# Why doesn't the DNR admit that there are black panthers in GA?



## TatnallCountyHunter

Even after hundreds of people claim to have sited a panther in Georgia, the GA DNR still says "There are no black panthers in Georgia.".....

I guess the DNR thinks that there is a 20 foot high fence along the GA/FL border, or that the St. Marys river is a good enough border, preventing them from coming here.


Why is the DRN still saying that there are no black panthers in GA, and instead saying that the sighting were most likely "large cats, black dogs, black bears" ect.ect.ect...


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## rumcreek

*please see this thread*

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=82669


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## olcowman

Well I aint no expert but I am pretty sure it's because.....'there are no black panthers in Georgia'. 

Dang, hundreds of folks claim to see bigfoot, little green men, werewolves, ghosts, Elvis,etc.!  And just like your black panther claims, not one shred of legitimate, verifiable, physical evidence is available to back up even one of the supposed encounters. 

What's the 20ft fence in Florida going to do? Keep what from coming here, a bunch of black panthers? Why are they coming here and what are they going to do when they get here? 

Are you seriously concerned that the state of Ga is not currently enacting some sort of emergency legislation to protect our citizens from an invasion of black panthers from the sunshine state? Are you losing sleep because a 'panther proof fence' aint in this year's final budget draft to keep them pesky cats from crossing over into Ga? 

Help me out as I am having a hard time following what point you are trying to make in your post...would you feel better if the DNR just came out and issued some sort of policy along the lines of....

_*EXAMPLE:* Once we receive a total of 100 eyewitness accounts of black panthers reported by any combination of mostly sober, fairly competent, housewives, farmers and weekend UFOlogists in any 5 year period. We will at that time confirm the existance of a substantial population of these animals within our borders and will proceed at once to make available to the general public, a published list of regulations and laws concerning bag limits, seasons, legal firearms, and general information, as well as a set of  special provisions for black panthers accompanied by aliens on state managed lands (note, this only applies to juvenile male panthers under 95 lbs who are witnessed within 1000 yards of any known spaceship or little green men less than 4ft, 5 inches in heighth. )

Please note also, this same policy applies to Bigfoot sightings although the number of sightings required to have them listed as a legitimate species in Ga is now 150. This of course is due to their recent listing on the federal govt.'s endangered species list of some animals that just might or they might not exist_

Is this post for real? If so...I'd be real interested (not really, but I bet it will be real funny) on just what events have occured in your life, or what sort of information have you came across, that's got you all tore up about black panthers invading the Peach State? 

Why aint you more worried about Bigfeets, there is a heap more of them things seen a'running around in the woods every year (nationwide) and they just aint no telling what kind of of havoc a bunch of 10ft tall, 800lb, stankin', hairy, bi-peds is going to reek on our deer camps next season!

You need to post with some sort of restraint and use some common sense here, you didn't even mention them 'mexican goat sucking, chupacabras in you panther posts. Imagine the impact on our state's deer herd once them panther's of yours make it across the st mary's and meet up with these chupa devils. (I reckon these things is a ridin them armidillos out of Texas to get here)

Good luck, and I hope I don't read about you getting eat up by no mtn lions in your deer stand this year. Keep your eyes peeled!


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## godogs57

Amen OlCow....I know there are panthers in GA...we've seen them and also had DNR confirm it (more on that in a minute). However, anytime, more like everytime, someone spots one, its black....everytime. Folks, look out west where they see 'em all the dang time no one sees a black one! They just don't occur at all, or very rarely. 

A number of years ago a friend that owns a South GA plantation (12,000 acres on the Flint) got a call from DNR that a radio collored panther was "moving up the Flint through your plantation right now"...that was neat....It was a Florida panther, and if I am not mistaken, it was captured later on as it moved northward.


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## doublelungdriller

because there's not any


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## germag

TatnallCountyHunter said:


> Even after hundreds of people claim to have sited a panther in Georgia, the GA DNR still says "There are no black panthers in Georgia.".....
> 
> I guess the DNR thinks that there is a 20 foot high fence along the GA/FL border, or that the St. Marys river is a good enough border, preventing them from coming here.
> 
> 
> Why is the DRN still saying that there are no black panthers in GA, and instead saying that the sighting were most likely "large cats, black dogs, black bears" ect.ect.ect...



Well, it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for them to admit that an animal that doesn't exist in Florida is actually invading Georgia across the Florida border. They aren't admitting there are wild "Black Panthers" in Georgia because there are no wild Black Panthers in Georgia. They aren't in Florida either. There are a few Florida Panthers in Florida but they aren't black.


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## gobblingghost

Probably because the tree huggers and scientist would want to stop all hunting to protect their "enivorment" 
Or
They might be considered  as an introduced species. and have no season or limit. 
BUT anyone can believe it or NOT there are panthers in Ga. I have seen two i know of and possiblly three one sighting could have been the same panther.


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## Oldstick

Hey, they told (the cops/animal control, not DNR) my Mamma back around 1978 there wasn't an armadillo in her back yard, you're probably mistaken ma'am, they don't come anywhere near people.  

This was in Adel less than 50 miles from Florida.  It was around the time numbers were starting to migrate into the southern parts of GA.


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## germag

There are no "Black Panthers" in Georgia or Florida. There are plenty of armadillos though.


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## C.Killmaster

godogs57 said:


> A number of years ago a friend that owns a South GA plantation (12,000 acres on the Flint) got a call from DNR that a radio collored panther was "moving up the Flint through your plantation right now"...that was neat....It was a Florida panther, and if I am not mistaken, it was captured later on as it moved northward.



That was a western cougar released into north Florida as part of a reintroduction study.  All of the cats in the study died or were recaptured and removed.  Please see the attached file for the publication.


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## Jim Thompson

greers57 said:


> Hey, they told (the cops/animal control, not DNR) my Mamma back around 1978 there wasn't an armadillo in her back yard, you're probably mistaken ma'am, they don't come anywhere near people.
> 
> This was in Adel less than 50 miles from Florida.  It was around the time numbers were starting to migrate into the southern parts of GA.




maybe true, but we all know we have dillos now...we ALL see them, we run over them, we kill them, we trap them, AND we get plenty of cam pictures of them

course cant really say that about black cats unless they are house kitties


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## GAX

Shoot one though, and they'll lock you up for killing something that doesn't exist. I seen and heard them all the time when I was younger, between Tifton and Valdosta. A couple of the people in my Church had several pictures of them in their pastures and backyards. We didn't think much about it...We didn't know they wasn't supposed to be any here.


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## reylamb

Because there has never in the history of science of animal biology been a documented case of a black panther.....anywhere.  Jaguars?  Yes, you bet, but not panthers, 2 different critters.

The only black panthers in Georgia are remnants of a radical political group in the 60's.


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## Craig Knight

kill one in GA and have 100% proof and I might say they exsist, till then They are about as believable as that bigfoot crock that happened not long ago


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## olcowman

gaxtreme said:


> Shoot one though, and they'll lock you up for killing something that doesn't exist. I seen and heard them all the time when I was younger, between Tifton and Valdosta. A couple of the people in my Church had several pictures of them in their pastures and backyards. We didn't think much about it...We didn't know they wasn't supposed to be any here.



What would the charge be....reckon they'd have to leave you in jail until they thought up a new one?

I guarantee you that anyone running around telling folks they see black panthers all the time is alot more likely to find themselves confined within some sort of govt. institution, under lock and key, than some hunter does for shooting one.

But to be fair about it now, if you really got you some black panthers running around everywhere down there like rats in an outhouse, pop you a cap in one of 'em and call me. I want to see it for myself and then we'll crank up the media circus and split the proceeds. (i'll be you agent, fer telling you to go ahead and shoot one...and fer my 'expert' opinion on making sure you aint just shot your neighbor's house cat and really are heading to the _loony bin _for calling the paper and police and proclaiming you "done kill't a black painter'"...)

