# Must see pic. Update.



## HardHuntin'GA (Oct 12, 2012)

I deleted the thread last night because after a lot of thought and talking with many people I decided that the thread was reaching a point in which it could do more harm than good.  I felt like I was setting my professors to have their validity and reputation on the line and possibly damaged. They simply gave me their opinion yesterday on what they thought the animal was.  I’ sure if they had known I intended to post the picture on the internet to have it criticized, they probably wouldn’t have even commented on it.  I went back to them this morning and let them have another look at the picture to allow them to confirm their thoughts from yesterday. 
Dr. Scott and Dr. Moore still believe it is a cougar (Puma concolor), but they deferred to Dr. Waid since he has a better understanding of this species. Dr. Waid looked and studied it last night and this morning. He now feels that it is inconclusive and it could go either way.  The tail is not as “club” like as a cougars but the black tip is consistent with a cougar. The body structure says cougar except he feels the animal has it’s front legs bent based on looking at the front shoulder and if it were to stand straight up the front legs would be longer than the back legs which would point to a canine. So I guess after all the jury is still out? Sorry for any inconveniences, I along with many wildlife professionals hold these professors in high regard and as a student I did not want to compromise that.


----------



## dom (Oct 12, 2012)

i'm just curious, wat is in the feeder?


----------



## kickers (Oct 12, 2012)

Maybe a Black mouth cur ????


----------



## dpcmcghee (Oct 12, 2012)

Naw that aint  no redbone


----------



## humdandy (Oct 12, 2012)

dom said:


> i'm just curious, wat is in the feeder?



Dog food!


----------



## Invasion1545 (Oct 12, 2012)

Looks


----------



## Invasion1545 (Oct 12, 2012)

Sry about that. Looks like a dog to me.


----------



## jevans7mm (Oct 12, 2012)

I'm not sure what it is, but from its front shoulders to its head looks like a kitty. Maybe you will get another picture.


----------



## rydert (Oct 12, 2012)

I don't know what it is.........but I appreciate you sharing the pic............


----------



## Bucky T (Oct 12, 2012)

It's a dog.

I'm not trying to be an arrogant you know what, and if I really, honestly believed that was a cougar, I would say so.

The only evidence I've seen of a cougar in Ga, was the pic of the guy who actually shot one a few years back on the west side of the state.

Nobody ever has a clear as day photo of a bonafide mountain lion in Ga.

The tail is the major giveaway in my book that screams dog.

You ought to hear the folks in southern Illinois.  My wife is born and raised up there and I drive my brother n laws crazy with my skepticism!  LOL!

They show me photos that are a million times worse than yours and say it's a mountain lion....  LOL!


----------



## jmcrae1 (Oct 12, 2012)

Looks like a mountain lion to me but I have never actually seen one in person so who knows. Neat pic though


----------



## wingnut2000 (Oct 12, 2012)

ruff ruff


----------



## THWACKG5 (Oct 12, 2012)

Ive never seen a hound with shoulders like that...


----------



## rigderunner (Oct 12, 2012)

THWACKG5 said:


> Ive never seen a hound with shoulders like that...



I agree with you 100% I have seen a couple cats in north ga and them shoulders and long neck sure look like a cougar to me but iam not gonna get in a knitting match with anyon over it  I have  treed two lions this past year coonhunting at the same place needless to say I dont hunt there anymore


----------



## nhancedsvt (Oct 12, 2012)

It's a dog


----------



## Buck Nasty (Oct 12, 2012)

rigderunner said:


> I agree with you 100% I have seen a couple cats in north ga and them shoulders and long neck sure look like a cougar to me but iam not gonna get in a knitting match with anyon over it  I have  treed two lions this past year coonhunting at the same place needless to say I dont hunt there anymore



This town aint big enough for two Popcorn's!!!!! lol


----------



## southernboy2147 (Oct 12, 2012)

the shoulders and neck dont resemble a dog, but it seems a little tall and not long enough to be a cougar.. but like another person on here ive never seen on so idk


----------



## rigderunner (Oct 12, 2012)

Buck Nasty said:


> This town aint big enough for two Popcorn's!!!!! lol



I heard that they aint enough creek water around for two


----------



## Flaustin1 (Oct 12, 2012)

dog.  Ridge runner, next time you tree a mountain lion, stay on the tree and call me.  I will drive up and shoot it out.  I will PM you my number.


