WA. Despite numerous reports of sightings by citizens and documented livestock kills the fish and game people continuously deny the possibility of giant ranch cougars, field lions, and porch panthers prowling in western IOWA, animals that they themselves introduced to "recreate" the past prescence of the KILLERS!. N.S.

NSSHERLOCK,

The cats are here. I was talikng to a guy at farm king and one of his horses was making a lot of noise he went out to the barn to see what was up and the horse had huge claw marks on its back. I also talked to an older guy at the gun shop and he said he saw one in Shimmick National forrest. IOWA DNR supposedly released a few breeding pairs in Shimmick to control the deer population. Is it true....Isay YES!

There are some in Illinois too, I haven't personally seen one, but a frind of mine that jogs out in the country has....

I have friends here in N.C. who swear to have seen a mountain lion, eastern panther, whatever, locally. Some of our farm areas are 3X5 miles with housing only on the perimeter and only rude trails in the interior. That's big for us here. We have bears, why not lions here? I keep looking for sure sign locally. Given the opportunity I would not hesitate to take one. We have lots of little farm kids living near our big tracts of cutover and swamp. Life is gonna change enough with the hugh eastern coyotes that are showing up all over.

Ventilator, what part of IA you from? I moved to SW Missouri 4.5 years ago from Kossuth County.
I used to deal with salesman that lived in Harlan, and he said he had seen a mountain lion. When he reported it to the DNR, they denied that there were any in the state

quote:

Originally posted by Rayderluvr:
Ventilator, what part of IA you from? I moved to SW Missouri 4.5 years ago from Kossuth County.
I used to deal with salesman that lived in Harlan, and he said he had seen a mountain lion. When he reported it to the DNR, they denied that there were any in the state

I am in Lee County. The DNR released them to lower the deer population. Might not be well known as to keep people calm on the issue.

There is a pair of mountain lion living on the Golf Course on Grand Ave, which is a mile or two from downtown Des Moines.

DNR has repeatedly announced and then denied that they've released breeding pairs in Iowa. What a bunch of ignorant schmucks. The problem isn't the agents in the field, but the fluffy-humpers who run the DNR in Des Moines.

There have been numerous sightings of Mt lions in the area south of Minneapolis where I grew up. One of the old lady's called a game warden. He came out and told her there were no mt lions in the area. She asked what he'd say if she shot one and presented it to him (she may be old looking but is still functioning). He told her if she did she'd have a massive fine on her hands. She said it was funny how much more definite the g.w. was on the fine than his statement there were no mountain lions.

There used to be signs in South Florida announcing that you were approaching "panther crossing" and only 30 remained in the wild. DNR killed 2 in a trapping program trying to install tracking collars, and somebody nailed one crossing the Tamiami Trail. Not long after somebody crossed out the "30" with spray paint and changed it to "27", the signs vanished, much as the quasi-science used to promote their protection.

It matters not the form, it is man's nature to use pussy to advance agendas and ulterior motives.

Dan

POTYHC

www.UseEm.ButDontAbuseEm

Back in 1994, I was maneuvering an M113A2 through the wilds of Camp Ripley, Minnesota, when my driver and I surprised the hell out of a sleeping mountain lion. The DNR did everything but have us locked up for diminished capacity for reporting something that couldn't possibly exist.

Went back there and found obvious tracks and scat. Despite denials to the contrary from the DNR dick who prolly has never been outside of his office.

If you guys can do the SSS thing. The quicker the better.. Look at the night mare we have here with those wild dogs, Minnesota has the same trouble.

Panzerguy,

How the hell did you SNEAK UP on a cat in that thing?

Probably by using full throttle? Just a guess.

Dan

POTYHC

www.AintNoStealth.ExceptQuick

Coasting downhill in neutral?

Ned,,coasting downhill?,,,Naw,,It's dans full throttle,,combined with rubber tracks,,Kinda like tippey toeing through the woods in sneakers with your bow Kill'em All!!! Clay

Looks like this point of mirth can only be settled by a panzerguy story. After all....

Our National Guard Cavalry Troop had a problem. Actually, two problems. I was an "ate up" 1st Lieutenant, fresh off active duty, and overdue for Captain, commanding a national guard unit that had some good material, but inexperienced at some basic issues. Such as, how to maneuver an M113A2 without sounding like the proverbial "bull in a china shop." An old sergeant once showed me how, with judicious and timely use of the throttle, to move in an M113 series vehicle without making much of a sound.

The problem is this: Avoid hard, rocky areas, use enough throttle downhill to "coast" uphill, and avoid radical moves of either throttle or tillers. Once you get "in the groove", you tend to take each rise faster and faster, without making noise, or smoke, for that matter.

It's hard to believe how silently an M113 can move with a skilled operator. I was in the process of training our worst driver (and soldier, for that matter) in order to show that ANY M113 driver can do this. We'd been working all morning on it, and about 1030 or so, when the full force of the sun had started to beat down, and we were absolutely cooking cross country through tall grass, when my driver shouted over the intercom something unintelligible, I looked at him, and right at the bottom of the next low spot, was a prime example of "Felis Concolor". We were moving fast, but everything slowed down real fast. The big cat had his eyes almost closed, and turned his head toward us, but opened them wide in a catamount version of a double take. He (or she) was lying on a big flat rock, surrounded by tall grass, sunning itself. I could tell it was a youngster by its spare body, and I thought we were going to hit it, as it freaked out and tried to run four different directions at once. The last thing we saw was the long caramel colored tail streaking into the tall grass as it beat feet out of there.

My driver looked up at me with saucer sized eyes and said gravely: Was that what I thought it was. I replied in the affirmative, and keyed my mike to report it to range control.

Thanks panzerguy, good on you!

quote:

Originally posted by .223 VARMINT-VENTALATOR:
NSSHERLOCK,

The cats are here. I was talikng to a guy at farm king and one of his horses was making a lot of noise he went out to the barn to see what was up and the horse had huge claw marks on its back. I also talked to an older guy at the gun shop and he said he saw one in Shimmick National forrest. IOWA DNR supposedly released a few breeding pairs in Shimmick to control the deer population. Is it true....Isay YES!

In the mid-'80's, the wife, kids, and her folks
were camping at Shimmick. One night the horses
were throwing a hell of a fit. Woke the kids up
(they were in a tent, while the adults were in
a camper), and they swore they heard a "mountin
lion". The claim wasn't taken too seriously 'til
next morning when the horses were taken to the
creek for water.........they did not want to go
within 50yds of the creek, but were then lead to
the water. There, in the sand, were cougar
tracks. They took photos of them to prove to
the park rangers they had actually seen the
tracks.