Kimber tangled with Cougar!! Underdogged.

[Ridgetop]

Sightings are hard to get - some years ago, a family was camping and hiking in the California mountains where it was "safe" to hike - supposedly no cougars any where in the area. The mom had her child stand next to the trail signpost for a photo. After the family was home from their trip and got the developed photos back the saw a mountain lion in the brush behind the child just watching. They hadn't noticed it at the time because it blended so well into the brush. They only noticed it in the photo afterwards! There are more and more attacks lately as they lose their fear of humans. I am not for extermination, but the Wildlife people really are not honest about how widespread they have become. And of course the animal rights people never want to admit that wild animals are dangerous to livestock and people. In fact, in the southeast states bordering Mexico there have been sightings jaguars spreading up from Mexico. There was an actual report of one killed there in my farm paper years ago.

Anywhere there is food available and no hunting of them, large predators will spread. That is natural law in the wild. The only thing we can do is protect our livestock and ourselves with our LGDs, and guns if it comes to that. Better make sure if you kill a cougar, bear, or wolf that you have the correct nuisance permit. The permit can be hard to obtain so if you have to shoot a predator make sure that you have the predation evidence at hand. Always notify the county agent and local wildlife people (proper authorities) of a predator attack. Even if they refuse to believe you, it will be noted in the records.

 

[Latestarter]

The way the Govt looks out for us "law abiding citizens" (throw us in jail or fine us or both), many have determined a better approach to be "SSS"... just sayin'

Here in TX we have the right to protect our livestock... period. Unless it's predation from a raptor (or invasive species like the Mexican black vultures that are causing so much damage) as they are all federally protected.

 

[Ridgetop]

SSS is my favorite too, but someone else pointed out that in a lot of places many of the large predators are tagged now with tracking devices. I think the repatriated wolf packs are all tagged, and many cougars too in certain states. It depends n your state and whether or not the species is seen as protected or endangered. California still considers the cougar endangered and protected although it has repopulated into cities now. As long as they don't come after me and mine, they are welcome. Otherwise . . . . I support the 2nd amendment!

 

[Mike CHS]

Here in TX we have the right to protect our livestock... period. Unless it's predation from a raptor (or invasive species like the Mexican black vultures that are causing so much damage) as they are all federally protected.

You folks may have a law like we do here. Farm Bureau manages the Black Vulture kill permits for the state (I don't know the details of how it works with the Feds) that allows you to shoot up to 4 of the vultures. One was enough for us as we hung it from a branch in the tree they were bedding down in and they all moved to somewhere else.

 

[greybeard]

The way the Govt looks out for us "law abiding citizens" (throw us in jail or fine us or both), many have determined a better approach to be "SSS"... just sayin'

Here in TX we have the right to protect our livestock... period. Unless it's predation from a raptor (or invasive species like the Mexican black vultures that are causing so much damage) as they are all federally protected.

You dang ol trigger happy cowboys.....

Texas:
Non-game animals include (but are not limited to) the following: armadillos, bobcats coyotes, flying squirrels, frogs, ground squirrels, mountain lions, porcupines, prairie dogs, rabbits, and turtles. There is no closed season on these animals and a valid hunting license is required. They may be hunted at any time by any lawful means on private property. Public hunting lands may have restrictions.

 

[Donna R. Raybon]

Up until a few years ago buying a cougar kitten and raising it in TN required next to no permiting, so escaped/released were a realty. Back in 1990 I nearly hit one that jumped across interstate in McMinn county, TN. Without human support these 'pets' did not last long enough to find one another or reproduce. The ones moving in now are true wild. Deer population ensures they have pleanty to eat. Another problem has been wolf/dog hybrids... a few years ago one took down 11 cows over the course of a few weeks. owner was letting it out at night.

 

[greybeard]

Up until a few years ago buying a cougar kitten and raising it in TN required next to no permiting, so escaped/released were a realty. Back in 1990 I nearly hit one that jumped across interstate in McMinn county, TN. Without human support these 'pets' did not last long enough to find one another or reproduce. The ones moving in now are true wild. Deer population ensures they have pleanty to eat. Another problem has been wolf/dog hybrids... a few years ago one took down 11 cows over the course of a few weeks. owner was letting it out at night.

When I was young, you could buy just about anything at our local pet store. Ocelots, parrots of every kind, juvenile cougars, jaguars from Mexico & S. America, any snake, amphib or other reptile imaginable...all without any kind of permit. That of course has mostly all changed nowadays.

 

[Ridgetop]

It is a good thing you can't buy wild animals for "pets' any more since most of the buyers are mostly in it for the thrill of having an exotic pet. They do not learn about the animal, its diet, diseases, or care, and do not have the proper cage/fencing for the animal. I had a woman call me years ago wanting goat meat for her wolf because he was sick. She was feeding him a vegetarian diet zof brown rice and yogurt and didn't want to feed him meat since she felt meat was a carcinogenic! Her dream was to buy a place in the country where she could let him run wild and free! I told her he would be shot and she was horrified. It never occurred to her that wolf running through ranch or farm country would be taken out by those who earned their living raising livestock!!! LOL

 

[Bruce]

Vegetarian wolf That is about as brilliant as a vegetarian chicken.

 

[Ridgetop]

After I convinced her that he would die unless she fed him meat and also organ meat she wanted to:

1. Boil the meat for an hour to make sure it was "safe"
and when I told her she would boil all the enymes and nutrients out of it she wanted to
2. Soak it in food grade alcohol for an hour to make it "safe"!

I had to convince her that the wolf would starve on the diet she was feeding him before he would die of cancer to get her to change her mind. I gave her some organ meat from a steer and some lambs we had butchered and sent her away with the goat milk. She called back a week later to tell me that his hair was starting to grow back. I told her that she needed to go to a butcher and get organ meat and put him on a high quality all meat dog food.

I also told her to go talk to the very good wild animal rescue we have here and when I asked if she had called them for help she told me indignantly that when she told the owner about how she was caring for her wolf, the owner had said she shouldn't be allowed to own the wolf. Apparently she had bought it privately black market because she "loved wolves and had always wanted one"! I told her to buy Farley Mowat's book "Cry Wolf" which has some good info on wolves.

People like that make me worry about the human gene pool.