I call BS...maybe the MNR called the guy with a pic a liar about where he got the pic. The MNR does not deny the existence of some cougars in ON. Where they come from is the question.
Mountain Lions-Thunder Bay
- Thread starter Jaaska
- Start date
I call BS...maybe the MNR called the guy with a pic a liar about where he got the pic. The MNR does not deny the existence of some cougars in ON. Where they come from is the question.
exactly.
When in Thunder Bay moose hunting, my brother and myself were in my truck heading down a logging road when we seen one sitting on the side of that road. I stopped, the cougar was only about 15yards away.IT stood up from a sitting position and slowly walked out of sight. That was in 2004 so I'm a believer
i know of a hunter who is trapping and snaring cougars in Saskatchewan. one year he got 15. last year he shot/snared 5 of them north of bindlos. it was calving time and the farmer was looking for help in saving his new born, not sure who he got a hold of, but they sent the right guy.
thepolinator
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Sudbury, ON
My co-oworker came almost face to face with one this year in Sudbury.
From the Alberta Wildlife Records book..........89% of an adult male cougars diet is made up of moose where available and only 16% of the females diet.Females seem to prefer elk and with kittens will take a deer a week.Lone males will take a moose calf every 13 days.Incidental small game including porcupines.The tom my son took went 15 6/16 B+C in 2017 .........7' 8" tail to nose and 160 lbs.With a face full of quills.
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Those big cats are impressive. We have a few big cats our rural neighbourhood. A CO's shot several treed cougar kittens years ago after a rash of mauled cats & dogs. A few years back (before I had dogs) I watched an adult cougar walking through our forested property from my front deck, too close imo. Beautiful creatures and muscular as hell. More recently a neighbour 3 doors up lost several chickens to a family of lynx in broad daylight. They had no problem jumping over his 8' electrified fence.
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Tell that to the folks like my father on Vancouver Island who often have them chasing deer through their back yards.
BlackPowderBurner
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- the chesterfield
Yup, seen in the south too. My Dad can remember a few sightings, one being stalked by a cougar in the early 60's while mushroom picking in Sandilands. He views it as a very cool but terrifying experience.
It’s really, truly official: Cougars in Ontario are fact, not fable.
A definitive four-year study by the Ministry of Natural Resources has finally put a rest to all doubt that the big but reclusive cats prowl the province’s wilderness.(2010 article)
https://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/2010/06/21/confirmed_big_cats_prowl_in_ontario.html
Unidentified furry organism: ‘Big cat’ sightings spur a Hamilton cougar hunt
https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2020/07/31/hamilton-cougar-sighting.html
Mountain Lion spotted in Niagara Region
https://totimes.ca/mountain-lion-spotted-in-niagara-region/
A farmer friend I went to high school with and I've known since the mid-late 70's, who lives in the central Niagara peninsula area told me at that time that he had seen cougars traveling along the old TH&B railway right of way. I remember that local people told him that they weren't cougars and that he had been seeing lynx. He said that wasn't possible and that he had also seen lynx and that these cats were bigger with a very long tail. He was very convinced of what he saw.
A definitive four-year study by the Ministry of Natural Resources has finally put a rest to all doubt that the big but reclusive cats prowl the province’s wilderness.(2010 article)
https://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/2010/06/21/confirmed_big_cats_prowl_in_ontario.html
Unidentified furry organism: ‘Big cat’ sightings spur a Hamilton cougar hunt
https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2020/07/31/hamilton-cougar-sighting.html
Mountain Lion spotted in Niagara Region
https://totimes.ca/mountain-lion-spotted-in-niagara-region/
A farmer friend I went to high school with and I've known since the mid-late 70's, who lives in the central Niagara peninsula area told me at that time that he had seen cougars traveling along the old TH&B railway right of way. I remember that local people told him that they weren't cougars and that he had been seeing lynx. He said that wasn't possible and that he had also seen lynx and that these cats were bigger with a very long tail. He was very convinced of what he saw.
I'd love to show my Eastern Cougar photos, if I could just master the art of posting pictures!
Send them in an email. They'll be posted.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
About 10 years ago I was quading with a buddy south west of Brantford when a cougar jumped across the trail maybe 30 yards in front of us. There is no mistaking these animals for anything else around here with that long tail, but i was still doubting what I saw when my buddy jammed on the brakes in front of me. Without me saying a word, he asked if I saw the cat. Confirmation I wasn't seeing things. We spent an hour looking for tracks with not a single one to be seen on the hard and dry ground.
The sun was bright, there was not a single branch blocking our view, and we were sober at that point. I'm not here to change anybodies mind, just sharing what was seen.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
Take a look at the full 10 page write up that the link above was referencing if you have a few minutes to spare. Can't get a link on my phone, bit google "rick rosatte cougar study" to view the PDF.
I was surprised to see a black jaguar trail cam pic from a field in Guelph.
Would you guys shoot one if given the chance?
They are protected in Ontario, so if you do, I imagine MNRF would come down hard on you.
"A definitive four-year study by the Ministry of Natural Resources," is a quotation from the article.
In another quote from the article:
"“Cougars have been here all along . . . we are collecting additional information about them now,” said Rick Rosatte, a senior research scientist in Peterborough. More than 30 pieces of evidence have been collected, including photos of tracks, DNA and scat samples that verify the big cat’s presence."
The bit about 30 pieces of evidence including DNA evidence is the kind of evidence that causes me to have an open mind. I have no idea how definitive the study was or wasn't however researcher Mr. Rick Rosatte's study was definitive enough for Toronto Star reporter, Raveena Aulakh, who decided to make that claim. It's pretty clear that cougars do exist here in Ontario no matter how they got here even if they are all escaped pets or descended from escaped pets, or if they've been here all along as the study claims.
Rick Rosatte cougar study:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c236/d8d1af2f8219dbe42b5cf612be7626066b5c.pdf
I sure wouldn't want to shoot one, I'd be trying my best to get a video. If in a desperate situation I'd try to scare it off by yelling at it or shooting at the ground or a tree next to it before I resorted to actually shooting it. It seems far more likely that it would just run away, you just don't hear about cougar attacks happening in Ontario.
In 2012, a farmer warned us that there was a report of a black bear in his area. We're thinking it might have been one of the bears that ended up shot by police, perhaps the bear shot in Burlington. When I was warned about the bear I decided that I was going to leave the 223 at home and instead I brought out the 243 when we were in that area. Along with that I got out my old buttstock shell holder from my ground hog hunting days so I could have a couple 95gr sst rounds available figuring that made way more sense for bear defense compared to a Speer 70gr tnt, or 75gr hp. Anyways as expected we didn't encounter any bears charging into any of our stands, never mind a cougar which I hadn't even considered at that time, but just the thought of something like that happening makes my hair stand on end!
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