Mountain Lions?
 

Was driving across Rt. 25 day before yesterday in the no-mans land between Moultonborough and Tamworth and believe I saw a young mountain lion. I initially thought it was a Canadian Lynx, as it was too big to be a bobcat, but I got a good look at the tail as it headed into the woods and it was much too long to be a bobcat or a lynx. It was much too big to be a house cat. Has anyone else seen any mountain lions in our neck of the woods?

People will argue this one till the cows come home, but, my son was hiking up in the Franconia area and swore up and down that one followed him and his buddies for a couple of miles...I say, why not?

Discussed here every so often:

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...=mountain+lion

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...=mountain+lion

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...=mountain+lion

Sometime last year the owner of the Farm where we keep our horses saw a big cat with a long tail in the Derry area.

Exceptionally stealthy...
 

While almost all 'sightings' end up being non-lions there were similar reports in N. Minnesota for decades before an active den was found just south of the Canadian border. I think this region has enough large wild acreage for it to possibly be true here too.

...that time of year....
 

....lots of cougars are on the prowl in the lakes region in the summer.....:cool:

There were numerous sightings in Derry and Hampstead last year, many credible. The have been hundreds in NH & Maine in the last few years. F&G claims mis ID or released pets in every case. I think there moving in.

I saw one in Boxford MA during fawn season (now) about 10 years ago.
No mistaking what it was as it was in my headlights about 20 ft away.
I looked online and there were many "sightings" on the North Shore surrounding towns. They're here!

I ran out of thanks !!

I was driving on Moultonborough Neck Rd about 7:15pm last Thursday night when a mountain lion ran across the road in front of me! It was a big cat with a very long tail. Went right home and looked up pictures of mountain lions to be sure that was what i saw.

Probably a once in a lifetime event to see one of these Eastern cats!
I know they’re around...:D

Glad you made it home

I was fortunate to see one on a very bright night from a distance on one of the fields of a 180 acre farm my parents used to maintain in the Berkshires. I've not witnessed one since then...around 1980. Guess I'm dating myself:)

Just curious - where in the Berkshires?

Also saw one back in the early 80's in seacoast NH at 30-50' away in the middle of the day. No doubt what I saw.

Hard to imagine with all these sightings, considering everyone has a cell phone in their pocket, that no one thought to get a picture.
I once had a huge yellow Maine Coon with a very long tail...…..just sayin'

I saw one about 8 yo in Franconia. Crossed the road at dusk in front of my truck but as it probably is in most sightings, they gone in a flash. They dont seem to like to stick around for photos.

Yup...they don’t hang around...in the headlights...jumped into the pucker brush...gone.

Windsor, MA

Mountain lion sighting
 

My wife was walking our dog on New road in Melvin Village last year and saw a mountain lion cross the road about 200 feet in front of her. Our dog freaked out and as they turned around to walk away our dog keep looking back to where the lion crossed the road.
She stopped at Steve Berry's (taxidermist) house on Union Wharf road to tell him what she saw. He had pictures of mountain lions and she definitely said that was a mountain lion. Steve confirmed there have been sightings.
Told the F&G officials. They basically said that it probably was not a mountain lion. I was told later that if they had confirmed it that area where the lion was spotted would have to be posted as a no trespassing area. The lion is endangered and the public most not encroach in they areas where they live. Not sure if that is true or not.

The problem if it was ever proven the animals rights nuts would file lawsuits to stop trapping, hunting, etc. There are no pumas in NH for that reason!

Fish and game always denies their existence...and I don’t know why.

There certainly is a lot of claimed sightings by folk that are clear on what they saw.

I think that the basic F&G issue is a lack of hard evidence. Scat from which DNA could be extracted, clear tracks or clear photos.

They are cats. They hide themselves well.

How many people on this post have a good clear picture ? You would think with all the cell phones out there some one could produce some good evidence .

Honk, Honk
 

Toot your horn to scare the scat out of them.

I’m thinking most sightings are fleeting...mine was.

Like UFOS. lol

There have been many pictures but they can't be considered real evidence unless you can verify exact spot where taken, proven not to be tampered with or other factors. I've seen at least 10 bobcats and have never come close to being able to get a picture of one.

A friend saw a mountain lion or something very similar a couple of weeks ago in Gilford. She said the same thing - it was a very big cat and the tail was too long for a bobcat. They can cover a lot of ground so it's possible you both saw same one.

There is really nothing in North America that even comes close to being “similar” to a MOUNTAIN LION/COUGAR/PANTHER/CATAMOUNT...she either saw one or not.

Around here, yes.
 

But there are Jaguars in N. America. One filmed in Arizona a couple years ago was recently found dead I believe.

Yes I have read that somewhere too...may be encroaching from Central America...

She said it appeared to be a mountain lion but it didn't stick around long enough for her to get a picture to be able to confirm height, length of tail, etc. Given they aren't confirmed to be in the area there's a greater chance it was mistaken identity but she said same thing as above poster - it was a very large cat with long tail.

With all the deer cams out there that hunters have scattered thru the woods it's hard believe there aren't pictures somewhere if they exist.

Aren't there jaguars in Florida.

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I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic

Here, Kitty, Kitty
 

A breed of panthers inhabits sunny Florida.

Yes...but they play football in Jacksonville...

BB you are correct and I knew that. Heat and old age are a bad combination.

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I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic

Males Looking for New Territory...
 

This OP's post is from June 2016. The quote below was written two months later and just east of the OP's sighting:

I was on the same road Sunday, scanning for birdlife with two parties of very knowledgeable birders. The area is thinly populated with humans, so cat sightings would be expected to be scarce.

The sighting of a Bobcat on Wolfeboro Neck might explain my own sighting of a strangely-colored baby bear running away from me. :o

.

Think I saw one
 

I watched a very large cat with a long tail catch a rodent on my golf course today. I was 87yds away with my sand wedge in hand while eyeing up a shot to the hole which was 5yds left of the cat. Moments after I noticed the cat, it noticed me. The cat just sat there staring at me with the rodent in its mouth.

I hit my golf shot and lost sight of the cat as I walked down the decline from the tee. I regained sight of the cat as I climbed the incline to the green when about 50yds from the cat. The cat sighted me and bolted into a small nearby cluster of vegetation. I would estimate the cat to be about 45 or 50lbs.

I finished playing the hole and then spoke in the direction of the cluster. "Welcome, you've found a great place. There is a lot of easy pray here. Help me out and get rid of the moles"

You should setup some game cameras around your property if you haven't already. They work great in open areas.

And the color of the cat was? No house kitty gets that big...even the biggest of them...

I would say dark blonde or lite brown.

Check out this blog:

https://nhmountainlion.wordpress.com

Some interesting sighting posts, along with photos that are either questionable or debunked.

I remember reading that some scat found in the Ossipees some years ago tested positive as coming from a mountain lion, but the F&G shrugged it off as an escaped "pet" or something similar. But I ask, who keeps a puma as a pet?

Like with the one that was struck by a car in CT a few years ago, it's just a matter of time before someone either gets a good photograph, finds a dead one, or strikes one with a vehicle. I'm convinced they are out there. Would love to see the one spotted crossing Moultonborough Neck Road (assuming it was one)...

Probably a bobcat...but leaves something to the imagination. I wish it would have showed it's tail.

Looks pretty good size, how far is the camera from the cat there?

Not far...6-8’ maybe.