Mountain Lions and Bobcats
 

Big cats are no longer the norm in my area of the country (Northwest Georgia). Years ago I've read that they roamed pretty much everywhere in the U.S. but that was long ago. Recently however, I've seen some pretty good evidence that indicates that might be slowly changing. Oh, we've had Bobcats around here for my entire life (50+ years). I can remember them on the ridges of my uncles farm when I was a kid camping down by the creek with my cousin, but those cats weren't really all that much larger than a big house cat. Last Fall I moved a little further away from the big cities and began working for a new employer in a smaller town in Georgia. Most of my co-workers enjoy farming or hunting as their hobbies and they tend to spend a lot more time in the woods and fields than the average city slicker. One man in particular loves to bow hunt and he keeps several wildlife cameras out on his hunting lease to see what is out there when he's not. Last Fall he snapped a pretty good picture of what appears to be a big cat with it's head down in the grass, so you couldn't really tell for certain what it was. Later he told me that when he was walking out of the area one day he heard a big grown like a cougar right behind him. He said he drew his sidearm and spun around fully expecting a big cat to be ready to pounce on him, but he did not see anything. Then last month he got a very clear shot with the camera of a full grown mountain lion. I'll post both of those pictures. Well, this weekend I was working late behind my shop, which borders a wooded ridge when I felt like I was being watched. I shown my flashlight up into the woods but couldn't spot anything. The next morning I found these tracks in the mud where I had been working the night before. Pretty good size cat tracks, 2-1/2" across, no mountain lion, but definitely a very big cat, probably a bobcat, but at the upper end of their size range from what I've read on the internet.

Oh my, nice kitties. We have those critters around here too. And no I don't want to be up close and personal with one. They want a full belly rather than a belly rub. I have talked to folks who have actually been stalked by these cats when they are out for a walk. One fellow narrowly missed being attacked when his dog saw the cat and panicked. The dog tried to run away and actually pulled him away with the leash just as the cat leaped out of a tree and landed where he had been standing at the time.
Bears, coyotes and big cats are common here most of the year. Lynda had to stop today to let a brown bear cross the street as she was coming home from getting groceries. The wild animals also use the RR lines as a path through the center of town. Kinda scary when you are sitting at a red traffic light and a bear walks by the window. Brrr.

Wow, that's pretty cool. I have never seen a bear around here although I know they live in the region. I think the big cats are making a comeback in several areas of the county. I don't know if that mountain lion has a mate here or if it is just on it's own. Obviously the bobcat has a mate since it has a kitten.

I wouldn't say I see bears all the time, but I've come across a couple while camping. I've always dreamed of catching a glimpse of a mountain lion, but form everything I know they moved out of this region a long time ago. What you have here is pretty solid evidence of them being around again.

I used to camp or go wilderness exploring every weekend and I've seen all kinds of cool stuff. The mountain lion coming back might just get me out doing that stuff again. I'd love a photo.

One has to be wary of critters in the woods. After all we are the tresspassers, not the other way around.

My concen is the dumb people who follow a wild animal into the bush for a pic and get hurt. Then the animal is likely hunted down and destroyed because some one was stupid enough to tresspass in it's back yard. I once watched a fellow follow a large Bull Moose into the bush during the rutting season. No common sense at all. I suppose the thinking was it must be tame cause this is a national park. Yeah right.
And then there are the fools who read a Beware of Dog sign on a gate and go in anyway. Lack of smarts is a birth defect in my opinion.

Stangely enough, In England, If you post a "beware of the dog" poster,and someone comes in and gets bitten, it shows that you were aware that the dog was dangerous, so you get sued. Crazy or what?

Oh, so there is some common sense left in the world. Good to know. My dog was a potential fear biter(never happened though) so we had to keep an eye on her around strangers.

Oddly enough the dogs around here are very friendly and I have rarely if ever met one that I wouldn't approach. I think it has a lot to do with the climate. Folks get out more often with their dogs and the dogs are socialized early in their lives. My dog didn't so she was leary of people.
I carry treats in my truck for my 4 footed friends at the local coffee shop. We sit around outside and I get drooled on a lot. Two of my favorites are Russian Wolf Hounds that hear me coming every time.