# No Dout it was a Black Panther



## molly (Jun 5, 2011)

Hunting the other night, pulled up on a freshly cut wheat field (50 ac.) checked the field with a spot`n scope and da he was he was out about 250 yds looking straight at us.  It was black and my first thought was its a bit hog as he moved back and forth showing his eyes I noticed his eyes was different nothing like a hog or coyote.  I told my partner get the sticks and follow me....as we walked toward the black thing it moved down into some tall grass.  We move closer and still no hog....after 5 minutes I saw it moving on the other side of the grass next to the tree line for about 10 sec. I wathed it walk to my left and that when I realized it was a panther....black one at that...his tail was long curved and up.  Now if the Law aint what it is you`d be seeing a picture or the real thing.  My question to ya`ll is if you had the chance to shoot one (knowing the law) would you kill it.  I saw this big cat around 4:30 a.m. in the morning.  When I first saw his eyes I knew then something was very different about this big black thing...that I first thought was a hog.


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## Capt Quirk (Jun 5, 2011)

probably not, there really aren't to many left. On the other hand, I might consider carrying a big bag of catnip the next time you go. A really big bag...


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## 73JER (Jun 5, 2011)

I think we may have a larger population than Latin America, lol. You may have sighted a panther, it's just about 99.9% safe to say it wasn't black. Here's why, according to Google Search.

Is there a “Black Panther”?
The term 'Black Panther' is quite often used in connection with large black cats - however there is no one distinct species of wildcat called a 'Black Panther'. Over the years it has become used as a common name that can be applied to any large black-coated cat. When you see a picture of a 'Black Panther' it is most likely that you are looking at either a Leopard or possibly a Jaguar with Melanistic coloration.

The term Melanistic is derived from melanin, a dark colored skin and hair pigment. In cats, melanism results in the fur of the animal being very dark or black in color. In many cases the usual markings of the animal can be faintly seen through the dark fur, especially at certain angles in bright sunlight. Melanistic cats are commonly born into mixed litters along with normally colored siblings.

(Note: There is no documented evidence of the existence of a melanistic Florida Panther.  Information in this answer is from the web site Big Cats Online. )


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## fishfryer (Jun 5, 2011)

Before I shot it I'd try another approach. Once you kill an animal you can't ever see it or expect it to have babies. With an animal so rare, it's worth going to extra effort to positively identify it, and get a good closeup picture. The next time you see it,call calmly and gently,here kitty kitty kitty,if it approaches you, scratch the root of his tail,and under his chin. That's what I usually do when I see one.


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## GA DAWG (Jun 5, 2011)

Black panther comes by me. Black panther dies!! Which ain't gonna happen because theirs no such thing. If they don't exist we don't have laws on them.


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## ironhead7544 (Jun 5, 2011)

I saw one.  It was very black.  And big. The guy driving a ways in front of me almost drove off the road, scared him bad.  I thought about stopping and seeing if I could photograph some tracks but didnt have my gun with me.  I wouldnt shoot one.  As long as they are not bothering people I dont think they should be killed.  BTW, other people have seen it in the same area.  I never said anything about it because I thought people would think I was crazy.


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## godogs57 (Jun 5, 2011)

It's always black.....always. Good Lord...


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## Throwback (Jun 5, 2011)

godogs57 said:


> It's always black.....always. Good Lord...




and they see it for "just a few seconds" ....

T


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## GA DAWG (Jun 5, 2011)

Throwback said:


> and they see it for "just a few seconds" ....
> 
> T



And never have a camera or a gun!


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## wmahunter (Jun 5, 2011)

But they never leave their good imagination at home.


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## fish hawk (Jun 5, 2011)

No doubt,Black Panthers are Cool.


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## CAL (Jun 5, 2011)

molly said:


> Hunting the other night, pulled up on a freshly cut wheat field (50 ac.) checked the field with a spot`n scope and da he was he was out about 250 yds looking straight at us.  It was black and my first thought was its a bit hog as he moved back and forth showing his eyes I noticed his eyes was different nothing like a hog or coyote.  I told my partner get the sticks and follow me....as we walked toward the black thing it moved down into some tall grass.  We move closer and still no hog....after 5 minutes I saw it moving on the other side of the grass next to the tree line for about 10 sec. I wathed it walk to my left and that when I realized it was a panther....black one at that...his tail was long curved and up.  Now if the Law aint what it is you`d be seeing a picture or the real thing.  My question to ya`ll is if you had the chance to shoot one (knowing the law) would you kill it.  I saw this big cat around 4:30 a.m. in the morning.  When I first saw his eyes I knew then something was very different about this big black thing...that I first thought was a hog.



