Panthers in Sabine/Rockafeller Refuges

[BIGV]

Whats funny is that for years everyone thought it was wacky to even say you saw one of any color and now they are confirmed and seen regularly. So all of the folks saying they are there have been right as confirmed by LDWF but now all you hear is they can't be black.... just hold tight as that will also be proven wrong.... just a matter of time.

[Pat Babaz]

I found this article online from the Cameron Pilot newspaper. It was after Ike and it was Remy Broussard who saw the two panthers

Bayou Buck
November 3rd, 2008, 03:06 PM
an excerpt from...
The Cameron Parish Pilot
October 30, 2008

Two Cougars Sighted in Cameron Parish:

Although they have thought to be extinct in western Louisiana, two cougars were recently sighted in Cameron Parish—and the report comes from a very good authority—a Louisiana wildlife enforcement agent.

Lt. Remy Broussard, state wildlife enforcement agent supervisor for Cameron and Calcasieu parishes, reported seeing two of the rare felines south of the Intercoastal Canal in the Gum Cove area of northern Cameron Parish.

His sighting was made on Oct. 1 while Lt. Broussard was flying over the area in a National Guard helicopter helping evacuate Hackberry residents who were stranded by the high water following Hurricane Ike.

He said the animals appeared to be full grown cougars (also known as mountain lions or panthers). He said it was possible that they could be the same cougars that were spotted in Nat****oches on Sept. 4 and Allen Parish on Sept. 29. These sites are about 100 miles apart.

Photos of a cougar at a site near Oberlin were made by a camera that had been set up in the woods and can be seen on the internet at the Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries site. The official LDWF press release regarding the two trail camera photos of cougars can be viewed by clicking here (http://www.wlf.state.la.us/news/?id=1130).

Broussard said cougars probably live on deer and wild hogs which are plentiful throughout this area.

UPDATE!!!
BayouBucks.com (http://www.bayoubucks.com) personally spoke with Lt. Broussard for approximately 15 minutes regarding his sighting in order to shed further light upon the details of this occurrence. He stated that while performing recovery operations via helicopter immediately following Hurricane Ike, he noticed two strange animals in the grass along the Intercoastal Canal while en route back to Lake Charles. “They were on the south side of the Canal levee, approximately 1 mile west of Gum Cove Road,” Broussard stated. “We circled around to get a better look, and as we approached, the cougars crouched down in the grass real low as if to hide from us. We were hovering about 60 yards above them, and watched the cats for about 30 seconds before we had to get back to work.” While Broussard told Bayou Bucks (http://www.bayoubucks.com) that it was pretty amazing to see such reclusive animals, it did not astound him that these cougars were in the area. “We saw one a few years back along Johnson Bayou in SW Cameron Parish,” Broussard acknowledged. “I knew there were a few [cougars] in this area, so this new sighting didn’t really surprise me.”

Contrary to the sighting date of Oct. 1 reported in the [i]Cameron Pilot, Broussard’s sighting actually occurred immediately after Hurricane Ike—Sept. 15. This date is very significant, in that it falls between the dates of the two trail camera photos obtained (Sept. 4 and Sept. 29), yet the location of the sighting lies 60 miles southwest of the southern most Oberlin, LA photo (see the timeline and attached pics below). Although not 100% conclusive, it can be inferred with reasonable certainty that at least three different cougars were sighted during the month of September in Louisiana. To assume otherwise would mean that one group of cats would have had to be photographed in Nat****oches Parish on Sept. 4, travel 145 miles in 11 days to Cameron Parish (and in the process cross the Red River, I-49, the Calcasieu River, I-10, and the Intercoastal Canal), then travel 60 miles back north into Allen Parish in 14 days (thus re-crossing the Industrial Canal, the Calcasieu River, and I-10).

