Course like Sue said you have to see it and it's not always that visible. Are there mountain lions in New Hampshire? : r/newhampshire - reddit From: Boomerdog in OK 08-Oct-07 But my experience was that the majority of these accounts could not be taken lightly. So so. Contact the Wildlife Division at (603) 271-2461 or wildlife@wildlife.nh.gov to request an observation report form. But before I go any further I want to say we do not have sufficient game. And there are thousands of mountain lions killed every year legally through hunting, and there have been untold tens of thousands of mountain lions killed by hunters over the last hundred years, says Mark Elbroch, the Puma Program Director for Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organization, So even the folks who live with mountain lions still have a fancy and see something thats not there to me thats incredible.. Any sense of of whether or not mountain lions are sort of wary of more population dense areas like like the one he was describing Rick. And I I have this great text history of New Hampshire game and fir bears and I think by Helen Silver who used to work for fish and game and she sort of I kind eyes this animal in one of the quotes from 1892 stating that the catamaran was the most ferocious of all the wild beasts of New Hampshire his great size strength and agility of movement together with his formidable weapons rendered him the terror both of man and beast. Current conditions in New Hampshire would support a mountain lion, according to Tate, as forests have returned, allowing for prey species to become more prevalent. I mean there was this one lady I remember and tough tomorrow. And to anyone listening I would just say you know fishing game who wants proof right. Its closest living relative is the cheetah. I think that you probably are. And so. Do we have native species that could have exhibited this type of behavior leaving leaving a deer carcass up in a tree. Peter Biello: Ok. So take care of this problem. He told me that on one of his many scouting trips for Black Bear he found a deer carcass up in a tree. Mountain Lions in New Hampshire-Fact or Fiction - YouTube Rick van de Poll: Well I didn't. The best documentation we have in New Hampshire suggests there hasnt been a mountain lion killed by a hunter in this state since 1885. You know interactions are pretty unusual. While State Denies Mtn Lions are in NH, Numerous Sightings Say By Eric Orff. Deer Bear Moose Wolves Fisher Mountain Lions. Sam Evans-Brown: Well this might be a good moment to talk about hoaxes. Patrick Tate: And there's one other way to model that is the same animal. So maybe a good pet for you but not for your neighbor if you just stop by unannounced. We mentioned that one cat that was hit by a car where it has it that it was a male looking for me. Reports without physical evidence are not dismissed, however Fish and Game cannot verify a sighting report without physical evidence. There's no attraction. Thanks very much. Erler is a senior naturalist at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness. Peter Biello: Or send us an email exchange at an HP board. But if people are still seeing mountain lions, why is the state and federal government seeking to COVER IT UP!? And it came out we could see it had and we could see its long swooping tail. What's going on. No doubt in my mind it was. Peter Biello: We got an e-mail question from Robert in Epsom who asks are sightings or encounters with these big cats less dangerous here where they're passing through than out west where those same mountain lines might be establishing territory Rick. Almost all species disperse greater distances than females. There is some information that suggests that it spent a portion of its time in Massachusetts near the Claiborne reservoir. You know you have to have a license and it's hard to get that license a license to own a mountain lion. But you won't find evidence of their existence in paw prints in the snow or a deer carcass in a tree. Select image for larger view. That's pretty elaborate. So one thing I'd point out is we've been talking about situations with no evidence a number of them come in with photographs and yet what they fit what they description of the animal they saw and by the way I got a picture of what I saw. Sam Evans-Brown: One in fact Helena silver in that sort of tome that Rick van de Poll read from at the beginning is she. NHPR is nonprofit and independent. And just one more note about this danger question when even when you look at the states that have extended populations stable populations of mountain lions attacks are relatively rare. And what was really remarkable about the whole thing was I was maybe a half mile down on all buildings. for some excitement. Peter Biello: Nice to be here. No evidence and other states where Mountain lights have turned up. So it is possible to see male Mountain lions roam into the northeast - there was one hit by a car in CT a number of years back - but we don't have a breeding population of Mountain lions in New England. But along the lines of the conspiracy theories as you mentioned earlier there there was a bit of a sense on behalf of what I'll call the promo online community who felt that fishing gain maybe not even so much in a spoken policy but maybe sort of an unspoken policy did not want to find themselves in a situation where they had to spend money