Largest Florida panther on record

[Alpo]

During a routine population survey, they did a catch and release on this male. 166 pounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I guess they're taking his vitals with that clamp on his tongue. I do not believe I would like to have that foot come swinging at me. Especially if he had his toenails out.

[J-BAR #18287]

I suspect the clamp on its tongue is a pulse oximeter, same thing they put on your fingertip at the doctor's, to monitor pulse rate and hemoglobin O2 levels.  Good idea on a sedated animal.

 

This one appears to be finding food successfully!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 15 by J-BAR #18287

[Eyesa Horg]

Nice kitty,kitty!

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

BIG kitty 

 

 

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

looks like one of our cats--but smaller.  we tend to over feed our clowder

 

 

[Cypress Sun]

 

Ya'll think that male Florida panthers are huge, wait 'til you see the Florida cougars. Commonly found near college areas and on HOA boards.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

21 minutes ago, Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L said:

looks like one of our cats--but smaller.  we tend to over feed our clowder

 

 

I think Orange Toms have an overweight gene.

 

 

 

Edited February 15 by Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984

[Alpo]

15 minutes ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

Ya'll think that male Florida panthers are huge, wait 'til you see the Florida cougars. Commonly found near college areas and on HOA boards.

Personally, I think if a cougar that weighed more than 166 pounds was attempting to pounce on me, I believe I was hot foot it in the other direction.

 

[Cypress Sun]

3 hours ago, Alpo said:

Personally, I think if a cougar that weighed more than 166 pounds was attempting to pounce on me, I believe I was hot foot it in the other direction.

 

 

I'm not exactly their prey these days. I can't run anyway....I guess they'd just have to have their way with me.

[Rip Snorter]

We have some good sized Mountain Lions and I can't run either.  Since I am always out with dogs, I'll have some warning and it will get loud.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I've seen quite few mountain lions over the years.  The biggest one I ever saw in the wild was  north of Bear Lake in the Utah, Idaho, Wyoming area.  A female who was about 125-130 pounds.....if  my wild guess is any good.

 

Had one around 115 pounds at the Montclair Plaza loading docks in California very early one morning.  One of our shooter's wives was an animal control officer and she showed up to take it in.  Got a tranq gun out, explained to the LEOs who were there what would happen, and fired.

 

The cat jumped and screamed, and before she went down to cops shot that poor old cat to pieces.  I was told that the cat was very old, starving, and crippled.

 

The lady went back to the shelter, declared to all and sundry what she thought of MPD, and walked off the job.

 

All that shooting and no one was hurt by direct fire or ricochets, and very little property was damaged.

[Pat Riot]

I was 20’ from a Mountain Lion in the Nat’l Forest just North of Big Bear, CA. 
I have no idea how big it was as all I could see was one eye that was about 2.5” wide looking at me through a bush. Beautiful greenish yellow. 
I backed the heck out of there on foot. 
I never went hunting without a sidearm again. 
I found out later from the forest rangers it was probably a tracked male “bachelor” that lived in that area of the woods. 
 

Edit:

I have had other instances of seeing fresh sign, smelling fresh and stale big cat pee, being in the woods and realizing all the birds and little animals just went quiet and you look around not seeing why. Things like these are the reasons that when most guys were concerned about bears I was more concerned about big cats. 
The hunting instance above was the only hunting trip where  I hunted without a side arm. I also never carried a rifle with an empty chamber again after that. 

Edited February 16 by Pat Riot

[watab kid]

hmmm , i,m glad they are rare here 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

8 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

I was 20’ from a Mountain Lion in the Nat’l Forest just North of Big Bear, CA. 
I have no idea how big it was as all I could see was one eye that was about 2.5” wide looking at me through a bush. Beautiful greenish yellow. 
I backed the heck out of there on foot. 
I never went hunting without a sidearm again. 
I found out later from the forest rangers it was probably a tracked male “bachelor” that lived in that area of the woods. 
 

Edit:

I have had other instances of seeing fresh sign, smelling fresh and stale big cat pee, being in the woods and realizing all the birds and little animals just went quiet and you look around not seeing why. Things like these are the reasons that when most guys were concerned about bears I was more concerned about big cats. 
The hunting instance above was the only hunting trip where  I hunted without a side arm. I also never carried a rifle with an empty chamber again after that. 

About the time we moved up here from down there, two women were killed and one partially eaten by one mountain lion just a few days apart.  They had both been walking alone up the road to Big Bear and were apparently taken by surprise, dragged off the road and mauled.