Cougars and their closely related subspecies, the Florida Panther, once thrived in the hills and swamps throughout Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Until recently, the species' were believed to be extinct throughout the Bayou State. This was attributed to the animals’ habitat destruction and depletion of its #1 prey animal, the whitetailed deer, during the turn of the 20th Century. There is certainly no lack of deer in Louisiana today, but a shortage of large expanses of unbroken forest habitat, a network of highways and interstates across their historic travel corridors, and public opinion opposed to the cats’ return to Louisiana certainly limit cougars’ ability to enjoy the populations they once had here. Be aware that there is a heavy fine and the possibility for imprisonment imposed on anyone killing a cougar in Louisiana. These animals are very shy, nocturnal, have large home ranges, and are not likely to remain in the same area for very long. To report verifiable sightings of cougars containing physical evidence such as photos, tracks and/or scat please call Maria Davidson at 337-948-0255 or your nearest LDWF Region office at:

Minden 318-371-3050
Monroe 318-343-4044
Pineville 318-487-5885
Ferriday 318-757-4571
Lake Charles 337-491-2575
Opelousas 337-948-0255
Baton Rouge 225-765-2360

[marshrunner757]

Originally Posted by Pat Babaz

I found this article online from the Cameron Pilot newspaper. It was after Ike and it was Remy Broussard who saw the two panthers

Bayou Buck
November 3rd, 2008, 03:06 PM
an excerpt from...
The Cameron Parish Pilot
October 30, 2008

Two Cougars Sighted in Cameron Parish:

Although they have thought to be extinct in western Louisiana, two cougars were recently sighted in Cameron Parish—and the report comes from a very good authority—a Louisiana wildlife enforcement agent.

Lt. Remy Broussard, state wildlife enforcement agent supervisor for Cameron and Calcasieu parishes, reported seeing two of the rare felines south of the Intercoastal Canal in the Gum Cove area of northern Cameron Parish.

His sighting was made on Oct. 1 while Lt. Broussard was flying over the area in a National Guard helicopter helping evacuate Hackberry residents who were stranded by the high water following Hurricane Ike.

He said the animals appeared to be full grown cougars (also known as mountain lions or panthers). He said it was possible that they could be the same cougars that were spotted in Nat****oches on Sept. 4 and Allen Parish on Sept. 29. These sites are about 100 miles apart.

Photos of a cougar at a site near Oberlin were made by a camera that had been set up in the woods and can be seen on the internet at the Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries site. The official LDWF press release regarding the two trail camera photos of cougars can be viewed by clicking here (http://www.wlf.state.la.us/news/?id=1130).

Broussard said cougars probably live on deer and wild hogs which are plentiful throughout this area.

UPDATE!!!
BayouBucks.com (http://www.bayoubucks.com) personally spoke with Lt. Broussard for approximately 15 minutes regarding his sighting in order to shed further light upon the details of this occurrence. He stated that while performing recovery operations via helicopter immediately following Hurricane Ike, he noticed two strange animals in the grass along the Intercoastal Canal while en route back to Lake Charles. “They were on the south side of the Canal levee, approximately 1 mile west of Gum Cove Road,” Broussard stated. “We circled around to get a better look, and as we approached, the cougars crouched down in the grass real low as if to hide from us. We were hovering about 60 yards above them, and watched the cats for about 30 seconds before we had to get back to work.” While Broussard told Bayou Bucks (http://www.bayoubucks.com) that it was pretty amazing to see such reclusive animals, it did not astound him that these cougars were in the area. “We saw one a few years back along Johnson Bayou in SW Cameron Parish,” Broussard acknowledged. “I knew there were a few [cougars] in this area, so this new sighting didn’t really surprise me.”

