# Cougar caught on cam near Watkinsville



## BaggingBandedDrakes (Sep 8, 2012)

This picture is from my buddy's property on the oconee river near watkinsville, sure looks like a couger to me but im no expert. They've also been seeing alot fewer deer on the cameras in the last month. Interesting to say the least...


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## deerhuntingdawg (Sep 8, 2012)

The picture it pretty grainy. Could be a bobcat. The tail is cutoff so its hard to tell. IDK.


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## GA DAWG (Sep 8, 2012)

Panther.


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## Todd E (Sep 8, 2012)

Can you post a full size pic of the original that is not taken with a cell phone.............


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## turky93 (Sep 8, 2012)

Fairly certain that it is a panther, but that doesn't prove where it was taken. 
Do you have other pics from the same trail cam or is it just one of those "My buddy just sent it to me" kinda deals?


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## BPowell92 (Sep 8, 2012)

How about a full sized pic?


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## mountain cat (Sep 8, 2012)

There is no painters in ga!
That is a African lion!


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## hobbs27 (Sep 8, 2012)

Bobcat...everyone knows north ga. Panthers are black.


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## BaggingBandedDrakes (Sep 8, 2012)

It was apparently taken on my buddies property near watkinsville.. All I know is that they went out to check their cameras and found this, he usually isnt the kind of guy to make up stories so I believe him when he says that picture is from his property. It may not be a panther but it sure looks big. He said everone who hunted opening morning carried a side arm with them to their stands. I sure as h*** would!
As far as a full size picture, Ill try and see if he can send me the original pictures from that camera.


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## ted_BSR (Sep 8, 2012)

Could be. My cousin, who is not one to make stuff up, swears he saw one in Jackson County several years ago. He was able to show us the track, and it sure enough looked like a big cat track. I think it was an escaped pet or zoo critter. That is more common than you might think.


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## jaymkemp (Sep 9, 2012)

definitely a bobcat. You can tell by the thickness of his tail, the thickness of his hind quarters, the shape of his head. It is all inconsistent with a cougar.   Although you can not see the length of the tail, which is helpful if you can, you can tell the tail is thin. A cougar tail is thick and their body is built differently from a bobcat. Cougars are thick short and long and a lot larger than a bobcat. Cougars get up to 200 lbs and are stocky in appearance. While the cat in the photo appears large, there is nothing in the photo to give it scale. Trees are obviously different sizes. The cat was close to the camera or cropped in on. There are cougars in Georgia from time to time. They migrate a long way and are very nocturnal. This is only my opinion but I have studied them a bit and talked with several rangers and biologist about cougars in Ga. Most of them think there are no cougars in ga., but they are wrong. Your best bet to see one would be in south ga. Florida panthers, which is a cougar, likely migrate up into Ga. Next best would be the north ga mountains. They are highly illusive and the dnr and gon would love to see undisputable proof of a cougar in Ga. Many creditable witnesses have seen them but they want a photo with a background that i d's  the particular woods the cat was in so they can go out and verify it. I hope someone gets one on camera or film in Ga soon. If you have one post it. I am sure everyone would like to see it. Again, this is only an opinion, and you know the saying.


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## Egbertdavis (Sep 9, 2012)

That image is blown up and compare the hear to the R in corner.  Pretty small animal.  Also compare the animal to the small limbs coming out of the tree, betting its a housecat.


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## Miguel Cervantes (Sep 9, 2012)

Definitely a Panther.


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## shakey gizzard (Sep 9, 2012)

Lynx fer sure!


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## blood on the ground (Sep 9, 2012)

mountain cat said:


> There is no painters in ga!
> That is a African lion!



 your off topic...this thread has nothing to do with E verify


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## mountain cat (Sep 9, 2012)

Ok
I don't think it's a African lion
Looks more like a north ga mountain lion that has breed with a Flordia panther!
Mountain panther


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## benosmose (Sep 9, 2012)

bobcat


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## gator tackle (Sep 9, 2012)

liger. Half lion hald tiger.


