East Texas Mountain Lion or Black Panther Sightings/ Killings

[txbowhunter14]

????? Are you going to post something else? They look the same with nothing in them. Are we missing something?

Took me a while to see it....there looks to be a cat lying down by the front left leg of the feeder

[jlinville]

There is something blurring out the base of the back leg of my feeder. I believe this cat is chasing whatever that is and in a high speed turn around the left feeder leg.

[k9trainer]

of course there are cougars all over Texas. Just not black panthers.

[courtatlawjudge]

Took me a long time too. I lived in cherokee county a long time ago. Saw a long tail cat in mud creek bottom in the 1980's. Couldn't get a shot, but he was the tan version. I have one life size mounted at home, but killed him with hounds in Nevada. Wen t hunting for what I thought was an execution. Two trips and 22 days of hunting later, I had a pope and young cat. My hardest earned animal ever

[dstrong]

OK Boyzzzz... I am here to tell you that their are BLACK PANTHERS in Texas!!!! and heres your TC Pic to prove it! Just pulled this chip from the TC yesterday!!! Debate over!!!!

[FLASH_OUTDOORS]

Lunch bump

[Rope7M]

I had a big male more orange than tawny in my scope only a few miles from where the picture that I posted was taken...the land owner did not want him shot...he was not a local but a lake house owner and said that all of the neighbors and himself liked it hanging around...It was only a few years back when one was shot in Davy Crockett and the guy kept it in his freezer for months before he came forward...it was featured in Lufkin Daily news and the hunter said that he had up to 4 at a time in front of his stand many times before finally deciding to shoot one.

[Stevotary]

Beckville Tx near Carthage I saw a Mountain Lion this Saturday opening afternoon of deer season. Had my scope on him but couldn't get a shot off before he went back into the brush. It didnt really hit me until I saw how long his tail was. This is my first sighting. Pretty cool!

[JW]

[Pineywoods]

I think the explanation for some of these "black cat" sightings might be more simple than someone's over active imagination or that person being a liar. Growing up in East Tx on the edge of the Big Thicket National Preserve I know firsthand that there are cougars/mountain lions of the normal color phase in that area. As a teenager in the early 90's I was riding with my dad and one had just been hit by a car (we assume)and was lying in the grass by the shoulder just 100yds north of the railroad tracks on 146 near Rye. It had no visible damage except for a bloody mouth. Another truck pulled over to look at it and asked dad if he was gonna take it. My dad didnt have the money at the time to mount it so the guy took it. I know of several trustworthy people including my dad who have claimed to see a black cat like the one we saw. The thing that every one of these sighting have had in common is that they were seen at night. Some of these normal cougars can have darker brown coats...some almost chocolate. It's real easy for something dark brown to look black at night. I think the majority of these folks are just seeing darker brown regular cougars.

[PreacherT]

Everyone knows that real panthers are pink!

[Jspradley]

Most "black panther" sightings are just regular ol' housecats.

I know, I know, everyone "Knows how to tell a cat apart from a panther" but no... you really don't.

The human brain's ability to play trick on your perception and recollection is well documented and eye witness reports have been proven to be little better than worthless...

It's not that folks dont believe they saw a black panther or they are lying, I think they genuinely do beleive it it just ain't so.

[Sabine]

I killed a black fox squirrel once, does that count?

[DWA]

[furtrapper]

I have seen a black one in Arkansas back in 1982, and have seen a couple of brown ones but have not seen any in Texas yet, the black one was seen by my buddy and me at the same time.