 

I never heard if the cat was found or not.

[Pat Riot]

5 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

About the time we moved up here from down there, two women were killed and one partially eaten by one mountain lion just a few days apart.  They had both been walking alone up the road to Big Bear and were apparently taken by surprise, dragged off the road and mauled.

 

I never heard if the cat was found or not.

I can only imagine what they experienced and their last moments were like. 

[Rip Snorter]

A state record, or very close, was taken on an adjacent property.  I do pay attention.

[Calamity Kris]

We had a black panther up here.  They are very rare but not unheard of .  I was leaving for w*rk in the wee hours of the morning when I saw him saunter across the road.  He sat down as I was approaching and I promise you the top of his head was level with the top of the hood on my Honda Pilot.  He had a big red transmitter collar on.  He got up and walked away as if to remind me that he does in fact own the road.  I watched in awe as he walked into the brush and disappeared.

[Eyesa Horg]

1 minute ago, Calamity Kris said:

We had a black panther up here.  They are very rare but not unheard of .  I was leaving for w*rk in the wee hours of the morning when I saw him saunter across the road.  He sat down as I was approaching and I promise you the top of his head was level with the top of the hood on my Honda Pilot.  He had a big red transmitter collar on.  He got up and walked away as if to remind me that he does in fact own the road.  I watched in awe as he walked into the brush and disappeared.

Wow, what a cool thing to see! A Black Panther must be beautiful!

[Calamity Kris]

33 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Wow, what a cool thing to see! A Black Panther must be beautiful!

 

He was a very pretty kitty and they are endangered here so I consider myself fortunate to have seen him.  I won't forget those piercing green eyes as he looked at me.

[Eyesa Horg]

We get to see Bobcats every now and then. It's pretty rare however. I see tracks in the snow dustings on the driveway almost every day when I walk the dog. Never in the same spot though,so setting up a camera doesn't seem to catch them. Had a camera on my porch get the tracks 30 feet out from the house, but no critter! 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

9 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:

We get to see Bobcats every now and then. It's pretty rare however. I see tracks in the snow dustings on the driveway almost every day when I walk the dog. Never in the same spot though,so setting up a camera doesn't seem to catch them. Had a camera on my porch get the tracks 30 feet out from the house, but no critter! 

Bobcats are another story here.  

 

When we moved here ten years ago there was one living almost in my back yard.  The guy behind me builds MoPar race cars and had a full blown junkyard right up against my back fence.  A bobcat lived there and was seen a number of times on my next door neighbor to the left's workshop roof.  When I started cutting down the jungle that was my back yard he finally moved on, but I've seen one somewhere in the three block area around here about one every two or three weeks ever since. 

 

I have seen them in downtown Prescott, on the highway in Skull Valley, one at Cordes Junction, a couple in Dewey-Humbolt area, and a pair on the Embry-Riddle University campus.

 

W have a few black bears around, a cougar or two, Bald eagles, and Pronghorns and deer are found all around.

 

Foxes, rabbits, hawks and coyotes galore and a skunk or two......too,  toot to do too .

Edited February 17 by Forty Rod SASS 3935

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

12 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

I can only imagine what they experienced and their last moments were like. 

We aren't all that safe here.  A man down at Cave Creek (IIRC) was killed by a bear right in town.  Someone killed the bear but not in time to save the man.  We have Javelins that can be ornery, too, but other than destroying gardens and yards I haven't heard of any being particularly dangerous, just ugly.

[Rip Snorter]

Deal is, as someone who lives in wild land, you have to take care of yourself and family, dogs included.  No one else can!

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

A Florida Panther is a unique to Florida subspecies? As a Catamount is unique to the Vermont region.

[Eyesa Horg]

13 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Bobcats are another story here.  

 

When we moved here ten years ago there was one living almost in my back yard.  The guy behind me builds MoPar race cars and had a full blown junkyard right up against my back fence.  A bobcat lived there and was seen a number of times on my next door neighbor to the left's workshop roof.  When I started cutting down the jungle that was my back yard he finally moved on, but I've seen one somewhere in the three block area around here about one every two or three weeks ever since. 

 

I have seen them in downtown Prescott, on the highway in Skull Valley, one at Cordes Junction, a couple in Dewey-Humbolt area, and a pair on the Embry-Riddle University campus.

 

W have a few black bears around, a cougar or two, Bald eagles, and Pronghorns and deer are found all around.