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## Chase4556 (Sep 9, 2012)

Those of you saying bobcat, what bobcat do you know of that has a long tail like that? 

That is a cougar. No doubt about it. If you don't think so, get online and just look at images.


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 9, 2012)

That's a crappy picture. Get another picture from the same cam in the same location with something else in view for comparison.


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## cowhornedspike (Sep 9, 2012)

Chase4556 said:


> Those of you saying bobcat, what bobcat do you know of that has a long tail like that?
> 
> That is a cougar. No doubt about it. If you don't think so, get online and just look at images.



If you see a long tail then your eyesight (or imagination) is better than mine.  Have seen plenty of bobcats with tails as long as you can see in the pic...can't see that is isn't long either because there COULD be more there that is hidden, but you seem to see something that COULD be there rather than what can actually be seen.


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## lbzdually (Sep 9, 2012)

Look how small the head is compared to the rest of the body.  Bobcats usually have a head that is larger is proportion to their body, like this.






While panthers have a small head in comparison to their body like this.


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## GA DAWG (Sep 9, 2012)

Its longer than most panthers I've seen. So now I think its duel panthers. One walking out from behind that big ol pine tree and One going behind it.


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## calebroad (Sep 9, 2012)

Why is the photo missing the time and date stamp? That camera defiantly takes much different pictures than any of the newer model cameras that I have tried.


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## lbzdually (Sep 9, 2012)

calebroad said:


> Why is the photo missing the time and date stamp? That camera defiantly takes much different pictures than any of the newer model cameras that I have tried.



Probably a distant picture that has been cropped to get as close as possible.


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## JamesG (Sep 9, 2012)

Looks kinda small.


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## shakey gizzard (Sep 9, 2012)

GA DAWG said:


> Its longer than most panthers I've seen. So now I think its duel panthers. One walking out from behind that big ol pine tree and One going behind it.



Now that you mention that, its prolly not a lynx!


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## doublebrowtine (Sep 9, 2012)

I believe it's a mountain lion and the pic was probably taken in Colorado, reason i think this is you can see the silhouette of a Bigfoot in the back ground


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## billy336 (Sep 9, 2012)

I live in panther country, that is a panther.


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## mudwizer (Sep 9, 2012)

its a panther long - I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH - tail. plenty of where i am from, the glades


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## BAR308 (Sep 9, 2012)

i saw a black panther on 140 just north of waleska. no doubt in mind what it was. it was right on the side of the road. yes ga has panthers.


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## Milkman (Sep 9, 2012)

Redlands WMA is across the river from Oconee County (Watkinsville) , somebody hunting over there will see him soon to confirm the identity.

Where on the Oconee ??  Below Hwy 15 or above??


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## shakey gizzard (Sep 9, 2012)




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## BaggingBandedDrakes (Sep 9, 2012)

It was taken just north of the 15 bridge.


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## Throwback (Sep 10, 2012)

dear lord please make it stop


T


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## Throwback (Sep 10, 2012)

baggingbandeddrakes,

post the ORIGINAL picture as if came from the camera. 


T


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## joeythehunter (Sep 10, 2012)

chupacabra ???
Sure is a Cat and a big one
we got a member that seen a Black Panther north of Joe Kurz, so he thinks


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## dawg2 (Sep 10, 2012)

Throwback said:


> baggingbandeddrakes,
> 
> post the ORIGINAL picture as if came from the camera.
> 
> ...



THIS!


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## Mike 65 (Sep 10, 2012)

Throwback said:


> baggingbandeddrakes,
> 
> post the ORIGINAL picture as if came from the camera.
> 
> ...


He can't, it would show that it's something else.
It seems ga is the only state with camera shy cougars


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## BreamReaper (Sep 10, 2012)

Didnt there was an abundance of Palmetto in Watkinsville

What ya got is a cell phone pass it on cougar. Prob a Floridian


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## Miguel Cervantes (Sep 10, 2012)

BreamReaper said:


> Didnt there was an abundance of Palmetto in Watkinsville
> 
> What ya got is a cell phone pass it on cougar. Prob a Floridian



The flora on the left of the photo is pine needles, not Palmetto.


