[at-l] (no subject)

[stephensadams at hotmail.com (Steve Adams)]

Mountain Lions in Smoky?
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 13:14:56 -0500
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Lee I Joe,

Reference your post, dated 12-15-03, advising, “It is more likely a panther 
rather than a mountain lion, though most would argue there is no 
difference.”

Many years ago, when I was hunting, I had a conversation with another hunter 
who told me a story about a “Painter” (Phonetic); Panther, to most of us.  
He was deer hunting at the time, in the Massanutten Mountains, parallel to 
and within sight of the AT, which meanders atop the Blue Ridge Mountains at 
that point.  He was seated, leaning against a tree, and “felt” odd.  He 
slowly turned to look behind him.  A “painter” was peering around from 
behind the same tree, getting a better look at him.  They went their 
separate ways.

“Experts” I’ve spoken with say panthers and mountain lions are one and the 
same.  Hunters with whom I’ve spoken speak of panthers.

You advise, “I have heard (but not seen) them in eastern Tennessee.”

“Experts” I’ve spoken with have guessed the sounds attributed to mountain 
lions have come from bobcats.

I have observed one bobcat while walking along the AT unhurriedly looking 
about.  I noticed a movement which didn’t make much sense; it seemed as if a 
groundhog had jumped from the ground a little way up a tree.  I stopped 
fairly quickly and held my breath.  A bobcat slowly peered about the tree 
but didn’t recognize me as a threat.  The bobcat circled the tree for a few 
minutes, from a distance of about ten feet.  It was an amazing event.

I have occasionally seen fox running along carrying prey in its mouth.  The 
prey is being converted to food, doesn’t like it at all, and makes an 
incredible sound; something similar to a baby screaming, except more loudly 
than you would expect from a baby.  My hair and the skin along my back seem 
to move involuntarily.

I have heard bobcat are capable of making blood curdling screams.  I haven’t 
heard them.

“The ‘experts’ claim that a panther requires a rather substantial amount of 
‘undisturbed wilderness’ as its territory. My observations have been that 
they will actually tolerate a surprising amount of human presence, and as 
long as natural game is abundant, you will never even know they are there.  
Rather like a coyote in that behaviour...”

The Canadian mountain lion specialist advised mountain lion are extremely 
adaptive and can live alongside humans.  This is being re-discovered in 
California and other points where human housing is encroaching upon what 
until recently was wildlife habitat.

Speaking of coyotes ...  They are all over the place.

Mountain lions are credited, by people living along the park boundaries, 
with killing small animals and infrequently attacking and wounding cows.

Steve

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