to create a management plan and so forth. It doesn't make much sense because you know mountain lions are as we as we said before. To date most of the pictures that have been sent in have been bobcats and other species Ive received pictures of house cats. Mountain Lions in New England: Sightings, Science & Bobcat vs Mountain Lion Mountain Lions in NH - Facebook You've got you've got biologists right who are trying to make their make their way in the world make a career if you are the biologists who confirmed a sighting of mountain lions in the state that would be very good for you like you would be all over the news. Phone number 1 800. But I was riding a mountain bike not far from my house. For starters, part of the confusion might come from the fact that the eastern cougar was taken off the endangered species list earlier this year. All of that remains unanswered but it is an extremely interesting question. Peter Biello: Give us a call 1 800 8 9 2 6 4 7 7 you can also send us an email exchange at an HP morgue. I mean that so many of them are false sightings we. However, dispersing western mountain lions have left evidence as close as Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. If youve got photo trap evidence of a Mountain Lion, send it in, and we'll send it along to the appropriate state or federal agency! If so that's for us as an agency. Patrick Tate: So one thing I'd say is DNA would definitely identify an animal animal's Mark line or not. I don't see the hoaxes anymore at that level. I actually been interviewed a couple of times by reporters and with all due respect for the media you know facts aren't always communicated correctly. There's always been physical evidence to prove those situations like hair or fur scat hair prints pictures of the animal print scat hair. Part II. There have been several sightings of mountain lions in New Hampshire recently. So what a neat experience. We'd be inundated with scouts in the past when newspaper articles have been written about DNA and scouts. Why do people keep seeing mountain lions (which aren't here) but not So here we have you know a very qualified biologist who who found a print took a plaster cast found a scat send it to a university. Which brings us to the next question, what are the odds that some of these reported sightings (which, when I posted about this on twitter, I immediately started to get as well) are actually people seeing a mountain lion? Gotcha, so the Deep State is suppressing mountain lion news in order to prop up New Hampshire tourism? We actually have the largest subspecies of bobcat in the northern part of our state which they can get up to 40 and over 40 pounds which looks like an 80 pound the animal to visually and quite large. and territorial animals are much more inclined to create a problem with passer bys than dispersing animals in fact I'd be totally shocked if a dispersal would encounter with a human purposefully unless they had already had some type of training to do so. Peter Biello: Let's go to Mike in Epping. brings a lot of. I just saw the head and the tail that was leaving. Share. Caller: It had just left that field and was out. There was no sign of it. And trying to figure out the little pieces to identify him so I bring up the names the differences but the appearances can be confusing for some. 8 9 2 6 4 7 7. We are the second most-forested state in the country, and those forests can be impenetrable snarls (part of why the Northeast is notoriously a difficult place to hunt deer), and while there are people in a lot of those woods, because the cats have been absent for a few generations now, most of those people dont know what a cougar scrape or latrine look and smell like. Patrick Tate: Exactly I was gonna bring that up juvenile male of. I would say that there's going to be the truth in here somewhere. Peter Biello: From New Hampshire Public Radio I'm Peter Biello in for Lark Knoy and this is the exchange. Sam Evans-Brown: You know the North America had a number of large predator species when humans first arrived in the continent. About two years ago I was at the Laconia airport on the way home from the airport and there's a big lake on one side called Lily Pond. For instance, Floridas wildlife officials have a similar ghost cat: the black panther. Windham Life and Times - November 15, 2019 Peter Biello: Thank you for sharing that. The current estimate is 2,000 - 2,700 throughout Arizona. 'Like we did as kids': Horse makes snow angels with her owner in New Well they are the same. Sort of dropped onto the SD card of a camera he'd set up out in the wild. NHFG Wildlife Biologist Patrick Tate identifies this cat as a bobcat. Want to report a Mountain Lion sighting in New Hampshire? It's good to talk to you. We speculate they dont want us to screw up tourism we dont know whats going on. The females disperse a shorter range and once they find a vacant home range they stay in that location and live there. Peter Biello: Yeah well what do you think Pat is. Rick van de Poll: Well a report that you know as John Harrigan up north has in co-ops County for about 15 years I kept track of reports and people would call me and tell me where they saw the mountain lion they thought they saw it and it varied right from you know downtown villages all the way to remote highlands of the North Country and and everywhere in between. 