 

Foxes, rabbits, hawks and coyotes galore and a skunk or two......too,  toot to do too .

The cats pretty much got all our rabbits and snowshoe hares. Still have a lot of coyotes. Deer when it's not hunting season! Occasionally a moose walks thru the yard. The Bald eagles are cool and an occasional Golden eagle too. A skunk that lives over by our "camp" in the front. Pretty much stays out of sight, but still worry about the dog finding it!! And the damned porcupines!!

 

Forgot about the black bears!! We get about half a dozen them all summer too!

Edited February 17 by Eyesa Horg
Forgot the bears

[Alpo]

6 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

A Florida Panther is a unique to Florida subspecies? As a Catamount is unique to the Vermont region.

Yes. Although I suppose if one went far enough North it might just cross the border into Alabama or Georgia. Not being able to read the sign.

 

It's not only a Florida subspecies, but it is the Florida state animal.

 

But I thought that catamount (not to be confused with catamite) was just another term for the cat. Catamount, cougar, puma, mountain lion ... So they would have catamounts in Vermont but they would also have catamounts in Colorado.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

28 minutes ago, Alpo said:

Yes. Although I suppose if one went far enough North it might just cross the border into Alabama or Georgia. Not being able to read the sign.

 

It's not only a Florida subspecies, but it is the Florida state animal.

 

But I thought that catamount (not to be confused with catamite) was just another term for the cat. Catamount, cougar, puma, mountain lion ... So they would have catamounts in Vermont but they would also have catamounts in Colorado.

I think you are correct.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

6 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:

The cats pretty much got all our rabbits and snowshoe hares. Still have a lot of coyotes. Deer when it's not hunting season! Occasionally a moose walks thru the yard. The Bald eagles are cool and an occasional Golden eagle too. A skunk that lives over by our "camp" in the front. Pretty much stays out of sight, but still worry about the dog finding it!! And the damned porcupines!!

 

Forgot about the black bears!! We get about half a dozen them all summer too!

We got no meese, but elks are fairly common if you want to get off the beaten track and go looking for them.

 

I'm told we have quill pigs (my dad's name for porcupines), too but I've never seen one here.  

 

Same with poisonous snakes.  We're supposed to have all but two (coral snakes and moccasins I think) of U.S. poisonous snakes.  All I've seem are plain old garden variety Rocky Mountain diamond backs and so far only three in ten years. 

 

I have some really cute little miniature horned toads about as big a half dollar.  They shoe up in the spring by the score buy are usually gone when the weather gets really hot.

[Eyesa Horg]

In the early spring we get these really small (1") tree frogs. They'll be all over the stairs all of a sudden! They stick like glue,even to vertical surfaces! Thankfully,the only poisonous snake I know of here is the Timber rattlesnake. I've never seen or heard one and that works well for me!

[Alpo]

43 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

 

I'm told we have quill pigs (my dad's name for porcupines), too but I've never seen one here.  

Probably a good thing.

[Dusty Devil Dale]

Prior to retirement, I handled a lot of wild Mt. Lions over my 40+ years with the Ca. DFG (now DFW).  Lions react really unpredictably to the stronger opiate-based sedation drugs that we sometimes darted them with.  Some went down instantly.  Some took quite a while due to the excitement of restraint, and some absolutely exploded into an unrestrainable  ball of claws and teeth. 

We were doing home range studies requiring radio collaring of wild lions.  Dogs treed them, we darted them,  then climbed the trees and pulled/wrestled them down on a catch pole, before the drugs took full effect.   After a dozen or so of the explosive reactions, we stopped using the potent drugs and just gave them a light dose of veterinary Rompun.  Then we could pull them down, collar them, get tooth impressions for aging, and paw print impressions for later tracking, do a general health assessment, then an observed release and recovery (you have to watch and follow them on release because the drugs cause them to overheat and crave water.  They will run into a stream, still drugged, and drown).   

At times, with smaller lions, we simply restrained them on a catch pole, with someone stretching out the tail, while we did our work.  They usually calmed down, became parasympathetic, and gave up after a few minutes.  We literally scratched their ears, eyebrows,  and neck to help calm them.  They seemed to enjoy it. 

Formidable and deadly as lions can be, they have a lot of behavioral similarity to Felis domesticus. 

I wouldn't have traded those great days in the field for anything.  We handled dozens and dozens of lions.  The males can have a 55 sq mile home range!

And yes, a 166 pound lion is a very large specimen, by California standards.   

Edited February 18 by Dusty Devil Dale