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Search for Cougars

Discussions about all wildlife, trees, plants, flowers, and geology
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Jon
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 9:43 pm
Location: Bangor, PA

Re: Search for Cougars

Unread post by Jon »

mike wrote:DNA testing can pin-point where animals come from. DNA testing was used to determine that rattlesnakes will not cross paved road. In west Saugerties, the DNA from one side of the road is different from the other. They are genetically isolated. Sort of strange, but true.
Why don't they like roads? I thought snakes loved hot rocks.

I didn't know there was a personal property law. So does that mean leaving one's packs or something at a lean-to and making a summit is against the law as well? I see people do it often.

I saw what I thought was a bobcat or a fox on top of Balsam Lake Mtn. It was larger than a house cat, smaller than a large dog. It moved really fast and was a dark reddish blur behind the pine trees. It was around where that cabin was because I was just coming down the firetower. If you wanted to set your camera up for a good view I'm sure there's bobcats or foxes over in those woods. At least there is snow starting to accumulate on most of the mountains, so tracks should start showing up all over.
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mike
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Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:20 pm
Location: Ravena, NY

Re: Search for Cougars

Unread post by mike »

Why don't they like roads? I thought snakes loved hot rocks.
the biologist were surprised too. But asphalt road create genetic isolation of rattlesnakes. Maybe their scales stick to the asphalt road? Really not sure.

Yes, there is a new personal property law. there are also some "gray" areas of the law. There are still people stashing stuff on the side of the trail. I think you can leave stuff behind at your campsite, and lean-to. I understand why they have the law, but I think that the law was not thought out very well.

We are actually heading up to Balsam Lake Mtn tomorrow with some close friends. I will have to look in the snow to see if bobcats are present. I have been watching for them since the large snow storm in march of 2010. Most were died during the storm. The western part of the catskills faired much better. Some are migrating back into the Catskill Mtns. If we don't get more, Lyme disease may become a big problem.

How much snow is at the fire tower?
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Jon
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 9:43 pm
Location: Bangor, PA

Re: Search for Cougars

Unread post by Jon »

mike wrote:
How much snow is at the fire tower?
when I was there 21 days ago there was maybe 1/2 an inch sparsely in the forest...Mostly just mist-ice accumilation on trees. Probably been some more since then though....

https://picasaweb.google.com/stelling.j ... 4930282594
lionsandtigers
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Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:19 pm

Re: Search for Cougars

Unread post by lionsandtigers »

Hello. I am new to this forum. Until November I had no idea that there was any sort of controversy about lions in NY and I have no vested interest in there being cougars or not here or anywhere. I thought that they were only in places like Africa. In November I was driving from Syracuse to Binghamton. Immediately after I passed the Whitney Point Exit on I-81 I saw a dead large red cat on the left shoulder of the road. It was laying on its side with with its legs and tail facing the south bound trafic-back towards the north bound. It was about the height of, say, a St Barnard but a much thinner build-more like, say a Great Dane. It had a very long tail that was rope like with straight red hair/fur-not frizzy-tail was curved to the front of the animal. The cat's fur was a little more puffy than a domestic cat but by no means long like a, say wolf. I should have pulled over but was late for work-and I had no idea I would ponder this so long. I used 1-800 bing information to access a police/sheriff. The Dispacher went to look at her lunch hour but it was gone. I was shocked when she started to list the various kinds of cats it could have been. When I compared it to internet pics of the ones she listed, it was closest to a mountain lion except that it had a round sweet face that seemed a cross between a racoon and a domestic cat--very cute. I posted a notice on the topix Whitney point but nobody responded. Then I was googling and found another post by someone who also saw a cougar/mountain lion 4 months earlier at exactly the same place-off 81. It seems like the one seen earlier was bigger so I am guessing the one I saw was the cub of the one seen earlier. This poster said the following:
"Posts: 158
Mountain lion sighting
First, let me state that I have all my faculties, excellent eye sight, and am not given to exaggerations.
Today, while traveling south on Interstate 81, between Syracuse and Binghamton, I saw a Mountain Lion / Cougar/Panther, pick your noun. !! 100% positive, absolutely no doubt. There is ZERO chance that it was anything else. The only other thing it could have possibly been { other than a live mountain lion/cougar/panther } is a full body mount of a mountain lion/cougar/panther and someone pulling a prank. It was less than 100yds off the West side of the road, sitting on top of a section of rock/cliff that the highway had been cut through. It was sitting on it's haunches, leaning forward, ears forward, looking down onto/across the highway. It was about 30-40 feet above the highway. Just before the " Castle creek 1 mile " highway sign.
When I screamed " holy F%^K, a mountain lion, scaring the S#$T out my buddy who was driving almost lost control at 75 mph.

An absolutely beautiful animal, well muscled, excellent specimen. Up until now, when ever I've seen reports of sightings, I've taken them with a grain of salt. No more!

