Big Cat in WDM

[Clonegrad07]

OK, when I read the thread title, I thought it was going to be about Andres Galarraga

First, If you have never seen a fox, coyote, or bobcat in real life, you would be shocked at how small they are. Most coyote would be considered abnormally large if they were even half the size of a Great Dane. Bobcats and Fox are not that much bigger than a large domesticated house cat.

Second, in the last 10 years the DNR has morphed into a bunch of overweight cubicle jockeys that know very little about the 'outdoors', and spend even less time in it. Unless they can find an answer on Google, you will probably not get a correct response from them.

My guess would be that it was in fact a Cougar or Mountain Lion, and will probably continue to 'migrate' in whatever direction it was heading.

I would completely agree with your assessment of the DNR in recent years. Some are very good, but some are just overweight turds who have never hunted, fished, camped, or anything in their life. Police officers who didn't make it through the training...

On the big cat issue. This is true.... no way a coyote, fox, or bobcat could be mistaken for a great dane sized animal. None of those even get as big as a labrador retriever usually. Also... there are big cats in the area. VERY few, but there have been one or two killed a year in the last few years. I, for one, hate it because I hunt in the area and I dont think a cat would attack me, but when I walk in and out of the woods for deer hunting, it is usually dark and that is how most cat attack happen, they get walked upon while they are sleeping and just react... I know I will shoot it if I see one while hunting.

 

[CylentButDeadly]

OK, when I read the thread title, I thought it was going to be about Andres Galarraga

First, If you have never seen a fox, coyote, or bobcat in real life, you would be shocked at how small they are. Most coyote would be considered abnormally large if they were even half the size of a Great Dane. Bobcats and Fox are not that much bigger than a large domesticated house cat.

Second, in the last 10 years the DNR has morphed into a bunch of overweight cubicle jockeys that know very little about the 'outdoors', and spend even less time in it. Unless they can find an answer on Google, you will probably not get a correct response from them.

My guess would be that it was in fact a Cougar or Mountain Lion, and will probably continue to 'migrate' in whatever direction it was heading.

I thought the same thing. Remember that 529ft. moonshot he hit at Florida?

 

[DaddyMac]

I would completely agree with your assessment of the DNR in recent years. Some are very good, but some are just overweight turds who have never hunted, fished, camped, or anything in their life. Police officers who didn't make it through the training...

On the big cat issue. This is true.... no way a coyote, fox, or bobcat could be mistaken for a great dane sized animal. None of those even get as big as a labrador retriever usually. Also... there are big cats in the area. VERY few, but there have been one or two killed a year in the last few years. I, for one, hate it because I hunt in the area and I dont think a cat would attack me, but when I walk in and out of the woods for deer hunting, it is usually dark and that is how most cat attack happen, they get walked upon while they are sleeping and just react... I know I will shoot it if I see one while hunting.

How surprising. A magnificent creature of nature that 99/100 will run away when encountered.

SHOOT IT!

:sad:

 

[djcubby]

On the big cat issue. This is true.... no way a coyote, fox, or bobcat could be mistaken for a great dane sized animal. None of those even get as big as a labrador retriever usually.

And none of those would happen to have a tail that would be as long as their body.

The wife and I saw a coyote south of the new Wells Fargo out by Jordan Creek and there was no way you would mistake that thing for a cat.

 

[jaretac]

Now playing in West Des Moines

 

[CarolinaCy]

OK, when I read the thread title, I thought it was going to be about Andres Galarraga

I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking that. Man I hated that guy when he was with the Expos, he was a Cub killer.

Not that that's an exclusive club though. :sad:

 

[besserheimerphat]

For the record, my aunt-in-law (??) in a west-Chicago suburb swore up and down that she saw a dead bald eagle in a field just outside town while driving home from work. She called the Illinois DNR in a frenzy about how somebody had to go investigate it ("Look lady, I'm from Minnesoooota, I know what a bald eagle looks like). She also called her husband and told him to go look at it on the way home. When he got home, he confirmed that it was infact a Canada goose.

We've since taught our three year old how to say "It's not a goose, it's a eagle!" (sic)

 

[jaretac]

And none of those would happen to have a tail that would be as long as their body.

The wife and I saw a coyote south of the new Wells Fargo out by Jordan Creek and there was no way you would mistake that thing for a cat.

It happens, especially to people who have never seen a cougar in the wild. I swear, I have lived here for 5 years and I still can't figure out Iowans fascination with cougars.

Are there cougars in Iowa? Most likely and considering the deer population, it is actually a good thing.

Are they in the metro? Maybe at the zoo. Cougars are solitary animals and prefer to avoid humans. Considering there are not more CONFIRMED spottings, it is reasonable to assume there are few cougars in the state, which means there is no reason why they would want to come into the metro.

