# Mountain lions in Mediana County?



## goodday (Dec 24, 2004)

http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/30553834.html


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## Skarfer (Jan 27, 2006)

really ticks me off that nobody seems to be taking these reported sightings for real. Seems the Fish and Game people just want to say "there are no mountain lions in Ohio" and brush it off........

My question is WHY aren't or why CAN'T there be any in Ohio - we've got the terrain and climate and lord knows there's plenty of food for them (deer)........

Same with bears. All you heard about years ago was "there isn't any bears in Ohio!"..........now guess what..........there is.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

Sounds hard to believe, but I remember saying the same thing many moons ago about black bears being in Ohio. If it is true, it's probably someones pet that got loose. Unfortunately It'll probably take someone to get hurt before action gets taken.


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## Tee (Apr 5, 2004)

Could be a Hybrid cat as discussed on an older thread....



http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=96321


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

dare i say it............bigfoot anyone 

i dont buy it. he said he was frightned, but still approached 30 feet closer, armed only with a crossbow???


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## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

If they don't exist then you probably won't get in any trouble for killing one If I saw one and had the chance it would probably be, cut into jerky and the mount would go in my Dad's cabin. I can remeber people telling me I was nuts when I started sees coyotes up this way 12-15 years ago, now they are commonplace.


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## Papascott (Apr 22, 2004)

Randy they been telling you that for 15 years and I figured it out in one day! You gots some smurt pals.


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## Fishstix (Aug 16, 2005)

Could have been a sabertooth?


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## cantsleep (Jul 25, 2007)

Just as deer and coyotes have been able to adapt and thrive in near suburban areas, I see no reason why large predators could not.

Gives heading out to the woods and streams a new thrill, don't it?


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## gonefishin' (Apr 14, 2004)

_And Damon Greer, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, insisted that ''there are no mountain lions in Ohio.''_

Nothing like a blanket statement to make one sound like a fool. These people are seeing something. Maybe if the DNR people got off their butts and walked around in the woods once in awhile they too might find they were all wrong about lions living here in Ohio. 

They were spotting these in central Ohio a few years ago. One was near my father in laws place where I camp and fish and I still think about it every time I camp there. Spooky!


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

There are no wild mountain lions living in Ohio. I agree with Mr. Greer.

Probably someone's "pet" that got loose, as happens from time to time, as some folks feel the need to keep "exotics" as pets.


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## Skarfer (Jan 27, 2006)

You guys are SO quick to say there are no wild mountain lions living in Ohio....what is the reasoning behind your statement? Just like there were NO black bears in Ohio either.....but yet here they are now.

Just like the black bear - why can't a mountain lion migrate into Ohio??? We definately have the environment to support them........or is there an Invisible Fence around the entire state that keeps them out??

I don't see why you guys are being so hard headed about this - I mean can someone explain to my WHY there can't be any wild ones in ohio????


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## auglaizewader (Aug 30, 2007)

Bears and Mountain Lions are 2 different situations.

Black bears are present in states very near to us: WV, KY, TN etc... The fact that they moved here is more probable than a wild mountain lion moving in. See this link 
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Puma_concolor.html

It simply isn't probable, Not hard -headed.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

It's funny that Mt. Lions can live in a populated state like Florida, California and others . Although the idea would be extremely remote, I do not see any reason why they couldn't live in Ohio. We have the four factors of habitat. But like I stated in my original post, if there is one it is probably a released pet or an escaped one. It will take several lion kills or various credible sighting with "proof" throughout the state to totally convince the public, and state officials.


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## BrianSipe17 (Aug 5, 2006)

Could have been a bobcat or lynx. There are few of those still in Ohio. I have seen one or two of them in Wayne County at night.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

In March of 2003 I came home from a long trip overseas and I stopped at the Daffodil Trail In Richfield to sit and unwind for a little bit before going home. It was dusk and I heard some kind of death match going on in the woods a few hundred yards from the picnic table in the parking lot where I was sitting.
It sounded like a rabbit death scream (do deer scream like that???) and I heard what sounded like the cougar in the old Lincoln Mercury commercials.
I knew it wasn't a rabbit from the sounds of brush and small trees breaking. I figured it was a cougar taking down a deer.
I wasn't about to go into the woods to see what was going on but ever since then I wondered if we had cougars in the national park.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

Do a search on google for Mt lion sightings in Ohio. Pretty interesting to say the least. A lot of stuff came up.