----------



## ramblinrack (Oct 12, 2012)

i saw something huntin' along side the tallapoosa river one foggy morning about 20 yrs ago that looked a lot like your pic. at first, all i could see was the legs and long tail. freaked me out bad...but when i finally got a good look, it was a greyhound w/collar. thanks for sharing the pic!


----------



## rigderunner (Oct 12, 2012)

Flaustin1 said:


> dog.  Ridge runner, next time you tree a mountain lion, stay on the tree and call me.  I will drive up and shoot it out.  I will PM you my number.



buddy i hope i never tree another one or the same one for that matter i dont hunt around that area anymore and probably will not go back at night anyway ill try my best to post a pic of a tree about 8 inches in diameter that is scratched all the way around about 6 feet off the ground that i found tan hair all around and it is within 100 yards from were we treed them two


----------



## THWACKG5 (Oct 12, 2012)

Can someone please post a pic of a dog with comparable shoulders and neck...I have a 85lb Staffy that's build like a tank...he doesn't even have a muscle mass like the animal in the pic. I'm not saying it's not a dog, just never seen a dog built like that..so show me.


----------



## Graffam (Oct 12, 2012)

i have a BMC and i really think that's what it is


----------



## bsanders (Oct 13, 2012)

the shoulders do not look canine to me.


----------



## Miguel Cervantes (Oct 13, 2012)

The striped tail tip and white fur on the haunches indicate a young cougar. Also the tip of the tail is blount like a cat, not pointed as a canine would have. But it could very well be a dog, just hard to tell, even enlarged and enhanced.


----------



## Lthomas (Oct 14, 2012)

Looks like a dog even more so when enlarged. I just cannot see a cougar, panther, Mt lion, or type of cat.


----------



## doubleshot (Oct 14, 2012)

why cant any body get a clear picture of a big cat.we all get clear pictures of deer  turkeys  hogs and any other animal that lives here.why not a cougar or panther or what ever you want to call it.reason is it aint here


----------



## BowHard (Oct 14, 2012)

doubleshot said:


> why cant any body get a clear picture of a big cat.we all get clear pictures of deer  turkeys  hogs and any other animal that lives here.why not a cougar or panther or what ever you want to call it.reason is it aint here



IKR!!!??? its ridiculous. let it be what it wants to be. I guess when its time for one to be revealed then it will happen. I dont give way to indisputable photos. but when i see a full cat on cam or a dead one on GON then ill say yes until then who cares


----------



## GT-40 GUY (Oct 14, 2012)

Miguel Cervantes said:


> The striped tail tip and white fur on the haunches indicate a young cougar. Also the tip of the tail is blount like a cat, not pointed as a canine would have. But it could very well be a dog, just hard to tell, even enlarged and enhanced.
> 
> Tail looks to short for a cougar. I say it is a dog.
> 
> gt40


----------



## respro (Oct 14, 2012)

Blood hound smellin BFO.


----------



## 66 POJ (Oct 14, 2012)

Hyena


----------



## THWACKG5 (Oct 14, 2012)

Graffam said:


> i have a BMC and i really think that's what it is
> View attachment 692807



This BMC  could look similar as the animal in the picture in low light and in the same position, however the BMC doesn't have half the shoulder muscle the animal in question has...look at that thing, it has a camel hump, like a big ol grizzly boar.