Contrary to the sighting date of Oct. 1 reported in the [i]Cameron Pilot, Broussard’s sighting actually occurred immediately after Hurricane Ike—Sept. 15. This date is very significant, in that it falls between the dates of the two trail camera photos obtained (Sept. 4 and Sept. 29), yet the location of the sighting lies 60 miles southwest of the southern most Oberlin, LA photo (see the timeline and attached pics below). Although not 100% conclusive, it can be inferred with reasonable certainty that at least three different cougars were sighted during the month of September in Louisiana. To assume otherwise would mean that one group of cats would have had to be photographed in Nat****oches Parish on Sept. 4, travel 145 miles in 11 days to Cameron Parish (and in the process cross the Red River, I-49, the Calcasieu River, I-10, and the Intercoastal Canal), then travel 60 miles back north into Allen Parish in 14 days (thus re-crossing the Industrial Canal, the Calcasieu River, and I-10).

Cougars and their closely related subspecies, the Florida Panther, once thrived in the hills and swamps throughout Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Until recently, the species' were believed to be extinct throughout the Bayou State. This was attributed to the animals’ habitat destruction and depletion of its #1 prey animal, the whitetailed deer, during the turn of the 20th Century. There is certainly no lack of deer in Louisiana today, but a shortage of large expanses of unbroken forest habitat, a network of highways and interstates across their historic travel corridors, and public opinion opposed to the cats’ return to Louisiana certainly limit cougars’ ability to enjoy the populations they once had here. Be aware that there is a heavy fine and the possibility for imprisonment imposed on anyone killing a cougar in Louisiana. These animals are very shy, nocturnal, have large home ranges, and are not likely to remain in the same area for very long. To report verifiable sightings of cougars containing physical evidence such as photos, tracks and/or scat please call Maria Davidson at 337-948-0255 or your nearest LDWF Region office at:

Minden 318-371-3050
Monroe 318-343-4044
Pineville 318-487-5885
Ferriday 318-757-4571
Lake Charles 337-491-2575
Opelousas 337-948-0255
Baton Rouge 225-765-2360

Pat, I saw 2 about a month or so after the hurricane about 2 mile from your house on Carl Lyons rd. When I rounded the corner from Pete Seay onto Carl Lyons they were on the road. They cleared the ditch and the fence that used to be there in one jump. I stopped and tried to spot them with my Qbeam but they were gone. Big cats to say the least.

[Pat Babaz]

Originally Posted by marshrunner757

Pat, I saw 2 about a month or so after the hurricane about 2 mile from your house on Carl Lyons rd. When I rounded the corner from Pete Seay onto Carl Lyons they were on the road. They cleared the ditch and the fence that used to be there in one jump. I stopped and tried to spot them with my Qbeam but they were gone. Big cats to say the least.

Wow, with so many sightings there has to be something more to it than just mass hallucination. I've heard from people who have seen big cats with long tails all around Carylss like:

Gum cove Ferry Rd
Hwy 1133 by Pecan Grove park
Hwy 1133 by the Westlake Chemical Sytrene terminal(multiple times)
Carlyss drive by the park
West Ravia road

So I'm sure they are around, not sure about the black panthers though

[marshrunner757]

Originally Posted by Pat Babaz

Wow, with so many sightings there has to be something more to it than just mass hallucination. I've heard from people who have seen big cats with long tails all around Carylss like:

Gum cove Ferry Rd
Hwy 1133 by Pecan Grove park
Hwy 1133 by the Westlake Chemical Sytrene terminal(multiple times)
Carlyss drive by the park
West Ravia road

So I'm sure they are around, not sure about the black panthers though

These were tan. Lit them up in full headlights about 25 yds in front of me. It was early and I was tired but not hallucinating lol. BIG cats and long tails.

[duckman1911]

So if all of the biologists say they don't exist that means I can smoke check one without getting in trouble right? How can you get in trouble for shooting something that doesn't exist? Y'all gona know if I see one.. I'll post a report with pics. Same goes for sasquach. Screw him and his beef jerky.

[Clampy]

Late one night in the Texas hill country I was looking for where a Axis herd was holding.
I was coming down a road in my truck when a rather large 80 - 100 lb animal jumped out and turned straight toward my truck. The first thing I saw was a long thick tail and my mind started racing and thinking of all the people I
$ hit on for claiming the saw a black panther. It never got scared and continued to my truck. Eyes glowing in my headlights and as it got into identifiable range all I could think was
"Man if that Black Lab had turned and took off before I really got a good look i would be one of those people I've clowned for so long.

