I have heard about sightings all over the state. A guy I work with has some land along the Bayou Tortue swamp. Growing up he claims to have seen several large brown cats.
In Vermilion Parish I have heard stories from the old timers about panthers in Big Woods and the swamps in along the river. They also have mentioned sightings in Pecan Island and south to Mulberry Ridge along the coast. Also across Freshwater bayou on Chienere au Tigre they have stories of big cats. Bayou Tigre and Chienere au Tigre got their name "tiger" from a reported attack from a large cat in the area.
In Franklin Parish my Grandpa would tell stories of the mountain lions he would see while trapping and hunting as a youngster.
My personal experience with the "panthers" comes from Caldwell parish where we hunt in the piney woods. Every so many years we run across cat tracks way too big for a Bobcat. When those tracks start to appear we hear the screams in the night. I mean Made me want to stay in the stand and not walk out! We also will have people catch a fleeting glance of One crossing a road or food plot. I cannot say I have gotten a long enough live sighting to give a difinitive yes or no but we have seen trail cam pics with them and also my dad watched one sneak along a creek bank along the edge of a cutover years ago.
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