Please be Careful! (Re: Large cat, Panther Valley)
If you live in panther valley and you live in the area of mallard dr "first right after you pull in the gate" First of all I want to stress that this is very real. Not only have I seen this myself but now my wife and kids have seen this also. About 2 weeks ago I was driving around the turn on mallard and I saw a "wild cat" the size of a BIG DOG. This was the first time I have seen this cat and the tail was extremely long and it ran in front of my truck. The 2nd time I saw this cat was like 4 days later on the left back street of the golf course road. This time when I saw it it was sitting by a tree and then when I honked my horn it ran like lightning. I know what I saw and what I saw I would describe as a very dark either mountain lion or "ironically" panther looking cat. So then low and behold last night my wife and kids are walking down the same street and my ALL of my kids along with my wife ALL saw this same cat and it took off into a yard of one of our nieghbors. When they explained what it looked like it was the same exact cat that I saw, I know nothing about wild cats or lions. However Ican tell you that if you are familiar with the statue out front of the valley there is a black/dark/brown/ cat about that size around mallard drive. I called the gate and they told us to call animal control. We did to no evail... Please if you live in this area be carefull we are not trying to scare anyone just create awareness. This animal is real it is not a dog it is 100% some type of very big cat with a long tail and a very big head and it is extremey fast!
Jason Strider
BABYBULL24 It would be great if next time you think to snap a picture with your cell before you honk the horn. I know there have been times when I thought after the fact that I should have thought to use my cell camera.
People with children or small pets do always need to keep an eye out for wildlife these days.
maja Not a fox not a dog IT is definitely a cat of some sort. Now if its a mountain cat or whatever type of cat I do not know but it is definitely a cat that is roughly I would say 145 185lbs. The reason I say its definitely a cat is because I saw the whiskers and the face and the tail and the way it ran. My wife and all of my kids saw the same exact animal 8 days after I had my 2nd sighting. I have my camera on like "ready to click" I have been driving around just trying to see if I could find it again and take a picture. But it is here and probably will be seen again..
Omg this post really scares me!!! I live on mallard and just last night my dog was acting crazy barking at something out a back window. I dIdnt see anything but today when I was outside I saw my garbage can tipped over and everything looked like it was ravaged through and taken to a spot in the woods about 20 feet away. Thought maybe a bear but now who knows! I hope someone figures this out and I wont be taking my small dog outside at night anymore. Jason, Are you living on mallard also?
Kissycat Think the last official Mountain Lion killed in NJ was in the late 40's or early 50's but who knows. Don't think you could mistake something like this...
http://photos.nj.com/photogallery/2009/09/mountain_lion_caught_on_camera.html
What did animal control tell you when you called? They really should take care of this before someone or a family pet gets hurt. Also, did you see this at night or during the day? Could it have been a Cougar (see to the right)?
mebradar 
Mommyof3 have seen the same thing in flanders area in last few years off and on. was told it is a mountain lion and there are a pair in area and they do travel extensively....told by an animal control employee they have been spotted and nothing to fear as they are like any other wild animal and if they are behaving as they should leave them alone. I could not believe my eyes when I saw it....but know what I saw and then found out that they are in area.
wildlifespotter Just found this thread: http://www.hackettstownlife.com/forum/123304
With this information:
If anyone sees any big cats, they should IMMEDIATELY call:
1) NJDEP at 888-WARN-DEP, and then:
2) Mick Valent NJDEP wild/large cat expert (mostly deals with bobcats): 908.638.4127.
Really - if a large wild mountian cat exists in NJ - you want to kill it?
Really - thats want you want to do?
Yeeshhh....I am no tree huggin, global warming, don't kill the bears kinda guy but if there is colony of mountain lions in NJ we need to kill them?
Hey im all for killing Deer 6 days to Sunday - 24/7 - 365 but leave them cats alone...
WTF!
If it is a Bobcat or larger he/she is surviving by avoiding man! A much bigger danger is the NW NJ White Trash that could enter your home.
Bobcats are elusive in the Catskills but they have been found. They weigh up to 40 pounds. They run from man as he has hunted them to near extinction.
iJay2 iJay2 - way to be racist!!
What ever it is, it has to be eating something, so either the things is eating out of the trash cans or someone is feeding it. I would think if its eating small dogs or cats we would hear about a lot more missing and never found.
Just Asking Have you notified the PVPOA or the Crest
About this?? If it isn't a joke then that is also
Something you need to do!!
Crest resident My family and myself are charity type people we would NEVER want the cat killed simply relocated. I am a hunter and a fisherman myself and all of the years I have been hunting in PA and NJ and even up in maine I have never seen a cat like this live in front of my face. The trash is probably our local bear if you live on mallard. I call the bear charlie he is about 350lbs and completely harmless as long as you keep your distance and yell he will simply run away "he is in my yard almost daily". I am used to bears and know all of the things there is to know about them "again I am a local hunter". I actually do not hunt bears, mainly because I do not eat them. I only hunt stuff that we eat as should any hunter. I have tried the animal control several times and just get a answering machine... lol (I guess they only control from mon-fri). We spoke to another nieghbor that we saw at shoprite yesterday and she confirmed she has see the cat as well. Here are the facts so that from this post on we do not get things confused.
There is a BIG cat hanging out in and or around the entire length of mallard drive in panther valley. (this is NOT a UFO sighting! This is NOT a ghost sighting!) This is a family of children yelling and screaming and running home at top speed because of seeing a live animal that they never saw live in the wild before! All of my sons have been hunting with me, fishing, they all have cleaned animals to put on our table! They were scared sh..less!
There is no answer at animal control
I am guessing when I say (there is no animal control within panther valley?) WHY NOT?
Last but not least and I stress please just be carefull I have kids and even if I didn't I care for other people so we are telling ya to just be carefull. Monday morning we will try the animal control again.
I've given this post a lot of thought since reading it late last night. I have lived in PV for almost 4 years. There is a 3-legged doe that hobbles around in the Mountainside section of PV since as long as I have been here, if not long(?). IF this was a mountain lion/cougar/panther, I think she would be easy prey. A large cat would need LARGE amounts of food, not just picking trough someone's garbage. I really wonder what it is that you saw. I also think someone, somewhere would see the remains of whatever it is killing. Just my thoughts.
Jackie Very True! My wife went to the house where her and my children saw the cat just to inform the owners of the sighting. I didn't just see it 2 times myself but my family saw it also and now we come to find out so did like 3 other homes in the area..it has to be eating something..
Jason is the Manimal in PV trying to cover up his mutant transformations into a panther. Or it's just all the divorced cougars sniffing out the young landscapers on the golf course. I'm going with option 2.