1 800 8 9 2 6 4 7 7. But you won't find evidence of their existence in paw prints in the snow or a deer carcass in a tree. So so they're just a very resilient species and they're pretty they're pretty neat. So now what's going on. The species that once inhabited the Northeast, known as the eastern mountain lion, is now extinct. OK. Rick van de Poll: Rick and I would add that if a mountain lion male takes up residence and successfully finds a female as pets there's gonna be a lot more evidence there will be like deer carcasses up in trees and territorial marking and claw marks and tracks and it you know dispersal is gonna be very tough to see or observed but residential parrots a totally different story. The supervisor that hired me in the game division in October of 1978 passed on to me this whole big folder of mountain lion information and sightings going back probably a couple decades. I saw the tail end of a literally from behind the shoulder The Long Tail mountain lion crossing the highway going from Password to often Village downtown. Or years or so. So. I mean no doubt a seen Bobcat seen his stuff. Really appreciate it. I just stood there just a second and I came to a complete stop and then I ran away. Here it is. Patrick Tate: So the individuals can say that but for an agency that's based on science and what not to to go off with no evidence and then get into that giant debate and all these other issues and put credibility at risk I don't think that would be a great path to take. Which goes back to the Connecticut Connecticut cat and what not. We want answers. Well Is DNA the most reliable means we have of identifying whether or not what we saw is actually a mountain lion. So I certainly can't dispute anything that they said there's no evidence for me to go by to verify or say what my thoughts are on the situation. Let us know your story and share your photos! So so do what you can get to do what you can to get proof. So this whole illegal pet trade black market pro trade thing does does exist in a situation like that can happen. So what I'm getting back is the verifying and confirming of evidence what that was not there. I wanted to get your thoughts on the mystique of the mountain lion start with you Rick. We'll hear more about the mountain lions impact and the role it plays in the ecosystem. But if you do if you think you're looking at a wild Puma their tail is very thick and especially in the winter is very thick and ponderous looking. From "History of New Hampshire Game and Furbearers" by Helenette Silver, Research Clerk, NH Fish and Game Dept. Your support makes this news available to everyone. No that's a little bit outside the range. Peter Biello: Well John thanks very much for the story really appreciate it. Women control our lives. Lions Clubs Int'l Links: LionNet NH Links 2011 -2012 . And as the biologist who's gonna stand on this and if I'm going to say this is a proven picture I need to be able to stand on it so soundly and have the evidence so I going to go through it with a fine tooth comb kept picking pieces apart trying to answer these pieces. Rick shaking his head so Rick now correct me please. I can't tell you what you saw but it sounds like a mountain lion. And so a mountain lion is actually quite large right. I wasn't employed as biologists at the time of a situation that's been reported but so I started digging into this report and spoke with another wildlife biologist with the agency and said Do you know anything about this. Now Bobcat is a completely different species. List of Mountains in New Hampshire is a general list of mountains in New Hampshire, with elevation.This list includes many mountains in the White Mountains range that covers about a quarter of the state, as well as mountains outside of that range.. Peter Biello: Well yeah. Monday, December 5th: Mountain Lions in New Hampshire? Part II Peter Biello: I did mention four feet nose to tail would be kind of small for a mountain lion. So Marty can you see what I'm getting at is the public sees different names and thinks that they're different animals but it's all the same animal. And Rick Van de Poll naturalist and founder of ecosystem management consultants of New England. It doesn't happen as much anymore. As recently as 2011 there was one young male mountain lion that cruised all the way from the black hills of South Dakota, up over the Great Lakes, down through New Yorkgetting spotted all. Have a photo. Give today. You could trace that was this same cat from point to point to point. About Us Media Kit Calendar of Events Volunteer Visit Learn Events Membership Support Your Visit BUY TICKETS Know Before You Go Directions and Information Our Animals Live Animal Exhibit Trail Hours and Admission Calendar of Events The book MAMMAL TRACKS & SIGN by Mark Elbroch has pictures of mountain lion scat found at a multiple beaver kill. So that that's more or less I think why I'm here and why I got into this in nineteen ninety nine I found a what appeared to be a print of a mountain lion and that was in the Osprey mountains and I thought well OK that's that's a print. Want to put this to to Patrick Tate who may have heard some some info or info from listeners like you about these these these cats. Have you seen one. Thanks for calling. And today we're talking about the mysterious elusive mountain line with folks who know something about it. So we're fixated on natural but there's other possibilities. Tell