It doesn't really matter, the man could have posted 10 pics of a lion looking square at camera, and people would 
say it was photoshopped or its not from GA, or its whatever..  I dont understand why its so unbelievable...lions have been confirmed in GA before.... We all know they live south of GA as well as north so whats the deal...Either way it's a Very cool pic.  If it's a dog, it should be back.


----------



## RugerMag (Oct 14, 2012)

For you non believers saying there are no big cats around come to Dahlonega and head out to the Wagon Wheel restaurant and there is a mountain lion/cougar mounted above the register that was shot by the owner in Lumpkin County about 15 yrs ago.


----------



## GDAWG84 (Oct 14, 2012)

I would trust Dr Waid's judgement, since he is, to my knowledge, the only puma concolor expert in the area. After all he did all his graduate work on cougars. If I am reading the OP correctly, even his evaluation of the photo was inconclusive, so who knows? But I would not question the validity or the reputations of Dr.s Waid and Moore or the ABAC Wildlife Program....


----------



## GA DAWG (Oct 14, 2012)

I saw a track a couple yrs ago in crisp co. May be this uns sire or mama. All I know it was a cat track. No ands ifs or buts about it. Had a feller with me. Showed him to. Its was bigger than my fist. No bobcats that big anywhere. Maybe I'll see what left it one of these days.


----------



## thorott (Oct 14, 2012)

its a cat.  i have had people in south ga including game wardens tell me theres no panthers around here. but i have personally seen two. i hunt near a hog farmer and we have seen a panther taking small pigs from his pens. if theres cats in fla, tenn, and other surrounding states, then why wouldnt they be here too. i really dont think state lines on a map would stop them, lol.


----------



## chaveal (Oct 14, 2012)

Ive seen a black panther in elbert co on our lease 5yrs ago. Other people in club seen it to.looks like the one u have in pic if u look close enough u can see its face . Its a panther or some kind of cat.


----------



## chaveal (Oct 14, 2012)

Face is short and squared off


----------



## bloodrunner23 (Oct 16, 2012)

cat all the way, these haters gonna hate.


----------



## benosmose (Oct 16, 2012)

That dogs member is hanging down under him cats dont do that.


----------



## Turkey Trax (Oct 16, 2012)

respro said:


> Blood hound smellin BFO.


----------



## Woodsman60 (Oct 16, 2012)

Im no expert, but I did sleep in a holliday inn last night. To me, if you look at how small the head and ears are, along with the turned up tail at the end, it does look like a mountain cat. Stranger things have happened !


----------



## Flaustin1 (Oct 16, 2012)

benosmose said:


> That dogs member is hanging down under him cats dont do that.



Good observation.  The dog in the picture dosnt have the muscle mass you folks are saying it does.  Its simply standing downhill with most of its weight on one leg causing the shoulder blade to push up.


----------



## deepfryit (Oct 16, 2012)

might have missed it above ..but that looks like a female dog that recently had pups and still sportin saggy teets.


----------



## six (Oct 16, 2012)

The elusive Black Camel, the hump gives it away.


----------



## THWACKG5 (Oct 16, 2012)

I'm not sure I see a " member" ..could be.....also could be the lighting....or the animals other leg mixed with the weeds.

The shoulder blade being pushed up becuase of the low head angle is a good theory.. The problem i found after light research is the shoulder blades of cats and dogs could do the same thing. 

The other thing to be considered is the lower leg thickness of most dog breeds are much thinner than that of most cats in general. Although hard to see in the picture, looks 
to me the outline of a thicker leg " could" be legible. 

Also what about the ears.. Of either, cat/ dog  Hard to see, but if they where flappy like a dog I would expect to see a shadow or some sort of feature pointing towards a floppy ear...


----------



## ted_BSR (Oct 17, 2012)

That is a D-A-W-G. No doubt in my mind.

That tail is way to little for a lion.

No disrespect to your professors, but they answered like professors. True to form is a good thing, but not always right.