Manimal - 1983
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iQ-mzYRl3s
Reggie 
Calico696 Anyone know how Panther Valley got it's name? Any chance there have been cougars previously in the area?
justintime "According to the sale agreement, the developer could not use the name 'Panther Lodge' or 'Stagmont.' Instead, the developer called the proposed community 'Panther Valley.' Panther Ledge is an old local name dating to the days when panthers inhabited the area, and in 1805 Warren County marked the final passing of the panther on a ledge in what is now known as Panther Valley."
http://www.ourpanthervalley.com/history/
I am a total animal lover myself and would not propose we just kill it - as Jason himself has said- but it is good to be warned. I would think small animals (cats) would be in danger? And of course there have been people attacked out west my mountain lions. I wonder what provokes them to attack humans? I would love to see a picture! Aren't mountain lions usually out around dusk? Is that when you saw it Jason? Out west where my cousin lives, there are mountain lions all over.........there is no such thing as stray cats.......they don't survive. Her husband was surrounded one day walking his dog by more than one mountain lion and he had to pick up his dog and kick at them to get them to leave............they obviously were after his dog, not him, he said. Can be scary!
Hastings Resident Justintime - I found the below at http://pvpoa.com/pvpoa.asp?CategoryName=history
When panthers boldly roamed the hills and valleys of Allamuchy territory, their home was the tree, the hollow, the cave, the ledge. Moving silently, scarely displacing a twig, these great cats, although predators, were never known to attack man - even for survival.
As a consequence of their habitat, athwart the rugged mountain terrain of the Allamuchy Range, many local designations are testimony to their past presence: Panther Rock, Panther Hollow, Panther Ledge, Panther Creek, Panther Run. Ancient records indicate that bounties were paid in New Jersey of 20 shillings to Christians, 10 shillings to Indians for panther hides, and 5 shillings for whelps.
Panthers migrated westward as the competition with man for available food became desperate and was greatly accelerated by the slaughter of deer by the settler (either for food or for hides). The vanishing point for these great beasts reached the critial point in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
County records reveal that New Jersey's last big cat met his end in 1805 in a thicket behind Panther Ledge...the high promontory overlooking the 5th hole of the Panther Valley Golf Course.
The princely cat is dead...but history has enshrined him for all time. He lives in the beauty and breathtaking grandeur of Panther Valley.
An excerpt from "The History of Panther Valley - Allamuchy, New Jersey" by Jo Librizzi
The complete 38 page History of Panther Valley was presented to each new resident as part of the Welcome Packet. The Communication Committee believes that it is very important for residents to know about the place in which they live. Additional copies may be purchased at the PVPOA office for $5.00 each to cover additional publishing costs.
Jason,
I absolutely believe you saw a mountain lion, and this is **not** the first time I hear of a sighting of one right in the Panther Valley area. There were other reports of sightings in Panther Valley months ago, very possibly the same cat.
You are definitely doing the right thing by giving people the heads-up.
What time of day did you see the animal? I am a photographer with a long lens, and would love to get a shot, if only so that NJ DEP can stop denying their existence in our State! :-)
Rebecka We were at a friends house last night in Panther Valley and everyone was talking about the siting. SO they are all heading the warning.
Christine I do not doubt that a wild animal of some sort was seen, however, in my 30 years of living in Panther Valley, playing in the woods as a kid, etc. I have never seen anything remotely resembling a wild cat. Bears, deer, the occasional stray dog? Sure.
Again, I'm not trying to call anyone a liar here, but until someone can produce a photo of this creature that everyone claims to have seen on multiple occasions I'll hold on to some shred of calm. What is this thing bigfoot? In an age where nearly every cell phone in America has a camera on it, no one can manage to catch a shot? That's one elusive animal.
Take it for what it's worth. If someone can produce a photo of this thing it will be interesting to say the least. I wonder what the thing has been living on, I've seen the trash that people put out for pickup, not that healthy :-).
Lifetime Resident Ironically I saw it 2 times at the same time around 6:30pm and then just the other day my wife and kids were out there and they saw it around the same time, just further down the road. I saw the cat by the back road of the golf course swim club and my wfe and kids saw it up the road if you go up around the bend to the left about 200 feet past where the overlook is on the right hand side it was near the bush of that 2nd house on the corner. I just called Mick Valent he deals with bobcats (908-638-4127) so we will see if he can maybe come out. If it was a bobcat then it is a very big bobcat. It was bigger than my dog "lab". I am going to drive down there today and look around with my camera. There has to be a reason we have seen this cat on the same road now 3 times over a few weeks. Needless to say My wife and kids wont walk at night anymore lol the kids got quite the shock on their run home night of...
It is a Fisher Cat. Not really a cat. Part of the Weasel family. They are not agressive animals. It was probably pushed out of it's den by some new construction in the area.
elmax 
redneck okay i need to chime in. remember the path through the old construction site (now the new development) that led to "the cliff"? When i was a kid (32 now) i was walking through the woods and came across TWO of these animals. They appeared to be adolescent but they chased me down the mountain and i wound up bruised and bloody in the abandoned baseball field. I'm literally terrified of the woods to this day. Those cats are up there.
Chucky Oh and it's also worth mentioning that all the new construction up there has displaced so much wildlife that i GUARANTEE more sitings.
collegeviewrider Ok so we asked around and more people have seen this cat I will be trying to get in on camera and post the video if possible
Wow this is really interesting and scary at the same time! I hope someone gets a picture soon. If it is a Mountain Lion or something close to that why wouldn't it attack man? I have seen several shows on t.v. of attacks by these "cats" out west. This is definitely something to be concerned about.
JRT 
Here are two "cubs" sleeping! Where can I claim my prize for this "breaking news" photo!
John C Jason, anyone other than you or your family see this big cat? Could it be a 40-45 pound Bobcat?
The one thing that I noticed from the original description is how dark it is. If it can be described as black or really dark brown, then it's no bobcat, mountain lion or coyote. They're like mebradar's picture and are definitely a tan color. The fisher would be the right color, even if those are more northerly they've supposedly been making their way south through the Adirondacks to Catskills to north NJ like some other animals have. If dark, and bigger than a lab, it's too big for any of those and with the dark color could well be a bear cub. It's just so hard to tell without a picture.
GC Redneck,
That photo has gone around for years. It actually was taken in the west somewhere.
Wait, what? I thought the only thing that Redneck posted was a link to another thread about a missing black and white cat... Am I missing something here?
Heather All I'm saying is I was twelve when those things came after me and I'm 32 now. They've been up there forever and are being displaced by all the new construction.
Heather, Ash says he misses you.
Ah, I see now Calico, thanks for clearig that up for me lol.
