Many places in the west horses and mountain lions or cougars coexist. Then in 1996 in the fall after the leaves had fallen, I was with a friend driving between Weston, WV and Jane Lew WV, it was evening almost dark, and we saw a animal at first glance thought was a large light brown dog coming to the road and my friend slammed on the breaks and it walked right in front of us in the head lights looked right at us, my friend was real excited, and myself to, as this made two sightings for me. pistol. We got to the bow stand at daylight just off of the Potomac River and I helped him into the tree with a climbing stand then retreated back the grassy rd. in Buckeye. I've had nearly a dozen people tell me about their sightings but they didn't want their sighting published on the web. Lutz said there have been 40-50 reports of mountain lion sightings in the region over the past half-century, including Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest as well as areas in … Today, my friend, who lives in Ronceverte, told me that he heard a horrible scream that seemed to have come from a cat. I just laughed because I was born and raised in Logan WV and had also thought that stories like these were so much imagination. Woodbridge, VA. Webmaster's Note!The community of Paw Paw is known for the nearby Paw Paw Tunnel. When I walked out side to find him my cat came running at me, and he never runs, he is a pretty big cat and doesn't run much at all. It was late in the afternoon and my wife said she thought she saw a large dog like a golden retriever walking in the woods about ten yards above where the tree line begins. I don't need to have there input if they were going to act like we needed to make up storiesjust to have something to talk about. Marshall County WV. Sue Maund. The community was named for the paw paw, the largest wild edible fruit native to America and grew in abundance throughout the community of Paw Paw and Morgan County, West Virginia. Despite the location where we saw it, and the fact that we have never seen it since, my wife and I are 100% certain that the animal we saw was a VERY large cat (at its closest it was only about thirty yards from us) that was bigger than a golden retriever yet had a coat that was similar in color. She said it went up and stretched outon a log and just looked down and than went on it's way my daughter who is 8 years old says I've lived here in Four States for 8 years and have never seen one of those well her grandfathers looks at her and says AddieI've lived here for 73 years and I've never seen anything like that before so they went on to practice and whenshe got home she called the DNR and they laughed at her told her to get a pic of it or show some kind of a signthat there is one near.. She told them that she wasn't gonna go hunting for this big cat that it's there responsibilityto go look for this thing.. Well Last night May 26,2008 I went to take the garbage up to the end of the drivewayand I made it as far as the sidewalk when I heard sounding like a cat growling and I said oh God that's not alittle house cat.. but I haven't heard anything about Mountain Lion sightings in this area, and I haven?t seen them, but that doesn't mean they aren't present. Leadmine, WV. It was about 4 feet long and had a long tail it was tan/grey in color. I am the owner of Abram's Creek Lodge and Campground in Grant County, WV (www.abramscreek.com). It is always possible a Mountain Lion could come thru, and killed 3-year-old horse. And consider yourself lucky to see any of the elusive cats that exist or may exist in West Virginia (bobcat, mountain lion,). Large aggressive alpha predator spotted in Central Virginia near Fredericksburg on july, 17 2018 (Daylight Cougars), I live in Braxton County on Upper OBrien near Wilsie, Google maps to locate all known points that. Thank you and have a nice day. An animal sprang up on the bank from the road about 40 yards away. The image is of a “mountain lion” (oh I loathe that name for them!) On most sighting their no way to determine if a Mountain Lion was always wild or had been let loose in wild when someone happen across a mountain lion or cougar, FW: pics, From: Lisa Campbell He was telling me about a cousin of his in WV that said he had saw a panther there, but my friend did not believe him. One about twenty years ago near Friendsville in Garrett Co. MD. 50 feet. He was coming across Kinnison Mountain, and it was around 4 a.m. in the morning. On March 2nd, 2011, the US Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the eastern cougar to be extinct. Submitted by: Vince Lombardi I hope to visit Richwood in the near future! Lion. Thanks! It was an experience The lion continued up towards Cacapon mountain. Grant County West Virginia, Hello! Yesterday August 29, 2008 I was driving on a country road called Cranesville Road that leads to Oakland Maryland when a large cat all black ran across the road in front of me. I got him to talk to me and I told him to lower the bow and come down to me but he wouldn't he said dad there was a big cat that came out of the river bottom and walked under the tree stand and up into the bouldersbehind the stand. Hoping that is was a deer, I lowered my rifle and placed the scope on another clear spot that was in the pathof the animal. Game and Fish had to come and put him down. In the wild, a mountain lion can live up to 10 years. Thank you, I doubt anyone would want to believe this, but after reading all the comments on "mountain lions" I have to share what happened to me and Larry. It was in fact a mountain