us your story. Is there something particularly hospitable about New Hampshire Forests that make them want to come here. But having read a bit of information about his cougar there are a darker subspecies. Mountain lion or cat running across. So I just brought up the bobcat thing because the location is fascinating to me that that that location we have Bobcats existing but that location we have a mountain lion report because it's a developed area and which brings me back to earlier what I had said it's a bouncing ball. So try to take photographs if you see something like this. DNA from scat or from fur, a clear track that is confirmed by an expert, or a photo that clearly shows a mountain lion. Enable JavaScript by changing your browser options, and then try again. Peter Biello: What about the idea of tourism like us leaving aside the fact that it is not on the Endangered Species Act is it. There are mountain lion in Massachusetts. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference. About Lions. Well I can't tell you what you saw. When they were landing or taking off and it seems like it's been there for like. Residents from Bedford to Berlin have been reporting sightings for years. She was having a garden party on her back porch and everybody in the party saw this mountain lion across the field down below the porch. They were able to do all that by genetics. So I would put this in the category of sort of like shark attacks right. Its impossible to say, but I think the odds are pretty good that some of these sightings are legit. They just end up in these places. That's too big for Bobcat. Really appreciate you guys being here as well. Peter Biello: Let's talk to Ron and where Ron thanks very much for calling. Peter Biello: Well hey Rob. They create these scrapes where theyre communicating with each other with scent. From involving members in projects as local as cleaning up an area park or as far-reaching as bringing sight to the world's blind, Lions clubs have always . And it was you know 10 or 12 people saw it all at once. 1957. Peter Biello: This is the exchange on an HD PR fine Peter Biello and today we're talking with folks who can tell us about the mysterious elusive mountain line and whether or not it is actually here in New Hampshire. Peter Biello: Worth mentioning if we're scaring anybody question a mysterious mountain lions lurking perhaps in someone's backyard. It's not an emerging endangered species no work no there are there are populations in specific states so the Florida panther is is an endangered species that sub population is in fact listed under the Endangered Species Act. So that's the specimen that you find going long distances. Absolutely there are a lot of folks out there who for some reason need to create something that raises a stir and gets the attention of the media etc.. Theyve always said when we have verifiable evidence to say a mountain lion has been, is, or was in the state that wed acknowledge that and give that information out, says Pat Tate, the furbearer biologist with New Hampshire Fish and Game, who insists theres no conspiracy. Tate said that while a mountain lion sighting in New Hampshire isn't likely, it's not impossible. Not one picture of him online while the person meet with us. The most common areas to see mountain lions in Arizona are in places of rocky and mountainous terrain. If it's someone that has an illegal captive animal that is accustomed to humans those leave a lot of evidence because they want to go around humans to find food meaning they're used to being fed by humans. They sent it already. Caller: Oh yeah. It's you know I recognized their report and. Ive received pictures of dogs at odd angles, says Tate. So for those reasons I don't believe the standards are too high the amount of game cameras out on the landscape to record images department alone through contracts had over 150 throughout the state biologists go through various deer yards throughout the year. It was really muscular looking cat I mean is that like a side angle to me. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. I mean they're a survivor. OK. That location they just described we had two or three Bobcats radio collared on just off the runway in Laconia airport. Really appreciate it. And so far we have not had any positive mark lion scats or any DNA. Something along those lines. There have been several sightings of mountain lions in New Hampshire recently. So for me as a person who's had the Bobcats right off my grits similar carries sticks to a bobcat The Long Tail obviously very different but those facial markings were overlapping for me. Is this kind of a typical story. N.H. Residents Report Mountain Lion Sighting - NECN So I've been convinced the whole time that I saw a big cougar plume or whatever you want to call it standing there in the road in Greenfield. Peter Biello: Oh okay. Well within there. NH Wildlife News and Info | NH Wildlife So one thing that I find fascinating about this Connecticut cat was six months between the New York situation where they found evidence of it too when it was hit by a motor vehicle. Reviewing the evidence, the U.S. Think you've seen a mountain lion? Residents believe cougars still roam New Hampshire's forests. On Oct. 10, he gave a slide talk called "Wild Cats of New Hampshire," which included the bobcat and the lynx. Author of The last woman in the forest on Saturday July 13th at 7 p.m. at Warner town hall Warner historical dawg. As wildlife biologists, wed be fascinated to say 'look look what was found in our state.'