Anyone know of any other recent reported sightings in that area?

Wldnerness: Can you put me in touch with any of the state Dec/Rangers/etc from that area?"

And my post on Topix was as follows:
"Justwondering
East Syracuse, NY
huge red fox, moutain lion or lynx on I-81 (S) near Castle Creek
Nov 9, 2011

Did any see a dead huge cat like animal on the southbound side of I-81 about a mile closer to Syracuse then the exit for Castle Creek. It was on the left lying an its side, obviously dead and huge. If you did see it, or heard someone else talking about it, what was it? It looked like it had a body like a mountain lion, a long tail with long fur-not bushy and a face that was rounder like a lynx.Its color was pretty uniformly red-not mixed or strips or anything like that. I was moving too fast and, once I had processed what I saw, I had gone too far to see it. Apparently someone picked it up, probably for its fur, because it was gone soon thereafter. I saw it at around 10:40am Tuesday morning. If you did not see it but are familiar with the wild life around there, any ideas? Any information would be appreciated. "

So, I am posting this widely in the hopes of finding out if anyone else saw what I did and also to encourage people in Whitney Point area to look around. Again, I have absolutely no interest in promoting the idea that lions are or are not native to NY. I am interested to hear if anyone else saw something similar in the Whitney point area.
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mike
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Location: Ravena, NY

Re: Search for Cougars

Unread post by mike »

There have been a few sightings like this. Chances are, the DEC removed the cougar. Once they remove it, it is like it never happen.
lionsandtigers
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Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:19 pm

Re: Search for Cougars-Dear DEC,

Unread post by lionsandtigers »

This is a message to the DEC: Those of us who have seen mountain lions in NY (I saw a dead kitten or adolescent on the shoulder of I-81 near Whitney Point, NY-disproportionately long tail and very round cat-like face with raccoon like markings) do not care if there is a reproducing population of mountain lions in NY nor am I saying that there is one. We do not know and most of us do not care to explore that issue. Nor do most of us know or care to explore if the animal we saw was an Eastern cougar or another type. But, we do not want to be discounted because most of us have not been accused of lying or seeing mirages in the past. Many of us have Phd's and/or MDs and are not used to being accused of lying or being patronized by being told we probably saw a bob cat, lynx or the Big Red Dog Clifford! I don't believe that the DEC is releasing cats, nor do I buy into a conspiracy theory. But, I do think that the DEC officials are short sighted and typical of a governmental agency with people too long in their position and too comfortable repeating their mantra. I also think that the DEC is losing credibility. DEC, you have egg on your face from the CT situation because you spent years telling the public they were delusional. Then, without so much of a mea culpa (or, My Bad), they say "oh sure there was one but only one". They denied cougar sightings in NY until they decided there was too much evidence from too many sources and decided to use the CT mountain lion to do away with all the speculation (although the ct cougar's DNA was NOT an exact match to the Lake George data-just similar subspecies). It is unclear how it showed up dead in the road but it is being used to shut people up-cause they are attributing all sighting to that one cougar which they conveniently showed has died somehow on the road. What is more believable: A) there may be few lone mountain lions in NY or B) that dozens of people (many with PhD's, MD's) who have never seen a mirage and never hallucinated and who hold down important positions all of a sudden are plagued with some mysterious need to shout out "Mountain lion"? I'd put my money on the idea that, as the west is not like a zoo that en-cages all animals, it is probable that a few lone mountain lions have migrated to the east and are occasionally seen. See DEC, that wasn't so hard was it? This is a call for your organization to stop being so patronizing and start listening to the public. Some of us have as much science in our background as you do so put away your patronizing tone and find a way to be more thoughtful to the people who are only interested in learning more about the things they see and experience. Good day.
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Jon
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Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 9:43 pm
Location: Bangor, PA

Re: Search for Cougars

Unread post by Jon »

lionsandtigers, could you ballpark a coordinate for me?
lionsandtigers
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Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:19 pm

Re: Search for Cougars

Unread post by lionsandtigers »

Yes, roughly 42.310768,-75.949345 Are you going to look or are you mapping?
lionsandtigers
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Re: Search for Cougars

Unread post by lionsandtigers »

That is rough. I had passed Whitney Point, saw the animal and then felt it took forever to get to the Castle Creek Exit. So, it had to be pretty soon after the Whitney Point exit although I can't be sure. The guy who saw live mountain lion in May 2011 at the Whitney Point exit said that it was on the rocks where 81 goes through rocks as if they had blasted for the road--with steep rocks on both sides of 81. He saw it on the rocks. I will try to get the mile marker when I pass it today but I will be traveling north so not sure I will able to tell from that direction. ARE you mapping or are you going to go look? If so, when might you?
mtnclimber
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Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:46 pm

Re: Search for Cougars

Unread post by mtnclimber »

Click here to see a map of this coord.
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