Just in case they do come up with some law or obscure local ordinance I give you my word (and I am sure some others on this forum may join me in making my point) that I will personally sell off everthing I own and beg, borrow and steal every penny I can to ensure you are represented by the best lawyers money can buy in any legal concerns that may arise for killing the thing and to cover any fines that may arise.

I will put this in writing and take it to the likker' store up here and have it notorized! This offer is also valid for bigfeets, chupacabrers, vampires, werewolves, giant 300+ lbs catfish from buford dam, and **aliens. *(only aliens from outer space accepted)* 

I will also add Elvis to this list but please don't shoot him or I swear in court I had nothing to do with it! But... if ya'll are purty sure it's him...whop him upside the head with a tire tool and throw him in the trunk. We'll meet somewhere's we can take us a real good look and make sure it is him before we go and start notifying everybody. 

Okay all ya'll panther seers and bigfoot believers, let's get this show on the road. I done eliminated any legal concerns that was _"holding ya'll back!" _


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## GAX

olcowman said:


> What would the charge be....reckon they'd have to leave you in jail until they thought up a new one?
> 
> I guarantee you that anyone running around telling folks they see black panthers all the time is alot more likely to find themselves confined within some sort of govt. institution, under lock and key, than some hunter does for shooting one.
> 
> But to be fair about it now, if you really got you some black panthers running around everywhere down there like rats in an outhouse, pop you a cap in one of 'em and call me. I want to see it for myself and then we'll crank up the media circus and split the proceeds. (i'll be you agent, fer telling you to go ahead and shoot one...and fer my 'expert' opinion on making sure you aint just shot your neighbor's house cat and really are heading to the _loony bin _for calling the paper and police and proclaiming you "done kill't a black painter'"...)
> 
> Just in case they do come up with some law or obscure local ordinance I give you my word (and I am sure some others on this forum may join me in making my point) that I will personally sell off everthing I own and beg, borrow and steal every penny I can to ensure you are represented by the best lawyers money can buy in any legal concerns that may arise for killing the thing and to cover any fines that may arise.
> 
> I will put this in writing and take it to the likker' store up here and have it notorized! This offer is also valid for bigfeets, chupacabrers, vampires, werewolves, giant 300+ lbs catfish from buford dam, and **aliens. *(only aliens from outer space accepted)*
> 
> I will also add Elvis to this list but please don't shoot him or I swear in court I had nothing to do with it! But... if ya'll are purty sure it's him...whop him upside the head with a tire tool and throw him in the trunk. We'll meet somewhere's we can take us a real good look and make sure it is him before we go and start notifying everybody.
> 
> Okay all ya'll panther seers and bigfoot believers, let's get this show on the road. I done eliminated any legal concerns that was _"holding ya'll back!" _



Just telling you my experiences from when I was younger, and yes, a DNR Officer told me if we see another one, let them know so they could trap and relocate it "do not kill it, it is protected". So Mr. I know what's in South GA, even though I live in TN....Tell me what else I should or shouldn't believe in, so I can be just like you.


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## Dogmusher

Back in Maine, the DNR make the same, "not here" claims about wolves and mountain lions, despite the many eye witnesses.  I have a friend who was a leading investigator for the Border Patrol.  He told me that he has seen photographic evidence, but there are too many political and social issues if the message changes to, "they're here."  I'm just sayin'.


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## Shine Runner

I know what I have seen when hunting and living in south central GA and you can think what you want but animals do search out areas suitable for them and they will travel until they find what they need, as far as black ones....maybe........brownish thats for sure........shoot one?.....sure...go ahead.....lets see what happens.....you already got one person gambling all he has or can get for your legal expense............better odds than Vegas!!


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## Toxic

If I see one, I will take a picture of it with my 7 mag


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## olcowman

gaxtreme said:


> Just telling you my experiences from when I was younger, and yes, a DNR Officer told me if we see another one, let them know so they could trap and relocate it "do not kill it, it is protected". So Mr. I know what's in South GA, even though I live in TN....Tell me what else I should or shouldn't believe in, so I can be just like you.



Hey, sorry just trying to give you a chance to prove some of your claims? For the record I have spent more than half my life in the ag industry, about 30 miles from you. I still own acreage here, and guess where I am right now? 

Anyway, it wouldn't matter if I had never set foot in the state, because I base my opinions own known facts and legitimate evidence (or lack there of in this case). Rather than asking me to _'tell you what you should or shouldn't believe in'_, you will find it more fullfilling to research some of this info for yourself and perhaps do a little self reflecting on all those black cats you saw way back when. Perhaps a little imagination got in the way? Maybe those sounds you heard were owls or bobcats? 

A good place to start would be to show everyone where we can find this law that states black panthers are considered a 'protected' species. Or maybe see if you can hunt down that game warden or some of his peers.  Heck if he acknowledged the possibilty of you seeing another one and him trapping it well it must have been common knowledge among the DNR staff regarding your BP situation. Thus, a sure bet to establish some credibility to your story.

Nothing personal, but I feel kinda dis-respected when someone gets riled up because I don't automatically jump on their bandwagon concerning some outlandish claim or incredulous statements. "I seen" and "somebody told me" aint gonna convince me that black panthers exist in Ga. 

If you jump on one of these boards with this sort of thing, expect t get your feelings hurt cause not everybody out here is gullible or died in the wool city slickers who hunt a couple of weekends a season.


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## Miguel Cervantes

Do we have cougars / panthers / pumas? Yes

Are they black? No

Anymore questions?


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## Coastie

balvarik said:


> How many melanistic phase cougars have ever(in the wild or captivity)been actually documented?
> 
> ZERO!
> 
> Are there Cougar's(Puma concolor) in Georgia?
> 
> I'd bet my farm on it!
> 
> Why are the Ga DNR avoiding addressing the population??
> They will finally address it when they have a California type problem with fatalities.
> 
> Mike



As it has been explaind to me, there may be an occasional cat here in Georgia from time to time. The problem is that there is no breeding population of them. The Eastern Cougar, that sub species native to the region so long ago, is essentially extinct in Georgia. Those cats seen by people may be escaped captive animals or turned loose by somebody that can no longer take care of that cute little kitty they thought was such a great idea, something like the Aligators seen here outside of their normal range. Those cats are of the western variety (Puma Concolor) and were never native to the region and oddly enough are rarely if ever accounted for. A rash of reports will come in then evaporate. There are no cases of road killed cats, no findings of dead of natural causes cats, no clear pictures of living cats, and no evidence of kills made by cats found by anybody. The only Eastern Cougar that I personally know for a fact to have been seen in Georgia was one turned loose by the USFWS in Florida, it had a radio collar on it and wandered into Georgia and was captured by the DNR and the USFWS and was later put down. Georgia is a long way from having the problems that California has with a population of Cougars of any type, a single breeding pair here in the mountains would be a first in several generations.


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## JBowers

There is no documented, wild free-ranging population of eastern cougars in the State of Georgia.  Until that changes with evidence above and beyond circumstancial and hearsay then there will be no acknowledgement to the contrary.


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## GA DAWG

JBowers said:


> There is no documented, wild free-ranging population of eastern cougars in the State of Georgia.  Until that changes with evidence above and beyond circumstancial and hearsay then there will be no acknowledgement to the contrary.


May not be no cougars but we have thousands of black panthers...People see them everyday!! I wonder how they avoid the rds and trail cameras and all the hunters every year?? They must be the smartest mammel alive


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## GAX

olcowman said:


> Nothing personal, but I feel kinda dis-respected when someone gets riled up because I don't automatically jump on their bandwagon concerning some outlandish claim or incredulous statements. "I seen" and "somebody told me" aint gonna convince me that black panthers exist in Ga.



You feel dis-respected? I don't recall anyone here starting in on you and calling you a liar. You can believe what you want to believe, I don't care.
Anyway, I'm sure if you do your own research, and interviews, you'll be surprised to find the large percentage of people, that lived their entire life down here, that would tell you they have seen and heard a black panther, cougar, puma, whatever you want to call them. Also, if you're prepared to HEAVILY reward for proof and face the consequences, you will have no problem finding someone willing to quit their day job and find proof that may or may not convince you.


