Panthers in Sabine/Rockafeller Refuges

[cgoods17]

there has been one spotted in Lacassine refuge, as well as choupique area south of sulphur.

[mr crab]

Idc what Yall say...there are BIG MATURE black cougars all over sabine and calcasiue area. They thickest in west port arthur and east l.c. areas
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[BIGV]

I can tell all of you with certainty that there are cougars in louisiana and yes there are BLACK ones also. I have personally seen one in back of Jeanerette in the early2000's. I watched it for a couple minutes and could have shot it while watching it at less then 100 yards through my scope. I have seeen three brown cougars in two years in Rosepine on my lease. Call me a moron if you like but seeing is believing and I can promise you I am not the one to mistake a animal.

[Duckaholic]

Just ask Uncle Si!

[Pat Babaz]

Some of the black panther sightings could actually be a small cat called the Jaguarondi. They are native to Mexico and West Texas with a few straying all the way into East Texas occasionally. They are only about 20lbs but they have a really long tail and come in a greyish/black color phase.

[Pat Babaz]

Originally Posted by BossHog

I remember what your talking about. It was after Ike and it was the Ldwf that reported seeing two cougers in the gum cove area from a helicopter I think but I never saw any pics. I had a lease there at that same time for years with trail cameras and never saw any. But we have seen a couple in the grand lake/sweet lake area over the years but none for several years now. And even seen trailcam pics of them in pecan island.

Thanks man, I knew I would get a legit answer to my question mixed in with all the silly responses. But when you throw up a panther thread you gotta except that

[jpeff31787]

they have/had one in church point for a while. I haven't been stomping around in the woods there lately, but we'd come across its tracks quite often and some of my family that lived there had seen it quite a few times. Its tracks were HUGE, I used to have a picture of them and I looked up the footprint on google and it was 100% cat and its print was bigger than my hand.

[Goooh]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

There have been a few confirmed sightings in Louisiana of wild mountain lions not Florida Panthers which are just a subspecies. Have been multiple confirmations of captive bred Cougars alao. The one on display in the ldwf headquarters in Baton Rouge was killed near Shreveport and was of captive origin. Never ever been a confirmed black mountain lion or Florida panther

How about a Jacksonville Jaguar?

A New York Giant?

[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.

[Goooh]

I love how "black panthers" have never been confirmed in places where Cougars/mountain lions are highly populated, yet half of the sightings in Louisiana where they barely exist in regular form are BLACK

[mr crab]

Originally Posted by Goooh

I love how "black panthers" have never been confirmed in places where Cougars/mountain lions are highly populated, yet half of the sightings in Louisiana where they barely exist in regular form are BLACK

That's racist

[mriguy]

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

[mr crab]

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[BGcoreg]

Originally Posted by saute86

I have been seeing them for years off Hickory Creek south of Deridder. I have seen 7 over the years. First one was in the late 90's. It was black. I have seen one each year over the last 3 years. They were all within a 100 yards. I watched them cross a pipeline all from the same stand. I know what I saw. When you see their tail you will know what I am talking about.

Give me more details on the area you speak of , I'm fairly close . Makes me curious

[Mr T]

actually there is not a definitive way to determine whether cougars seen in Louisiana originated from the west (ie Texas, New Mexico etc) or the Florida breeding populations, other than DNA analysis. The "Florida Panther" is a mountain lion, a geographically separated subspecies. But if it were to breed with a Texas Mountain lion they would produce little mountain lions. Same species, different sub-species ( ie separate geographical breeding populations.)
Agreed, there has never been a documented black mountain lion/cougar.

[BIGV]

Whats funny is that for years everyone thought it was wacky to even say you saw one of any color and now they are confirmed and seen regularly. So all of the folks saying they are there have been right as confirmed by LDWF but now all you hear is they can't be black.... just hold tight as that will also be proven wrong.... just a matter of time.

[Pat Babaz]

I found this article online from the Cameron Pilot newspaper. It was after Ike and it was Remy Broussard who saw the two panthers

Bayou Buck
November 3rd, 2008, 03:06 PM
an excerpt from...
The Cameron Parish Pilot
October 30, 2008

Two Cougars Sighted in Cameron Parish:

Although they have thought to be extinct in western Louisiana, two cougars were recently sighted in Cameron Parish—and the report comes from a very good authority—a Louisiana wildlife enforcement agent.

Lt. Remy Broussard, state wildlife enforcement agent supervisor for Cameron and Calcasieu parishes, reported seeing two of the rare felines south of the Intercoastal Canal in the Gum Cove area of northern Cameron Parish.

His sighting was made on Oct. 1 while Lt. Broussard was flying over the area in a National Guard helicopter helping evacuate Hackberry residents who were stranded by the high water following Hurricane Ike.

He said the animals appeared to be full grown cougars (also known as mountain lions or panthers). He said it was possible that they could be the same cougars that were spotted in Nat****oches on Sept. 4 and Allen Parish on Sept. 29. These sites are about 100 miles apart.