----------



## chefrific (Oct 17, 2012)

I lived in Arizona for a few years and saw TRUE mountain lions/cougars/panthers (all the same).  This is NO cat.  This is definitely a dog.
The tail is wayyyy to short and not thick enough.  
The tail on this one also tapers.  A mountain lion/panther's tail does not taper near as much and the thickness seems to run the length of the tail. 
Look at the tails on these REAL cats....


----------



## wingnut2000 (Oct 17, 2012)

chefrific said:


> I lived in Arizona for a few years and saw TRUE mountain lions/cougars/panthers (all the same).  This is NO cat.  This is definitely a dog.
> The tail is wayyyy to short and not thick enough.
> The tail on this one also tapers.  A mountain lion/panther's tail does not taper near as much and the thickness seems to run the length of the tail.
> Look at the tails on these REAL cats....



Thank you


----------



## Huntinfool (Oct 17, 2012)

Wouldn't we be able to see a cat's ears sticking up if his head was down like that?

I agree with everybody else...if you look at it and think "dog", it's totally there.  If you look at it and think "cat"...it's pretty easy to see that too.

Certainly not definitive.  But, like I said in the other thread...one thing I do know.  They will be here eventually, just like hogs, armadillos and rattlers.


----------



## southernboy2147 (Oct 17, 2012)

bottom line is a Dr. who went to school to study these animals said it was inconclusive so there no way any of us can say it 100% one or the other. we can think we know the right answer but im sure the Dr. is way more qualified to do the picture verification and could not.


----------



## MAC12 (Oct 17, 2012)

Dog !!!!!!


----------



## thecoonman (Nov 14, 2012)

thats deffinetley not a dog the tail is rounded off not pointed u either got a cougar or a mountain lion


----------



## bhdawgs (Nov 14, 2012)

Hard to tell from that picture, did you not get another pic???   Looks to dark to be an Eastern Cougar and the tail doesn't appear long enough


----------



## 01Foreman400 (Nov 14, 2012)

Another great example of why it's better to run trail cameras on video mode.


----------



## jimmyb (Nov 14, 2012)

Well i dont know about that one,but i no 100 percent there was one on  a middle ga wma in the early 90s me my dad and uncle we were leaving for lunch we were driving down a dirt road seen somethin cross the road we pulled up and looked in direction it went less than 10 yards off the road it was there standing almost broadside on the firebreak  it looked back at the truck and slowly walked off .We went straight to check station and told them they were very iminate about we did not see one needless to say i removed my stand and left the area.in the years since that we have been drawn.to hunt this wma we will not go near that area.


----------



## Uncle Dawg Bone (Nov 14, 2012)

RugerMag said:


> For you non believers saying there are no big cats around come to Dahlonega and head out to the Wagon Wheel restaurant and there is a mountain lion/cougar mounted above the register that was shot by the owner in Lumpkin County about 15 yrs ago.


That cat hasn't been dead 15 years. It came from out west. The owner does a lot of hunting out west.


----------



## CreekChub (Nov 15, 2012)

The feeder looks like a 4" pipe about 5' tall. If so that would 
put the critter about 18" tall, 25" long. Bobcat
territory or small dog. I think it's a bobcat and the black
tail may be something else. This could be an illusion but it
almost looks like a kitten under it's tail in the expanded
pic, post #25?


----------



## rosewood (Nov 15, 2012)

Have you found any tracks?  Look around in bare spots and see what you can find.  Cat tracks will not have claw marks and the dog tracks will.  That will help to clear things up.  Set out some bait and maybe rake back some leaves to get good tracks.  Maybe some bait will get it back for better pics.


----------



## Civiljacket03 (Nov 15, 2012)

I don't know what that picture is of exactly, but I do find it funny that most of you think there are no big cats in Georgia just because you haven't seen one and the game warden told you so!  That doesn't mean they are not here.