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## robbie the deer hunter

there has never been one ran over or found dead in georgia. no one has a picture of one of these things either. hog wash on the panther thread.


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## GA DAWG

gaxtreme said:


> You feel dis-respected? I don't recall anyone here starting in on you and calling you a liar. You can believe what you want to believe, I don't care.
> Anyway, I'm sure if you do your own research, and interviews, you'll be surprised to find the large percentage of people, that lived their entire life down here, that would tell you they have seen and heard a black panther, cougar, puma, whatever you want to call them. Also, if you're prepared to HEAVILY reward for proof and face the consequences, you will have no problem finding someone willing to quit their day job and find proof that may or may not convince you.


Lots of peoples minds play tricks on em!!!! Show me the proof.. Oh wait! You dont have any


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## GAX

GA DAWG said:


> Lots of peoples minds play tricks on em!!!! Show me the proof.. Oh wait! You dont have any



Show me proof that there isn't. That would require putting a camera up and searching every square inch of wooded area of Georgia. Oh wait! You can't. 

and with that... no more post in here from me. We can all agree to disagree. See ya'll in another thread.


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## reylamb

GA DAWG said:


> May not be no cougars but we have thousands of black panthers...People see them everyday!! I wonder how they avoid the rds and trail cameras and all the hunters every year?? They must be the smartest mammel alive


Ain't too many folks hanging trail cams in downtown ATL......oh wait.......you were talking about remnants of the political party weren't you???????


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## groundhawg

doublelungdriller said:


> because there's not any



What he said!!!


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## one_shot

Jim Thompson said:


> maybe true, but we all know we have dillos now...we ALL see them, we run over them, we kill them, we trap them, AND we get plenty of cam pictures of them
> 
> course cant really say that about black cats unless they are house kitties



My father said if they hadn't put I75 in there wouldn't be armadillos in Georgia!
We would take trips every year,they would be on the side of the road in the north bound lane.


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## GA DAWG

one_shot said:


> My father said if they hadn't put I75 in there wouldn't be armadillos in Georgia!
> We would take trips every year,they would be on the side of the road in the north bound lane.


 I believe it..Fire ants to..We used to have them here either..Dang interstates


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## JBowers

GA DAWG said:


> May not be no cougars but we have thousands of black panthers...People see them everyday!! I wonder how they avoid the rds and trail cameras and all the hunters every year?? They must be the smartest mammel alive


 

at least smarter than the overhwleming majoirty who have not yet seen them....


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## Turk

Black panthers are like leprechauns, they only reveal themselves to those that truly believe.


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## Toxic

Heck, I have seen plenty of bigfoots, loch ness monsters, UFO's and Elvis is ALIVE ! But I have yet to see a black panther


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## Lostoutlaw

Toxic said:


> Heck, I have seen plenty of bigfoots, loch ness monsters, UFO's and Elvis is ALIVE ! But I have yet to see a black panther



Plus one on this for sure


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## hummdaddy

i have seen a black panther ...10 years ago or so , at nights , when i farmed and guided hunts own some family farms, my cousin and i came across 1 while checking some irrigation systems ... started hearing the creaming at night (like women being killed),started seeing scat that was odd to us , and very large unknown to us foot prints!!! we got a wildlife biologist to come take a look he said could be about a 300 lb cat ...we never did we never did anything else , just left it alone .. this was near the calhoun county ---clay county line near kolomollkie plantations


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## Oldstick

greers57 said:


> Hey, they told (the cops/animal control, not DNR) my Mamma back around 1978 there wasn't an armadillo in her back yard, you're probably mistaken ma'am, they don't come anywhere near people.
> 
> This was in Adel less than 50 miles from Florida.  It was around the time numbers were starting to migrate into the southern parts of GA.



Oh well, I forgot the smilies, guess it would have worked better with smilies.    It was a true story though about the armadillo.


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## doublelungdriller

Turk said:


> Black panthers are like leprechauns, they only reveal themselves to those that truly believe.


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## patchestc

go ahead, make all the big bold statements u want.
when u see one with your own eyes, in broad daylight,
run across the road you will either keep it to yourself
or join the believers.
i have seen and believe.  no doubt about it.


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## GA DAWG




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## deerbuster

patchestc said:


> go ahead, make all the big bold statements u want.
> when u see one with your own eyes, in broad daylight,
> run across the road you will either keep it to yourself
> or join the believers.
> i have seen and believe.  no doubt about it.



Thank you..I hav personal seen 2 tan ones and have heard 3 different screams..like a woman being killed they do exist.


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## Beartrkkr

Well with all these big cats being seen across the Southeast (not just in GA), there must be breeding population somewhere, right?  If so, would it not be in a state's best interest to acknowledge the existence of the Eastern cougar and wait for the millions in Federal dollars to protect and enhance this supposedly extinct species (see Florida).  What DNR wouldn't line up for that, especially given the recent economic downturn?

How is it that all the SE DNR's can keep the big secret and hide all the evidence of their existence?  Surely there's at least one disgruntled employee that can spill the beans somewhere...

We won't even discuss the black panther, a species unknown to science.  This is all about the typical tan-colored cougar (or puma, mt. lion, painter, panther, etc.).


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## Bowhunter450

Confusion exists about the term black panther on various media including internet.  It is generally agreed that the name black panther is not a scientific term for a distinct species but is a common name for some big cats with black coat.  The differences are linked to the scope of cats included.  The name black panther is not a term in taxonomy - a scientific classification system of animal kingdom. Due to historical, geographical and cultural differences in the forming the name black panther, the classification of the black panther falls into three variations: 

    1. Most Commonly Used Definition (Common View)

    Only two types of big cats are scientifically recognized as legitimate black panthers: black leopard and black jaguar.

    2. Strict Definition (Purist View)     

    The name black panther only refers to the species of black leopards – a melanistic variant of the spotted leopard.

    3. Crypto-Zoological Definition (Broad View)

    The term black panther is used for any type of big cat with a black coat.  Other than the black leopard and black jaguar, the most commonly accepted view of black panthers, people also use the term black panther for all look-like all-black versions of a cat species such as the cougar, puma, tiger, bobcat, lynx, jaguarundi, or even a suspected prehistoric survivor – the cave lion.

There are no authenticated cases of truly melanistic cougars. Black cougars have been reported in Kentucky and in the Carolinas. There have also been reports of glossy black cougars from Kansas, Texas and eastern Nebraska. These have come to be known as the North American black panther. None have ever been photographed or shot in the wild and none have been bred. There is wide consensus among breeders and biologists that the animal does not exist and is a cryptid. Sightings are currently attributed to errors in species identification by non-experts, and by the memetic exaggeration of size


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## 11P&YBOWHUNTER

I think maybe some people should lay off the home grown goodies...


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## crackerdave

doublelungdriller said:


> because there's not any



Good reason!


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## BPR

Because then there would be a bunch of threads titled

"Why does DRN say that there are black panthers, when there aren't any"

There may be a few panthers in Georgia, but I don't think that they are black panthers.


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## GSUJake

For the people that make claims but dont research them. Black Panthers do exist. Panther is the Genus name. It would be more specific to say black cougar or jaguar. There have even been documented black bobcats. A black panther has Melanism. So... where ever there are cougars, jaguars, Leopards, there is a chance there is a black one. Do a little research before you comment


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## reylamb

There has never, anywhere, ever been a documented case of a black mountain lion, the only native big cat to have been historically documented in Georgia.  

Melanistic Jaguars?  Yes, but never native here.

Melanistic Leopards?  Yes, but again, never native here.

The big cat most often reported in Georgia is the mountain lion, puma concolor, not jaguars, not leopards which have never lived in the wild in Georgia.  There has never in the history of science, even with attempts by breeders to genetically alter one, been a black mountain lion.  So unless folks are also seeing cats that have never been in Georgia, jaguars and leopards, no, there are no black cougars in Georgia, or anywhere else in the world for that matter.


