# Are there Black Panthers in Newton Co ?



## Lt Dave (Jan 3, 2010)

On 12/30/09 my boys and I were dear hunting in south Newton County and around 5:00 pm my son called me on my cell and said he had just saw a big bobcat about 5 foot long cross the trail he was hunting. He was in a stand and the cat crossed about 150 foot from his location. He is only 12 but has never told strange stories like this. When I went to get him out of the stand I ask him what it looked like and he said it was black. Is it possible that this could have been a black panther? Thanks for your input.


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## BAMBIDEER (Jan 3, 2010)

i think it is possible.we have spotted them several times in elbert co. in the last few hunting seasons.but the one we saw was tawny colored like a bobcat but had a tail as long as he was


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## camodano (Jan 4, 2010)

*panther*

it is possible there is one in carrollton the guys in the club has vowed not to shoot her. yes her. they say she is old but still has some speed to her.


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## Lakota Lem (Jan 9, 2010)

The tawny colored cat was probably a cougar out of Florida.  I sighted one in middle Georgia on January 4th, 2010.  Discussed it with DNR and they agreed it was probably a cougar although Georgia is not within the cougar's normal range.  They had another sighting of it within 2 miles of where I saw it, so that was a nice comfirmation.  Keep in mind that Florida cougars are extremely endangered and killing one carries a massive fine.


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## btanner (Jan 11, 2010)

just don't shoot it


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## joshuaet84 (Jan 11, 2010)

Well, I dont want to be mean or dissrespectful to anyone on here, and I know that flukes in nature happen, but there have been more and more reports of panthers comming out ever since that story in Americus. In this post alone there are reports of 4 different ones. From the borders of GA and South Carolina to GA Alabama, just SE of Atlanta and south west GA. For a very rare species that only lives in South Florida, they seem to be making alot of appearances all over the state.  Unfortunately, not a single picture.  But stranger things have happened and I would love to be proven wrong on here, as long as it is not by the panther in the woods when I am unarmed.


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## Darien1 (Feb 2, 2010)

*Cougar in Jones Co.*

I saw a cougar in North Jones Co. on night while 4 of us were shining rabbits in a pasture.  It was a large tawney colored cat with a tail as long as it's body.  We had the truck highbeams and a Q beam on it for about 10 seconds.  Not one of us doubted what we saw.  This was back in winter of 1972.


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## Lakota Lem (Feb 13, 2010)

I was very skeptical too of what I saw this January.  My reaction was this is gonna sound pretty stupid if I claim that I saw a cougar when the closest ones should be over 500 miles away.  When it first caught my eye, my first thought was that is an awfully large dog, but when I took a closer look, the body was totally out of proportion for a dog.  The chest cavity was very long and thin.  The head was relatively small in proportion to the rest of the body, the nose wasn't long like a dog's and it's ear were fairly short.  Then I saw the tail and like Darien1's siting, the tail was as long as the rest of body.  That's when I knew it was defintely a cat.  He was moving along at what I would call almost a loping trot.  Not like he was spooked or running from something, but just that he was on the move.  He gently cleared several downed trees and never slowed down.  I was about a 100 feet from him and he didn't look to either side.  His movement was quite graceful and overall he was quite a beautiful creature.  It was a very cold, but sunny day, and I sighted him about 1 PM.  A broad daylight sighting??  Not what I would have ever expected.

So I started researching various big cat pictures on the web and quickly eliminated the Bobcat and Lynx.  Every time I ran across a cougar picture it was match, but my common sense still had a hard time accepting it.  I didn't even call DNR until the following day, because I thought they would think I was nuts.  To my surprise they were very appreciative of the report and confirmed that my description was a match.  Since then I have walked the woods where I made the sighting and found fresh tracks that from what I can find on the web indicate a large cat.  I photograhed the tracks, but I really need to take some casts if I can find any other tracks in the future.  I am also going to start carrying a camera.  I decided to only reveal the location to the DNR since I don't want to draw any attention to its location.  The last thing I want is for spectators to be out looking for it or even worse some nut case trying to shoot it.

I know we are not supposed to have them in Georgia, but with the squeeze on their habitat in South Florida, they could be looking for more isolation and the southern half of Georgia could represent a good alternative for them.


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## chunt115 (Feb 15, 2010)

These big cats have been around for a long time.  I don't care what the Game and Fish says.  There are and have breeding populations in GA.  My friends and I used to do a lot of coon hunting back in the late 80's and early 90's in Warren, McDuffie and the surrounding counties.  We saw some big cats then.  With the increase in deer populations,  the food sources are there to sustain them all over the state.


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## Son (Feb 17, 2010)

Ya'll must have em all, cause we don't see any down here in SW Ga. Not even a roadkill.


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## raceman62race (Feb 18, 2010)

My neighbor swears to have seen one in Shady Dale


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## red tail (Feb 18, 2010)

I have seen a Cougar on 278 close to Lake Oconee several years ago. ran across the road in frout of us. 

I believe they are here, but can't prove it.


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## hulk181 (Feb 18, 2010)

On South Fulton Pkwy(near the hooch) I've seen  more than 1 160+ class deer, 1 bear, and an anteater. Nothing in the woods would suprise me any more.


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## 150classflintriver (Feb 24, 2010)

I remember back in the early 1980's, in Crawford Co. Ga.,a fella there by the name of Walter Carr, professional fur trapper used to bring his 4x4 chevy by the shop that I worked at for service or whatever.He simply referred to panthers as long tail cats that he caught on a regular basis.The one he showed was a panther, greish black in color and weighing all of maybe 50 lbs., the tail was almost as long as its body.


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## repoman34 (Feb 24, 2010)

Here we go again....


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## 150classflintriver (Feb 24, 2010)

Walter caught the cat probabally who knows where, he was a land and water trapper, so he went everywhere.Before you ask, no I dont have any pictures of this, it was the 80's...but I have some own accts. with these, as I became a trapper in the early 90's


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## Red Dawg (Feb 24, 2010)

Well I have saw two black panthers in my lifetime.  The first one was about twenty three years ago just south of Pavo Ga in Thomas County.  I watched it through my rifle scope cross an open field about one hundred yards wide between two large patches of woods. The latest one was a year and a half ago in Worth County south of Sylvester. My brother in law owns and farms property next to where I saw it crossing the road said he has seen them off and on for 40 years.  Sometimes as long as ten years between siteings.


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## ga_taco4x4 (Feb 28, 2010)

i've seen 4 in the last 7-8 years all between twin city and dublin. there around just not seen alot.


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## duckhunter6 (Mar 30, 2010)

i've heard reports of one in dodge county close to laurens county line, i wouldnt doubt your boy seen one


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