This article is a decent one to read, http://sierraactivist.org/article.php?sid=56768


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

I agree with Mr. Greer. 

There are no mountain lions living in Ohio. 

Has nothing to do with bears, or even with a wandering animal of some sort, whether it's wild or an escaped "pet" from somewhere, living off roadkill. 

The original statement was "there are no mountain lions living in Ohio." I'd love to see Greer's full quote. Maybe something like this???

REPORTER: "So, do mountain lions live in Ohio?"

GREER: "No, there are no mountain lions living in Ohio, however there may be an escaped exotic pet, but they usually don't survive. There is no evidence of a sutainable wild population of mountain lions in Ohio."

It amazes me that there is so much animosity and anger pointed towards the wildlife biologist.

And, for the record, I do think the folks in Richfield saw something... A cat of some sort. From what they described (including Lewzer) sounds like a big cat of some sort. I have no reason not to believe them and take them at their word on their belief that it was a mountain lion.


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## Skarfer (Jan 27, 2006)

"Science says big cats shouldn't be in Ohio, but science has declared animals extinct and been wrong. Who's to say it's right this time?" 


Ok - so I'll ask the question again......just WHY shouldn't big cats be in ohio??? As I stated before - we have everything here for them to survive - and they've been seen as close as Michigan and Illinois........so why aren't there any here?

I'm being serious and not trying to be a smart ass - I'm trying to understand just why they "shouldn't" be here........


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## seethe303 (Dec 12, 2006)

I'm guessing it has something to do with the numbers that would have to live in Ohio to establish a sustainable population. Just seeing one animal is far more likely to be an escaped pet, or a misidentified cat. 

Now, I don't know what kind of numbers of mountain lions need to be present in the wild to sustain a population, but I am going to venture a guess that it would be high enough that we would be having more than one or two iffy sightings. 

Aaaaaand, since we have no concrete proof of mountain lions in ohio the burden of proof falls on the shoulders of those saying that they do live in ohio


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## Eugene (Jun 23, 2004)

The appropriately skeptical response would be to not buy into any universal statements at all. I remember when geese and deer weren't so common to Ohio, and turkeys were downright scarce. Coyotes, otters, badgers, black bears, lake sturgeon (this is a fish site, after all), etc. have returned/are returning after a hiatus from the state. Confirmed lion sightings are getting intriguingly closer, so maybe... I even know outdoorsy folks, including an avid hunter/professional outfitter, along the upper Great Lakes who should all know and who claim to have sighted cougar/lion/puma/whatever where they live. ...But I want _verifiable_ evidence--scat, remains, casts/photos of paw prints, a tuft of fur with enough tissue to extract genetic material, etc.--from credible sources before I will invest much belief one way or t'other regarding Ohio. Sorry, there just isn't anything verifiable to any of these claims yet.

I will say that I'm _extra_ skeptical about the hype around all the "lion" sightings in Columbus a couple years back. I didn't hear of a single one that originated in somebody who might actually have known what they were seeing. On the one occasion I'm aware where proper biologists did go to investigate a site, near the Columbus Airport, they found fresh, largish coyote tracks (as related by TV news).


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## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

There used to be cougars ( mountain lions ) in Ohio , until they were either killed off or pushed out by early settlers to the area. There is no reason at all to assume they couldnt migrate back into the area. Many states are working to reintroduce them back into their state forests because they are native to the area and have been for atleast 20+ years now. I know for a fact they have been reintroduced in Florida and Georgia ( remote areas ). These animals can roam quite a long way from their original location and since nobody is really watching for them and they are usually sneaky and nocturnal by nature they go undetected except for the random sighting. Random sightings totally fit the character of the species. Im not saying that they do exist in Ohio but I would be really surprised if there werent a few.


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## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-11-30-mountain-lions_x.htm


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

yonderfishin said:


> http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-11-30-mountain-lions_x.htm


Excellent article!


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## cantsleep (Jul 25, 2007)

*yonderfishin*, that is a great article, and kind of says what many here are saying. It is possible.
I won't try to argue that Ohio has a sustainable population, I don't think we do. But to say that there cannot be cougars in state seems wrong. This could be, as detailed in the article, another example of these creatures searching out new range.
If they can get here, I think they can thrive here.


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## lazy (Apr 10, 2004)

I suppose next you guys are going to saying they are no Big Foot in Ohio.


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## Eugene (Jun 23, 2004)

I remember when that article was first released. Note the date: cougars have had four years since to continue expansion if they are expanding range.