Chucky-- Asher!!! Give him a billion kisses for me, and BTW... You never told me this about the PV woods! Oh man I can't wait til I see you guys next lol
Chucky, you were really chased by squirrels. Next time don't smoke a bong up there. LOL...
Seriously though... I have hunted these woods in Warren, Sussex, and Morris counties and never seen a mountain lion in my 20 years of doing so. You also don't hear about other hunters seeing them either. With all the hunters who are in the woods during buck season and pheasant season, it is impossible for no one to ever see one. I've had a person in my hunting party chased by a bear in the past. So if mountain lions were out there, people would have seen them. You are either seeing a coyote, bobcat, or fox.
Metsman Bobcat maybe, but please don't suggest that i would mistake a coyote or fox for a large cat. I was twelve. not blind. How about we have a HL hiking trip up there and whoever doesn't get chased out of the woods wins the discussion.
Does anyone have a tree cam / trail cam? I have an infrared one for nighttime shots, but I've temporarily lent it to my brother... we really need to place a few of these around the area the animal was seen.
Calling all trail cams!
Has anyone bothered to notify the PVPOA or The Crest?? I think that is very important. This is very scary especially for those with children. Mr. Strider is that your real name you are using? There is no listing of anyone with that last name in the 2011 Panther Valley directory.
I found this on the NJ Fish and Game site
"Bobcat Information
The bobcat is an elusive creature found in the northern hardwood forests of New Jersey. Bobcat declined in the 1800s as forests were cleared for lumber, fuel and agriculture, and by the early 1970s they were thought to be extirpated (locally extinct) from the state. Between 1978 and 1982 the Division conducted a restoration project through which 24 bobcats were trapped in Maine and released in northern NJ.
Today bobcat, though classified as endangered, appear to be fairly well-established in the northern hardwood forests of the state, perhaps even more widespread than many think. Their elusive nature makes them a challenge to study."
Nosila 
Pepper Cat Jason, you saw nothing larger than this:
http://catskillmountaineer.com/animals-bobcats.html
Yup the crest was notified My wife went there and spoke to them and also the ppvoa along with the security "3 times". The reason why I haven't posted is because I give up!! Nothing is going to be done and we are just convinced of this fact! So all I can do is protect my own family and not have them do their walk when they normally do at night. It was not a bobcat "I have seen them before. So anyway good luck I am 100% fed up with no response. How ironic is it that several residents have seen the same thing, not to mention there is a guy who has lived here for 32 years and lives about 10 minutes from us and has a mountain lion on his property and this guy has pictures, videos, and lots of guns that he uses to shoot in the air to scare it. It is just very depressing that all we see now is the security guard driving up and down the road every night at the same time in the area we saw it. I have no idea what thats gonna do but whatever...... Be safe
Jason- It's very funny you mention this large animal. Late last year- perhaps it was November- my husband was walking our dog in our development. We live in the Mountain Ridge development of PV. He came back stunned and said that he was walking on Mallard (which is the entry road into MR that will one day be connect to the Mallard at the front of the gate) and all of a sudden our dog froze and started to quiver. He looked up and there was this huge cat-like animal crouched down watching them. It was on the woodsy side of Mallard where they haven't moved many trees with the construction. He said it was huge and he's never ever seen an animal like it before. I asked him.. Are you sure it wasn't a deer or something? and he said it was MUCH bigger than a deer would have been in the position. Our dog goes nuts w/ deer... and she was petrified. He said he just started walking backwards until it was out of site and went right home.
katievits24 Jason, there are lots of people who won't believe what you saw. Many people have seen and reported sightings of large cat type animals all over Warren County and parts of Morris County for 50 years or more. Many of them are hunters and people who live
bordering large wooded areas and know what they are seeing and hearing. It's been common knowledge for decades. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to find out there are mountain lions alive and well living in Warren County. Welcome to the neighborhood. Just do be careful.
Lets see......lots of pictures (can we see them), videos (can we watch them?) shooting guns in the air (in Alamuchy Twp....I know a few "Staties" that would be interested in that) Lets see the evidence. You state that alot of people have seen this, but they are strangely silent. Very strange indeed. Guess you want to see your name in Weird NJ.
This is just rediculous the way everyone is acting on this thread. Obviously "it" hasn't bothered a soul to this date. Nobody can post a pic of it and supposedly they got so close to this thing that they was able to beep the horn loudly and it ran off then.
Like one person mentioned "why didn't you take a pic and post it?"
If something like this does exist and its not bothering anyone then.....SO WHAt, let the poor animal be left alone for god sakes. Just don't get dumn and start trying to feed the thing!
Hey maybe its the "NJ DEVIL" lol....
OptimusPrime Does some one REALLY need to explain the law of gravity to your neighbor? Really?
Ryan (ligitty) "You state that a lot of people have seen this, but they are strangley silent."
I didn't read all the posts, but if someone said people are silent on the topic, that's not
true and they never have been silent on the topic, at least not for 50+ years that
I have lived in and around the area and close to large wooded areas.
In all probability, the people who have lived in the area for any length of time don't give a second thought to the possibility that there are at least a few large cats type animals
living in and around Warren County. It's not new 'news' anymore, but it obviously is to JS in that he seems to be surprised and alarmed at his sighting some kind of a large cat or bear, so near his home. As with anyone who lives near or borders a woods, a little extra caution for nature's animals is expected and normal. Just don't encourage their fondness for your property by putting out food or trying to tame them.
No one is trying to make this into a Jersey Devil thing or a Big Foot sighting. It's just a
big furry animal for goodness sake! But still, if I were JS, I would take a few extra precautions for where and when I walked. That's all...
i believe the people that say they saw the cat , animals are good at hiding if they dont want to be seen , how can you say the last cat is dead , did they walk the woods inch by inch , in 2011 we are STILL finding new species on this earth .
cowgirl1 On Friday afternoon my co-worker saw a mountain lion walk through the parking lot. He said he was positive and brought up images of wild cats online just to make sure. The company is in Sparta, on the Lafayette border. He saw all the features, long tail, tan coloring etc. He thinks it was a cub and came inside in case mom was around.
A Jo 
That was unnecessary spring fever. I have been lurking on this forum for apprx 2 years. I read both threads about mountain lions and posted my story since it just happened last week. No need to call me a joke. Word spread through the office and I went to ask him because of the stories I've been reading here. He googled several photos and said that he was sure it was a mountain lion. If u don't believe it, fine. Lots of people are sharing stories, why is mine funny to you?
Can't speak for PV, but if a mountain lion is seen Flanders, please call Mt. Olive Animal Control. I've only had 2 instances to contact them(about 2 yrs. ago) but the officer was accommodating and responded to my questions. I believe his name was Officer Cirone, but I don't know if he he still the AC officer.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concludes eastern cougar extinct
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ecougar/newsreleasefinal.html
Map from 1935 to 2000 documented existance
http://eprn.homestead.com/eprn_001.jpg
NJ says "The puma is not on the State endangered species list and is considered extirpated."