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## Milkman (Sep 10, 2012)

I have a buddy who hunts a tract just above the Hwy 15 bridge a couple of miles, across the river from Redlands. He has seen 2 black bears on that tract recently, but no cats.

In the picture it seems like an odd set up for a trail camera???   I ususally set mine up with a clear view of an opening or trail. As others have suggested an actual upload from that camera card would help to identify the critter.


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## whitedog (Sep 10, 2012)

This is probably the same panther that lives behind the Chicken Express in Watkinsville. They feed it the leftover chicken every night. It stays out behind the carwash.


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## Milkman (Sep 10, 2012)

whitedog said:


> This is probably the same panther that lives behind the Chicken Express in Watkinsville. They feed it the leftover chicken every night. It stays out behind the carwash.



Does the BBQ guy give him leftovers on Friday


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## Buck Dropper (Sep 10, 2012)

I've seen bobcats and I've seen mountain lions and panthers. That's a panther. May not have been taken in Georgia, but that's what it is.


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## bhdawgs (Sep 10, 2012)

Paging Nicodemus


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## ddavis1120 (Sep 10, 2012)

It is definitely a Reconyx trail cam picture.  It looks like a Missouri tiger to me.  May have been scouting the dawgs; climbing the trees overlooking Butts Mehre practice fields.  Did anyone else think Missouri's defense knew our plays in the first half?  
He could have been looking for an UGA sandwich.....guess he didn't know the Seilers live in Savannah.


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## BowhuntingFanatic35 (Sep 10, 2012)

whitedog said:


> This is probably the same panther that lives behind the Chicken Express in Watkinsville. They feed it the leftover chicken every night. It stays out behind the carwash.



I love that chicken express. Number 2 extra biscuit no gravy! and yes that is a cougar, and I know the property owners and they sent me the picutre as well. I know which trail cam it was taken from on the property, gonna get the original pic.


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## dawg2 (Sep 10, 2012)

BowhuntingFanatic35 said:


> I love that chicken express. Number 2 extra biscuit no gravy! and yes that is a cougar, and I know the property owners and they sent me the picutre as well. I know which trail cam it was taken from on the property, gonna get the original pic.



Post up a pic of that critter and put up another showing a deer in the same area for reference.


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 10, 2012)

buckdropper7 said:


> and I've seen mountain lions and panthers.



both are the same animal....... so if you've seen one, you've seen the other......


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## Buck Dropper (Sep 10, 2012)

cuda67bnl said:


> both are the same animal....... so if you've seen one, you've seen the other......


I was referring to the mountain lions out west and the Florida panther. They're the same, just referring to different locations.


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## ABBYS DAD (Sep 10, 2012)

panther. a racist one at that since this one is obviously not black.....


_Posted  from  Gon.com App  for Android_


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## Nicodemus (Sep 10, 2012)

bhdawgs said:


> Paging Nicodemus





It`s a panther, looks to be, but it ain`t the right color.


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## gsp754 (Sep 11, 2012)

Hows this for some proof?


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 11, 2012)

Only thing that proves is that you have trail cam pic of a cougar. Doesn't prove where it was taken.


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## gsp754 (Sep 11, 2012)

i prefer to call them panthers! I couldnt get him to stand still for a pic by the county line sign, this is in Fulton County.


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 11, 2012)

Well I believe ya now, since ya said Fulton!!


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## gsp754 (Sep 11, 2012)

I thought that might make you see the light! I hate giving away my locations but i want to disprove this no panthers in GA thing once and for all!


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## hunter rich (Sep 11, 2012)

You would have to have a picture of one holding a current news paper nest to the Welcome to Georgia sign at the state line for anyone on here to believe ya...


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## hunter rich (Sep 11, 2012)

Heres a whole bunch of em!!!


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## gsp754 (Sep 11, 2012)

I have some of them on the lease too!


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 11, 2012)

I'm in my deer stand and I just laughed out loud over the last one. Now I'm scared to get down cause I'm afraid there may be one of them in my woods too!