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## Eugene (Jun 23, 2004)

lazy said:


> I suppose next you guys are going to saying they are no Big Foot in Ohio.


Good luck coming up with verifiable evidence of that one.


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## Nikster (Mar 14, 2007)

Don't agree with some? Cougars can & do migrate to find & establish a home range (males). 
There was a cougar in the North Side of Chicago last year. After it was shot, it was determined that (autopsy) it was a free range kitty, not someones exotic pet that escaped.
I hunt in Southern Illinois, there have been 2 remains found (Johnson county), 1 killed by a train, the other remains found could not be determined because of decomposition. DNR swore that all the sightings by people over the years have been large cats, Lynx, Bobcats etc., BUT.... impossible for a Cougar. Then they were proven wrong .

SO WHY NOT OHIO?


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## Skarfer (Jan 27, 2006)

Nikster said:


> SO WHY NOT OHIO?



exactly.........


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

As a hypothetical question, I'm sure they COULD live here, maybe... They're adaptive animals, as most are. But that wasn't the question...  

I went out there yesterday and we did the story for WKYC... Talked to the land owners who saw it, and I still have no reason to NOT believe them. They saw something, and if they say it resembled a mountain lion, I have no reason to say they didn't see it. We also talked with the wildlife biologist at ODNR. Again, he offered there is no wild population of cougar or mountain lion living in Ohio THAT THEY KNOW OF. Key part of the quote that was left out. He also said that if anyone has evidence (photos, video, hair, scats, etc.) to offer it up and they'll look into it. Also, he did say that if there are mountain lions running around, they would like to know about it.


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## Eugene (Jun 23, 2004)

Nikster said:


> BUT.... impossible for a Cougar. Then they were proven wrong .
> 
> SO WHY NOT OHIO?


I think you might be misquoting or misinterpreting here. I'm a biologist and I rarely deal in absolutes like "impossible" on the day job. Proper scientific skepticism is open minded...but still healthily skeptical. "Not likely", "not that we know of", or "nearly impossible" are all quite different concepts from "impossible."


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## MadMac (May 2, 2005)

I saw some puma paw prints next to a brook that ran along Green Mountain on Redstone Arsenal in Alabama back in 82. I hope they don't come around here until my kids are gone.


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## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

Just to be on the safe side its a good idea to be prepared with the knowledge that its atleast possible while outdoors hunting and fishing, etc. Also what should be considered is that just because a population of the cats were "thought" to have died out or hunted out long ago dosent mean there wasnt a few left in remote areas to show themselves now and then. There are people who live in areas where there are many cougars and never see them in their whole life.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

The state usually takes a stance that there isn't a population if there is a very small one. This is fine, as taxdollars can be spent on wildlife issues that are important, rather than taking on the study of a constantly expanding species. Once there is verifiable evidence (kills) that there are wild cats here in Ohio, the stance will change. BUT, as of now, there is NO eveidence that they are here, so therefore, they aren't....according to the state. They did the same thing with bears and bobcats. No problem, just policy. Since no one is hunting them, there is no reason to spend extra dollars protecting a species that may not be established. As you all know, times are getting tough, agencies (ESPECIALLY the DNR) need to be careful what they spend on. Virginia has a similar policy when it comes to reintroduced elk from Kentucky. They would rather not deal with the extra burden, so they are allowed to be shot as deer as I understand it.


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## Orlando (Apr 12, 2004)

Lions and Tigers and Bears. Oh my!


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## BIGGUNS (May 17, 2008)

Yes I Have Seen Trail Camera Pics Of 1 Adult An 2-3 Cubs , Have Seen This With My Own Two Eyes , An The Camera Was In Wayne County .he Did Turn In The Pics To Dnr An Have Heard Nothing Yet. We Had Seen Tracks So We Left A Couple Dead Woodchucks Near One Of The Trailcams.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

BIGGUNS said:


> Yes I Have Seen Trail Camera Pics Of 1 Adult An 2-3 Cubs , Have Seen This With My Own Two Eyes , An The Camera Was In Wayne County .he Did Turn In The Pics To Dnr An Have Heard Nothing Yet. We Had Seen Tracks So We Left A Couple Dead Woodchucks Near One Of The Trailcams.


Don't tease us, we want to see the pictures????


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## BIGGUNS (May 17, 2008)

I Will See If I Can Get Some Of The Pics From Him They Were His Trailcams. I Really Didn't Believe Him When He Told Me On The Phone , Till I Went Over An Looked For Myself . I Was Amazed.