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## howie_r

I would say because they have no proof there is. No DNA evidence and no body with out this information they would not be able to say there are. even after this they would have to see if the animal had escaped from some where or just migrated they could not really say there is a population here unless they could track down a Den where some have reproduced and live. It is possible there is but the DNR can not go around saying they are here with out factual proof. I am sure there are spots even here in the woods where certain new creatures are waiting to be discovered but we can not just go speculating what they are with out being able to prove it.


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## GAranger1403

Not gonna waste my time!


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## crackerdave

I think there are folks who WANT to believe there is such a critter


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## patchestc

GAranger1403 said:


> Not gonna waste my time!



why not, i saw one on dixon memorial wma.


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## Beartrkkr

While there indeed may be unknown species waiting to be discovered in the wild in the Southeast, a large predatory mammal is not one of them.  Yet it seems every "wild" area (and some not so wild) of the SE seems to have these mysterious black panthers.  If we were to assume that they are indeed the melanistic cougar that it would almost certainly have to be (yet to this date no specimen exists), we could assume that it would have similar biological traits of the other cougars in the US.  In such the males might have home ranges of 100 or more sq. miles (or 64,000 acres) and yet still none are illegally shot, run over or die of old age and stumbled upon by deer hunters, hikers, etc.  Looking at the trial reintroduction program referenced earlier in this thread (http://forum.gon.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191465&d=1223037410), one finds numerous run-ins with man.  
----------------------------
"Five (26%) of 19 mountain lions released into northern Florida died during the study. T35 and T36 were
illegally shot, T37 and T38 were killed on highways, and T39 died when caught in a snare. Two additional
animals born to study animals died during the study. T44 died when captured to fit her with a radio-telemetry
collar, and T50 was hit by a tractor-trailer truck on U.S. Hwy 441."
----------------------------

Yet these black panthers are not only able to elude man, but find other panthers, mate, rear young and then continue on without leaving a shred of evidence of their existence other than numerous unsubstantiated sightings throughout the Southeast.

You can say what you want but the DNR cannot start claiming the existence of a large predatory mammal that leaves no proof of their being here.


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## DDD

Here is what I think...


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## Coastie

GSUJake said:


> For the people that make claims but dont research them. Black Panthers do exist. Panther is the Genus name. It would be more specific to say black cougar or jaguar. There have even been documented black bobcats. A black panther has Melanism. So... where ever there are cougars, jaguars, Leopards, there is a chance there is a black one. Do a little research before you comment



Back to the books Jake, while Jaguars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar  are/were native to the southwestern U.S., central and south America and do have a melanistic phase Cougars do not. Leopards (panther pardus)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard are not now nor have they ever been a native species to north, central or south America. Cougars do not and have never been known to have a melanistic phase http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar and while the name "Panther" is a regional name for the critter, it has no scientific meaning in the sense of family.


----------



## olcowman

GSUJake said:


> For the people that make claims but dont research them. Black Panthers do exist. Panther is the Genus name. It would be more specific to say black cougar or jaguar. There have even been documented black bobcats. A black panther has Melanism. So... where ever there are cougars, jaguars, Leopards, there is a chance there is a black one. Do a little research before you comment



Maybe follow some of your own advice? No black cougars.

On a side note...I am proposing that across the country, there are many more sightings of Bigfoot reported each year, several of which originate from the southeast. And historical evidence does prove that a creature very similiar to the ones reportedly roaming the US indeed did at one time exist, whereas absolutely zero (none, 0, zilch, nada) verifiable, physical evidence has ever been presented confirming the existence of a black panther in the Americas other than the aforementioned rare black jaguar which is confined to specific ranges.

I'm curious as to how many people who really believe that black panthers roam our woodlands and/or swear to have actually seen them and have no doubts or uncertainities about the possibility of a misidentification or rush to judgement sort of thing. How many of these folks also have seen or believe that Bigfoot also roam the countryside. Perhaps some folks are more prone to being open-minded or a little more gullible than willing to admit?

Or heck, maybe there are black panthers and bigfeets right in my backyard and it just aint been my time to see one yet. Additionally, I've heard some strange noises in the course of spending 40+ years hunting, fishing and residing in rural areas. Although I couldn't always identify the source, I didn't ever consider them to originate from cryptids or mythical creatures either. 

Having had brief encounters that basically were something like ' a flash of dark fur out the corner of my eye and sounds of something piling thru thick brush' or the occasional 'wow! something big up there just jumped off the side of the road into the woods', well any black panthers or BFs were always way, way down my list of what I actually had encountered.

Can many of these reports just be folks jumping to conclusions? Have I really been seeing these things all my life and just been too analytical in my abservations to admit it? I will stick to no they don't exist, but if I had to bet on it...the odds lean toward the Bigfoot and I'd have to go with him! Them Bf folks got archeology on their side and all them plaster foot prints, not mention that spooky dang film made out in Cal in the 1960's. That thing in that film clip kinda freaked me out when I was a kid.


----------



## greasemnky20

*Not sure but...*

Listen I used to say no way, but about 3 months ago my wife and I were outside tending to the animals we own, and from across the road we heard the most god awful scream.  I wanted to call the police it curdled my blood to hear it.  It sounded like someone murdering a woman about 200 yards in the woods.  I can still remember that sound, I called the neighbors across there and it was 35 yards from their front door.  They couldn't get a view it was 1030 pm because it would run around them to the side of the house when they tried to look.  I ain't crazy, but I know what I heard.  I can't swear to what it was I never saw it but that was what we heard.


----------



## Hammack

hummdaddy said:


> i have seen a black panther ...10 years ago or so , at nights , when i farmed and guided hunts own some family farms, my cousin and i came across 1 while checking some irrigation systems ... started hearing the creaming at night (like women being killed),started seeing scat that was odd to us , and very large unknown to us foot prints!!! we got a wildlife biologist to come take a look he said could be about a 300 lb cat ...we never did we never did anything else , just left it alone .. this was near the calhoun county ---clay county line near kolomollkie plantations



I live at Suttons Crossroads about 5 or 6 miles north of Kolomokie.  There have been sightings around here for years.  Dad Owned and farmed alot of land up around Coleman for years and there was tracks and scat found on it back in the 80's as well.


----------



## olcowman

greasemnky20 said:


> I ain't crazy, but I know what I heard.  I can't swear to what it was I never saw it but that was what we heard.




I am confused...you *know* what you heard/that *was *what we heard...posted on thread about black panthers? Are you saying _you know _you heard a black panther? Did it sound like the black panthers you heard in the past, and actually saw or something? How do we get from hearing an unidentified scream-like noise in the woods to knowing for sure you got yourself a black panther running around the neighborhood. 

Does anything like bobcat, coyote, owl, peacock, etc. ever come to people's minds when they hear something strange in the woods or are we supposed to all automatically think " oh my God... a black panther"? I might need re-programmed?

Sounds like alot of other "black panther" stories I have heard and read.


----------



## Coastie

greasemnky20 said:


> Listen I used to say no way, but about 3 months ago my wife and I were outside tending to the animals we own, and from across the road we heard the most god awful scream.  I wanted to call the police it curdled my blood to hear it.  It sounded like someone murdering a woman about 200 yards in the woods.  I can still remember that sound, I called the neighbors across there and it was 35 yards from their front door.  They couldn't get a view it was 1030 pm because it would run around them to the side of the house when they tried to look.  I ain't crazy, but I know what I heard.  I can't swear to what it was I never saw it but that was what we heard.



A Bobcat can and will let out a scream which is just as hair raising and blood chilling as a Cougar and they are known to be here in good numbers.


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## Chippewa Partners

Chippewa Partners will pay the sum of $1,000 to the first Georgia hunter or trapper who brings Steve Burch of GON fame a dead or alive black panther, puma, cougar.

Put up or hush........


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## olcowman

Ironstone Construction adds another $1000 to the pot and I'll even expand my offer to include Bigfoot (unfrozen and after thorough inspection) Aint trying to one up ya there Chippewa, but I'm pretty sure these things run in packs now.

