Panthers in Sabine/Rockafeller Refuges

[Smalls]

Originally Posted by Renegade

There's a big difference between no confirmed sightings and saying only jaguars can be melanistic. It may be true that we've only had confirmed sightings of melanism in jaguars and leopards, but that doesn't mean it's genetically impossible in other species of cat.

This is true, but the fact remains that no legitimate sighting has ever been recorded...ANYWHERE. Not just in Louisiana, but across the country. The fact that the gene has never shown itself in a population of cougars anywhere definitely means something. Is melanism impossible in the species? Who knows? Maybe. But the fact remains that there has never been a confirmed sighting, and until there is, people will be sceptical of any sightings. There are some men that I think the world of that claim to have seen a black panther, and I think its laughable, especially when they cannot produce any proof.

Just food for thought, but how many trail cameras do y'all think are spread across Louisiana? And none of those have captured a picture good enough to confirm a black panther? They have caught several other animals, including cougars. But no black panther.

Hmmm........

[DaPointIsDaBomb]

Spent summers at my aunts house in Mouton Cove and we heard black panthers a couple times for sure. Had one get after my uncle's chickens but he couldn't get a shot off

[mriguy]

Originally Posted by DaPointIsDaBomb

Spent summers at my aunts house in Mouton Cove and we heard black panthers a couple times for sure. Had one get after my uncle's chickens but he couldn't get a shot off

They do make a distinctive sound

[duckman1911]

So if all of the biologists say they don't exist that means I can smoke check one without getting in trouble right? How can you get in trouble for shooting something that doesn't exist? Y'all gona know if I see one.. I'll post a report with pics. Same goes for sasquach. Screw him and his beef jerky.

[Clampy]

Late one night in the Texas hill country I was looking for where a Axis herd was holding.
I was coming down a road in my truck when a rather large 80 - 100 lb animal jumped out and turned straight toward my truck. The first thing I saw was a long thick tail and my mind started racing and thinking of all the people I
$ hit on for claiming the saw a black panther. It never got scared and continued to my truck. Eyes glowing in my headlights and as it got into identifiable range all I could think was
"Man if that Black Lab had turned and took off before I really got a good look i would be one of those people I've clowned for so long.

95% of those sighting are large house cats with the right stuff around them to make them look big.
4% are prolly dogs
1% are completely lying.

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[Clampy]

uploadfromtaptalk1436311068027.jpg

[duckman1911]

If I see it BANG. It can't taste any worse than bear meat so why not.

[rustyb]

i have a friend that is a WLF biologist and got a call of a cougar hit by a car, that was found on side of the road. He gets there to retrieve it and it was a cougar pretty decomposed. But it was declawed. So yes some are pets that escape or get released. But they say there is no proof of black ones. And the ones that are seen are mostly displaced. And as Clampy said most on trail cameras are house cats. Im just repeating what the experts say.

[Clampy]

I know that top pic is house cat and still think twice when looking at it.

[DaPointIsDaBomb]

Originally Posted by mriguy

They do make a distinctive sound

Regular panthers sound like a woman screaming but black ones sound like Aretha Franklin

[duckman1911]

Originally Posted by Clampy

I know that top pic is house cat and still think twice when looking at it.

No joke. That light post is probably 12" and you add the bulb on top you get another 3-4"'s. We have a big orange cat but if he gets that big I'm shooting him.lol
If not photo shopped he should have appeared smaller than the lamp not larger.

[fonikoddity]

Our eyes constantly play tricks on us, fellas. Humans are notoriously terrible at eyewitness accounts. This goes hand in hand with "I know what I know" despite being blasted in the face with sound science.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pat Babaz]

Originally Posted by rustyb

i have a friend that is a WLF biologist and got a call of a cougar hit by a car, that was found on side of the road. He gets there to retrieve it and it was a cougar pretty decomposed. But it was declawed. So yes some are pets that escape or get released. But they say there is no proof of black ones. And the ones that are seen are mostly displaced. And as Clampy said most on trail cameras are house cats. Im just repeating what the experts say.

Is this the cat you are referring to? He was found last fall/winter on Hwy 12 West of Dequincy right across from the Elementry school. They said he was declawed so he wasn't wild.

cat1.docx

cat2.docx

[rustyb]

I think that's it.

[Pat Babaz]

[Pat Babaz]

What is weird is that nobody at all had even heard a rumor of somebody keeping a pet cougar any where around there. It is also weird that it sat and decomposed for so long alongside a busy road like hwy 12. Do you know if it showed signs of being hit by a car or are they just assuming?

[Mr T]

no black cougars! If you see a black cougar then take a picture and you will be world famous. Its all about genetics, and cougars don't have the same genetic trends as jaguars and leopards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther

[rustyb]

Originally Posted by Pat Babaz

What is weird is that nobody at all had even heard a rumor of somebody keeping a pet cougar any where around there. It is also weird that it sat and decomposed for so long alongside a busy road like hwy 12. Do you know if it showed signs of being hit by a car or are they just assuming?

I think assumed. But from what Im told they travel long distances.
I know that bears that get relocated from morgan city to way north louisiana, come right back in some cases. Some even further, depending on age and sex. Cougars even more, so anything is possible. Im no expert but friends of mine are.

[Pat Babaz]

Originally Posted by rustyb

I think assumed. But from what Im told they travel long distances.
I know that bears that get relocated from morgan city to way north louisiana, come right back in some cases. Some even further, depending on age and sex. Cougars even more, so anything is possible. Im no expert but friends of mine are.

Yeah, it could have gotten loose from a pen 100 miles from Dequincy and eventually wandered over there and got hit. People probably just assumed it was a dead dog and didn't think twice about it.

[rustyb]

I agree.