lion that I saw. I wanted to do some research into my sighting. Some people claim to have seen them in the state recently. Sightings of cougars and black leopards are a dime a dozen in the Eastern US, and dodgy photos of them are valued at even less. At first I wasn't sure what it was, I Could see a long tail and as I said before a large bodied animal. Subject: Mt. Jeff We were very excited, but we're unable to get any pictures. And the other near our home in Leadmine, Tucker Co. They were on the hill across from my house and close enough to see with the naked eye; but I still grabbed my binoculars to get a great look at them. Thank you! Groups urge greater protection for puma populations in, and dispersers from, the prairie states. The newest big cats at our State Wildlife Center in Upshur County. and I have been coming to that area for over 30 years. Sincerely, Submitted by: Zachary Harris Needless to say, this sighting was a treat that I will treasure forever. But it wasnt too long that others saw it and even some saw a brownish colored MT Lion. We found this print while hiking on Wildlife Trail at Dolly Sods. Since we?ve gotten a little older and the ground has gotten harder we have opted for a cabin at Watoga State Park the last 6 years. Cougar Sightings, West Virginia. In 1990 I was at a old coal mine sight on the Gauley River rd. They seen this animal coming out of the woods and she thought it was a big dog or fox from the distance, until it got closer to her she stopped her car and this big CAT came out in front of herand she said oh my goodness it's a mountain lion and her dad said it sure is and she said it walked in front ofher car as slow as it could go and just looked at her like it wasn't scared. We?ve camped in the Cranberry area many many times as well as the Greenbrier river area and Pocahontas county. We were about 150 to 200 ft. from the main gravel road. Lion to you? Of course no one believed us my dad even laughed. These 10 Dangerous Animals Are Right Here In West Virginia. Well it moved, I seen it was a cat and scream for the girl to get her dog in the house, she thought I had lost my mind but thank heavens she did what I screamed for her to do and ran to the house... this cat got up and started walking toward my drive, Larry couldn't believe his eyes and I said no house cat is that big at that distance! There is no fixed breeding season with one litter per 2-3 years with an average of 2-4 kittens being born. They lived throughout the East when European settlers arrived. More than 300 cougar sightings have been reported in West Virginia since 1975, according to the Eastern Puma Research Network. The idea of unknown animals and the folklore behind them have always interested me. Second, when it walked in front of several trees (big tulip poplars), it was pretty clear that the cat was bigger than a golden retriever and it had a long tail. Mountain lions existed across Virginia at the time of European settlement but were presumably rooted out of the state by the 1880s, the article said. Date: Wed, September 19, 2007 8:19 am. I have heard about Cat sightings all my life growing up around Racine in Boone Co. Eastern Puma Research Network in Grant County of WILD, Wonderful West Virgina, Submitting this "report" of a possible Mt. One night after going to bed we were awoken by what sounded like screams off in the woods. population approx: 800. Eastern cougars were among the first species listed as a federally endangered subspecies under the Act. The Western cougar is definitely moving eastward," he said. West Virginia's official state nickname is the Mountain State. I have had two Moutain Lion sightings. Shanks West Virginia is an unincorporated community in Hampshire County, West Virginia, the North Fork Little Cacapon River runs through Shanks WV. I can’t believe that these 10 dangerous animals have all roamed these West Virginia hills! Submitted by: Rob Watt. 90 percent of the "woman screaming" sounds are only hoot owls, Did you mean: Mcelroy creek in Tyler County, I found your site after googling lion sightings for Huntington, West Virginia, Mysterious animal photo in Lahmansville in Grant County West Virginia, Mountain Lion sighting I-79 north near Weston, WV in Lewis County in 1999 or 2000, Mountain Lion sighting in Mt. We had noticed several deer tracks and then out of the blue notced a very different track following them. I grew up in Garrett County MD. I later tried to talk to the DNR about it but they said we were making it up. From: Katrina Posey They had recently added a right-of-way along the ridge to access wells they drilled the past several months. So I ran in the house told my husband to get his gun that there is a cat out here and it isn't nolittle one either is a big one so he gets his 22 pistol and thinks I'm messing with him he comes outside with me tosee what I was scared off I was shaking.. Date: Mon, January 21, 2008 11:45 am, After visiting your site I have decided to tell you of a sighting on a bow hunt with my 23 year old son who was 16 at the time. and my great grand parents said they had seen quite a few in their day. While going down the trail it was not there, we spotted on the return, maybe 3 hours afterwards. Here’s why. I watched it through the scope the whole time. I saw a Mt. I thought it might have been a bobcat, but his description sounded more like a puma/mountain lion! About 10 yrs ago, my friend and I were coming from the Coleman Cliffs area in Frankford, W.V. this would have happened in the Churchville area of Lewis County, WV. The weird thing about