I personally guarantee offer per position as co-owner/capital investor.


----------



## Jason280

This argument comes up from time to time, and its always the same old comments.  You hear "I know I saw one", or "I hear one at night and I know _that_ sound", or "My cousin's neighbor's brother-in-law saw one and _he_ would never lie".  The problem is, for all these people who swear they have heard or seen one, none ever have any verifiable proof.  No pics, no videos, no nothing.  Think about all the trail cams littered across the state, and not a single one has snapped a photo of a panther.  Think about all the roads in the state, and not a single person has hit one with a car...

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to why that is?  Anytime I hear people stating unequivocally they have seen BP's in the state, I file it away with the comments of folks seeing Bigfoot and UFO's.  But, you know what the big difference is between people claiming to have seen Bigfoot and UFO's versus those who've "seen" BP's?  The Bigfoot and UFO crowd occasionally provides grainy pics (and even videos) of their purported sightings...


----------



## GAX

Chippewa Partners said:


> Chippewa Partners will pay the sum of $1,000 to the first Georgia hunter or trapper who brings Steve Burch of GON fame a dead or alive black panther, puma, cougar.
> 
> Put up or hush........





olcowman said:


> Ironstone Construction adds another $1000 to the pot and I'll even expand my offer to include Bigfoot (unfrozen and after thorough inspection) Aint trying to one up ya there Chippewa, but I'm pretty sure these things run in packs now.
> 
> I personally guarantee offer per position as co-owner/capital investor.



$2000, isn't nearly enough to quit a job and prove to the "I have to see it to believe it crowd" and also pay for the fines and court fees of coming up with enough evidence to make these naysayers believe. I, for one, have seen them and heard them, when I was younger, born and raised living in the "country" ( that's heavily rural areas to the "I only believe what I see on TV" city/suburban crowd).
"Anything that has a probability of happening greater than 0 can and will happen. No exceptions." - Murphy's Law


----------



## NOYDB

Actually that's a corollary of Murphy's law.


----------



## GAX

NOYDB said:


> Actually that's a corollary of Murphy's law.



Exactly


----------



## Toxic

With the thousands of game cams out there, there should at least be one picture, you think


----------



## olcowman

gaxtreme said:


> $2000, isn't nearly enough to quit a job and prove to the "I have to see it to believe it crowd" and also pay for the fines and court fees of coming up with enough evidence to make these naysayers believe. I, for one, have seen them and heard them, when I was younger, born and raised living in the "country" ( that's heavily rural areas to the "I only believe what I see on TV" city/suburban crowd).
> "Anything that has a probability of happening greater than 0 can and will happen. No exceptions." - Murphy's Law



Exactly what kind of fines and court fees are we talking about here? Does the state have a law on the books concerning the harvest of an animal that doesn't exist? How much money do you reckon it'll take and how long? 

If you give a money back guarantee I think we can work something out country boy. I am as country as corn bread, and lived and worked in rural areas and the woods off and on for 40+ years. I ain't never seen one, but sure would like to! You got the down low seems like, therefore I look forward to seeing my first 'black panther'. 

How about instead of offering lame excuses and bragging about your 'rural upbringing', put us a reasonable plan on the table to proof this once and for all? If you can't formulate one in your gourd, then tell me where all these things hang out and I'll handle it from that point.

When I get one, I'll stop by your place and tell you "i'm sorry" for doubting your sincerity.


----------



## GAX

olcowman said:


> Exactly what kind of fines and court fees are we talking about here? Does the state have a law on the books concerning the harvest of an animal that doesn't exist? How much money do you reckon it'll take and how long?
> 
> If you give a money back guarantee I think we can work something out country boy. I am as country as corn bread, and lived and worked in rural areas and the woods off and on for 40+ years. I ain't never seen one, but sure would like to! You got the down low seems like, therefore I look forward to seeing my first 'black panther'.
> 
> How about instead of offering lame excuses and bragging about your 'rural upbringing', put us a reasonable plan on the table to proof this once and for all? If you can't formulate one in your gourd, then tell me where all these things hang out and I'll handle it from that point.
> 
> When I get one, I'll stop by your place and tell you "i'm sorry" for doubting your sincerity.




Man, you like going round and round, don't you. 
I'm not out to prove anything to anybody. I know what I saw when I was younger and that's that. I honestly don't care if you believe there is or isn't a black panther, cougar, puma, or whatever. I do, however get offended when someone calls me liar or crazy, in so many words, when I say I have seen one. If I could take a time machine back about 20-25 years ago to the end of Red Bird Rd in Tift County, back to the Little River, I could easily make you a believer. If I could have told the future, and had known there would be a discussion about it, on this forum, I could have all the proof you wanted. Back then, If you told someone you saw a black panther, it wasn't a big deal. The person you told, probably at one time, saw one too. Nobody new there wasn't supposed to be any. It wasn't out of the ordinary to see one..... Rare, but nothing real special. You may be right, in a way... There may not be anymore in Georgia, but I know there once was. Anyway, good arguing with you....


----------



## olcowman

Now that is where I expected it to go, 'there used to be'.  I didn't mean to infer you were a liar, I just felt like you danced around some of the questions asked of you. My approach to anyone claiming to see a black panther or even having seen one is the same, show me.

When you make a statement like this, a whole lot of folks look at each other after you leave and say something like "Bless his heart he ain't right in the head you know" or even "You can't believe nothing that boy says". Well I alway ask them to show me or point me in a direction to research this myself. In your case, you have multiple eyewitnesses and even DNR officers involved in a very concentrated area and in your own words "rare, but nothing real special." 

I have some background in journalism, have even researched and written an article or two regarding historical accounts of black panthers in the rural southeast several years ago. I interviewed over 40 individuals, some of whom were my own kin, while researching this matter and found some cases that although lacking hard physical evidence, were really hard to dismiss based on the circumstances and credibility of the witness.

 I don't understand why anyone would get all bent out of shape when asked for something other than their word about something like this? If I publically announce that me and my neighbors saw BPs and that a DNR officers acknowledged their existence to me, well I am going to throw some of their names out just so people won't look at each other and roll their eyes when I walk out of the room.


----------



## Killdee

Ive said this before, out of all the 1000s of members here, dont you think somebody would have a pic of their great grandpappy with a black panther he shot. Out of all the vintage photos and magazines, dont you think there would be at least ONE pic of a dead black panther. Surely back when they were thick as fleas in the mountains sombody would have killed 1.


----------



## patchestc

one of these days, somebody's gonna kill one, and there's gonna
be a lot of "i told u so's" on here.


----------



## GA DAWG

Yeah it will be just like the BIGFOOT those guys had awhile back!


----------



## dapper dan

I just came back from Wyoming, I saw alot of cougar tracks. It was very unnerving when you see them, smell cat urine, and find bone yards. I really hope there are none around me in SC.


----------



## Killdee

patchestc said:


> one of these days, somebody's gonna kill one, and there's gonnabe a lot of "i told u so's" on here.


Why dont yall get out the pics of the black panthers thats been killed over the last 100 years...... Just 1....


----------



## Throwback

Chippewa Partners said:


> Chippewa Partners will pay the sum of $1,000 to the first Georgia hunter or trapper who brings Steve Burch of GON fame a dead or alive black panther, puma, cougar.
> 
> Put up or hush........







T


----------



## Throwback

dapper dan said:


> I just came back from Wyoming, I saw alot of cougar tracks. It was very unnerving when you see them, smell cat urine, and find bone yards. I really hope there are none around me in SC.




Wait a minute. 


Wait just ONE minute. 

You mean to tell me, and everyone here, that you didn't get "fleeting glimpses" of a cougar. You actually saw them, smelled cat urine, and found areas with a LOT of sign in areas that they are known to exist?

Who would have thunk it? I thought they were so super secret they left NO sign, except screams and a .0000000005 of a second glimpse of one 250 yards away 30 minutes after sundown...


