licking Road beside the Licking River in Muskingum County about 7:30 AM. Up from the river and across someones yard came a big tan colored cat. He was one big fella as he stretched out in big leaps to get across the road before I got there. He was not a run of the mill house cat that one would feed out of the 9 lives can. I believe he was the kind that goes fishing for his own fish !!! He took one big leap across the road and a couple bounces up the huge wooded hill side and disappeared. I stopped at the path and so did the guy behind me. It was a worn path and he had to do quit a lot of leaping to wear it as bare as it was. Considering he only took a couple leaps to get to the top I figure he is smart enough to prowl down the hill because of the traffic on the road below. But why can't man catch this sophisticated creature that seems to be very intelligent about his independence. Why do they leave this beautiful cat to eat the from the polluted waters or Muskingum County. By now he must be used to eating unsafe fish. If someone would take that big boy in the mountain tops and leave him I am sure he would live a much longer life eating from clean fishing holes on the mountain sides. The huge cat would have a prime meal. Yes these big cats are in Ohio. He lived one mile across the wooded area from the back of my home. I am sure he has moved on traveling near the rivers. Man has tried to keep up with this cat for 5 years in Licking County. When I saw him I told no one. Maybe he will go south and find him a nice mountain side to retire on in the next state.

Cougars don't eat fish...they primarily eat deer, sheep, goats, rabbits and other similarly sized animals....
I'd love to see one of those big cats...from the safety of my car! ;^)

Groovy Beans wrote:

Cougars don't eat fish...they primarily eat deer, sheep, goats, rabbits and other similarly sized animals....
I'd love to see one of those big cats...from the safety of my car! ;^)

Well thank you. I though all cats ate fish. So you thought that was a cougar. He was around that River for something but I have no idea why. There are alot of clean springs around here for him to drink out of. He was beautiful. We have lots of deer and rabbit in these miles of woods, a couple miles below Dillon State Park. I did not believe there were big cats like that around. It was awsome and a once in a life time thing.

I have been 9 years tring to see the albino deer family and off springs at the park. My friend saw those 10 years ago.

just saw one today... could have sworn it was a cougar. Our tree line is too far back to see very well without binoculars. I thought it was a coyote slinking around though the slinking was entirely cat-like. My son had the idea to look at it through binoculars which I really hadn't put to good use yet. When I finally steadied my hands enough to get a good look, I realized it had to be a cougar. Long slender cat-like tail and buff/tan coloring. Didn't get a very good look at it's head, only the body. We're here on Alspach rd in Lancaster. Pretty neat... had no idea they were here.

The latest cats on the prowl

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Late last night I heard horrible screaming in my back yard, it sounded like someone was being murdered. I have lived hear for 40 years and have never heard anything like this. After work today I decided to take a walk out there and see if I could find anything. I found a little animal fur and next to that some fecal matter. The fecal matter was very large, but no bones and hardly any fur left. As I walked around my 4 acres I noticed some trees with large scratch marks on them, and a plile of wood I have stacked up that could be a den. I don't know if it is a large cat or a fox that is out there, but I will never forget the sound it made. It gave me shivers.

Where were these cougars when I was young?

I could've really dug a Mrs. Robinson!

It is possible for these cats to be in certain areas of southern Ohio. I know that there are rattle snakes and there isn't suppose to be so it is entirely possible for several forms of wild life to be living in Ohio when they aren't suppose to be according to wild life experts.

City Hall in Cincinnati is FULL of rattlesnakes!

there is currently at least one mountain lion, some say two, in medina ohio. my friends and i have been tracking it and have motion censored trail camera equipment. there have been numerous sightings of it, mostly of a "tan colored cat with big paws and about 50 lbs". this is a correct discription of a young mountain lion or a bobcat. and if there is a young mountain lion there will for sure be a mother and possibly more roaming around north east ohio

m chamer wrote:

just saw one today... could have sworn it was a cougar. Our tree line is too far back to see very well without binoculars. I thought it was a coyote slinking around though the slinking was entirely cat-like. My son had the idea to look at it through binoculars which I really hadn't put to good use yet. When I finally steadied my hands enough to get a good look, I realized it had to be a cougar. Long slender cat-like tail and buff/tan coloring. Didn't get a very good look at it's head, only the body. We're here on Alspach rd in Lancaster. Pretty neat... had no idea they were here.

hello i live just down the street from you and saw him today hes butiful isnt he but i'm afraid to go out on a hike alone now are you? as soon as i showed my friend this and how close by you lived she says shes afraid to come back plus maybe it was because when i told her about the people who used to live here who were murderd before we bought the house but enough about a life story have you seen him again? write back

they need to do way instain mother> who kill thier babbys.

becuse these babby cant frigth back?

it was on the news this mroing a mother in ar who had kill her three kids . they are taking the three babby back to new york too lady to rest my pary are with the father who lost his chrilden ;

i am truley sorry for your lots

I din liek win ppl kill babbys eether, i wood liek two frigth them for herting thare babbys an chrilden.

You're making Ohio look bad.

I saw a Wild cat a few years ago on Pine Mountain in Kentucky. they probably are some around in ohio too they are very secretive an rarly seen and yes they make a fearfull screech especilly at night. a wildcat or Lynx,also called Catamounts by the older folks in the mountains,literally cat of the mountains, mountain lions or cougars are mostly out west in the rockies.

we see bob cats and puma ever now and then and bear, hear in bath co. ky

My son-in-laws brother captured a pix of a large bobcat last month on his night cam they use for tracking deer. It is now posted on the ohio department of natural resources website submitted by floyd detty in frankfort ohio.

Ok, I was driving home from Columbus at 2am this morning on I70 Westbound. About 5 miles outside of Hilliard, I saw this HUGE CAT sitting in the middle of the road, alive. It was light brown with a long ringed tail. The closest thing I've seen is a cougar from what I've researched.

This thing was so big I thought it was a deer. But deer don't have long ringed tails. Any guesses? I thought I was going crazy tonight!

I am not sure about cougars, but if someone likes an adventure they can certainly come down and track whatever animal is across the street from my house in the woods. My guess is coyotes but I'm too nervous to even get close enough to see. All I know is I hear them howling at night and am scared to death to let my dog out or even leave when it gets dark. I used to see a lot of deer, to the point that they would run down the street. Since the howling I have yet to see one deer even in the early morning.

hey downtoearth i can help with the coyotes if you write back with an email adress