----------



## Half Draw (Nov 15, 2012)

I don't know about what's in the picture, but the people that tell you there are no "panthers/cougars" in Georgia, lack common sense. There is no person on this planet that can tell you whether or not a panther has crossed the state line over into Georgia. They said the same thing a while back, until someone shot and killed one (then got in trouble for shooting something that was supposedly not even there). Common sense, people...


----------



## Half Draw (Nov 15, 2012)

CreekChub said:


> The feeder looks like a 4" pipe about 5' tall. If so that would
> put the critter about 18" tall, 25" long. Bobcat
> territory or small dog. I think it's a bobcat and the black
> tail may be something else. This could be an illusion but it
> ...



Have you ever seen a bobcat?


----------



## CountryBoy77 (Nov 15, 2012)

Its a cougar there a few in south ga....


----------



## Deadringer (Nov 15, 2012)

chefrific said:


> I lived in Arizona for a few years and saw TRUE mountain lions/cougars/panthers (all the same).  This is NO cat.  This is definitely a dog.
> The tail is wayyyy to short and not thick enough.
> The tail on this one also tapers.  A mountain lion/panther's tail does not taper near as much and the thickness seems to run the length of the tail.
> Look at the tails on these REAL cats....



Dayum!  That deer is about to get a surprise in pic #1.


----------



## Deadringer (Nov 15, 2012)

CreekChub said:


> The feeder looks like a 4" pipe about 5' tall. If so that would
> put the critter about 18" tall, 25" long. Bobcat
> territory or small dog. I think it's a bobcat and the black
> tail may be something else. This could be an illusion but it
> ...



How can you tell?  There is nothing I can see in this picture to provide a scale of how big or small the animal really is.  Whatever it is, it appears taller than 1.5' to me.


----------



## shakey gizzard (Nov 15, 2012)

Common coudog!


----------



## CreekChub (Nov 15, 2012)

Yes I have seen a live bobcat in the woods. I turned around
and went the other way after walking up behind one on
a pulpwood road.
I would think that if panthers or cougars can live in Florida
swamps they could live in Georgia as well. I remember
from several years back some mountain lions were released
in S. Ga with tracking collars and one made it all the way up
and crossed over I - 20. Any one else remember that?
As far as the 4" pipe, that was just a guess for scale.
I have hunted for 40 years and all the pipe feeders I have
walked up on were 4" or less usually with a coffee can for a lid
and 5' or less high so one can fill without a ladder. 
It could still be a cougar I guess but looks small if in fact
that is a 4" pipe.


----------



## rosewood (Nov 15, 2012)

I have to say, that does have the build of a cat.  But not definitely not a bobcat because they have short tails.

Just showed the picture to my wife, she hasn't seen this post and she said that was a cat and not a  dog.  Her first response was a cougar.  And she is a dog lover by the way.


----------



## calebroad (Nov 15, 2012)

Looks like a couger to me, but I am NO expert. But I think that is a couger in my own non expert opinion.


----------



## ted_BSR (Nov 16, 2012)

It is a Liger.
I swear I did not photo shop this picture. I swear it.


----------



## rosewood (Nov 16, 2012)

Graffam said:


> i have a BMC and i really think that's what it is
> View attachment 692807



What are the chances you can get a picture of your dog with his head down eating or something so we can get a comparable picture and see how the neck looks while eating.  Maybe we can put them side by side and get a better comparison.


----------



## bhdawgs (Nov 16, 2012)

What does Nicodemus think?


----------



## Half Draw (Nov 16, 2012)

I still have yet to figure out how anyone could even contemplate that being a bobcat. That's the type of person that causes us to have to wear orange while hunting.


----------



## rosewood (Nov 23, 2012)

Here is a bobcat taken in Worth County in 2003.

Note the spots and the short tail.


----------



## JerryC (Nov 27, 2012)

rosewood said:


> Here is a bobcat taken in Worth County in 2003.
> 
> Note the spots and the short tail.



Nice Cheetah!