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## Nikster (Mar 14, 2007)

Now this kitty is to have traveled down from Wisconsin & into Illinois, & finally killed in the HEART of Chicago by using the river & creek sytems & the cover these have to offer. It was then determined that it WAS NOT ONES EXOTIC PET THAT HAD ESCAPED by an autopsy.

Good clip here. http://video.wnbc.com/player/?id=240451

Again " Why Not Ohio?"

Nik,


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

WKYC did a follow up and had scats analyzed. they belong to some sort of cat according to Case Western and Natural History museum . stay tuned!


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

Big Daddy said:


> WKYC did a follow up and had scats analyzed. they belong to some sort of cat according to Case Western and Natural History museum . stay tuned!


Oops, I think a lot of people are going to have a bad case of foot taste in their mouths


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## viper1 (Apr 13, 2004)

Monster Quest did a show last night on the Big cats in the USA. I'm sure it will be repeated a few more times,they always do. It showed big cats being reported across the USA. It included this area also. Alot of these were Black cats or Panthers and they said they did not have a breedable population. Could be pets let go or a stray. But they showed a map with pins and it seemed funny how they would be grouped in large areas everwhere. Would seem they are seeing something. They had a lot of witnesses and photos. I think there is room for doubt and I'll keep an open mind.


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## Eugene (Jun 23, 2004)

Toxic said:


> Oops, I think a lot of people are going to have a bad case of foot taste in their mouths


I definitely think the fully foot-in-mouth clan would be counted more like "a few" than "a lot." The appropriately skeptical stay open minded and don't commit to absolutes like "definitely" or "impossible" without substantial evidence.


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## bubbster (Jun 2, 2013)

BIGGUNS said:


> Yes I Have Seen Trail Camera Pics Of 1 Adult An 2-3 Cubs , Have Seen This With My Own Two Eyes , An The Camera Was In Wayne County .he Did Turn In The Pics To Dnr An Have Heard Nothing Yet. We Had Seen Tracks So We Left A Couple Dead Woodchucks Near One Of The Trailcams.


I live right by you ad would love to know where in Wayne cty.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

*YES, there was a mountain lion in Medina City outskirts (my backyard) in 2003. *My wife hurriedly called me to look in the back yard at the huge fawn colored cat with a long tail. The cat was gone before I could get to the back of the house but I found it's track in the snow. I can assure you that track was not from any ordinary ***** cat. 
I also saw the same track and heard a scream like howl while deer hunting during the 1975 season in Noble County, Southeast, Ohio. My friends that lived in the area said they had seen the same tracks and one of them said he saw the mountain lion.
Now! I don't care if anyone believes me or not as I know what I heard and saw.


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## caseyroo (Jun 26, 2006)

Bub,
These posts were from 2008! That being said, while fishing a farm pond around 1999, or 2000, I saw a large black cat stalk and kill a goose in some cat tails. There was no question this was a panther. The pond was located near routes 585 and 21. There were articles in the Beacon Journal shortly after about other sightings, and the likelihood that this cat, or others had escaped from someone's exotic pet collection. Never herd any follow up, or ever saw anything again.


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

Shortdrift said:


> *YES, there was a mountain lion in Medina City outskirts (my backyard) in 2003. *My wife hurriedly called me to look in the back yard at the huge fawn colored cat with a long tail. The cat was gone before I could get to the back of the house but I found it's track in the snow. I can assure you that track was not from any ordinary ***** cat.
> I also saw the same track and heard a scream like howl while deer hunting during the 1975 season in Noble County, Southeast, Ohio. My friends that lived in the area said they had seen the same tracks and one of them said he saw the mountain lion.
> Now! I don't care if anyone believes me or not as I know what I heard and saw.


Ron I heard there were a lot of cougars down in Medina, we used to have a bunch at the Beachwood Marriott.


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## mkalink (Mar 28, 2010)

I just saw Big Foot chasing a Mountain Lion through my back yard. If either one existed in Ohio I'm sure some hoop jack would have their heads hanging on the wall.


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## Flannel_Carp (Apr 7, 2014)

mkalink said:


> I just saw Big Foot chasing a Mountain Lion through my back yard. If either one existed in Ohio I'm sure some hoop jack would have their heads hanging on the wall.


You don't think there's at least one mountain lion living within Ohio's borders?