Photos of a cougar at a site near Oberlin were made by a camera that had been set up in the woods and can be seen on the internet at the Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries site. The official LDWF press release regarding the two trail camera photos of cougars can be viewed by clicking here (http://www.wlf.state.la.us/news/?id=1130).

Broussard said cougars probably live on deer and wild hogs which are plentiful throughout this area.

UPDATE!!!
BayouBucks.com (http://www.bayoubucks.com) personally spoke with Lt. Broussard for approximately 15 minutes regarding his sighting in order to shed further light upon the details of this occurrence. He stated that while performing recovery operations via helicopter immediately following Hurricane Ike, he noticed two strange animals in the grass along the Intercoastal Canal while en route back to Lake Charles. “They were on the south side of the Canal levee, approximately 1 mile west of Gum Cove Road,” Broussard stated. “We circled around to get a better look, and as we approached, the cougars crouched down in the grass real low as if to hide from us. We were hovering about 60 yards above them, and watched the cats for about 30 seconds before we had to get back to work.” While Broussard told Bayou Bucks (http://www.bayoubucks.com) that it was pretty amazing to see such reclusive animals, it did not astound him that these cougars were in the area. “We saw one a few years back along Johnson Bayou in SW Cameron Parish,” Broussard acknowledged. “I knew there were a few [cougars] in this area, so this new sighting didn’t really surprise me.”

Contrary to the sighting date of Oct. 1 reported in the [i]Cameron Pilot, Broussard’s sighting actually occurred immediately after Hurricane Ike—Sept. 15. This date is very significant, in that it falls between the dates of the two trail camera photos obtained (Sept. 4 and Sept. 29), yet the location of the sighting lies 60 miles southwest of the southern most Oberlin, LA photo (see the timeline and attached pics below). Although not 100% conclusive, it can be inferred with reasonable certainty that at least three different cougars were sighted during the month of September in Louisiana. To assume otherwise would mean that one group of cats would have had to be photographed in Nat****oches Parish on Sept. 4, travel 145 miles in 11 days to Cameron Parish (and in the process cross the Red River, I-49, the Calcasieu River, I-10, and the Intercoastal Canal), then travel 60 miles back north into Allen Parish in 14 days (thus re-crossing the Industrial Canal, the Calcasieu River, and I-10).

Cougars and their closely related subspecies, the Florida Panther, once thrived in the hills and swamps throughout Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Until recently, the species' were believed to be extinct throughout the Bayou State. This was attributed to the animals’ habitat destruction and depletion of its #1 prey animal, the whitetailed deer, during the turn of the 20th Century. There is certainly no lack of deer in Louisiana today, but a shortage of large expanses of unbroken forest habitat, a network of highways and interstates across their historic travel corridors, and public opinion opposed to the cats’ return to Louisiana certainly limit cougars’ ability to enjoy the populations they once had here. Be aware that there is a heavy fine and the possibility for imprisonment imposed on anyone killing a cougar in Louisiana. These animals are very shy, nocturnal, have large home ranges, and are not likely to remain in the same area for very long. To report verifiable sightings of cougars containing physical evidence such as photos, tracks and/or scat please call Maria Davidson at 337-948-0255 or your nearest LDWF Region office at:

Minden 318-371-3050
Monroe 318-343-4044
Pineville 318-487-5885
Ferriday 318-757-4571
Lake Charles 337-491-2575
Opelousas 337-948-0255
Baton Rouge 225-765-2360

[marshrunner757]

Originally Posted by Pat Babaz

I found this article online from the Cameron Pilot newspaper. It was after Ike and it was Remy Broussard who saw the two panthers

Bayou Buck
November 3rd, 2008, 03:06 PM
an excerpt from...
The Cameron Parish Pilot
October 30, 2008

Two Cougars Sighted in Cameron Parish:

Although they have thought to be extinct in western Louisiana, two cougars were recently sighted in Cameron Parish—and the report comes from a very good authority—a Louisiana wildlife enforcement agent.

Lt. Remy Broussard, state wildlife enforcement agent supervisor for Cameron and Calcasieu parishes, reported seeing two of the rare felines south of the Intercoastal Canal in the Gum Cove area of northern Cameron Parish.

His sighting was made on Oct. 1 while Lt. Broussard was flying over the area in a National Guard helicopter helping evacuate Hackberry residents who were stranded by the high water following Hurricane Ike.

He said the animals appeared to be full grown cougars (also known as mountain lions or panthers). He said it was possible that they could be the same cougars that were spotted in Nat****oches on Sept. 4 and Allen Parish on Sept. 29. These sites are about 100 miles apart.

Photos of a cougar at a site near Oberlin were made by a camera that had been set up in the woods and can be seen on the internet at the Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries site. The official LDWF press release regarding the two trail camera photos of cougars can be viewed by clicking here (http://www.wlf.state.la.us/news/?id=1130).