For the record, I lived in an area that was overpopulated with cougars (last estimate I heard had about 5 cougars per sq mile in that area). I've personally encountered cougars in the wild 5 times over 10 years, never had a negative encounter and I only heard of cougars attacking livestock twice. You leave them alone and they will leave you alone

Think about that for a moment, approximately 5 cougars lived within a mile of me and I only saw one once every two years.

 

[CyPride]

It happens, especially to people who have never seen a cougar in the wild. I swear, I have lived here for 5 years and I still can't figure out Iowans fascination with cougars.

Are there cougars in Iowa? Most likely and considering the deer population, it is actually a good thing.

Are they in the metro? Maybe at the zoo. Cougars are solitary animals and prefer to avoid humans. Considering there are not more CONFIRMED spottings, it is reasonable to assume there are few cougars in the state, which means there is no reason why they would want to come into the metro.

For the record, I lived in an area that was overpopulated with cougars (last estimate I heard had about 5 cougars per sq mile in that area). I've personally encountered cougars in the wild 5 times over 10 years, never had a negative encounter and I only heard of cougars attacking livestock twice. You leave them alone and they will leave you alone

Think about that for a moment, approximately 5 cougars lived within a mile of me and I only saw one once every two years.

Yeah, a cougar would NEVER be in a metro area.......

To your point - if one is killed in a tree in Sioux City, one by a car near Harlan, do you think there are just two in Western Iowa......given how elusive this animal is...... ????

http://homepages.dordt.edu/~mahaffy/mtlion/CougarSSC_tree.htm

Also, interesting thread with a post on the first page regarding someone having knowledge of DNR seeding of cougars in IA:

http://www.thetreeofliberty.com/vb/showthread.php?t=40385

 

[isutrevman]

One of my dad's friends has a motion sensing camera that he sets up in the woods. It basically takes a picture when something big walks in front of it (he uses it to get photos of deer or turkeys mostly). He set it up in near Oceola one night (a few years ago) and got a picture of a cougar chasing a deer, and there was zero doubt it was a cougar.

 

[CTAClone]

Yeah, a cougar would NEVER be in a metro area.......

To your point - if one is killed in a tree in Sioux City, one by a car near Harlan, do you think there are just two in Western Iowa......given how elusive this animal is...... ????

http://homepages.dordt.edu/~mahaffy/mtlion/CougarSSC_tree.htm

Also, interesting thread with a post on the first page regarding someone having knowledge of DNR seeding of cougars in IA:

Mountain Lion Hit By Car in Wisconsin: Pics Right Here..(Possible Hoax, I dont Know) - The Tree Of Liberty

We once had a discussion about the big cats in Iowa. The second link you added was proven to be fake. Big Cats in Iowa isn't that big of a deal, not sure why everyone goes up in arms if and when they see one.

http://www.cyclonefanatic.com/forum...tain-lion-hit-near-jefferson-ia-hwy-30-a.html

 

[CycloneErik]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking that. Man I hated that guy when he was with the Expos, he was a Cub killer.

Not that that's an exclusive club though. :sad:

He killed us the way Harry Caray butchered his name.

 

[cybsball20]

I would completely agree with your assessment of the DNR in recent years. Some are very good, but some are just overweight turds who have never hunted, fished, camped, or anything in their life. Police officers who didn't make it through the training...

You couldn't be more wrong, in fact it's the other way around. It's so tough to get a job with the DNR that most go work as cops until an opening pops up. There are two schools with a specific DNR training program (ISU and Upper Iowa). You pretty much have to finish at the top to have any chance. My brother in law and his girlfriend both just graduated from the program up at Upper Iowa and neither can get a sniff...

As to the cat... I have seen trail cam pics from Happy Apple Orchard in Norwalk of a Cougar, it could have easily made it up to Waukee/WDM.

 

[kingcy]

Stupid question what is the difference between a Mountian lion and cougar? Why is the DNR so against admitting they are here? I think there used to be some Bobcats around the state, maybe there are still some around. I know I have saw a big cat a few years back and others have saw the same thing in the area.

 

[yCy]

Mountain lion is just another name for cougar.

 

[jaretac]

Stupid question what is the difference between a Mountian lion and cougar? Why is the DNR so against admitting they are here? I think there used to be some Bobcats around the state, maybe there are still some around. I know I have saw a big cat a few years back and others have saw the same thing in the area.

mountian lions and cougars are the same thing and the DNR is downplaying them because A) they are not a big deal and B) there are allot of people in Iowa that are scared to death of the idea of having cougars in the state (notice I said idea, since they really aren't that dangerous).

Yeah, a cougar would NEVER be in a metro area.......

To your point - if one is killed in a tree in Sioux City, one by a car near Harlan, do you think there are just two in Western Iowa......given how elusive this animal is...... ????

http://homepages.dordt.edu/~mahaffy/mtlion/CougarSSC_tree.htm

Also, interesting thread with a post on the first page regarding someone having knowledge of DNR seeding of cougars in IA:

Mountain Lion Hit By Car in Wisconsin: Pics Right Here..(Possible Hoax, I dont Know) - The Tree Of Liberty

Okay...
1st) I never said only two, I said few.

