Panthers in the Big Bend?

[Juan]

Okay.... I "officially" didn't see a panther... I was mistaken..it was a blad eagle with a long tail.

[jadams92002]

I had one here at the house a few weeks ago. It only hung around for a few days before it went away as quickly as it came.

[FUTCHCAIRO]

I KNOW ONE THING FOR SURE WHAT WE SAW WAS A BLACK PANTHER, THE ONE I KILLED BACK IN THE LATE 70'S WAS ALSO A BLACK PANTHER. I ALSO KNOW THAT THE FWC RELEASED SEVERAL BLACK PANTHERS ABOUT 7-8 YEARS , THAT IS WHEN WE HAD TO SHOOT ONE THAT RAIDED OUR FEEDER PIG PENS. IF YOU HAVE ANY LIVE STOCK, WHETHER IT BE CATTLE, HOGS, HORSES ETC. YOU BETTER KEEP AN EYE OUT, THEY WILL SURELY GET KILLED BY THE PANTHERS THAT ROAM THIS AREA.
PA THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA SEMPER FI

[RodBow]

I was hunting several yrs ago (30) N of Newport and saw a big cat (not a bobcat) tan with long tail. Noone can convince me otherwise that it was a cougar..

[Pirate]

Several years ago two of my sons and two friends were heading down 65 thru Tates Hell to SGI to fish and saw a Big Black Cat of some species. They weren't mistaken but were surprised and called home immediately to let us know. The DNR won't convince them they don't exist!

[SLICK]

Me and my wife went down to the Lighthouse back in August just out riding and looking she had never seen it before.When we were leaving about 2 or 3 miles from the Lighthouse a Big Panther walked out in the road in front of us did'nt seem to be in no hurry.Beautiful big cat and a long tail but for sure a panther not a bob cat seen plenty of them before.FWC also had a road block in there that day on the long straight away checking park passes had my pass guess they were looking for someone who did'nt.

[Skeeter-Bite]

That's cool but shhhhhhhh...they'll close the whole refuge including the bay!!!!!!!

[SHOWBOAT]

Juan,

I had a panther cross the lighthouse road in front of me a couple years ago, no doubt about it. It took me a second to place it b/c of its size and shape, immediate thoughts were deer or dog. However, as i got closer it was definitely a big cat with a long tail as you desribed. It crossed the road, jumped the little creek to the west of the road and we watched it walk along the creek for 3-4 minutes before heading to the ramp.

[CSMarine]

I was raised on the Aucilla River. We used to see them all the time when I was a kid. Worst of all, we used to hear them when we were camping on Wards Island. Scarriest sound you can ever hear when your in the swamps camping. I saw one last summer on Cabbage Grove Road with a small kitten crossing the road. She just stopped and looked at me then walked slowly into the woods.

[woopty]

Seen one swim across a creek and then up into the needlegrass right in front of the boat last winter. Had the tail.
Also seen bobcats as big as a German Shepard in the area.

[Sun Daze]

I KNOW ONE THING FOR SURE WHAT WE SAW WAS A BLACK PANTHER, THE ONE I KILLED BACK IN THE LATE 70'S WAS ALSO A BLACK PANTHER. I ALSO KNOW THAT THE FWC RELEASED SEVERAL BLACK PANTHERS ABOUT 7-8 YEARS , THAT IS WHEN WE HAD TO SHOOT ONE THAT RAIDED OUR FEEDER PIG PENS. IF YOU HAVE ANY LIVE STOCK, WHETHER IT BE CATTLE, HOGS, HORSES ETC. YOU BETTER KEEP AN EYE OUT, THEY WILL SURELY GET KILLED BY THE PANTHERS THAT ROAM THIS AREA.
PA THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA SEMPER FI

PA, read the link I provided!! THERE IS NO SUCH ANIMAL!! If it was a black cat, IT WAS NOT A PANTHER!! It was some other species!!

[red_yakker]

I saw one running across Highway 19 right beside Crews Marine about 5 years ago. I came so close that I was afraid I had hit him for a second; His back came up to my headlights (I drove a small Ford Ranger at the time, I estimated just over 3 feet tall). My first thought was deer, but it had a completely different way of running, and its body was too long for its height. It had a long tail, that it held down close to the ground. The color was similar to a deer, but the tail and the way it ran (holding its body close to the ground) convinced me it was not. A few minutes later, it hit me that it had to have been a panther. It just didn't register immediately because it seemed so out of place. I've lived in Taylor County for 28 years, I've seen plenty of bobcats and every other type of wildlife that lives around here, both at night and in the daylight. It was definitely the wildest thing I've ever seen. About a week later, my uncle and his grandson who live less than a mile from there, swore that they saw one on the edge of their field. I don't like being alone in the woods at night ever since then. It was bigger than I had imagined they were.

[willfish]

It may have been a jaguarundi, there have several seen of the refuge over the years.

[DeanMac]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUDE8b6Zsgk



I actually got interviewed by a film crew that is in the area doing a story on this sighting. A local guy had some plaster casings of tracks and pictures were something crossed the road with big cat looking tracks and dragging what appeared to be a tail in the same.


here is the article

http://www.apalachtimes.com/articles/se ... -tate.html

[KYFRED]

I don't know about Panthers, but their are cougars everywhere