Black panther sightings/discussion

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by Top Dawg

Never mind. Black panthers do exist. Guy I work with knows a guy that killed one and he went to get it mounted then got in trouble when wlf found out. Lost his hunting rights for a couple years for killing an endangered species.

That sucks for him

[specktator]

My dad used to let a guy that worked for him squirrel hunt our property in St. Francisville. He could be on swamp people. His nick name is "Gator Man". He claims to have seen one on my place about 15 years ago. Said it was a black panther and it walked right in front of him. I find it hard to believe but this guy wouldn't make something like that up.


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[Top Dawg]

Maybe he ate the mushrooms off the wrong tree? Lol

[Spunt Drag]

"It's either a live Tupelo Gum, or a dead Willow. It might be a live Willow and a dead Tupelo Gum, but I think it's a live Tupelo Gum and a dead Willow. You get that wrong, you act funny for a little while, then you die." Phil Robertson

[specktator]

Originally Posted by Top Dawg

Maybe he ate the mushrooms off the wrong tree? Lol

He is certainly the kind of guy that would eat mushrooms so that is a possibility. LOL


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[Sea-Trac Offshore]

When I was about 17 my family went camping in north louisiana. Forgot where exactly. My dad, brother, and I went hiking back deep in the woods just looking around and found looked like an old hog trap or pen made out of wood. When we got closer it looked like a big cougar stood up, jumped down, stared and took off. I think all of us about crapped ourselves. Remember it like yesterday.


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[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by Southshore Marine

When I was about 17 my family went camping in north louisiana. Forgot where exactly. My dad, brother, and I went hiking back deep in the woods just looking around and found looked like an old hog trap or pen made out of wood. When we got closer it looked like a big cougar stood up, jumped down, stared and took off. I think all of us about crapped ourselves. Remember it like yesterday.


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I know what you mean, but that struck me as funny


Was the animal in the trap? Or was the trap the animal?

[Sea-Trac Offshore]

It was an old pen type trap and he was laying on top. It had weeds growing up all around it and he was just laying down up there concealed. When he stood up we just froze.


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[Feesherman]

Originally Posted by Top Dawg

Never mind. Black panthers do exist. Guy I work with knows a guy that killed one and he went to get it mounted then got in trouble when wlf found out. Lost his hunting rights for a couple years for killing an endangered species.

Oh my God, talk about stepping it up a notch. And as far as all those wild arse screams. Ya'll should hear the sounds that can come out of a red fox!

[rainy_day]

Years ago I large cat cross the road while we were
Frogging. It was black about the size of a lab. With a long tail
The next day I called the WLF and was given a name
Of a cat that comes out of Mexico. I can not remember what he called it
But it was not a panther.

[huntin fool]

Chopacobra

[Jcredeur]

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.

[Shallow Runner]

Guys I have spent a lot of time in the woods. I have seen Bobcats of three different colors. Fawn, grey and brindle. They are definitely big enough to take out a yearling deer, but a man I'm not so convinced. I've seen birds I can't identify and heard noises I have no clue what makes them. I have heard the sound of a woman screaming or baby crying. I cant say I have seen what makes it. The worse attack I've ever had besides being treed by a hog was by an owl right at dusk. He got off with my beenie cap and scared the crap out of me. There are no pictures on trail or any other cameras of black panthers. None found dead, none in the zoo. The stories and sightings have been around my area as long as I can remember. I was riding in the truck with my wife a couple years ago when the last panther sighting went on. Within three days half the population had saw it. My wife was convinced that these people were a reliable source. Well in the spirit of things I spotted a monkey on the levee about 200 yards off. I hit the brakes backed up and showed it to my wife. She was convinced that is was a monkey. We watched it for about 10 minutes and she was absolutely amazed. When that Blue heron flew off the levee it left her feeling kinda foolish. I think that people do see black panthers, simply because they want to see them. Kinda like the monkey.

[Smalls]

Originally Posted by rainy_day

Years ago I large cat cross the road while we were
Frogging. It was black about the size of a lab. With a long tail
The next day I called the WLF and was given a name
Of a cat that comes out of Mexico. I can not remember what he called it
But it was not a panther.

Jaguarundi.

[Wag]

One ran across the road and I almost ran over it back in the late 80's, it was solid black, it was during the day and there was no question about it. Was with 3 other people and we all saw it....This happened while I was hunting in the Kisatchie National Forest outside of Alexandria.

Have recently, 2 years ago, seen tan cougar in front of my house, one day while sitting on the porch watching deer in my food plot right before dark one stepped out in the open and came in my view of my binoculars, deer took off running. For a couple of weeks this cougar was also seen up and down the road by several of my neighbors, we live in a very rural area.... I don't care what the LDWF says, they do exist.

[Smalls]

LDWF has never denied that cougars exist. In fact there have been a few confirmed in the last several years. I don't know that I've ever seen them deny the existence of Black Panthers either, just never confirmed one because they've never been able to. This is because the only big cats that roam in Louisiana even occasionally are cougars and jaguarundi. I would bet most "black panther" sightings are in fact the jaguarundi.

[swamp snorkler]

Originally Posted by Wag

One ran across the road and I almost ran over it back in the late 80's, it was solid black, it was during the day and there was no question about it. Was with 3 other people and we all saw it....This happened while I was hunting in the Kisatchie National Forest outside of Alexandria.

Have recently, 2 years ago, seen tan cougar in front of my house, one day while sitting on the porch watching deer in my food plot right before dark one stepped out in the open and came in my view of my binoculars, deer took off running. For a couple of weeks this cougar was also seen up and down the road by several of my neighbors, we live in a very rural area.... I don't care what the LDWF says, they do exist.

Cougars definitley do exist in LA, Black Panthers dont

[SGib]

Originally Posted by T-TOP

Attachment 44674Attachment 44675Attachment 44676
jaguarundi
Have listened to this debate before, about 10 of us saw what appeared to be a large dark colored cat 20 years ago... After canoeing the whiskey ****to river, drinking beer all day...I must add... So it probably seemed a lot larger than it was... These cats are what people say we saw.... Only 20 pounds or so, but with the heavy coat and thick long tail and total length of 60 inches... Very easily mistaken for a BIG CAT... Lol

A good friend of mine was seeing a black big cat in the corner of his yard once ever so often. So they started carrying cameras in their vehicles to try and snap a shot. Well his daughter snapped some shots one evening and they turned them into a writer for the Texas fish and game. Turned out to be a Jaguarundi. I've never seen one but have several buddies just north of my house with big cats on their game cameras. tan mountain lions cougars whatever you wanna call Em

[saute86]

I saw my first one on my deer lease back in the late 90's. I had him in the scope at around a 100 yards. It was quartering towards me. It turned broad side and I saw its tail. After the hunt I was telling everyone about it by the fire. I was getting hazed really bad over it. Then one of the old timmers on the lease said its about time someone else saw it. He laughed and said he hadnt said anything because he knew no one would beleave him. Last year my son and I were hunting 300 yards from my first sighting on a pipeline where a creek crosses. I saw what I thought was a pig come out. I grabbed my binocolars and told my son to get ready. When I saw it I told my son not to shoot its a cat. When it came out of the grass we could see that its tail was as long and curved. Guys yall dont have to beleave me and can bash me all you want but I know what I saw on both occassions. Both walked like a cat, looked too big to be a bobcat and were black in color.

[weedeater]

I don't understand why none of these "Cats" have been shot..... I have never even seen a bobcat in the woods but I have seen some tracks on my lease to big for a bobcat and to big for a dog, I showed them to Merc a few months ago and another buddy last night so I am gonna put up a trailcam and hopefully get a pic of something.