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## scoggins (Sep 11, 2012)

CHOOT 'em!


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## Milkman (Sep 11, 2012)

Are we gonna get an image directly from the card on this one???


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## T-N-T (Sep 15, 2012)

Milkman said:


> Are we gonna get an image directly from the card on this one???



NO


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## Throwback (Sep 15, 2012)

TopherAndTick said:


> NO



reckon why? 

T


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## cself (Sep 16, 2012)

I live in oconee and have been hunting fishing and camping on and around the oconee river most of my life i also know many of the property owners between barnet shoals and highway 15 and nobody i've talked to has heard about this cat so i am very doubtful that this is true but i do believe in panthers in the area it just hard to believe the county wouldn't be buzzing about a picture of one.


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## Milkman (Sep 16, 2012)

Milkman said:


> Are we gonna get an image directly from the card on this one???





TopherAndTick said:


> NO




I was trying to see if there was a chance...... I didnt expect to get a response.


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## BeauWitherspoon (Sep 20, 2012)

That there is Sasquatch's pet cat, Fiffy.


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## PappyHoel (Sep 20, 2012)

gsp754 said:


> I thought that might make you see the light! I hate giving away my locations but i want to disprove this no panthers in GA thing once and for all!



That's clearly Usher's pet panther.  He lets it roam the country club of the south.  He likes to chase the golf carts, but he's really friendly.  His name is Max, he attacks when someone deer grunts so be careful.


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## flyfisher007 (Sep 20, 2012)

Bobcat, tail is too thin and I am not sure what everyone is seeing that says the tail is long? Looks like the pic was zoomed in and cropped making it look bigger


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## Ff2012 (Sep 20, 2012)

I say cougar, look at the body length and size of the head.


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## flyfisher007 (Sep 20, 2012)

this cat looks big, but it's a bobcat. If this pic was at night, it would be tough to tell. but look how narrow the base of the tail is on the cat in question......close up pic of a Bobcat


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## flyfisher007 (Sep 20, 2012)

you can also see the cheek fur line at the back of the jaw.


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## WallyGator9 (Sep 20, 2012)

Puma for sure... Not the kind of cougar you want pick of if you ask me....


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## GT-40 GUY (Sep 21, 2012)

mountain cat said:


> There is no painters in ga!
> That is a African lion!



I know a lot of painters in Georgia.    

gt40


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## BigDollar (Sep 23, 2012)

It compares favorably to a cougar but the photo is of such poor quality a certain identification is not possible.


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## Milkman (Sep 23, 2012)

BigDollar said:


> It compares favorably to a cougar but the photo is of such poor quality a certain identification is not possible.



I think many of us think this looks similar to a cougar, but the likelihood of it being in NE Ga is slim.  It even makes the report less credible since there has not been followup information.


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## GAHUNTER60 (Sep 23, 2012)

Everybody got up in arms over the guy who killed that cougar in Troup County a few years ago, but had he not killed it (and turned himself in), it would still be the official position of DNR that there are no eastern-strain cougars in Georgia, nor have there been since the 1930s.

Does anybody really think that this was the _*only*_ cougar in the state?

BTW, I elk hunt every year on a ranch near Craig, Colorado which is smack dab in he middle of Rocky Mountain cougar country.  The cat population is so high in the area that they are credited as the reason why the local mule deer population in the high elevations has plummeted to historic lows.  However, the owners of the ranch, who are in their upper 50s, tell me that they have never seen a live cougar!

This just goes to tell you how secretive these animals are.  Until someone shoots another one (or one gets run over by a car), no one will believe that they are here.  AND anyone who gets a picture of one on a trail cam will be branded a fraud.


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## GAMEDIC (Sep 23, 2012)

Its a snuffelugalest


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## Throwback (Sep 23, 2012)

GAHUNTER60 said:


> Everybody got up in arms over the guy who killed that cougar in Troup County a few years ago, but had he not killed it (and turned himself in), it would still be the official position of DNR that there are no eastern-strain cougars in Georgia, nor have there been since the 1930s.
> 
> Does anybody really think that this was the _*only*_ cougar in the state?
> 
> ...



and what color was that cougar killed in troup county?