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ecougar/pdf/Easterncougar5-yearreview-final-111610.pdf page 19
CJ. I saw a big cat outside my door six months ago. It was 4 am and I called Tim Norton, the animal control officer. It was big and scary. He said it was probably a Bobcat and went back to sleep.
I looked it up and they have been slowly repopulating Bobcats in New Jersey since around 1980. Here is one link:
http://www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/solutions/species_restoration_projects/new_jersey_bobcats.php
Erik B. Anderson A Jo, I too, have been on the forum for a few years and have learned to be skeptical in the accuracy of some posts and responders on this site. If I misjudged your story, I am sorry.
However, it would be most unusual for a mountain lion to do as your friend stated, although stranger things have happened. I will check out some newspapers to see if it was reported since it would certainly be news worthy and if true, should be made public for safety reasons.
For the record, we have a responder or two who is famous for popping up with a new 'name'
especially when attempting to stir the pot or just bored with life. Your name is what prompted me to conclude it was one of the HF neighborhood trolls. No offense was intended.
If this made the local news, please let us know the site.
I am not quite sure why some people are so upset on the forum.. all Jason was trying to do was warn people about the animal.. I don't know why people don't believe him or why it's even an issue. I didn't get the impression that Jason (or anybody else) was saying this animal should be put down or shot at ... I mean, it was a warning! As my husband has seen it in PV too... I don't see the harm in a warning for all the neighbors... just be a little extra aware of your surroundings. We are in their backyard afterall!
I'm skeptical abouts ghosts also Chucky! As with ghosts, I want to see the proof! Now, are you real Chucky? Show me a photo as proof, or do you dare come to a HL Happy Hour.
INeedMoreCowBell 
Aquarius 
CBGB There were mountain lions released in the Johnsonburg/blairstown area a few years ago to control unwanted wildlife population.
TanyaNJ Tanya, how do you know that? Until there's some kind of scientific evidence or photographic evidence, it is nothing but mistaken identity. Look at how many bigfoot sightings there are across the country, yet there's never any real concrete evidence to back up the claims. Bobcats can grow up to 2 feet in height. To some people that is probably huge.
Spring Fever, my co-worker's sighting was not reported. Throughout our office, most people doubted him. But he was adament about what he saw and it was daylight so he said it was very visible. The mountain lion came out of some woods, walked through our parking lot past a trailer that had a grill, and back into a swampy woods area. We had just had a BBQ 2 hours before. So maybe he smelled it and that's why he came out. I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like we are talking about the Abominable snowman. Mountain lions exist. Do they live in our area? Who knows. But it wouldn't be impossible.
Regarding Bobcats, are they all spotted with a short tail? Most of my company thinks that is what he saw. He is insisting it was tan, no spots, with a long tail. I googled bobcats and I didn't see any that resemble a mountion lion.
Oh and people have seen Mountain Lions for 50 years around here! LOL... That is silly. Someone would have killed one by now or taken a picture if that were the case. My dad worked for the division of Fish and Game for 20 years and was always out on wildlife management properties posting signs and stocking birds and mowing fields, yet never saw mountain lions. Believe me, people are seeing bobcats. With the amount of deer we have in NJ, there would be evidence from deer carcasses of mountain lions.
Saw my brother last weekend he said last summer while riding his Harley he came upon a dead Bobcat on the side of the road hit by a car along 517 in front of Pub 517 so I guess they are around.
I just have to say I totally believe this guy saw this cat type creature, I remember living in Allamuchy when I was very little, and people talking about a black bear sighting, and no one really believed it. and now... they are all over the place. Including my front door, and the odd thing about that... is I live in Phillipsburg two blocks off of Rt 22.. So if I can have a black bear at my front door, I'm sure its possible that there is a Mt Lion hanging around too. And I'm sure if there hadn't been pictures in the paper about the bear at my door, no one would have believed it. I know I would sure love to see a pic of the cat... hell I wouldn't mind seeing it, but not close up...
Cheryl71 Cheryl71, the difference is black bear were never extinct in NJ. They have always been around, they were just an endangered species for a long time. They were protected so that their numbers could increase. There hasn't been a population of mountain lions here since the early 1800's.
Metsman - Not only is the eastern cougar/mountain lion extinct, but a western one's habitat reaches only as far as Michigan and Illinois even with new movement eastward. That's a long way off particularly considering a bobcat's territory is very close. They didn't used to think they were in NJ, but as Erik pointed out that's changing. That's exactly the kind of case that Cheryl is talking about where animals close by are moving in. (just like the coyotes have done) And others have pointed out the evidence of it.
I was just searching for some pictures to show the difference between a mountain lion and a bobcat, and I found something interesting in the wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat
It talks about the existence of a "melanistic" mutation that's been observed in Florida. It's a gene than can turn the animal's fur completely black or black with some spotting. A bobcat like that is a much more likely explanation of what Jason saw. That would be in territory these days, and explain a dark color. Either that or just for what ever reason under what ever lighting it appeared darker than you would expect a bobcat to be.
iJay3 GC, there's lack of physical evidence. No tracks, feces, carcasses or bones, photographs, animal carcasses they may have preyed on, etc. It's possible they can move east, but why haven't there been any confirmed populations in PA or NY? They would have to settle there before coming to us. I think it's easier to believe people are mistaking a 50 pound bobcat for a mountain lion. The average mountain lion is 80-100 pounds. Also, sometimes when you look at something from a distance, your eyes can play tricks on you and you may think something is bigger than what it really is. I know that has happened to me when I try to judge the size of a deer.
I live at the bottom Kings Highway way back in the woods, and I have seen the same thing big cat, long tail, tan in color. My neighbor has an Alpaca Farm in the same area, he too has seen it!
Tony A few years ago I took my kids to Stephens State park to the playground in the campground area. My kids were small at the time 3-8 yrs old. It was about this time of year. We still needed sweatshirts.
We were playing for a little while when the ranger drove over to us. She told me to keep an eye out because they had a Mt. Lion coming down to the river through the camp campground, and to keep the kids in sight. We packed up and headed home. Talking to some people afterwards I was told the cat was also sighted near the condos on Bilby road.
Also when I was growing up we had a family friend who was a park ranger at the Water Gap, they lived in a beautiful stone home in the woods near the river. He warned us many times to be careful because of cat sightings.