T


----------



## Killdee

Did you bring back some pic's of all the black cougars they kill out west. Since they are so common out there, 1out of 10 should be black shouldnt they...........................


----------



## backroads_n_GA

*Bogus*



Coastie said:


> Back to the books Jake, while Jaguars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar  are/were native to the southwestern U.S., central and south America and do have a melanistic phase Cougars do not. Leopards (panther pardus)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard are not now nor have they ever been a native species to north, central or south America. Cougars do not and have never been known to have a melanistic phase http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar and while the name "Panther" is a regional name for the critter, it has no scientific meaning in the sense of family.



Wikipedia is a bogus website.  People can go in and edit the information.


----------



## backroads_n_GA

I will shoot one if I see it in the woods.....it was self defense Mr. Warden...he was climbing the tree so I shot him.


----------



## zksailfish

I saw a panther in central Fl while hunting and I called the DNR and they said it was a bobcat and pathers do not go that north in the state. This pather was huge an dwalked right under my stand. The sad thing is that they made that property into a neighborhood the next year.


----------



## Throwback

backroads_n_GA said:


> I will shoot one if I see it in the woods.....it was self defense Mr. Warden...he was climbing the tree so I shot him.





Will you call when you shoot something else thinking it was a "black panther" too?

T


----------



## Throwback

When was DNR changed to "DRN"?

T


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## olcowman

I wish with all my heart that an animal such as a black panther roamed the southeast. I have heard stories all my life and have seen confirmed reports of individuals escaping from captivity from time time. (pumas, the regular ol' brown ones) I wander from what source this sort of legend was started to begin with?

Although scientific and historical facts say otherwise, I have always been amazed that their exist certain accounts of these creatures where the eyewitness will swear on their 'mama's grave' that they have encountered a black panther.


----------



## eagleeyecherry

I don't know if there are many black panthers/mountain lions/cougars/pumas (whatever you want to call them), but there are some tan-colored panthers/mountain lions/cougars/pumas in the Dahlonega area. My uncle had a calf he was raising and it got attacked one night and almost killed. My uncle found the calf the next morning with one ear left, claw marks on its side, etc. He also found a footprint that was six inches long. The DNR tried to tell him that there weren't any panthers/mountain lions/cougars/pumas in this area and that it was just a big dog. So you're telling me that a dog will have a six inch long paw and can reach half way around a half-grown calf??? That happened three to four years ago. This year, though, I have heard numerous accounts of sightings in this same area. Someone told me that they saw a grown panther/mountain lion/cougar/puma followed by a young one, so there has to be two adults there somewhere. 
I wish I could see one while hunting...


----------



## GA DAWG

Now we are on to something..I have 1750ac to hunt in limpkin county...Maybe I'll finally get to see one!!!!!!


----------



## Coastie

eagleeyecherry said:


> I don't know if there are many black panthers/mountain lions/cougars/pumas (whatever you want to call them), but there are some tan-colored panthers/mountain lions/cougars/pumas in the Dahlonega area. My uncle had a calf he was raising and it got attacked one night and almost killed. My uncle found the calf the next morning with one ear left, claw marks on its side, etc. He also found a footprint that was six inches long. The DNR tried to tell him that there weren't any panthers/mountain lions/cougars/pumas in this area and that it was just a big dog. So you're telling me that a dog will have a six inch long paw and can reach half way around a half-grown calf??? That happened three to four years ago. This year, though, I have heard numerous accounts of sightings in this same area. Someone told me that they saw a grown panther/mountain lion/cougar/puma followed by a young one, so there has to be two adults there somewhere.
> I wish I could see one while hunting...



Nobody has ever said that there were no Cougars in Georgia, just that there is no breeding population of them. An explanation that those seen are likely to be escaped from private ownership or cats illegally turned loose seems to fall on deaf ears. From your post, I see that the great euphanism is at it again, (someone, they, them)reporting the sighting here in Lumpkin county of a cat with a young one in tow, funny how there is never a name, date or actual place of sighting when these things occur. I have seen the plaster cast taken at your uncles farm and it may still be available if it hasn't been tossed out, check with your uncle William and see if he remembers where it was taken. The overall length of the cast may have been six inches as I recall but not the track itself, that would be the size of a typical African Lion, not a Cougar.


----------



## backroads_n_GA

Throwback said:


> Will you call when you shoot something else thinking it was a "black panther" too?
> 
> T



LOL  I do not shoot unless I am 100% sure of my target...therefore, I could not shoot something else by mistake.....LOL


----------



## fishingtiger

*I had one walk directly under my stand about*

15 years ago hunting the low country of SC in Georgetown County. It was solid black with a long tail. I estimated it to be about 40-50 lbs.


----------



## C.Killmaster

Throwback said:


> When was DNR changed to "DRN"?
> 
> T



Department of Rediculous Notions


----------



## JerkBait

*one spotted opening weekend*

True story- when i went to retrieve my uncle from the blind that i put him in last saturday night he was all nervous rambling on about a black thing he saw. come to find out it was a black panther. 

** ATTENTION: there is a black panther in wrightsville, ga.**

 it was spotted this past weekend.


----------



## GA DAWG

Black Panthers=


----------



## devil-dog

yackity shmackity... I've never seen any panthers, ufo's, ghost, bigfoot, loch ness... or whatever. 
maybe there is, maybe there isn't... but I find it hard to believe that in all the years I've been on earth no one has ever shot and killed the "critter" they claimed to have seen, with as many sightings as there are.


----------



## bubbabuck

Turk said:


> Black panthers are like leprechauns, they only reveal themselves to those that truly believe.






Best explanation yet !

Oh yeah.....Leprechauns scare me !!!!


----------



## buggs

hey fellas i live here in Ky and i have also seen a black cat he/she was about an estimated 6 from nose to tip of tail soid black cat it was not a dog it did not move like dog it was quick running with bounds lika a cat and as soon as it noticed me stoped in the middle of the road it turned and jumped a 5 board plank fence and was gone into the woods i'm not the only one that has seen it around here my neighbor shears that he about ran over it crossing the road less than 75 yrds from my house now what he saw i don't know but there was black marks where he slamed his brakes on . 
and theres not only the black one not long arfter this sighting there was a regular cougar sited crossing the same field that i previousely saw the black cat in and i'm not talking about years ago i'm talking about 2 months ago i don't pack a camera with me nor do i own one so i have no phisical proof less than 3 miles from my house directly over the mountain a fellas horse was attacted by some sort of cat evidence showed that the cat had came from behind the horse fellas i seen the horse with my own eyes and i mean this son of a gun was ripped from it's throat all the way to it's hind quarters a small portion of it had been eatin on but it looked to more like the cat had killed it more for the sport i dunno it's unexplainable just some of my experiances with big cats that no one wanted to believe even exisced in Ky.


----------



## longears

Ive treed and killed several mountian lion while living in montana and they never sound like a woman be killed. but ive never heard a women being killed.


----------



## Killdee

longears said:


> Ive treed and killed several mountian lion while living in montana and they never sound like a woman be killed. but ive never heard a women being killed.



 We must have a bunch of women killers here on woodys.
BTW How many black ones did you see, kill, or see mounted??


----------



## fireman1501

i seen two tan cats on the hunting club. cant say it was a panther are a couger dont realy know. but i do know when i saw the first one i yhought it was a 70 lb doe until i saw it had a tail about 3ft long. when i got through hunting that evening me and the other club members always met up at the pond to see what everyone saw. when they asked me i said i seen nothing because i was not realy sure what i seen .  the next weakend my buddy hunted the same tree. when we meet up at the pond that evening we asked him did he see anything and he said well i dont realy know what it was . about that time i said did it look like a cougar are something and had a kitten with it . he said he was glad he wasnt the only one that seen them. so it dont matter what everybody else say's i know where 2 did stay at.


----------



## olcowman

longears said:


> Ive treed and killed several mountian lion while living in montana and they never sound like a woman be killed. but ive never heard a women being killed.



It sounds alot like the noise my wife makes when she opens the credit card bill after I done snuck off and went to the Bass Pro Shops!