T


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 23, 2012)

GAHUNTER60 said:


> AND anyone who gets a picture of one on a trail cam will be branded a fraud.



So far, nobody has gotten a picture of one. If someone ever does, I might believe them.


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## cowhornedspike (Sep 23, 2012)

GAHUNTER60 said:


> Everybody got up in arms over the guy who killed that cougar in Troup County a few years ago, but had he not killed it (and turned himself in), it would still be the official position of DNR that there are no eastern-strain cougars in Georgia, nor have there been since the 1930s.
> 
> Does anybody really think that this was the _*only*_ cougar in the state?
> 
> ...



Not branding anyone a "fraud" ... well, the folks that sent the pics in to GON last year, they were frauds and most of them were not even good ones ... but otherwise as far as this thread goes, the op has been requested by several to produce the WHOLE PICTURE and not just a cut up one and his lack of doing that so far is beginning to make him look a little questionable.


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## Chadx1981 (Sep 23, 2012)

I dont know why everyone is so excited and always bringing up panthers in ga. Does it really matter if there are or arent? U do not need to carry a side arm because you are worried about getting attacked. He has been noticing less and less deer huh? How much do you think a panther cat eats? Im no expert either but im pretty sure chances are that it would be a male in search of female cat and prolly wouldnt stay in the area long enough for anyone to notice some deer missing. Im not expert again but I would assume there ideal prey would be a yearling or fawn. .02


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## hunter rich (Sep 23, 2012)

cowhornedspike said:


> Not branding anyone a "fraud" ... well, the folks that sent the pics in to GON last year, they were frauds and most of them were not even good ones ... but otherwise as far as this thread goes, the op has been requested by several to produce the WHOLE PICTURE and not just a cut up one and his lack of doing that so far is beginning to make him look a little questionable.



Kinda like that *frecan* largemouth over on the freshwater fishing forum...


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## Throwback (Sep 23, 2012)

Chadx1981 said:


> I dont know why everyone is so excited and always bringing up panthers in ga. Does it really matter if there are or arent? U do not need to carry a side arm because you are worried about getting attacked. He has been noticing less and less deer huh? How much do you think a panther cat eats? Im no expert either but im pretty sure chances are that it would be a male in search of female cat and prolly wouldnt stay in the area long enough for anyone to notice some deer missing. Im not expert again but I would assume there ideal prey would be a yearling or fawn. .02



because georgia has a species here by the thousands that is not known to exist anywhere else in the US-- a "black" panther. 




T


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## dawg2 (Sep 23, 2012)

Throwback said:


> because georgia has a species here by the thousands that is not known to exist anywhere else in the US-- a "black" panther.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



They are quite common in England


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## CollinsK (Sep 23, 2012)

very close of pic of a good size bobcat. Last year we had a bobcat come in from that area weighting 35 lbs and was 34 inches from his nose tip to base of tail.


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## bullgator (Sep 24, 2012)

A doe with the nose below the edge of the photo.


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## blueheron (Sep 25, 2012)

*Black Panther*

I hunt the northern zone.  I was hunting my favorite spot.  It is right on the property line facing the other club's property.  It is my favorite spot because I have a big pile of corn on the ground.  I hear a big noise and I see a sasquatch being chased by a black panther.  Guess the panther was trying to eat the sasquatch. It is probably the reason we don't see many saquatchs anymore.   Neither one could see me cause I always take off my blaze orange when I get up in the tree. I have a trail cam next to the corn but didn't get a picture cause a game warden erased it.  If I had a picture of them both then I could get everyone to age and score them for me.  Don't laugh, it could happen.


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## pstrahin (Sep 25, 2012)

Why are the panther pictures always blurry?  Could it be another HOAX?


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## BigDollar (Oct 3, 2012)

Here's a link to a photo of the cougar killed in Georgia a few years ago.

http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10...w=157&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:74

It's a tawny gray.