No Sir i would not kill it.I'm not saying there isn't one either.I do know there are things out there lots of people see and lots of people never see.My neighbor some 3 miles to the north of me said he saw one.Told me about it on his own without any prompting.Now has been about 6 weeks ago.Now I travel the road he lives on more than he does but have never seen what he described.Started off telling me the cat was black but later said the cat was very dark,almost black.


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## Hunter22 (Jun 6, 2011)

molly said:


> Hunting the other night, pulled up on a freshly cut wheat field (50 ac.) checked the field with a spot`n scope and da he was he was out about 250 yds looking straight at us.  It was black and my first thought was its a bit hog as he moved back and forth showing his eyes I noticed his eyes was different nothing like a hog or coyote.  I told my partner get the sticks and follow me....as we walked toward the black thing it moved down into some tall grass.  We move closer and still no hog....after 5 minutes I saw it moving on the other side of the grass next to the tree line for about 10 sec. I wathed it walk to my left and that when I realized it was a panther....black one at that...his tail was long curved and up.  Now if the Law aint what it is you`d be seeing a picture or the real thing.  My question to ya`ll is if you had the chance to shoot one (knowing the law) would you kill it.  I saw this big cat around 4:30 a.m. in the morning.  When I first saw his eyes I knew then something was very different about this big black thing...that I first thought was a hog.



No one will believe you untill you have a picture or a body. I will though cause I believe I saw one but no one else does. The best thing to do is admit you saw something dark but not sure because the guys on here will just go back and forth telling you theres no such thing cause it cant ever happen. I will believe you cause I swear on my life I saw one but no one will believe me.


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## REDMOND1858 (Jun 6, 2011)

i have pvs-7 gen. 3 nightvision and sometimes deer look just like hogs......black as can be.....other nights they will look nearly white....depends on how much moonlight you have. iv looked through a couple good nightvision scopes and couldnt see near as good as you can with the goggles......so the NV most likely lied to you......no black panther....and why wouldnt you shoot something that doesnt exist?


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## rydert (Jun 6, 2011)

I love these panther threads


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## RSmith (Jun 6, 2011)

I have had 4 sightings, all in North Florida none in the last twenty years. I have seen tracks since then but back then we kept bee,s and I was in the woods much more than now. If you are ever lucky enough to see one it will be just for a few seconds so unless you get a trail cam picture proof is hard to come by. Two sightings were within one hundred yards or less and they were brown, the other two were farther off and looked quite dark, the same way a deer looks dark at a distance.
  My personal belief is that they are out there, it is rare to see one even in area's that have a recognized population but with their range it would seem possible to me they they could travel into area's of central Georgia. By the way FWC denies we have any in North Florida too.


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## molly (Jun 6, 2011)

REDMOND1858 said:


> i have pvs-7 gen. 3 nightvision and sometimes deer look just like hogs......black as can be.....other nights they will look nearly white....depends on how much moonlight you have. iv looked through a couple good nightvision scopes and couldnt see near as good as you can with the goggles......so the NV most likely lied to you......no black panther....and why wouldnt you shoot something that doesnt exist?


  When you check a field with a D-760 Gen 3 Hand Select at 250 yds there is no dout what you are looking at......


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## BobKat (Jun 6, 2011)

And here we go again ............


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## simpleman30 (Jun 6, 2011)

black panthers must have bred last deer season because there are all kinds of sightings this summer so far.  must be a bunch of black panther kittens that have started to roam.  you have to be careful not to mistake black house cats for black panther kittens.


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## BobKat (Jun 6, 2011)

simpleman30 said:


> black panthers must have bred last deer season because there are all kinds of sightings this summer so far.  must be a bunch of black panther kittens that have started to roam.  you have to be careful not to mistake black house cats for black panther kittens.



Aint that the truth the breed like rabbits.


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## Michael F. Gray (Jun 6, 2011)

I have been Blessed to see 4 in my life time, although most range from a tan to brown color. Biggest harm I'm ever seen one do is consuming a pet goose. I'd leave them alone hoping our grandchildren will be able to enjoy the rare experiance of seeing one in the wild. By doing so you are part of a very small portion of the population.


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## biker13 (Jun 6, 2011)

Which asks the question where do they bury the dead big foots?


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## JamesG (Jun 6, 2011)

How can you tell if it was black looking at through night vision? Nevermind, dont know why i bothered reading. You clearly saw where it went yet didnt go looking for tracks?