Anyhow...you fellers seeing 'em, how about shooting us one, or at least send us some pics of torn out throats, claw marks, tracks, scare't to death uncles, & other evidence. A dang digital camera can be bought dirt cheap now a days!


----------



## Rebel 3

I dont beleive in black panthers.  There may be a mountain lion or two in GA that was illegally released.  I live in an area people claim to see panthers in.  I also spend 40+ hrs a week in the woods all over the county and have never seen any sign, urine smells, kills, sightings......  I did see a very large cat a few hundred yards ahead off me Sunday in the hwy in an area with several reported sightings.  I looked black, but I was looking into the sun.  I am sure it was probably brown.  I did notice it had no tail.  It was probably a big bobcat, but I can see how a person's imagination mixed with a distorted view of a creature can make them think they saw something they really did not see.  At the distance I saw this cat it was really hard to judge the size, but it did look big.  I am sure it was a bobcat.  Also, it is unreal how many trail cameras are in the woods, but no pictures of any panthers show up.  I guess they are like vampires and dont show in pictures.


----------



## olcowman

I think I asked this question before...but wasn't there a pic of a cougar a couple of years (or more) back sent in to GON along with a note stating it had been killed in Cohutta? I also remember some publicity about that time concerning issues with the wildlife rehab place up in Gilmer county, who I know had some big cats.

Shortly before that pic in GON, my Dad swore up and down that a huge cougar crossed the road in front of him while driving thru the Boyd Gap on Hwy 68 just before Copperhill, Tn. He just made the comment matter of factly that "someone done turned a mtn lion loose big as a calf". He has spent many years afield in these mtns and he pretty much called it straight when he told the story. 

Does anyone have any notion how many mtn lions are currently held in captivity in GA under some kind of permit? Perhaps a little about the facilties they are kept in?


----------



## fireman1501

guy got caught in atkinson county a few years back. the way he got caught was he still had the foot off of one


----------



## Poppy D

Okay Ive read all of the reports on this thread, I wont to know what ive seen then 1. was at coopers creek above the bridge and2. was in Jefferson county on a old hunting club.
The cat was large probaly in the range of 80 pounds ?, And the color was black and a long tail. I was within 20 ft of the cat as it crossed the road in front of my Dad and I.


----------



## JD

I got this pic out in my backyard the other day...


----------



## GA DAWG

JD6565 said:


> I got this pic out in my backyard the other day...


 That aint in BUFORD...Looks more like Hall county to me


----------



## JD

I live right on the county line...


----------



## Killdee

JD6565 said:


> I got this pic out in my backyard the other day...



Beautful lepard, you can still see his spots. BTW thats definatly a Cobb county Lepard.


----------



## jessicay

this one was in my trash this morning.


----------



## Ace12

Imagine seeing one of these in the wild.


----------



## olcowman

Ace12 said:


> Imagine seeing one of these in the wild.



Okay, and right after that I imagined his big ol' head hanging right over my fireplace....right next to the first black panther I ever see while hunting! Dang they sure are purty, but now I ain't got room for my Bigfoot shoulder mount!


----------



## Ace12

The Liger in the above picture weighs 900lbs.  That is an awsome animal. I would love to see one up close, from behind a thick piece of glass of course.


----------



## TatnallCountyHunter

What is in this video? Oversized black cat? Coyote? Bear? Maybe a black panther? You decide. Taken in Alabama.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xhUE58vV2Ws&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xhUE58vV2Ws&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>


----------



## jessicay

Look to mr like a black panther. I swear I have a guy who lives on my road who has mountain lions, black panthers etc.. he has a permit for them. My husband has been over there and saw them for his self. He has all kind of weird animals. Next take he goes I will get him to take a pics so we can post it.


----------



## olcowman

jessicay said:


> Look to mr like a black panther. I swear I have a guy who lives on my road who has mountain lions, black panthers etc.. he has a permit for them. My husband has been over there and saw them for his self. He has all kind of weird animals. Next take he goes I will get him to take a pics so we can post it.



Please get him up and make him go now!!! Make sure you got good batteries in the camera and send him out the door! We can finally lay this black panther thing to rest with a sure enough pic, maybe even a hair for DNA too prove to all us smart alecky types,  that yes indeed black panther are real and their is at least one in the state of Georgia,

Now we can finally all get back to discussing the really important stuff that this forum was intended for anyway. Stuff like how much is it going to cost to shoulder mount a Bigfoot fer my house trailer? Or who's the purtest, chubby country singer since Wynona Judd.

Thank the Lord this panther thing is finally behind us...any minute now....he probably had to get a coat on, it is kinda chilly.......them digitell cameras work when its this cold, he might have to warm it up in his pocket or blow on it or something ......anytime, once and for all we can all see the proof....must be real close to getting home..... what time did he leave?........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........


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## jessicay

olcowman said:


> Please get him up and make him go now!!! Make sure you got good batteries in the camera and send him out the door! We can finally lay this black panther thing to rest with a sure enough pic, maybe even a hair for DNA too prove to all us smart alecky types,  that yes indeed black panther are real and their is at least one in the state of Georgia,
> 
> Now we can finally all get back to discussing the really important stuff that this forum was intended for anyway. Stuff like how much is it going to cost to shoulder mount a Bigfoot fer my house trailer? Or who's the purtest, chubby country singer since Wynona Judd.
> 
> Thank the Lord this panther thing is finally behind us...any minute now....he probably had to get a coat on, it is kinda chilly.......them digitell cameras work when its this cold, he might have to warm it up in his pocket or blow on it or something ......anytime, once and for all we can all see the proof....must be real close to getting home..... what time did he leave?........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........




Look, my hubby is down with his back. As soon as he is better I am going to get you that picture. But like I said before the guy has permits for raising exoit animals.


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## BEEVUS

I once saw Bigfoot walking his black panther on a red leash, about 9:30 am, smoking a cigar.


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## Killdee

Gatorb said:


> what is DRN?



shorthand for durn


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## olcowman

jessicay said:


> Look, my hubby is down with his back. As soon as he is better I am going to get you that picture. But like I said before the guy has permits for raising exoit animals.



I hope I didn't come across being mean to ya'll...I love this debate with all my heart. I have followed it for years and have been waiting for some kind of result. It's kind of gotten me jaded to the fact that someone might really turn up with one someday. If you really think that neighbor of yours has got a certifiable version of a black panther, (not a melanoistic - spelling? - black version of a jaguar) get us some pics or some info from this guy!

You will be a hero to alot of folks that's been saying they have seen these things. While your there, do me a favor, ask him if he aint got a Bigfoot somewhere around there locked up in a smoke house or chicken coop somewhere? It would really help me out!


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## jessicay

olcowman said:


> I hope I didn't come across being mean to ya'll...I love this debate with all my heart. I have followed it for years and have been waiting for some kind of result. It's kind of gotten me jaded to the fact that someone might really turn up with one someday. If you really think that neighbor of yours has got a certifiable version of a black panther, (not a melanoistic - spelling? - black version of a jaguar) get us some pics or some info from this guy!
> 
> You will be a hero to alot of folks that's been saying they have seen these things. While your there, do me a favor, ask him if he aint got a Bigfoot somewhere around there locked up in a smoke house or chicken coop somewhere? It would really help me out!




If you go outside tonight you will more than likely see alot of Bigfoot's out tonight! LOL


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## backwoodsjoe

The DNR won't admit it because they don't have to ! Lots of those folks at the DNR with their degrees in basket weaving wouldn't know an otter if one bit them on the butt so why do you think they would know what a panther was. 

My grandfather told me he shot at one while coon hunting on the Savannah river in Hart County in the early '60's. He said it was in plain view about 10 foot up in a tree. Three other men were there and also looked at the cat.  He saw it again about a week later a few miles up the river. I asked him why he didn't hit it as I knew what a great shot he was and this was his reply....."I was shaking so bad and trying to keep my butt cheeks together I couldn't have hit the side of a barn".
My grandfather was a quiet man and didn't kid around about nothing. He had a reputation of being one of the most honest men in these parts.  I don't believe in bigfoot but if my grandfather was alive and told me bigfoot was heading my way, I'd grab my Bushmaster and get ready for some trophy hunting !


