4 legged cougars

bulldog284

bulldog284

CGN Regular
Rating - 97.9%
46   1   0
Location
pigeon hill
would like to pic some of you westerners brains.i live in southern quebec and for some unknown reason cougars were introduced into my area.
i am curious to know how many deer a mature cougar will eat in a mounth?
 
If hunting is good for the cougar and the deer densities are favourable one a week or even more is possible. However, they tend to be territorial especially the toms so it won't be as if there will be high concentrations.
 
The area depends on available food. The lower the game density the bigger the area. A cougar can range for many miles and follow game if it has a seasonal migration pattern like winter and summer grounds. I don't know if they follow that pattern in your area.

As for turkeys or other game a cougar is like any other predator and will eat what ever it can catch. If its belly is full of venison or moose it probably won't chase a turkey but if it is hungry it will eat turkeys, dogs, cats, whatever it can get. Of any animal that is likely to attack humans the cougar is right up there. Cougars and people do not mix well. Of any animal that worries me when I'm in the bush cougars are number one on the list.

Question: Why would cougars have been released in southern Quebec ? Are they endemic to the area or is some government biologist trying some experiment ?
 
they weren't released, its the same rumors that are all over Ontario as well. They are just expanding their range, a male cougar when looking for a mate, will and could travel up to 1000miles in search of one.

home range is probably 5-10miles, unless deer densities are very high and good terrain.


1 deer a week is probably average for a mature tom I would think.....
 
powdergun said:
Question: Why would cougars have been released in southern Quebec ? Are they endemic to the area or is some government biologist trying some experiment ?
Click to expand...

I've heard a couple different reasons. The locals I have spoke with say that the government introduced them, and when that horse was attacked by a cougar not to long ago all the newspaper articles I read about it said it was from people who had them as pets and then released them in the woods. So who knows.
 
They have tracks and some body here had a horse attacked they say in front of them.I must be old I had to read several times to figure out why he wrote 4 legged cougars.
 
DVXDUDE said:
they weren't released, its the same rumors that are all over Ontario as well. They are just expanding their range, a male cougar when looking for a mate, will and could travel up to 1000miles in search of one.

home range is probably 5-10miles, unless deer densities are very high and good terrain.


1 deer a week is probably average for a mature tom I would think.....
Click to expand...

Sometimes there's some truth to rumors. Not saying it's a fact, because it is just a rumor but what if they were reintroduced to certain areas purposely? Whether it be by some environmentalist group, MNR, someone raised them and got loose.

Again just saying, could be just slowly expanded and expanded over the past couple decades. Since they can have quite large territories. :p

I know the owner of a piece of land we use in 77C told us a friend of his caught a buck on his trail cam and shortly after a cougar following it's trail last year. Haven't seen the pic. And I saw one while in the car with my mom, they can sure run across a field fast o_o (that was farther north though). Also another one while up near Sudbury, middle of the dirt road just chilling. :p
 
dont know why they were releaset must be a biologist test i guess.as far as them finding a mate one neighbore saw 4 of them together so the will be multiplying
 
They've been in Sask. for a few years now. I've seen newspaper articles showing ones that were shot by a land owner. Also, we've found tracks around the families farm.
 
One deer sized animal a week is probably about right.
A biologist was doing a study once on the sheep herd N-W of Williams Lake. There was a large female cougar in the area and she got a sheep a week, during the study.
They certainly can be dangerous to humans. There seems to be more attacks, especially on kids, in BC, than there are bear attacks. Plus, any animal seems to have the potential to be dangerous, not just the ones that have been around humans, like in the case with black bears.
 
heavyBullet said:
I've heard a couple different reasons. The locals I have spoke with say that the government introduced them, and when that horse was attacked by a cougar not to long ago all the newspaper articles I read about it said it was from people who had them as pets and then released them in the woods. So who knows.
Click to expand...

You would think that the release of a predator such as a Cougar into areas where it has been absent for many decades would have made the news somewhere. So unless I see a published report from the provincial wildlife department I would be VERY skeptical. I would doubt the credibility of locals. I would think this type of release (if true) would have to be public. What if it was in an area close to schools or YOUR home? Show me the evidence please!
 
amber2010 said:
You would think that the release of a predator such as a Cougar into areas where it has been absent for many decades would have made the news somewhere. So unless I see a published report from the provincial wildlife department I would be VERY skeptical. I would doubt the credibility of locals. I would think this type of release (if true) would have to be public. What if it was in an area close to schools or YOUR home? Show me the evidence please!
Click to expand...

I don't think they'd admit to their release(IF they did release them) for the issues that could arise and they'd be to blame.
 
I'm not sure where Pigeon Hill is, but when I stopped in for breakfast at a local spot in Dunham, the group of locals next to me were asking each other if they had seen any sign of cougars. The horse that was attacked this past summer was in South Stukely, and I read there are a few Cougar bait posts in Sutton.

Maybe the reason I only saw one deer hunting this week is because of all the coyotes and now cougars competing with me.
 
Yanni_S said:
I don't think they'd admit to their release(IF they did release them) for the issues that could arise and they'd be to blame.
Click to expand...

You can't be serious? So that means they can introduce all kinds of wildlife...but don't have to tell us? Hey these guys are still public servants and have to answer for their actions.
 
amber2010 said:
You can't be serious? So that means they can introduce all kinds of wildlife...but don't have to tell us? Hey these guys are still public servants and have to answer for their actions.
Click to expand...

Why not? Again IF they did. What happens when someone gets attacked and dies? Easier to let it slide as growing cougar populations that are expanding in area, no liability(again IF). But IF their reintroduction is linked to humans it's more likely they were released or escaped from private owners.

In March 2011, an official with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources stated that cougars are present in the province. This official said individual cougars in Ontario may be escaped zoo animals or pets or may have migrated from the western parts of North America.
Click to expand...

But again, that's simply IF released. Of course it's more probable that they just slowly expanded over decades.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom