Panthers

[jon r]

Has anyone seen a wild panther in the woods? someone thinks there is one around where i live! will have to take a long bow around with me!

Wonder what they taste like?

 

[torjusg]

I'd rather take a stout spear. If it attacks you could be lucky and turn it into the animal before it puts it's teeth into you.

So, any evidence for this?

 

[Hunter_zero]

Has anyone seen a wild panther in the woods? someone thinks there is one around where i live! will have to take a long bow around with me!

Wonder what they taste like?

A hunting guide I know swears there are big cats in the UK.
He has tracked one and seen many bits of evidence but never actually seen the cat.

This chap, guides in Africa and all over Europe, he is an expert hunter and if he is sure then I am sure.

The problem as I understand it, is that even if you find solid evidence, you will be told to forget what you have seen.

John

 

[torjusg]

The felines have gentle teeth and can not chew through much bone. They will always leave substantial evidence of their feeding.

The lynx usually eats only the large muscle groups before moving on. Have you heard of carcasses that indicate such killings?

 

[george]

See here Jon: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=8954&highlight=panther

Quite a few people have seen signs of them.

George

 

[scaleyback]

dont shoot it with a longbow,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,that will just make it angry, lol

 

[jon r]

plus its illegal to hunt with a longbow! Its either die or shoot it and go to jail!

My Uncle had some on his farm and it ate some of the baby calves. In the same area he has fishing lakes and a man fishing saw one the other side of the lake and about crapped himself!

 

[jon r]

what do you do if you come accross one in close proximity? :AR15firin

 

[ArkAngel]

what do you do if you come accross one in close proximity? :AR15firin

Proceed in a direction opposite to said big cat......rather rapidly....and hope it's not hungry

 

[themac]

what do you do if you come accross one in close proximity? :AR15firin

Make no sudden movements?

I'd imagine that the chances of you 'sneaking' up on a large cat are nigh on impossible, it will get out of your way long before your close.

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

if you come face-to-face with one, however unlikly that is, make no sudden movement and slowly back away never turning your back to it, if you turn and run it triggeres a predatory response to chace its prey.

 

[Tengu]

I met a woman who saw one round here but that was a few years back, it may have moved on.

The chap across the way from my father found it in his garden one night.

 

[Spacemonkey]

I saw one and lots of sign in a rural area WITHIN the M25... It would enter my area every 6 months or so and stay a week or two. I assume then that it was migratory within it's territory?

My dad saw one in the New Forest when he was on his bike, and my uncle saw one near Wareham Forest. Once i was walking there in full kit and an old bloke asked me if I was a park ranger, which i said no, and he said he'd just seen a large cat and wanted to report it. Maybe it was the same one? They seem relatively common in the UK and seem to be breeding, but there are very few accounts of humans being attacked, and none seriously from what I gather?

http://www.britishbigcats.org/

 

[Hunter_zero]

The felines have gentle teeth and can not chew through much bone. They will always leave substantial evidence of their feeding.

The lynx usually eats only the large muscle groups before moving on. Have you heard of carcasses that indicate such killings?

http://www.bigcatmonitors.co.uk/evidence.htm

HTH

John

 

[stovie]

It's all a bit "Area 57ish", don't you think?

 

[pierre girard]

Has anyone seen a wild panther in the woods? someone thinks there is one around where i live! will have to take a long bow around with me!

Wonder what they taste like?

They are not generally thought to be indigenous to our area, but I have seen four in the woods over the last eight years - though two of the sightings may have been the same animal. There have been a number of dogs taken off porches, and several horses have turned up with claw marks around the neck and on both flanks. The DNR says these were wolf attacks, but I've never heard of a wolf getting on a horse's back. Panther, or cougar as they're known here, are swift and silent predators. They are not beyond viewing humans as lunch. I doubt you'd have time to nock an arrow. Seeing one in the woods is a good thing. Means it hasn't seen you. Guaranteed to raise the hair on the back of your neck.

Carnivors are not generally good eating. Skinning a wolf - the smell is much like skunk. Meat is black - nothing like dog.

Also, never run from a predetor - triggers a chase response, and you'll never outrun it. Best you can do (without a weapon) is make yourself as large as possible and let him know you are mad and bad - though I don't think it would do much good with a cougar who's decided you are on the menu.

 

[jerv]

The Meat is Black!!!!???? I am fascinated.
anyway friend of mine saw a black panther thing in yorkshire. I have no reason to disbelieve him. nice to think that there is something out there performing the role of large predator.

 

[gregorach]

Yeah, it's not really suprising that they're out there and becoming more common. The top predator niche is essentially vacant in the UK, so there's plenty of opportunity for one that can cope with the conditions. And big cats were a popular "status" pet for the rich until keeping them was restricted - at which point many were simply released into the wild. It's more or less inevitable that a population would establish themselves.

 

[Tengu]

These are not pets gregorach, they are wild animals.

someone is up to something.

If you had the resources it would be easy to get hold of animals and smuggle them into the country, and you would only need a few, theres lots to eat, no competion and aside from on the roads, no danger.

under such conditions they could breed rapidly.

 

[lou1661]

I think the point that gregorach was making is that due to the introduction of The Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 many owners released there animals in to the wild rather than comply with the new regulations, it is beleved that some of these sightings are the released animals or there offspring Armed stake-out for big cats