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## Resica

Is there a black panther body or a black panther track.Maybe they won't admit  it until there is actual evidence.Just a guess.By the way,what's a black panther track look like?


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## olcowman

There invisible, but if you could see em they'd be great big ol' things with long, gnarly claws.


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## runandgun

I have had the priviledge to live in MS, ND, TX, and have inlaws in MT, ID, and Sask, Canada. I now am proud to call GA home. Two things that have remained constant for all the above are as follows: Giant 300lbs catfish below a local dam, too big to swim and big as a small car--reportably at ALL locations, a Jocques Custeau (s?) dive team dove to check out the dam, saw the fish, and swore they'd never be back----and knock down, drag out arguments over the presence of black panthers in the local area. If these are true, who knows? I do know that the MS DNR swore up and down there were no gators or rattlesnakes where I grew up, but there were plenty of both.


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## Resica

runandgun said:


> I have had the priviledge to live in MS, ND, TX, and have inlaws in MT, ID, and Sask, Canada. I now am proud to call GA home. Two things that have remained constant for all the above are as follows: Giant 300lbs catfish below a local dam, too big to swim and big as a small car--reportably at ALL locations, a Jocques Custeau (s?) dive team dove to check out the dam, saw the fish, and swore they'd never be back----and knock down, drag out arguments over the presence of black panthers in the local area. If these are true, who knows? I do know that the MS DNR swore up and down there were no gators or rattlesnakes where I grew up, but there were plenty of both.



There was eventually evidence of the snakes and the gators.Still no concrete evidence of blacky?


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## Chippewa Partners

This black "panther" strolled by my climbing stand.  

I'll keep the $1,000 in my wallet, no need to pay myself!


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## Rockett

I'll weigh in on this one and then weigh out.  About 15 years ago I saw a black panther/cougar/jaguar whatever you want to call it.  Not a black bobcat!  The thing jumped right in front of our truck, looked at us for a couple of seconds and then cleared about a couple yards and a 4.5 ft fence in on leap.  Solid black, about 1 and 1/2 ft tall and the tail was 2ft maybe and the diameter of a good size broom stick.  If they grow house cat aroud here that are that big I'm movin.  Just my input!


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## spring

I got this pic on my camera 2 months ago...Not black, but pretty cool nevertheless.


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## BigBushClub

I have a pet black panther that I have raised and trained to be veeeery veeeery elusive.  I take him out to different parts of the state a few times each deer season and let him go run around the woods.  We go out at night and do recon on where stand locations, etc. are, and then when I let him go, he runs out there, stays just far enough out that the hunter baaaaaarely gets a chance to see him for a second, never gets a chance to get a shot off at him, no time to take a pic or vid, etc.  Then he goes to where we found all the trail cams, and he stands just out of frame with the sun at his back so as to cast a shadow into the picture that everyone can post as "what is this" but yet him never actually be in the picture.  Then we go back home and have a real good laugh about it as we sit and meow back and forth about the fun we had that day.


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## z71gacowboy

so...? well one night I heard a woman screaming deal and thought it was a bobcat even after I saw it in my back yard...it was dark but I could tell it was brown and about the size of a golden retriever. Everytime I shined a light in its eyes it would close them, turn and walk...then I'd cut the light off, flick it back on and catch its eyes and it would turn and walk again. So what was that?


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## Throwback

z71gacowboy said:


> so...? well one night I heard a woman screaming deal and thought it was a bobcat even after I saw it in my back yard...it was dark but I could tell it was brown and about the size of a golden retriever. Everytime I shined a light in its eyes it would close them, turn and walk...then I'd cut the light off, flick it back on and catch its eyes and it would turn and walk again. So what was that?




The woman that was being killed in your back yard's golden retreiver coming for help?? 

T


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## FX Jenkins

just a matter of time...

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=263119


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## nutzmcg

lets hope they dont catch on native or not   good lord  next thing you know well all be talkin bout em like hogs or armadillos  except these things can kill and eat ya  we all grew up hearing some oldster (no offence)  talking bout screamin painters or whatever but.........just because ive never seen one dont mean it aint there....that being said look at the cougar -painter-mountain lion problems they havin out west(read predator extreme)  i dont want em we dont need em for a thing and if we dont want a another problem species like hogs!!!!!!!!!!!! we  need to eliminate the problem if we do see one..i love animals and am not a hater of anything God created but lets just hope we never have this problem

"hates punctuation and capitol letters suck too"


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## bigdaddyrabbit77

i live in valdosta and just to the east of us in atoen called statenville a man was arested for shooting some kind of black cat. he is still in prison to day and that happen 10 years ago. he took the cat home and it had a tracking coler on its neck and he thru it in the woods behind his house. moody air force base landed a helicopter in the middle of the highway infront of his house and found the coler and the cat in is frezer. so what did he shoot...


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## Nicodemus

bigdaddyrabbit77 said:


> i live in valdosta and just to the east of us in atoen called statenville a man was arested for shooting some kind of black cat. he is still in prison to day and that happen 10 years ago. he took the cat home and it had a tracking coler on its neck and he thru it in the woods behind his house. moody air force base landed a helicopter in the middle of the highway infront of his house and found the coler and the cat in is frezer. so what did he shoot...





If it`s the one  I`m thinkin` about, it was one of the tagged western lions that the state of Florida released in the Osceola, for experimental purposes. A couple of those wandered up into South Georgia. And it wasn`t black...


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## Killdee

I bet it was a black helicopter 2.


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## Big Kuntry

greers57 said:


> Hey, they told (the cops/animal control, not DNR) my Mamma back around 1978 there wasn't an armadillo in her back yard, you're probably mistaken ma'am, they don't come anywhere near people.
> 
> This was in Adel less than 50 miles from Florida.  It was around the time numbers were starting to migrate into the southern parts of GA.




Lol...yeah, and I haven't seen any Armadillo's in Nashville Well, they're here-armadillo's that is!


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## turkey.pres

We have got the same deal in PA, sightings but they don't exsist in PA


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## bfriendly

> Listen I used to say no way, but about 3 months ago my wife and I were outside tending to the animals we own, and from across the road we heard the most god awful scream. I wanted to call the police it curdled my blood to hear it. It sounded like someone murdering a woman about 200 yards in the woods. I can still remember that sound, I called the neighbors across there and it was 35 yards from their front door. They couldn't get a view it was 1030 pm because it would run around them to the side of the house when they tried to look. I ain't crazy, but I know what I heard. I can't swear to what it was I never saw it but that was what we heard.



Sure it wasn't Bigfoot? I think that is what you heard.................I heard it too in Sugar Hill, real close to the Chattahochee


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## TurkeyProof

*unicorns*

The state don't admit to unicorns either.


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## 11P&YBOWHUNTER

The state wont admit to something that is false...unless it benefits them in some way.  I am actually surprised they have not made a season on Mountain Lions and charged 20 bucks for the tag...knowning that nobody will shoot one unless it was released by some moron who did not think things through before buying a cute kitten...


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## HCREB

*hit*

I saw a beaver get plastered by a car in the middle of the road. . . .   just thought that was pretty weird


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## Chippewa Partners

That was a bobcat "screaming".

A very common sound across Georgia.


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## mriver72

NOPE no black panthers in ga  somebody been done knocked a hole in one if there was ..


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## mriver72

bigdaddyrabbit77 said:


> i live in valdosta and just to the east of us in atoen called statenville a man was arested for shooting some kind of black cat. he is still in prison to day and that happen 10 years ago. he took the cat home and it had a tracking coler on its neck and he thru it in the woods behind his house. moody air force base landed a helicopter in the middle of the highway infront of his house and found the coler and the cat in is frezer. so what did he shoot...



That was Bionic Cat he was on a special mission Rambo was busy ..


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