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## NCHillbilly (Jun 6, 2011)

What law? If it was for sure black, then it's not even protected, because it's an escaped leopard. Our native panthers/cougars/mountain lions are protected by law, but they just ain't black. Period. As far as I know, there's no law against shooting an escaped dangerous exotic animal. Probably laws against shooting black housecats, though.


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## shakey gizzard (Jun 6, 2011)

If Molly say's he saw a black panter by golly I beleive him!


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## GA DAWG (Jun 6, 2011)

shakey gizzard said:


> If Molly say's he saw a black panter by golly I beleive him!


I seen one to. You believe me? LOL.


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## shakey gizzard (Jun 6, 2011)

GA DAWG said:


> I seen one to. You believe me? LOL.



On or off the bus!


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## MoonPie (Jun 6, 2011)

molly said:


> he was out about 250 yds looking straight at us... I realized it was a panther....black one at that...his tail was long curved and up.



Good eyes molly. Tail up means a happy cat.


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## BobKat (Jun 6, 2011)

U sure u didn't just see a bobcat?       Or a fat housecat?


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## shakey gizzard (Jun 6, 2011)

BobKat said:


> U sure u didn't just see a bobcat?       Or a fat housecat?



Bobcats dont have curley tails and fat house cats dont leave the house!


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## BobKat (Jun 6, 2011)

shakey gizzard said:


> Bobcats dont have curley tails and fat house cats dont leave the house!



Right my bad I forgot


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## REDMOND1858 (Jun 6, 2011)

molly said:


> When you check a field with a D-760 Gen 3 Hand Select at 250 yds there is no dout what you are looking at......



your right.....i forgot.....no doubt with them nightvisions.....definitely a black panther....yep....uh huh. thats what it was. how tall was the alien he was stalking???


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## Jester896 (Jun 6, 2011)

molly said:


> When you check a field with a D-760 Gen 3 Hand Select at 250 yds there is no dout what you are looking at......



if that is what you were using then I may not doubt you saw a big cat with the 90% cloud cover in my area on a waxing moon...it probably would have looked black here too


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## Flaustin1 (Jun 6, 2011)

NCHillbilly said:


> What law? If it was for sure black, then it's not even protected, because it's an escaped leopard. Our native panthers/cougars/mountain lions are protected by law, but they just ain't black. Period. As far as I know, there's no law against shooting an escaped dangerous exotic animal. Probably laws against shooting black housecats, though.



This X2


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## BobKat (Jun 7, 2011)

Did It Look Like This?


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## simpleman30 (Jun 7, 2011)

all of this confusion would have been lessened if the Carolina Panthers would have just used a light tan colored mascot instead of a black one.


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## REDMOND1858 (Jun 7, 2011)

Jester896 said:


> if that is what you were using then I may not doubt you saw a big cat with the 90% cloud cover in my area on a waxing moon...it probably would have looked black here too



No jester......he saw what the nightvision saw, and those nightvision DO NOT LIE....the blue sky looks blue, a red truck looks red, a yella panther looks black.....oops messed that one up.....either way, like you said jester, on a night even with the BEST nightvision money can buy, and varying cloudcover/moonlight/starlight.....anything can be a different color


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## molly (Jun 7, 2011)

REDMOND1858 said:


> No jester......he saw what the nightvision saw, and those nightvision DO NOT LIE....the blue sky looks blue, a red truck looks red, a yella panther looks black.....oops messed that one up.....either way, like you said jester, on a night even with the BEST nightvision money can buy, and varying cloudcover/moonlight/starlight.....anything can be a different color


 This has been fun......but with two IR light on your scope you see what it is at 250 yds.  What color is this hog.....it was so dark the night this picture was taken you couldn`t see the ground.


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## Jester896 (Jun 7, 2011)

REDMOND1858 said:


> on a night even with the BEST nightvision money can buy, and varying cloudcover/moonlight/starlight.....anything can be a different color


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## Jester896 (Jun 7, 2011)

great pic molly and that is what i guess you call in ear shot...it looks black...but it could be red

what IR do you use?


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## markland (Jun 7, 2011)

Did ya'll see the ridiculous pics of cats and bobcats people had sent in to the GON in the latest June issue on possible cougars?


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## BobKat (Jun 7, 2011)

markland said:


> Did ya'll see the ridiculous pics of cats and bobcats people had sent in to the GON in the latest June issue on possible cougars?