Broussard said cougars probably live on deer and wild hogs which are plentiful throughout this area.

UPDATE!!!
BayouBucks.com (http://www.bayoubucks.com) personally spoke with Lt. Broussard for approximately 15 minutes regarding his sighting in order to shed further light upon the details of this occurrence. He stated that while performing recovery operations via helicopter immediately following Hurricane Ike, he noticed two strange animals in the grass along the Intercoastal Canal while en route back to Lake Charles. “They were on the south side of the Canal levee, approximately 1 mile west of Gum Cove Road,” Broussard stated. “We circled around to get a better look, and as we approached, the cougars crouched down in the grass real low as if to hide from us. We were hovering about 60 yards above them, and watched the cats for about 30 seconds before we had to get back to work.” While Broussard told Bayou Bucks (http://www.bayoubucks.com) that it was pretty amazing to see such reclusive animals, it did not astound him that these cougars were in the area. “We saw one a few years back along Johnson Bayou in SW Cameron Parish,” Broussard acknowledged. “I knew there were a few [cougars] in this area, so this new sighting didn’t really surprise me.”

Contrary to the sighting date of Oct. 1 reported in the [i]Cameron Pilot, Broussard’s sighting actually occurred immediately after Hurricane Ike—Sept. 15. This date is very significant, in that it falls between the dates of the two trail camera photos obtained (Sept. 4 and Sept. 29), yet the location of the sighting lies 60 miles southwest of the southern most Oberlin, LA photo (see the timeline and attached pics below). Although not 100% conclusive, it can be inferred with reasonable certainty that at least three different cougars were sighted during the month of September in Louisiana. To assume otherwise would mean that one group of cats would have had to be photographed in Nat****oches Parish on Sept. 4, travel 145 miles in 11 days to Cameron Parish (and in the process cross the Red River, I-49, the Calcasieu River, I-10, and the Intercoastal Canal), then travel 60 miles back north into Allen Parish in 14 days (thus re-crossing the Industrial Canal, the Calcasieu River, and I-10).

Cougars and their closely related subspecies, the Florida Panther, once thrived in the hills and swamps throughout Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Until recently, the species' were believed to be extinct throughout the Bayou State. This was attributed to the animals’ habitat destruction and depletion of its #1 prey animal, the whitetailed deer, during the turn of the 20th Century. There is certainly no lack of deer in Louisiana today, but a shortage of large expanses of unbroken forest habitat, a network of highways and interstates across their historic travel corridors, and public opinion opposed to the cats’ return to Louisiana certainly limit cougars’ ability to enjoy the populations they once had here. Be aware that there is a heavy fine and the possibility for imprisonment imposed on anyone killing a cougar in Louisiana. These animals are very shy, nocturnal, have large home ranges, and are not likely to remain in the same area for very long. To report verifiable sightings of cougars containing physical evidence such as photos, tracks and/or scat please call Maria Davidson at 337-948-0255 or your nearest LDWF Region office at:

Minden 318-371-3050
Monroe 318-343-4044
Pineville 318-487-5885
Ferriday 318-757-4571
Lake Charles 337-491-2575
Opelousas 337-948-0255
Baton Rouge 225-765-2360

Pat, I saw 2 about a month or so after the hurricane about 2 mile from your house on Carl Lyons rd. When I rounded the corner from Pete Seay onto Carl Lyons they were on the road. They cleared the ditch and the fence that used to be there in one jump. I stopped and tried to spot them with my Qbeam but they were gone. Big cats to say the least.

[Pat Babaz]

Originally Posted by marshrunner757

Pat, I saw 2 about a month or so after the hurricane about 2 mile from your house on Carl Lyons rd. When I rounded the corner from Pete Seay onto Carl Lyons they were on the road. They cleared the ditch and the fence that used to be there in one jump. I stopped and tried to spot them with my Qbeam but they were gone. Big cats to say the least.

Wow, with so many sightings there has to be something more to it than just mass hallucination. I've heard from people who have seen big cats with long tails all around Carylss like:

Gum cove Ferry Rd
Hwy 1133 by Pecan Grove park
Hwy 1133 by the Westlake Chemical Sytrene terminal(multiple times)
Carlyss drive by the park
West Ravia road

So I'm sure they are around, not sure about the black panthers though

[marshrunner757]

Originally Posted by Pat Babaz

Wow, with so many sightings there has to be something more to it than just mass hallucination. I've heard from people who have seen big cats with long tails all around Carylss like:

Gum cove Ferry Rd
Hwy 1133 by Pecan Grove park
Hwy 1133 by the Westlake Chemical Sytrene terminal(multiple times)
Carlyss drive by the park
West Ravia road

So I'm sure they are around, not sure about the black panthers though

These were tan. Lit them up in full headlights about 25 yds in front of me. It was early and I was tired but not hallucinating lol. BIG cats and long tails.