I lost my pic-i-nic basket there. All I heard was "hey boo boo..." and it was gone.
mistergoogle Cmon people... where are all the dead livestock or pets? If people have been seeing mountain lions for years, there would be a substantial population by now. We're not talking about a timid creature here. This is an animal that can take down an elk!
yeah that may be true about what you saw , but bobcats have very short or 'bobbed' tails.
see pic
BrotherDog Metsman-
Why would they kill livestock and pets when there are plenty of deer in the area, or don't you believe they are in the area either?
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2700121&page=1
A wild mountain lion is unlikely. If Jason actually saw one, I would be more suspicious of that it was an escaped pet. Remember a few years ago a Tiger was shot in Jackson. It is entirely possible that some lunatic has a pet lion, or mountain lion, or jaguar or other large cat (s) as a pet and one escaped or got loose.
As to a wild population, I doubt it. Sorry unless I would need to see a photo and have hard forensic evidence to believe it. I've seen too many people mis identify wild animals to believe a random post on an internet forum.
Agust K. G. Nutmeg, deer run extremely fast. What's easier to kill... sheep and chickens or a deer running 40-50mph? I'd say the answer is obvious. Out west there is a big problem with mountain lions attacking livestock. Why would it be different here? Like Agust said, there have been cases where people have let pets go because they couldn't handle them anymore. One such case is a juvenile mountain lion shot in upstate NY in the early 90's. It was traced to species found in South America. It was ruled out as a pet. The article you posted Nutmeg, is from a sighting in Roxbury in 2006. The woods it was supposedly seen in, I have hunted for 15 years and have been all over the property. There are no lions up there, just a bunch of coyotes, fox, a few bear, and maybe the rare bobcat.
Cats are extremely opportunistic and they willl take what is easy. No way livestock wouldn't be killed if there was any kind of population of mountain lions in the area.
Also if they were taking deer, they don't eat every single morsel of the animal and a cat kill is very distinctive. Hunters would run across the carcasses on a regular basis.
I watched a MonsterQuest episode once on big cat sightings in the South. They ran footage of what looked like a tremendous (like six foot long) dark cat walking along a perimeter of a field at a distance. I was like "well, that's it, that's evidence right there on film." But when they analyzed the footage using size markers (the height of a rock in the footage, the distance between two trees in the background, etc), it turned out the huge cat was really just a largish house cat of about twenty-eight inches in length. It's amazing how badly humans judge size at a distance. It's especially bad when a person thinks they see a specific something; our minds fill in all the details to match our idea.
As far as bones go- there are many bones in our development. It's kind of gross actually. My dog is always sniffing them out. They are chicken bones or something like it. And again, my husband has seen this animal.
Cmon, if you had a mountain lion prowling your development then there would be tracks. Next time take a picture. People keep saying they've seen one, well take a picture with your phone. Guarenteed it isn't one.
I dont know what it is, nor have I made any conclusions saying "It's definitely a _____". All I know is my husband saw a large cat-like animal while walking our dog. As he was walking our dog he didn't have a phone on him... and this was a while ago. Late last year. If we see it we definitely will take a picture!
There are bobcats (and bear, and deer, and hawks, and eagles, and....) where I work. I saw a bobcat last year run across road. I was able to pull over and observe him for a few moments before he ran off into the woods. It was the first and only time I have seen this type of animal and it was spectacular! The bobcat in this photo was photographed also where I work - the bobcat found its way into a trap for a raccoon! He was then tranquilized and fitted with a color, and released.
dragonfly It's probably just some pervert in a Snagglepuss costume... Heavens to Murgatroyd, exit stage left (-;
iPhone-imal JC, when's the last time two ghosts physically came after you? I was chased off that mountain by cats the size of dogs. I get the feeling you've never been chased by a ghost. I ran down a mountain and came out bleeding at the bottom. Did you have ghosts chase you and you comically ran in place with Scooby Doo next to you?
Let's get out of here Scoob!!
Honestly- when i become a professional ghost hunter I'll comment on ghost threads. When you become a game warden you can provide your professional opinion in wildlife threads. Deal?
Acid back in the old days made people see....and run from things that really were not there. Bet you ran from some Maine Coon Cat in heat. They do run quite large in fact. And once they start in, well, just let them finish if you know what I mean!
Did I run from anything paranormal? Cant say I ever have. Was I startled by what may be paranormal? Many times! Do I keep looking? Of course. And Chucky, you should have a college education to become a paranormal investigator, mine is actually Forest Management (BA) and Forestry and Law Enforcement (Wow....I could be a game warden if I wanted to but doesn't pay crap!) I also studied Paranormal Behavior in school,(still ongoing) but pays the bills!
But once you graduate from High School Chucky, stick with education and get your college deploma! But stay away from the drugs.....them big cats can look real nasty!
Chucky, bobcats have been shot at 50 pounds. That would make it as big as a lot of dogs. Personally I think you were smoking some good stuff that day. LOL...
Metsman
I have not seen them myself. But do not doubt what I have been told. I do not hunt so I really have never paid attention to tracks. I will start to keep on eye out. Though I can't say if I saw a cat that I would grab my camera. (I would be scared.)
If the livestock are so easy to prey on why aren't the coyotes an issue? I have seen a pack of six kill a deer. (Harriman Sate Park Oct. 2009) Not so long ago people were denying coyotes were in the area. (yes, I know they were re-introduced to control the deer population)
I know a house on Spring Lane that used to keep a few sheep (5 years ago?) and with in two weeks each sheep disappeared. The fence was pushed down and the one by one were gone. Always dismissed it as a bear, but who knows?
I do not think there is a population boom of big cats, I just am not dismissing the idea just because I myself have not seen one. Does anyone know some one that lives in the condos on Bilby Rd? I know there was a cat issue a few years ago. Maybe they remember more details.
Aquaris-
A cat would not completely clean a kill but the foxes, coyotes and buzzards would certainly finish the job for them. There are carcasses all over the woods.
We know there are coyotes here because there is clear evidence pointing to such. There was a woman who was attacked by a coyote last year in New Brunswick. So I'm sure there are cases where pets and livestock have been killed as well. I've also seen carcasses in the woods and on the side of the road. My father also shot one once.
It's not impossible that big cats could be here, but... Why is it every time they investigate a sighting, there is never any evidence? The same is true in NY and PA. They investigate sightings and do not find the proof that is necessary to say that there is a mountain lion population. How can a 100+ pound animal not leave behind any evidence?
"How can a 100+ pound animal not leave behind any evidence?"
Kind of like Bigfoot, there's never any evidence there either. ;-)
Well, I actually did see a leprechaun with me own eyes once. Then again maybe not, it was a long pub crawl last St. Paddy's Day. :)
Seriously though, I agree with you about the no evidence thing Metsman. Somebody would have found something by now. Bones, prints, scat, carcass, etc.