Finally someone who is not blind


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## bfriendly (Jun 7, 2011)

molly said:


> Hunting the other night, pulled up on a freshly cut wheat field (50 ac.) checked the field with a spot`n scope and da he was he was out about 250 yds looking straight at us.  It was black and my first thought was its a bit hog as he moved back and forth showing his eyes I noticed his eyes was different nothing like a hog or coyote.  I told my partner get the sticks and follow me....as we walked toward the black thing it moved down into some tall grass.  We move closer and still no hog....after 5 minutes I saw it moving on the other side of the grass next to the tree line for about 10 sec. I wathed it walk to my left and that when I realized it was a panther....black one at that...his tail was long curved and up.  Now if the Law aint what it is you`d be seeing a picture or the real thing.  My question to ya`ll is if you had the chance to shoot one (knowing the law) would you kill it.  I saw this big cat around 4:30 a.m. in the morning.  When I first saw his eyes I knew then something was very different about this big black thing...that I first thought was a hog.



I gotta admit, Molly is a stand up guy...............but I aint sure if you are being sarcastic or what, so I aint bitin!


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## REDMOND1858 (Jun 8, 2011)

molly said:


> This has been fun......but with two IR light on your scope you see what it is at 250 yds.  What color is this hog.....it was so dark the night this picture was taken you couldn`t see the ground.



Hog?? what hog?? all i see is a panther


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## Toxic (Jun 8, 2011)

my best guess is since these guys who "see black panthers" are not the bravest of folks. Since these guys are in a situation that has already has them scared as they can get, they start to hallucinate. When they are hallucinating, they see my cat fluffy and think that she is some sort of man eating panther. my best advice is for these guys to re-apply for there man card and pray that they are not denied.


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## BobKat (Jun 8, 2011)

Toxic said:


> my best guess is since these guys who "see black panthers" are not the bravest of folks. Since these guys are in a situation that has already has them scared as they can get, they start to hallucinate. When they are hallucinating, they see my cat fluffy and think that she is some sort of man eating panther. my best advice is for these guys to re-apply for there man card and pray that they are not denied.



thats kinda harsh your calling them chicken?


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## wmahunter (Jun 8, 2011)

BobKat said:


> thats kinda harsh your calling them chicken?



Chickens?? Were they black chickens?  I thought we were talking about panthers.


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## Toxic (Jun 8, 2011)

well, yea thats another way to put it


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## Ossahatchee (Jun 8, 2011)

Molly has always seemed to be a standup guy, unlike some people on this site.if he said he saw a black panther, who am i to say he didnot.


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## BobKat (Jun 8, 2011)

wmahunter said:


> Chickens?? Were they black chickens?  I thought we were talking about panthers.



 im not sure anymore


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## Toxic (Jun 8, 2011)

he can say what ever he wants to say, weather its believable or not is up to me


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## REDMOND1858 (Jun 8, 2011)

Ossahatchee said:


> who am i to say he didnot.



someone with a sense of logical thinking maybe


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## Jester896 (Jun 8, 2011)

I have no doubt molly saw a big cat...everything looks bigger at 6x I don't doubt that molly thinks it was black...don't know molly..I do not sence any panic tho...spent the little extra for hand picked tube...had good equipment...with that kind of equipment and mounted on something good too...what does molly have to be affraid of...


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## Spotlite (Jun 9, 2011)

Throwback said:


> and they see it for "just a few seconds" ....
> 
> T



I always have my camera. I snook up on this one on my lease.


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## Spotlite (Jun 9, 2011)

Hunter22 said:


> No one will believe you untill you have a picture or a body. I will though cause I believe I saw one but no one else does. The best thing to do is admit you saw something dark but not sure because the guys on here will just go back and forth telling you theres no such thing cause it cant ever happen. I will believe you cause I swear on my life I saw one but no one will believe me.


I have no doubt that there are some migrating animals etc in our neck of the woods now that we are not use to seeing. Wasnt many years ago that we didnt see Armadilla till we got too Florida...........but they everywhere now.


NCHillbilly said:


> What law? If it was for sure black, then it's not even protected, because it's an escaped leopard. Our native panthers/cougars/mountain lions are protected by law, but they just ain't black. Period. As far as I know, there's no law against shooting an escaped dangerous exotic animal. Probably laws against shooting black housecats, though.


It would be worth looking into first, end up like the fella that shot that Cougar on West Point lake a few years ago.


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## BobKat (Jun 9, 2011)

Spotlite said:


> I always have my camera. I snook up on this one on my lease.



well theres the proof, spotted and all. A Real Black Panther


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