2nd) Keep in mind that there is a huge population difference in Iowa from where I lived out west which means means there are more eyes to spot them here. Also, Iowa is the most developed state in the nation so creatures have less places to hide, where I lived we were virtually ringed in by forest service land. Last, I may have only seen them on five occasions, but there were other sightings from other people all the time (you do the math, 200 locals, if everyone sees them on average once every two years, that is 100 sightings a year or 1 every 3.5 days). What that means is there are very few cougars in Iowa, if there were more we would know about it.

3rd) How many cougars have you seen in the wild? Have you ever tracked them or hunted them? Have you come with in feet of them, without a wall or window separating them and you, or woke up in the middle of the night to find one laying on your deck? Have you ever got up every morning to look at tracks so that you could get an idea on how many there were in the area (at one point we had 5 going through our yard regularly to get to the river, one was a mother and two kittens and another was a monster that rivaled an African lion in size). If someone has more experience with cougars than me, I'll be glad to listen to their criticism, but most likely that person would agree with everything I said.

 

[Al_4_State]

Stupid question what is the difference between a Mountian lion and cougar? Why is the DNR so against admitting they are here? I think there used to be some Bobcats around the state, maybe there are still some around. I know I have saw a big cat a few years back and others have saw the same thing in the area.

We went tubing and camping in Kendallville (NE Iowa, near Cresco) for my 21st birthday back in '06. The guys in the campsite across the way from us left to take a guy to the hospital (he had passed out face first into fire) and while they were gone, we witnessed a bobcat wander into their campsite, poke around at their stuff for about 5 minutes, and then leave. It was undoubtedly a bobcat, and not a feral cat.

However, North East Iowa is probably the wildest/least developed part of Iowa. It's very hilly, w/lots of forest still around. If you go 30 miles west from where we were camping, there's virtually no forest which could support a bobcat population. They're around Iowa in some places but I don't know how wide spread they are, and where all they are.

 

[moo-u]

The reason 99 of 100 flee is because of their fear of humans and the
possibility of being shot. In other words, they've learned it the HARD
WAY. Mind you, this is -not- a bad thing.

Not that many years ago a couple from our church moved to CO Springs.

Shortly after their move they were out for a walk with their grandson who
was attacked when he ran ahead of them, a very short distance and turned
a corner ahead of them. He was out of their sight for literally only a
moment, but that's all the time it took.

After the authorities found the childs remains, they tracked the cat and found
it had been stalking that trail for some time.

I don't think anyone will dispute mountain lions being magnificent, but
let's not allow them to lose their fear of humans by protecting them to
the point where we can't protect ourselves. That would be just as stupid
as saying let's kill them all period.

Oh, and just in case you think things haven't already gone too far in the
other direction? Our friends were recipients of numerous vicious phone
calls about it afterwards from people that were WAY bent out of shape
about the cat being put down.

In fact, immediately afterwards, the "nature lovers" started a drive to
build a big war chest to support "Save the Wild" (or whatever they
called it)

Folks, I know this is a free country, but imho people acting like that after
a little child is mauled shows just how sick our culture is becoming.

peace.

moo.

 

[everyyard]

I would completely agree with your assessment of the DNR in recent years. Some are very good, but some are just overweight turds who have never hunted, fished, camped, or anything in their life. Police officers who didn't make it through the training...

On the big cat issue. This is true.... no way a coyote, fox, or bobcat could be mistaken for a great dane sized animal. None of those even get as big as a labrador retriever usually. Also... there are big cats in the area. VERY few, but there have been one or two killed a year in the last few years. I, for one, hate it because I hunt in the area and I dont think a cat would attack me, but when I walk in and out of the woods for deer hunting, it is usually dark and that is how most cat attack happen, they get walked upon while they are sleeping and just react... I know I will shoot it if I see one while hunting.

Luckily for the cougar the victim usually doesn't see them coming.

 

[everyyard]

We went tubing and camping in Kendallville (NE Iowa, near Cresco) for my 21st birthday back in '06. The guys in the campsite across the way from us left to take a guy to the hospital (he had passed out face first into fire) and while they were gone, we witnessed a bobcat wander into their campsite, poke around at their stuff for about 5 minutes, and then leave. It was undoubtedly a bobcat, and not a feral cat.

However, North East Iowa is probably the wildest/least developed part of Iowa. It's very hilly, w/lots of forest still around. If you go 30 miles west from where we were camping, there's virtually no forest which could support a bobcat population. They're around Iowa in some places but I don't know how wide spread they are, and where all they are.

there are bobcats that show up on local deer cameras all the time in central iowa along the rivers.