I have seen coyotes with my own eyes as well as scat in the woods. We actually have quite a few near where I live. No evidence of mountain lions though.
In the news tonight:
Mountain Lions confirmed in Conneticut (previously believed extinct in the East Coast)
Confirmation by shape & size of paw prints found.
On my way to work this morning I passed what appeared to be a large dead cat on the eastbound side of Route 46 just west of Villa Venice. Restaurant. I'll check on my way home but this was no housecat!
Lady Jayne my son told me that a few weeks ago that a woman saw what looked like a bobcat crossing bald eagle and it ran into the woods.it was day time and she said it was no dog or fox.scary
luvjaz I have seen a bobcat by the auction on Stiger St, in the early morning hours. It walked up the railing where the cattle enter. Not a large animal but powerful looking and I loved the fluff coming out of its ears.
midnightgardener1 i can't believe i forgot to mention this as well.my husband was going to work around 4:00 a.m and said he saw what looked like a large biege cat run into the woods. he said no way in heck was it a deer or fox. this was last month around bald eagle.
there was a mountain lion hit by a car in connecticut a few years ago it was tracked back to south dakota so to think that was the only animal to roam this far east is plain stupid there were no bears to b seen years ago yet in 30 years we now have to hunt them there r now porcupine and fisher cats yet no one sees them we have thousands of mink otter beaver bobcat coyote yet most people never see them so clearly the mountain lion can be out back and u might never see them one will get caught on film somewhere in nj and then u na sayers will eat crow . dont tell me the crows r gone 2
muteman and I had it verified with PD who came up behind me. I really think a mt lion because has tail and very muscular submitted to NJ Fish and game.
Muteman - was picture taken in International Trade zone area or closure to Hackettstown?
Yelena correct have a couple more but this one you can see muscularity and tail. Really surprised me as I thought they were all west of mississippi.
Funny I lived in Mt Olive for a couple of years and I thought I heard what could be a mountain lion, but everyone thought it was completely impossible.
luvjaz I saw this "cat" once many years ago (at least 15) when I lived in Village Green apartment complex and took a walk near their basketball field by water supply. I used to live on other corner of the village near woods and stream but never saw it by us.
I am no hunter and have not seen in wild before but def had long tail with black at the end and the first glance was the rear view and what stuck out was the light colored fur. I assumed it was a deer but then it profiled and was def a large cat with long tail. It kneeled down twice like a cat would to urinate or deficate. This pic also shows the tail if you blow it up. I will also say I did not believe these cat were out here because all the Div of WIldlife info has them extinct out this way.
muteman, You need to change Date and Time setting on your Nikon CoolPix S4000 camera. It shows you took these pictures on 3/31/2013 on 9:29 PM
newbee newbee, how does one correct that? I have the same problem with my land line phone recordings. Recorded messages and times are days off and no one I've asked, can correct it. No need for details here, but could you list just an on line source to correct issue? Muteman may be able to use same source to correct his camera issue...
Great pics, Muteman.
Hopefully an article on this sighting will make the papers in the not too distant future.
Wifey's work camera don't play with it. Only had it as she is a realtor and carries it with her
Ok that picture is clearly a deer. Look at the snout on the second image. You can clearly see it in the shadow. Plus its stand to tall and straight up. Its a deer.
People are seeing either coyotes or bobcats. Things always appear larger when caught off guard, running or from a distance. Besides these things are so elusive that to see it more then once in a few weeks, does not happen. People out in Mt lion country dont even see them that much if ever. I see Bobcats running across the road from time to time and they always catch me off guard and appear larger.
If Mt lions were around why dont we see scat or tracks in the snow. Im in the woods 7 days a week and I dont see any signs.
It's legs look a little too meaty to be a deer.
I would have guessed a Bobcat because I'm not seeing the long tail, but I wasn't there so will go with whatever Muteman and the police say they saw. It certainly is possible it was a mountain lion. They are in and out of NJ periodically.
guarantee not a deer that is Jersey's rodent I have seen them everywhere and all the time even plowed a few with my truck, look at first picture posted can clearly see elongated tail. IDK if you can blow up these pictures but on original pics I can and absolutely not a deer. Def a feline of some sort not sure what type. The other two people with me also do not think it was not a deer.
One pic looks like a deer, but the other one does not. Hard to tell. Scary thought if it's something else.
botheredbyu 
Well, these are interesting photos, certainly. I would like to know exactly where this is (where the cat is walking) if you could tell us that, muteman?
The animal in the images is clearly NOT a deer. For reference, see the attached image of a deer walking, Smokey, and compare the position of her legs to the position of the animal's legs in photo one. No one with any outdoor experience could confuse the photographed animal with a deer.
My question is - were these images actually taken in the location stated? If you tell us where you were when you took the pics, muteman, then we could verify that these aren't simply images you may have taken off the Internet. :-) With that verified, I think we may have the best proof ever that there are mountain lions in NJ.
I saw one just like that is hope more than once,I am sure he saw it,but everyone mocked my post.
The first picture, using the zoom on my computer, appears to show the cat carrying something in it's mouth. Does anyone else have a clear picture of # 1?
2011 end of summer, had few cops and animal control come to near my house on east ave, there was a 150-200 lb mountain lion literally sunbathing next to the river, they tranquilized and removed him, scared the sh!t out of me, i was walking cemetery path and he just lifted his head and looked at me, i was maybe 30 feet away i just backed away and called the cops.
DH big cats are in new jersey.. be careful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kalaFCOqzA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQn2Sf4aWf8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_M3GKFTSKI
It's a coyote I've seen enough of them in my lifetime it's not even in the feline family
Springfever, Changing Date/Time on any equipment depends on that particular Model.
So if you search for manual on your phone's model, There should be instructions on how to correct date/time. On my phone, I have to press Menu --> Settings --> Set Date/Time.
Again same thing with cameras, instructions depend on Manufacturer/Model. But for newer cameras, once you press Menu, you should be able to navigate to settings where you can change it.
I just showed the picture to my husband without any explanation and he said mountain lion.
I can understand why the second picture looks like a muscular deer, but the other two clearly show feline. I don't understand the reason behind arguing about it or insisting it's something else.
Tracy Tracy clearly your husband needs glasses it is clearly a coyote even in the second picture you can clearly see the long snout even into shadow and I have seen coyotes and all different colors it's not a mountain line I have spent over 50 years in the woods of New Jersey believe me it's a coyote case closed
LOL, Tracy, I just showed the pictures to my husband without explanation and he said coyote.
To me, the gait does not look like the classic overstep walk that mountain lions use. The legs are also quite long and look pretty spindly to me. I've been searching for a picture of a mountain lion standing at attention like in the middle picture and I haven't found anything like that.
So I guess that's the reasoning behind arguing about it. I don't think it's very clear.