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## Stars-n-Stripers (Nov 15, 2007)

Snakecharmer said:


> Ron I heard there were a lot of cougars down in Medina, we used to have a bunch at the Beachwood Marriott.


I lost my job awhile back and am actively searching for a cougar, albeit a rich one.


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## mkalink (Mar 28, 2010)

Flannel_Carp said:


> You don't think there's at least one mountain lion living within Ohio's borders?


No, the only Mountain Lions in Ohio are captive or escaped captivity and running around. If there were any here, I'm sure there would be some dead farm critters as evidence. Plus like I stated in my original post someone would have one on their wall by now.


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## bubbster (Jun 2, 2013)

You can bet, if I see another one with a gun in my hand there will be proof they are here in Ohio.I will put em in the back of my truck and bring it back!


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## bubbster (Jun 2, 2013)

caseyroo said:


> Bub,
> These posts were from 2008! That being said, while fishing a farm pond around 1999, or 2000, I saw a large black cat stalk and kill a goose in some cat tails. There was no question this was a panther. The pond was located near routes 585 and 21. There were articles in the Beacon Journal shortly after about other sightings, and the likelihood that this cat, or others had escaped from someone's exotic pet collection. Never herd any follow up, or ever saw anything again.


I used to fish in that pond as a youngster.


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## mkalink (Mar 28, 2010)

bubbster said:


> You can bet, if I see another one with a gun in my hand there will be proof they are here in Ohio.I will put em in the back of my truck and bring it back!


While your at it you can bust a few caps into Big Foot too.


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## Bill Bruder (Apr 28, 2020)

Skarfer said:


> really ticks me off that nobody seems to be taking these reported sightings for real. Seems the Fish and Game people just want to say "there are no mountain lions in Ohio" and brush it off........
> 
> My question is WHY aren't or why CAN'T there be any in Ohio - we've got the terrain and climate and lord knows there's plenty of food for them (deer)........
> 
> Same with bears. All you heard about years ago was "there isn't any bears in Ohio!"..........now guess what..........there is.


Well I live in SE Ohio deer country - a two years ago my neighbor lady had 2 goats as pets in a fenced in area behind her house - she was partially blind so I'd kinda help her out once in a while - she called me and said something was after her larger goat ( 250to 300 lb ) all she could tell was it was a yellowish color with a long tail and was on her goats back - she fired a 12 gauge into the air and scared the critter off but the damage was done - the upper muzzle from nose to eye balls was gone and there was deep claw marks on the goats shoulders - both sides - I helped her move the body to the back of her property - so I got to see the damage done to it - I don't think a bobcat, dog nor coyote could have caused that kind of damage to the goat ? Our houses are about 50 yards apart - so to be safe I am packing if I go there to do any work anymore - just saying what I saw .


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## bullet.bob532 (17 d ago)

You will know that the animals present in Ohio are banned from hunting or killing which is a direct admission by the state they are present.. Case in point if you see a elephant it is not illegal to kill it according to our game laws, but if it is illegal to take you can rest assured the DNR knows they are present.


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## Mattiba (Apr 7, 2020)

I love the energy expelled by the disbelievers. For some reason people get really worked up about other people seeing things that “don’t exist”. 
I can’t say ya or na but I’m not going to argue with someone that saw one. Why would someone lie?


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## Trouthunter (Jan 22, 2018)

I’ll bet ODNR is much like Michigan DNR. I saw on near Baldwin, MI a few years back going to fish the Pere Marquette. Ask few other local fishermen about it. Their reply was if the DNR recognize them in the state, then they would have to monitor and manage the population. Easker to just sweep it u deer the rug for now.


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## Gardiner (6 mo ago)

Maybe I should be caring. 
I'm always out stomping the woods or coasting down the river.
Only things I have run into was a coyote that was at the mulch yard. Here in Massillon. While dumping yard debris. 
It was as close as 25 feet of me.
I tried to give it puperoni dog treat.
That I carry dog treats. No aggression.
Another time I was leaving the Kidron auction. On Jericho rd . On the outskirts of kidron. Seen a black fox. I couldn't get a good picture. It ran off as I stopped the truck.


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## Ten Bears (Jan 12, 2012)

Thirty years ago I was a Sheriffs Deputy. I had a call about a big cat in some yard. I pulled my cruiser into the driveway and illuminated a HUGE black cat in front of the propane tank. Looked like a black cougar. It snarled and took off into the woods. That was enough for me to believe.


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