Mountain lion sightings

[sdstroker]

What does it take for the GFP to wake up and quit denying some of these sightings.  People from all over the state have sighted lions on numerous occassions, but yet until a GFP official sites the lion itself or has a "definite" print, it wasn't an "official" sighting.  I have friends and relatives that have sighted them within close proximity of Sioux Falls city limits.  Are these people crazy until someone from the GFP has an official sighting.  How about the poor guy in the black hills???  They even questioned whether it was an actual attack.  Seems like they are out to protect the lions at any cost.  I think it is just a matter of time before someone gets seriously attacked.  Then maybe we will see a little more liberal hunting of the big cats.

http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?ID=0,67124


http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?ID=0,67051

[TLA]

Hmmm, UFO's are real too. Just because the govt doesn't agree doesn't make them any less real. The "Yeti" is real too, but not the one that posts here, he's a figment of our collective imagination.

Gotta say Stroker, you keep me sharp. Somedays we agree on nothing but we do it nicely and even have some fun with it.

GFP wants the proof because eyewitness testimony is about the worst you can get. Logic tells me they are in Eastern SD and Western, MN because of over population in the Hills. They get pushed out and look for new territory that is theirs alone.

I spent a couple of days looking for the one that was spottted just south of Mitchell a couple of years ago. Never saw it or any signs of it.

I understand that privately GFP officers probably believe the stories but until they have actual proof they don't want to upset the public. Damn, sorta sounds like UFO's doesn't it. We could call the URA's(Unidentifed running animals)

I hope the big cats start thinning the deer herd that GFP and the Feds so woefully mismanage.

The more we encroach on wild animals territory the more interactions they are going to have with humans. The worse we humans are going to come off.

To put the problem in proper perspective tho, rabid skunks are a bigger danger to residents than a mountain lion or two.

[sdstroker]

TLA....somedays you just crack me up.  URA, now that is a good one.  While I do agree that a rabid skunk probably poses more danger, these animals are encroaching slowly into more populated areas.  It is only a matter of time before the public demands a little more than a 15 lion quota per season.

The lion sighting just north of lake Alvin this past fall was confirmed with pictures from the deck of a resident in a small housing development just off the river.  Still the GFP did nothing to alert the public.  They took a "lets monitor the animal"  approach to the situation.  This particular lion, residents feel has been in the area for the past year and a half. While I think it is pretty cool to have a natural population of lions in the state, I personally think they should try to limit them to the Black Hills and keep a tighter control on the population.  This would should include allowing them to be shot outside of the Black Hills range without questions.

[fishin]

don't think this was in SD but thought it was kinda neat

[TLA]

Heh, damn good thing the cats in the Hills aren't as smart as we are or they'd have all killed us off when we invaded their territory. As an outdoorsman you know we are the ones invading their territory and our use of their environment is putting them in ever closer contact with humans.

Whether the GFP puts out any warniings or not I'm sure local newspapers, radio and TV do talk about it. Big news in a small town and I'm fairly sure everyone knows about it before it comes out in the weekly paper.

Not that I want to tangle with one. I wonder which is more dangerous, a pissed off Pit Bull or a mountain lion? Either way, you are right, someone will get hurt sooner or later. That's inevitable.

Small problem with keeping them in the hills. The fool cats never learned to read so you can't put up signs telling them to stay put. There's an even bigger problem coming one of these years. Wolves. Got them in the wild in MN, WY, ID and Montana. Only a matter of time before they get to Eastern SD.

Really nice pic. Wish I'd see one someday.

[ghost]

   I think theres more of them around than we know.  They seem to be very secrative animals and until someone gets hurt not much is gonna be done about them.  But then its that way with everything in life.

[icefishin]

All they are is an overgrown putty cat ! I hope i can see one in the wild sometime but at a reasonable distance or while im in my truck would be good!

[bowhunter1965]

There has to be more around than we know. Drive around in the Hills during late November or December. My son drew an Elk tag for fall of '06 and we spent 14 days hunting out there on two different weeks. Now I know that one cat can make a lot of tracks in a night, but it snowed every day and we saw what appeared to be tracks every 1/2 to 3/4 mile where we were hunting. We also had two separate "incidents" within 2 hours of each other with cats.

We set up in a ravine about 3 miles from the road between two separate ranges on opening day, thinking that guys would push Elk from either direction. The "ravine" had sheer cliffs on both sides and it really looked from the topo and visually that critters had to take the creek bottom through the ravine rather than going around. Anyway, seemed like the perfect setup. Until a cat screamed at us from less than 40 feet away! I mean this cat's scream would have made a pony tail stick straight out! I drew my Glock since I heard the cat circling us on the cliff face. We slowly backed out with our guns at the ready, but there were only gutteral moans from her after that. We figured it had to be a female with cubs to get that close and for it to be surprised by our presence. Guess we had the wind right, huh!? My 16 year old son said that it was the first time that he could feel his pulse in his ears and taste adrenaline for an hour.

So we didn't see an Elk all morning and we hike back out to try another location for the evening hunt. 25 miles from incident number 1, we are driving down a gravel road when my son yells "cougar". Sure enough, we back the truck up, and standing less than 15 yards from a very well traveled road stands a cougar. Froze solid staring at us. I was so mesmerized by seeing my first live in the flesh wild cougar at high noon that I forgot I had my camera in my pocket! He shuffled on out of there without too much worry or too much hurry. I'm telling you, that cat was not nearly as afraid of us as we were of him.

So, the moral of the story: I will never, repeat, never venture near the Black Hills of South Dakota without my pistol on my side. The first guy who asks me "why do you wear a pistol on your side when you are Turkey hunting?" is going to see the skid marks I made in my fancy hunting pants from the first cougar incident! 

[Flatcoats]

here's another good one

[fishnuts]

I don't care what Koonta Kintigh says. If I see a Mountain Lion in Eastern SD. while i'm hunting I will shoot it.
They can fine me and i'll pay it. That is much less of a burden on my conscious than some kid playing in his back yard turning into his next meal because I didn't shoot it!!!