DH, do you know why that was never made public?
If all you say is true, that should have been reported as a public safety caution / warning. People need to be aware of this and be alert when out in the woods or near water sources or farms with animals.
It's a sad state of affairs when residents of NJ have to look to other states Wildlife Agencies to get educated in big cat safety. NJ needs to set the record straight and do the right thing.
Thank you newbe, we tried the manual directions and it didn't work.
If muteman were to state the location as to where he took these pictures, then word would get out and you will have the crazies going out with their guns looking to execute this thing and have a trophy kill. I say let the NJ Fish and Game handle this. I wouldn't give the location either. He did right with calling police and letting them handle it. Hopefully he will be tranquilized and re-located but in the meantime, keep your cats indoors and watch your dogs when they are let out.
villani You caught us spring fever I have two come clean it is a vast conspiracy New Jersey fish and wildlife are breeding attack mountain lions for homeland security so that the Muslim brotherhood and the gray Panthers can take over America the attack mountain lions are to be used at the FEMA camps to keep the people in line and to also carry ammunition for the Muslim Panthers
4paws 4paws, I thought something like a horse too. The legs look like a hoofed animal's. I really don't get feline. Canine, maybe. It's definitely interesting.
My first thought was dog. The one picture with the nose is what looks like a horse.
It's so far away, a lot is going to be a guess. A sense of scale isn't easy either. When you try to zoom in, what looks like tail may not be tail after all. If it was a mountain lion even what seems to be a tail at a distance, the tail isn't long enough. It should be much longer than ground length, bushy, and curled up at the bottom. The tail seems to be definitely bigger than a bobcat, but not to the ground. The proportion of legs seems to be too tall to be feline. But the upper and lower leg ratio is clearly not deer, but probably not feline either.
Well oldred said case closed, so case closed.
My point about the arguing is that it isn't clear what the animal is, at least to everyone but oldred. I don't understand why the need to insist you know what it is for certain, when you weren't there and it's a photograph. So silly.
We could argue forever about what animal is in the photos, but it's certainly not a mountain lion. The head and snout are a dead giveaway. The elongated snout is especially apparent if you look at the shadow on the ground in the middle image rather than the animal itself and compare that to cougar profiles.
RAD Reading this thread for the first time and with all of this speculation going on..I decided to ask my husband what he saw in the posted pictures on this thread without hesitation.....he said "Mountain Lion"....He also said he saw plenty of them in Wyoming so he is sure that is what it is...
joyful Oldred, you are quite the character!
Just for the record, in my last post, I was speaking to the comment made by
DH regarding the police and an animal control person supposedly removing a sleeping mt. lion from along the river. My comments were made to point out that, if the story was true, it should have been followed up with an article in the paper with a caution to the public regarding big cat safety...since the NJ Fish and Wildlife are too
afraid to go public with the information they have received over the years. I know- no pictures.
Point number two, you should probably sit down for this one...I am now using an I Pad and am able to get a much clearer picture of the animal and I actually agree with you that said animal may just be a coyote! I still can not clearly see the tail or the length of the fur on the animal which still leaves room for doubt in my mind, but if I were a gambling person, which I am not, I would wager on the side of coyote...
So there!
Tracy it's obvious that you need glasses to I have seen hundreds upon hundreds of coyotes in my lifetime and have watched them for hours at a time from a distance of a few feet to a couple thousand believe me it's not a mountain lion the pictures of this animal clearly shows an animal in the canine family whether it's a dog coyote or a hybrid I have spent my entire life in the great outdoors and have never seen anything that would make me think that there is a breeding population of mountain lions in New Jersey like I have said before with the 10's of thousands of hunters in New Jersey with their thousands upon thousands of trail cameras you would think in the last 20 years one person would get a picture of one most of these trail cameras are on game trails and that is the exact place where you would expect a mountain lion to be
And by the way I have seen big cats in the wild . I have seen actual wild mountain lions in California and tigers in the jungles of Vietnam
I'm saying coyote with a touch of mange. To upright and elongated legs for mt.lion. I have seen a bunch of recent pics of live mt. lions and they are much more muscular and move closer to the ground.
fishmaker1 oldred, I wear contacts, thanks. For the record, I don't really care what the animal is. I just don't understand why you're so insistent. Does it really matter?
Dc10 @ Muteman, you can use your Nikon Cool Pix camera and zoom the pic in the camera and repost. That is a great camera that is capable of doing a lot of things. It can also shoot quality video too!
rm This last picture looks like no coyote I have ever seen and I have seen quite a few as I lived in Ca for a couple of years and I have seen several in Jersey. I do however believe the photo is real. I really do think it was a feline I could be wrong. One puzzling thing to me was the pd was not overly surprised by the cat. He also stated he had seen it before. IDK if he thought it was a Lynx or Bobcat or if he was aware of that type of feline. I really do believe it was a large feline. If domestic I hate to see the owners dogs. I will post location tomorrow once I hear back from fish and game.
Here you go mute man...
http://www.northjersey.com/news/063010_NJ_officials_Coyotes_no_greater_worry_for_residents.html?scpromo=1
I will also say look at the underside shading the coyote does not have the light fur
Martha Thats not a mountain lion, Not sure what it is, but with a long snoot like that its not feline.
JeffersonRepub it's clearly, unequivocally, a dog-deer mixed breed,
legs like a deer , snout like a dog, tail like a coyote, no question about it
case closed. Anyone who says different is a blind idiot who needs pills, booze and glasses, I have spent all of my life in the woods behind Village Green and live under a rock, so I know wherefore whatever I am talking about, so there.
Liyote - from Cervidae family, new mammal from Northwestern New Jersey.
My niece got a Sphynx cat a few years ago. We are still in a process of discussing if it's a feline or something belonging to genus Rattus. It looks like an animal who survived Chernobyl disaster. No offense to Sphynx fans.
deangeliscc Muteman, oh how I wish you were right in this case, just to shut some of the nay-sayers up who continually stick their heads in the sand when it comes to the topic of mt lions being sighted in various locations in NJ...
However, I have spent many minutes this morning searching web sites for mangy coyote pictures and healthy coyotes fur coloring. I found good images of both. There are coyotes with the exact coloring in your picture, right down to the light fur or skin coloring on the inside portion of the legs, and to the black fur on the tip of their medium length tail if comparing to a mt. Lion's tail or a Bobcat's. There are of course other differences too, but I was specifically looking for the above.
I won't belabor the point. Everyone is free to draw their own conclusions on your pictures. I give you credit for grabbing your wife's camera and posting here. Keep it up because one day, someone IS going to get that picture or find acceptable proof to deposit on the NJ Fish and Wildlife's doorstep. I for one will celebrate!