95% of those sighting are large house cats with the right stuff around them to make them look big.
4% are prolly dogs
1% are completely lying.

uploadfromtaptalk1436311028715.jpguploadfromtaptalk1436311040027.jpg

[Clampy]

uploadfromtaptalk1436311068027.jpg

[duckman1911]

If I see it BANG. It can't taste any worse than bear meat so why not.

[rustyb]

i have a friend that is a WLF biologist and got a call of a cougar hit by a car, that was found on side of the road. He gets there to retrieve it and it was a cougar pretty decomposed. But it was declawed. So yes some are pets that escape or get released. But they say there is no proof of black ones. And the ones that are seen are mostly displaced. And as Clampy said most on trail cameras are house cats. Im just repeating what the experts say.

[Pat Babaz]

Originally Posted by rustyb

i have a friend that is a WLF biologist and got a call of a cougar hit by a car, that was found on side of the road. He gets there to retrieve it and it was a cougar pretty decomposed. But it was declawed. So yes some are pets that escape or get released. But they say there is no proof of black ones. And the ones that are seen are mostly displaced. And as Clampy said most on trail cameras are house cats. Im just repeating what the experts say.

Is this the cat you are referring to? He was found last fall/winter on Hwy 12 West of Dequincy right across from the Elementry school. They said he was declawed so he wasn't wild.

cat1.docx

cat2.docx

[Clampy]

I know that top pic is house cat and still think twice when looking at it.

[duckman1911]

Originally Posted by Clampy

I know that top pic is house cat and still think twice when looking at it.

No joke. That light post is probably 12" and you add the bulb on top you get another 3-4"'s. We have a big orange cat but if he gets that big I'm shooting him.lol
If not photo shopped he should have appeared smaller than the lamp not larger.

[fonikoddity]

Our eyes constantly play tricks on us, fellas. Humans are notoriously terrible at eyewitness accounts. This goes hand in hand with "I know what I know" despite being blasted in the face with sound science.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rustyb]

I think that's it.

[Pat Babaz]

[Pat Babaz]

What is weird is that nobody at all had even heard a rumor of somebody keeping a pet cougar any where around there. It is also weird that it sat and decomposed for so long alongside a busy road like hwy 12. Do you know if it showed signs of being hit by a car or are they just assuming?

[rustyb]

Originally Posted by Pat Babaz

What is weird is that nobody at all had even heard a rumor of somebody keeping a pet cougar any where around there. It is also weird that it sat and decomposed for so long alongside a busy road like hwy 12. Do you know if it showed signs of being hit by a car or are they just assuming?

I think assumed. But from what Im told they travel long distances.
I know that bears that get relocated from morgan city to way north louisiana, come right back in some cases. Some even further, depending on age and sex. Cougars even more, so anything is possible. Im no expert but friends of mine are.

[Pat Babaz]

Originally Posted by rustyb

I think assumed. But from what Im told they travel long distances.
I know that bears that get relocated from morgan city to way north louisiana, come right back in some cases. Some even further, depending on age and sex. Cougars even more, so anything is possible. Im no expert but friends of mine are.

Yeah, it could have gotten loose from a pen 100 miles from Dequincy and eventually wandered over there and got hit. People probably just assumed it was a dead dog and didn't think twice about it.

[saute86]

Originally Posted by Pat Babaz

What is weird is that nobody at all had even heard a rumor of somebody keeping a pet cougar any where around there. It is also weird that it sat and decomposed for so long alongside a busy road like hwy 12. Do you know if it showed signs of being hit by a car or are they just assuming?

A few weeks before they found that cat I saw one cross 171 at Barnes creek. It was heading west. That is less than 20 miles from where they found the dead one. I almost hit it in the curve. That cat was huge.