have made it to the Australian Shooter. Does that legitimise them? or let the air out?
Comments? Any-one?

For the international readers there are reports of PUMA's living in certain regions of australia. These reports have been coming in for approx 50 yrs and yet not one specimen has been turned in.

My vote is that the article has let the air out. They must have been really short on things to write.

It also mentioned PUMA hunters that use dogs for over 20 years have never seen a PUMA until it is treed. They inferred that it is not possible to see a PUMA unless you use a dog to track it up a tree. What are the US hunters opions on this?

The article talked about goverment conspiracy to keep it quite

It also mentioned a bull and other livestock being killed. Farmers would have spread it like wild fire if they had a large predator killing stock. I haven't heard a thing which makes me think the farmer involved may have had reputation for tall stories or insurance fruad

I was disappionted to have a major article of our 'shooting' magazine devoted to this heresay. Why didn't they focus on the sako quad or a round up of all the new trends like 204, 17HMR and my favourite the 17 Mach 2

I haven't read the article Australian Shooter yet but BCBrian asked a similar question back on the 20th March concerning large cats in Oz. The topic was Mountain Lions in Australia. I replied then with my sighting of one on our property. I doubt very much if this cat would be alive now as this was in 1968.
Pete

Thanks for the reply Foxhunter
I have always wondered If I saw one would I shoot it?
Did you try to track it down?

I can understand the sentiments of not wanting to shoot the very last specimen of anything.

I have also wondered that if someone did get concrete proof like a skeleton or carcass would they keep it a secret for any reason?

I can tell you I was not going to have a shot at it because all I was carrying at the time was a Sportco single shot .22. Definitely not a big game gun.
Personally I never saw that cat again, but I do remember the local farmers getting together and trying to shoot by spotlighting what was killing quite a few sheep at the time on several properties. Did they think it was a big cat, to be honest I don't remember, but I do recall they were mystified by what it was.
As far as I know it was only the two goat shooters I was guiding at the time, my stepbrother and me are the only ones to ever have seen this particular animal. Well admit to seeing it anyway.
It is hard to say if someone actually shot a big cat in Australia of some description would they tell anyone. I think personally if it was me I would keep quiet about it because of the media attention it would bring.
Pete