this is that we live in a fairly populated area where I never thought you would see a mountain lion, if that was what it really was (maybe a bobcat with a longer tail than normal?). Storm mine in Tucker County, A large cat in Wood County, West Virginia, Spring Valley in Wayne County WV. "Maybe there will be a time when some will colonize Virginia in the future." Cougar, Mountain Lion, Catamount, Panther, and Puma, (Some of the names for this great cat) and is found principally in the mountains. I remember seeing a black animal thought was a black german shephard that may have gotten loose. Webmaster's Note! Hello, My name is Aaron. Submitted by: Debbie Bond. The Mountain Lion Foundation is a tax-deductible non-profit organization, tax exempt under. In captivity, they can live up to 21 years. I live in Preston County, on the border of Maryland. It happened on December 26, 2006. Myself and 3 other close friends travel to the area twice a year to hunt and fish. Mountain lions are abundant in all those places, yet I've never seen one. I was watching a clear spot along an old logging road, about 30 yards from my position. Check these mountain loins out, tell me what you think. Fairmont, WV, Webmaster's Note! Then a little bit later we decided we were done fishing and would go home, about half way up to the main road we saw the black animal again, and I thought what kind of dog is that? Pineville is a town in Wyoming County, West Virginia, along the Guyandotte River and the zip code for Pineville is 24874. The Scuttle Butt that I have been told from reliably people was a Black Cougar/Mountain Lion was sighted in the woods of Flag Pond Tennessee in 2007 by the Hensley and Shelton boys. I was doing a search on the internet and found your sight and was excited to see that a man named Chris Sparkman had sighted one in Paw Paw about 9 months before my sighting. So I lowered the bow back down jumped to the ground and startedtowards my son, but when I spotted him from a distance I realiized that he was ok (at least I thought!) Terry and Marsha Moore. I was skeptical, but questioned him about the description of the cat. This lion was hit between Grantsville and Walker WV.. by a car. The tracks were from a step down onto the road which is rich in clay mud. About the authors: Skip Johnson was born on Birch River in Herold, West Virginia and lived there till shortly before his death in 2011. The state of West Virginia is home to 72 wild mammal species. The only big cat species that ever made its home in West Virginia was the mountain lion, and mountain lions don’t come in black. Description of the Mountain Lion. Then It took off up into the woods and I could hear it going around the side of the mountain and up the hill. My fishing buddy saw it and we agreed that it was a young mountain lion. Some say maybe it was a bobcat or maybe it was a large housecat. But he had not gotten in the room fast enough it had moved rather quickly. 2 1/2 feet high with a body in excess of 4 feet long. But here goes... The photo, submitted to The Richwooders site by a third party, and we could not confirm whether or not it was killed by mountain lions. Four – the Virginia big-eared bat, the Indiana bat, the West Virginia northern flying squirrel and the newly extinct eastern cougar – are federally listed as endangered. It was about 75 yards away in a meadow. Handle an encounter with a mountain lion: Mountain Lion sighting in Leon, Mason County? A mountain lion prowls in Yellowstone National Park. is an unincorporated town in Grant County, West Virginia, along the North Branch Potomac River. Here is a couple of pictures of what we had found. Last Wednesday early morning, at 1:30am 11/12/08, a cabin user (cabin #2) at the Campground in Grant County stepped out of his cabin at 1:30am to use the rest room. Lion crouched down along the road at Gormania WV. The sound that mountain lion made is nothing like you would ever imagine, It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck and it scared me. I fully expected a deer to appear their. Female mountain lions usually give birth every two years. Submitted by: Dave Marshall Mountain lions, more commonly called cougars in the western U.S., are primarily found in the western states from Montana to Arizona. Webmaster's Note! Chris Sparkman There have been several mountain lion sightings in Paw Paw Tunnel area since June 2003 where others have reported seeing the mountain cat . Hi, I'm a 47 year old professional and have spent a great deal of my free time in the woods, hunting, fishing, biking and hiking. This was definitely a mountain lion. This dog runs from nothing, but it did today when it heard that scream. Date: Sun, January 27, 2008 3:22 pm. I was hunting in Morgan County, about 6 miles from Paw Paw, close to Detour Road. Is it possible that this was done by a mountain lion. "There's no doubt that mountain lions are moving eastward. but now live in various parts of the country. or Lead Mine, WV. We were shocked to see this photo b/c we usually only get to see. I tried to do a reverse Google images search for it, but it didn’t show anything. On 8 Nov 2006 my wife and I were riding ATVs on theHatfield McCoy trail system just outside of Pineville WV. Submitted by: Ronnie S I can assure you that what I saw was in facta mountain lion. Leadmine is known for the largest trees ever cut in West Virginia, White Oak. As for people who want photographic proof, this animal wasn't sticking around long enough for me to even get my camera out. Mountain lions used to roam the entire country, coast to coast, and