The earlier reports that it was a captive released animal were proven incorrect by a DNA test. It was a wild animal.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2009/08/05/798764/dna-links-cougar-killed-in-georgias.html


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## Nicodemus (Oct 3, 2012)

Here`s another picture of the Florida panther that was killed up here. Just a standard colored panther. It`s all in how the light hits it.


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## NCHillbilly (Oct 3, 2012)

Notice how BLACK it is!


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## Miguel Cervantes (Oct 3, 2012)

NCHillbilly said:


> Notice how BLACK it is!


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## XIronheadX (Oct 3, 2012)

I've heard tale of panthers and bears all my life. Everywhere I've hunted. I always just chalk it up to people that are scared of the darkness and vivid imaginations. If I see one, I'll have the scratch marks to prove it. And it will be on youtube. I'm guessing the DNR won't bother me if I take it with a knife.


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## Miguel Cervantes (Oct 3, 2012)

XIronheadX said:


> I've heard tale of panthers and bears all my life. Everywhere I've hunted. I always just chalk it up to people that are scared of the darkness and vivid imaginations. If I see one, I'll have the scratch marks to prove it. And it will be on youtube. I'm guessing the DNR won't bother me if I take it with a knife.



If you ever did see a panther in the woods, I promise you, you would rethink that knife defense strategy.


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## XIronheadX (Oct 3, 2012)

Miguel Cervantes said:


> If you ever did see a panther in the woods, I promise you, you would rethink that knife defense strategy.



I'd be eaten. Knock myself out running into trees.


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## Throwback (Oct 3, 2012)

BigDollar said:


> Here's a link to a photo of the cougar killed in Georgia a few years ago.
> 
> http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10...w=157&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:74
> 
> ...




doesn't mean it couldn't be wild/captured then released. 


T


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## southernboy2147 (Oct 3, 2012)

not saying its a cougar or panther but all yall saying panther tails are thin... look at the tail on that panther... its as big as my wrist at the base


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## Miguel Cervantes (Oct 3, 2012)

southernboy2147 said:


> not saying its a cougar or panther but all yall saying panther tails are thin... look at the tail on that panther... its as big as my wrist at the base



Yep, ain't nothing thin about a panther tail.


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## Milkman (Oct 3, 2012)

southernboy2147 said:


> not saying its a cougar or panther but all yall saying panther tails are thin... look at the tail on that panther... its as big as my wrist at the base




But was the pic taken in NE Ga ???


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## southernboy2147 (Oct 3, 2012)

Milkman said:


> But was the pic taken in NE Ga ???



cant tell you that, not sayin it was taken in ga, do i believe that there in ga yes i do. but i also believe so many people want to cause a big fuss about it that they post fake pics... i did last deer season of my fb. there was already a rumor about a cougar being on the family farm, and i got tired of folks beggin me to come huntin so i posted a pic from Kentucky on my fb... didnt get asked for the rest of the season by anyone to come huntin


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## 308fan (Oct 3, 2012)

mink


seriously, the panther trail camp pics are always so grainy or dark...


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## Miguel Cervantes (Oct 3, 2012)

southernboy2147 said:


> cant tell you that, not sayin it was taken in ga, do i believe that there in ga yes i do. but i also believe so many people want to cause a big fuss about it that they post fake pics... i did last deer season of my fb. there was already a rumor about a cougar being on the family farm, and i got tired of folks beggin me to come huntin so i posted a pic from Kentucky on my fb... didnt get asked for the rest of the season by anyone to come huntin



That's a pretty good strategy..


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## Throwback (Oct 3, 2012)

308fan said:


> mink
> 
> 
> seriously, the panther trail camp pics are always so grainy or dark...



and the ones posted on the trapping board I am on that are from the western states with known populations.....arent'. 

T


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## dawg2 (Oct 3, 2012)

Throwback said:


> and the ones posted on the trapping board I am on that are from the western states with known populations.....arent'.
> 
> T



Why is that?


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## REDFOXJR (Oct 6, 2012)

man! if thats a reconix, no way sir ree bob will i spend big money like that to get pictures of that quality.


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