#1750217 - 01/28/10 09:02 AM
big cat in tn
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rocket04
4 Point
Registered: 09/29/05
Posts: 206
Loc: blount co. tennessee
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i dont know the whole story but i work in an auto parts store, and i had a woman come in the other night looking for a grill for her van. i was asking helping her and she told me that wile driving back to tn from NC she hit a big dark colored cat. she said she has never seen a cat of this size before and was positive it was not a dog or a deer. she said she couldn't stop to look at it or anything but it did do a number on her van.
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chuck
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#1750220 - 01/28/10 09:05 AM
Re: big cat in tn
[Re: rocket04]
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Baxter83
Good ol' Boys
12 Point
Registered: 09/03/08
Posts: 7243
Loc: Winchester, TN
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I saw it last week. He was dragging a dead deer across the road.
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#1750264 - 01/28/10 09:29 AM
Re: big cat in tn
[Re: Baxter83]
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mr.hicks
4 Point
Registered: 02/12/09
Posts: 331
Loc: knoxville,tn
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a patient i had who came to my center last year brought in pics of a large cat on his 5000 acres in west tn. the reason he started looking into this cat was that on this farm, they found a missing calf up in a tree. a long story short, he gave a pretty convincing story. its funny you run into guys here that think absolutly there can be no big cats here when they (the big cats) use to live here back when.
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no matter where ever you go, there you are...
Buckaroo Bonzai
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#1750383 - 01/28/10 10:29 AM
Re: big cat in tn
[Re: mr.hicks]
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BowGuy84
10 Point
Registered: 09/16/07
Posts: 4847
Loc: Nashville, TN and Louisville, ...
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Yes!!! Cat thread...sure its not impossible yes it is unlikely and no it has never been proven that they are here in recent years. Let it begin.
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#1750409 - 01/28/10 10:45 AM
Re: big cat in tn
[Re: BowGuy84]
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stik
TnDeer Old Timer
16 Point
Registered: 03/12/99
Posts: 18438
Loc: lenoir city,tn
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everybody has a "so-and-so said" story about big cats(other than bobcats)in tennessee. they are all 2nd and 3rd hand stories. until somebody shoots or catches one, i will not believe it.
_________________________
experienced hunters know its not just a bushy white tail, its a big middle finger.
nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught
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#1750458 - 01/28/10 11:15 AM
Re: big cat in tn
[Re: stik]
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Wes Parrish
16 Point
Registered: 06/12/02
Posts: 16993
Loc: Knoxville-Dover-Union City, TN
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everybody has a "so-and-so said" story about big cats(other than bobcats)in tennessee. they are all 2nd and 3rd hand stories. until somebody shoots or catches one, i will not believe it.
My dad use to say the same thing about coyotes.
At one time, I would have agreed with you, stik.
But I've personally had some 1st-hand experiences where there is no doubt there have been cougars traveling thru Tennessee. Whether or not they were truly "wild" is another question.
But truly "wild" cougars have been officially documented in Southern Illinois, only a few miles from the north portion of LBL, as well as in Arkansas and Missouri. Sure, the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers are a significant barrier, but they didn't stop the coyote and they're not going to stop the western cougar's migration eastward.
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#1750465 - 01/28/10 11:17 AM
Re: big cat in tn
[Re: Wes Parrish]
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Football Hunter
18 Point
Registered: 10/22/07
Posts: 24568
Loc: Wilson Co/Perry Co
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Wait,I see one now,hes coming in my window AAAAHHHHH !
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The best day to plant a tree,IS TODAY!
You wont know,if you dont go!
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#1750471 - 01/28/10 11:21 AM
Re: big cat in tn
[Re: Wes Parrish]
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stik
TnDeer Old Timer
16 Point
Registered: 03/12/99
Posts: 18438
Loc: lenoir city,tn
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everybody has a "so-and-so said" story about big cats(other than bobcats)in tennessee. they are all 2nd and 3rd hand stories. until somebody shoots or catches one, i will not believe it. My dad use to say the same thing about coyotes. At one time, I would have agreed with you, stik. But I've personally had some 1st-hand experiences where there is no doubt there have been cougars traveling thru Tennessee. Whether or not they were truly "wild" is another question. But truly "wild" cougars have been officially documented in Southern Illinois, only a few miles from the north portion of LBL, as well as in Arkansas and Missouri. Sure, the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers are a significant barrier, but they didn't stop the coyote and they're not going to stop the western cougar's migration eastward.
_________________________
experienced hunters know its not just a bushy white tail, its a big middle finger.
nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught
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#1750481 - 01/28/10 11:25 AM
Re: big cat in tn
[Re: stik]
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Wes Parrish
16 Point
Registered: 06/12/02
Posts: 16993
Loc: Knoxville-Dover-Union City, TN
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For those who have a serious interest . . . . . . . .
http://blogs.ngm.com/.a/6a00e00982269188330120a5b2b2de970c-pi
http://www.easterncougarnet.org/bigpicture.html
Also note the recent Class I Confirmation in Northwestern Georgia. This could be an indicator of some established Florida populations moving northward, in which case their is no major river barrier.
Outside of Florida, The Cougar Network has documented one confirmation in Georgia. This was originally thought to be an escaped captive but DNA analysis indicated that it had actually migrated from the Florida panther area in south Florida. That is a migration of hundreds of miles!
There is continued speculation that the Great Smokey Mountains National Park (in Tennessee and North Carolina) could have harbored a remnant population of cougars. This is based on the fact that about 20% of the park was never significantly disturbed by logging or cleared for agriculture. In addition, there have been numerous credible sighting reports over the past three decades, some by wildlife professionals. However, no hard evidence has been produced to date, despite continued searching.
Here's a particularly good read:
http://www.easterncougarnet.org/KnoxNews%20Flora%20And%20Fauna.htm
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