the eastern cougar subspecies (Puma concolor couguar) occupied the northeast region. The sighting was by a local Grant County man named Trevor who is 100% certain of the creature sighting. I did see onedead beside the freeway in the Bay Area once. In other words - promote the sport hunting of mountain lions for purposes of game management. Burlington KY. Webmaster's Note Sighting a Black Mountain Lion is a rare and unexpected event. Since 1970, 121 sightings have been identified as possible mountain lions, but have not been officially confirmed. Submitted by: Denalda Bush and Brian Jett Two cougars captured in Pocahontas County in 1976 were western cougars that had been transported there and released. For the last six years I've been receiving phone calls and emails from people who believe they saw a Puma or Mountain Lion in Pennsylvania or surrounding states. Submitted by: J Gore I just stumbled across your sight, mainly because of a conversation I had with a fellow employee in Cincinnati. Lion Suspect in Killing of boys Horse in daytime Webmaster's Note! We told a few who didn't really believe us and when I told my other neighbor Dolly, she said yep, she had seen the thing at the woods edge between our yard. Also, because it was walking towards us, the closer it came the more clearly we could see its features. They have not been able to confirm any of these cats were the eastern cougar subspecies, rather they believe these individuals have been released pets or lions dispersing from the western population. Occasionally, a Cougar/Mountain Lion will be gray,dark brown, cinnamon which can appear almost black and, even more rarely, solid black mountain lion. I was gonna call the DNR but I was afraid that they wouldn't believe me either since they didn't believe my mother.. What Can I do to convince them that this is not a fake call and that we did see and hear it.. Is it gonnatake someone to be killed or hurt by this thing for them to come and check it out and not laugh at u? Along the way we have seen black bears, deer, and hawks. Hello.. my name is Jennifer and my husband Zach has a field camera posted in our field in Triadelphia WV (A community in Ohio County). Submitted by: Don Woods. Most sightings occur in Shenandoah National Park and in Bedford, Amherst and Nelson County region. We are all originally from Pineville WV. I know what deer, bobcat, fox, bear and every other animal look like because I've seen them all hundreds of times in the woods. There have been several Mountain Lion/Cougar sightings in Morgan County West Virginia since June 2003. I turned to go back and decided to have one last look and that bad feeling hit me again. They are definitely here in West Virginia. It was beige, had a long tail, and cub like ears. About 15 years ago we were camped at the head of the Cranberry. Many Appalachian stories tell of panthers following people, dropping on people from tree limbs, covering a sleeping person with leaves, and screaming like a woman being murdered. Lion anonymously because I think many people, especially where I live, would think that I am crazy. His incredibly mean doberman, turned tail and ran up to the house. Hello Richwooders! I got his attention and he freaked out and told me to run or get up the tree. Webmaster's Note! I'm from California and have spent quite a lot of time in the Sierras, Cascades, San Bernardinos, San Jacintos, and the Rockies. A second look revealed to me that it was an adult mountain lion, 100-125#. So unexpected that it's common for people to initially mistake them for panthers. Then after it I guess you would call it growled at me I became aware that It was a mountain lion. I did not see much more than that, it was booking across the road, 2 leaps and it was gone. These two brothers have quite the story. If you have any questions for me, my name is Alice Hanna and my number is (304) 000 - 0000. Wether or not anyone ever believes me I thought I should let it be known I now believe that Panthers exist in WV. By the 1850s, hunting pressure had made mountain lions rare in the eastern two thirds of the continent. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Refuges in which the Eastern puma is known to occur: Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge, Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, I live in Boone County, West Virginia and back around the fall of 2006, one night I went walked outside to get the cat and put him in for the night. Submitted by: James Denney I first thought it was a bobcat but then I saw the long tail and the reddish color of the cat and realized that it was not a bobcat. Hello, My wife and I watched the cat walk up the hill through the woods and disappear at the crest of the hill (which is where our neighbor's yard is). Webmaster's Note! 400 yards above my house. Dots on the map represent each mountain lion sighting. Submitted by: Krissi Wood Although I suspect the tracks in the photograph was dog track or a forefeet of bear, not a mountain lion tract.......I'm no expert and I've been wrong before and I know for sure experts have been wrong before. Submitted by: PATRICIA WOLFORD It is clear there are thousands of residents who often mistake the tracks of coyotes and large dogs as Mountain Lions but the track you posted looks to me like a canine print.. A track in soft dirt spread out more and may look bigger from one in regular dirt. We plan on retaking pictures April 9, 2008 with a coin and measuring tape to give you something to compare the size with. 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