. I have no doubt that there are mountain lion roaming New Hampshire. This is the exchange. Tonight, Sean McDonald investigates,. Mountain Lions in New Hampshire-Fact or Fiction. New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says there's no proof. Peter Biello: This is the exchange on an PR. Mountain lions (especially males) have incredibly large ranges that they defend from rivals. History of Mountain Lions in New Hampshire | NH Wildlife One was in Shelton. Listeners give us a call if you'd like. People were calling the New Hampshire Fish and Game director's office saying why are you dragging your feet on this. So hard to know hard to refute if there's no interest in making up a story which many people of course do then I would respond the same way as Pat did. Patrick Tate: In theory it's a passing ball of a court and it goes wherever the bottom Ball wants to go. The term is because mascots notwithstanding right that they're referred to with a lot of different terms and sometimes they can be confused with a lot of different terms. So I learned about what Rick just reported through a heart of heart of New Hampshire a letter and. Well let me ask maybe Pat and Rick about this. Patrick Tate: So I just got to throw a little interesting side note in this. Mountain Lions are a mythical creature in New Hampshire with strong feelings on both sides of the question: are there Mountain Lions in New Hampshire? Listeners we'd love to hear some of your thoughts on this. And those are not the same things. So here in New Hampshire when a person turns in something that the Department believes is possible mountain lion and believes it should be investigated further. Peter Biello: Mm hmm. Residents Report Mountain Lion Sighting By Elysia Rodriguez Published August 11, 2015 A southern New Hampshire neighborhood believes a mountain lion is roaming the woods near their homes. Sam Evans-Brown: Well first I want to sort of explain why what the theory is but then also throw a bit of cold water on it because I don't think there's much much logic behind it but essentially is that if fish and game were to acknowledge that there was a population of Mount lions in the state there's a chance that something like a listing under the federal Endangered Species Act might happen and then there'd be you know some they'd have to put a plan in place to protect the species there'd be you know restrictions put on development. Caller: I cannot recall or see the tail in my in my image of it. We discuss what residents may have been seeing and what breeding mountain lion pairs would mean for our ecosystem. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. And you know it's rather interesting because certainly there are those you as a case of mistaken identity or they wanted to see something that perhaps they actually didn't. So the whole media hype about how scary mountain lions are should should go away immediately and that would be that I think the major thrust of educating folks about these casualties vs.. Sam Evans-Brown: Sam go ahead. And so I just wanted to share my share my experience with you guys and it was pretty awesome to see if you get to see one albeit it was in the brush. And why would they what. That's what we're seeing is dispersing mountain lions from the West who are just making their way through. And I have to use that word allegedly because there is so much dispute about what people see and what they actually see. And the second question is this a behavior mountain lions exhibit. It's not a skinny rope like tail like a housecat. So yeah as far as wildlife species that put deer and trees know there aren't any others that I know of that put deer in trees just just humans might be responsible for that. So I don't understand really how how this this idea came to be but it is the main reason why folks believe that fishing game is is covering up the fact that there are mountain lions in the state again with no evidence. Rick van de Poll: Oh yeah absolutely. Think You Saw A Mountain Lion in N.H.? - New Hampshire Public Radio Chartered: 1973 . HOLDERNESS, N.H. (AP) Two of the known mountain lions in New Hampshire have spent their 15 years in close proximity to humans. We're not in the woods. And that's this morning at 10:00 here on NH PR. But you've done some reporting on this. Lots of people have stories about them, people have them on their game cameras I mean its kind of a thing. Do you want to see real, living mountain lions that do exist in New Hampshire. So do they. Oh you saw him online. Less than a year later I found a scat on the swamp range and I was working at the time with a fellow at the Michigan wildlife habitat Federation. Well let's talk a little bit about that. Patrick Tate: So Cougar Mountain Lion katama. So what those ranges. Squam Lake: Home of mountain lions - Concord Monitor Because I mean as we've heard in the past 10 minutes like there's there's some disagreement or at least some some vagueness about what an actual mountain lion should appear like in the wild assuming we can even get close enough. As I tried to get a picture of it so there was it was definitely we looked up all the pictures and it was definitely not a bobcat or anything else being it looked just like a mountain lion.