----------



## Dylank15 (Nov 27, 2012)

Also note the sizeable hole in the chest of the cat most likely caused by a center fire rifle of large caliber....


----------



## SELFBOW (Nov 27, 2012)

Heres some pics for reference...


----------



## gatorgetter (Dec 5, 2012)

Wish you had this on video


----------



## olcowman (Dec 5, 2012)

jimmyb said:


> needless to say i removed my stand and left the area.in the years since that we have been drawn.to hunt this wma we will not go near that area.



LOL Why grab your stand and leave and not go back? Do you think he's still there, lurking... just biding his time... seeing how he done seen you and all... waiting for you to come back? Maybe that's why they ain't no eye witnesses to seeing these things... they eat em'?


----------



## bruiserbuckgrower (Dec 5, 2012)

I think cat but not fully grown, put out some Bacon slabs or tie a goat to a tree and put 3 or 4 trail cams on it and see what shows up. Not sure the goat thing is legal but just a thought


----------



## bruiserbuckgrower (Dec 5, 2012)

Just joking about the goat


----------



## Qwikdiesel (Dec 5, 2012)

Thats a Cat. No need to deny there excitense in GA.


----------



## jevans7mm (Dec 5, 2012)

I'm not sure if its a cat or not but all of the cat pictures posted have that spot at the top of the shoulders like a ball. So does the op 's pic.


----------



## Flaustin1 (Dec 5, 2012)

It was a dog when the pic was taken, it was a dog when i posted about it a month ago, and its still a dog today.  Geez folks really?


----------



## olcowman (Dec 5, 2012)

dehart56 said:


> Here is a pic taken in Stokes County above Winston Salem in North Carolina.  This is another place there are no cougars.  The wildlife was shown this along with the place.  Needless to say; "THERE AIN'T NO COUGARS IN NORTH CAROLINA"  and thats a fact.



That ain't sugar cane in the background is it? I don't think they grow much sugarcane up in them parts do they?


----------



## bhdawgs (Dec 6, 2012)

Look at the pictures of the cougars above and notice the ball on top of the shoulders.   It is similar to the OP picture.  

I Believe that is a CAT.


----------



## gtmcwhorter (Dec 6, 2012)

Set a trap and find out! End the discussion.  If it's a dog you'll have some explaining to do to your neighbor about where his dog is.


----------



## bfriendly (Dec 6, 2012)

Miguel Cervantes said:


> The striped tail tip and white fur on the haunches indicate a young cougar. Also the tip of the tail is blount like a cat, not pointed as a canine would have. But it could very well be a dog, just hard to tell, even enlarged and enhanced.
> 
> View attachment 692899



yep, This^^^^^^^^^


----------



## Buck Roar (Dec 6, 2012)

Cat look at the tail


----------



## rigderunner (Dec 6, 2012)

Iam about two months late but heres the pic of the scratchin post I found


----------



## Scott77 (Dec 7, 2012)

Here's a pic from Fayetteville Ga with similar scratches. I was thinking bobcat, but those are some rather large grooves in your pic and in mine.


----------



## rigderunner (Dec 7, 2012)

Scott77 said:


> Here's a pic from Fayetteville Ga with similar scratches. I was thinking bobcat, but those are some rather large grooves in your pic and in mine.



Atleast iam not the only one whos found a scratchin post as I call it how high off the ground did you find em iam  100% sure it was a cougar cause as I said earlier ive treed two in the same area back by a swamp there good pics bud


----------



## Scott77 (Dec 7, 2012)

rigderunner said:


> Atleast iam not the only one whos found a scratchin post as I call it how high off the ground did you find em iam  100% sure it was a cougar cause as I said earlier ive treed two in the same area back by a swamp there good pics bud



I'll have to go back and look, but I don't remember the scratches being very high. Not enough to really raise my eyebrows, anyhow. Made me stop and look though.


----------



## USMC0321 (Dec 8, 2012)

Looks like a dog


----------