I for one can't wait to hear what this animal turns out to be. I still say it looks like a miniature horse.
Please keep us posted as to what fish and game says it is. You zoomed in the pictures but they do not enlarge and they are blurry.
What's a liger " Only the coolest animal ever" great movie. IDK have not heard anything back from NJ Fish and Game but all 3 of us who witnessed it seem to think feline in nature. Funny thing went back over to site today to see if I could see it again or tracks. I did get pics of a track but IDK i will have to look up on internet before I get abused by everyone here. Although I think I got lime as I was covered with about 30 ticks in about 1 hour worth of walking.
Greg I want to clarify the distance is about 100 to 150 yds and taken from step on passenger side door. It really sucks because I was talking to pd and the animal was in the brush then it came out and made its way along path as wife snapped pics from car. I know it is really hard for certain to say from a couple of pics but we all agreed as to some kind of cat. What sucks even more is camera does have video capability but we were caught in moment and did not even think to use it as we never use camera for video.
1st Pic is a mountain Lion. 2nd is a small nilgai. 3rd is a coyote. So it has to be an Indian Shaman shape-shifting.
One-Eyed Poacher Its a chupacabra!!!!! (which also turned out to be a mangy coyote)
I don't understand how there is even a question here. The third photo shows a distinct elongated snout. It's some kind of dog, and most likely a yote.
Gadfly I have been using Mountain Lion urine to keep the deer out of the garden, maybe it's time to go back to Wolf urine. Don't want to draw them cats any closer. I have enough excitement surprising bears at night. One night they won't be as surprised as me.
Swampy Bobcat eating rabbit in Green Township - http://www.nj.com/warrenreporter/index.ssf/2013/07/bobcat_spotted_eating_rabbit_i.html#incart_river
HELP!! I'm PUZZLED and a little worried!!! On my way to pick up my son fr. work last Friday on Airport Rd. (Green Township) when I saw a baby bear crossing; not a big deal. I thought, I've seen bigger! Twenty feet after, 3 deer were running and almost hitting my van. Now, this time I thought the mama bear must be around. Almost passing the mini Airport on my left and a big construction on my right, when suddenly about 100-150 feet to the right coming out of the woods was appeared to be a black mama bear... so I thought. Then it did a quick dive, pinning a deer down; exposing a big very thick long tail!!! It was way too large to be a regular black cat. I thought it was a bob cat or a mountain lion but it had pure shiny black fur. I thought it could have been a puma or a panther but puzzled! I couldn't understand how I could be seeing a black panther in New Jersey?!?! Are black panthers indigenous here?! Have any of you seen a black panther around here?!
Rebecca Dionne What you saw was a mountain lion,I saw it a few times,it hunts on the golf course at night sometimes.You can hear the screams of the geese and other animals.This thing ran in front of me in front of Mattars one day.Wild life management told me they will never catch it, its too smart to be caught. Bring your cats in at night,and watch walking your dogs at night in Panther Valley,I lived there and this is no joke,the one I saw was about 130 lbs.The darker color is something he picked up,could be cross breed. They come up from the appalacian trail, it pass right through Jersey.
Lobo 
Tom Just guessing coyote, they do come in pure black. Coyotes have been in the 60-70 pound range people even giving higher numbers. One never knows these days, but until proof of big cats I will stick with yotes.
Saw a large cat like this last week Jan, 2017, in Summit NJ. Thought it was just a very large fat cat or bob cat from Watchung mountain reservation. Only saw it from behind but noticed that it was not delicate like cats it was more like a teddy bear cat , husky and like the size of a small dog. Mostly concerned because its coat was not common striped bobcat color it was black which after checking internet pictures, leads me to believe now that it was a panther cub.
Mem More likely a bear cub, or coyote (which come in many color phases from gray to almost black). Especially last week with the warm weather.
Besides a bear cub, depending on the size, it could well be a fisher as well given the color. I would figure the chances of a fisher are greater than a coyote that color. But no panther.
I live in independence and down the street from us a friend has a mountain lion on a trail cam. Scrawny about 75 pounds. They are in this area. But I hear the state denies it. Not sure why.
Mr Happy At 75 pounds, its much more likely to be a lynx, bobcat or coyote than a (small lions are over 100 pounds). The reason the state "denies" it is because there have been hundreds of reports, all and I mean every one of them that has been followed up on has been debunked. Almost always its bobcat, coyote or an actual cat or dog. Every and I mean every "trailcam" picture that has been posted has been determined to be fake, many are tracked back to originals from Wyoming, California or even Alaska. Including the 3-4 different ones purported to be from Salem County a couple years back.
While it is certainly possible, so far there have been hundreds of false claims and not a single verifiable one. To me that means, unless there is actual DNA or a verifiable clean picture from a reliable original source (not my neighbors buddy has) mountain lions in NJ are no different than bigfoot in NJ or an honest man in Congress.
Mark Mc. Mr Happy - Do you remember the "mountain lion" in Netcong? "Mountain Lion!". "Mountain Lion". "Positively confirmed mountain lion". "It's a sheriff's deputy so he **KNOWS**!!!". "Confirmed!". Then the picture came with a tiny powder puff tail? Everyone and their uncle says they have a mountain lion on their trail cam and then every pic shows positively it's a bobcat.
I 100 percent saw a large black cat over the summer in pv...we thought it was a black dog...walking down the street in the meadows section of PV. With all the cleared land I wouldn't be surprised if someone's "home" was disrupted
A highly respected Hackettstown official saw a large wild cat running behind the Hackettstown HMUA headquarters around 2 months ago. I believe this is real.
MansfieldResident I believe this is a bobcat, Mansfieldresident! Surprising and neat to see, but not rare. And not cougar.
I have seen many bobcats and this doesn't look like a bobcat to me. As far as size I am not an expert or hunter.
I have also seen many bobcats and this doesn't look like a bobcat to me. As far as size I am not a expert or hunter. This is from my trail cam!
'Allo Kitty! It looks like someone disturbed you from your slumber on their trail cam. Naughty human.
I have also seen many bobcats and I can say I do not believe I am a bobcat either. I might be a bettycat but definitely not bobcat. Actually I'm a sweetcat so they call me 'Sugar'. As far as size I am not a expert or hunter either. Well actually I do hunt mowseburger. This is from my trail cam. In my natural habitat of my "den". I love HackCATStown! ;-)
Sugar "I have seen many bobcats and this doesn't look like a bobcat to me."
So two questions:
What town was that photo taken in?
Does he have *any* other photos taken from the same trail cam with that boulder in the frame?
Agreed, Mr. Happy - looks more like a mountain lion than a bobcat.
Would love to be able to verify that location as well, but suffice it to say that a mountain lion caught on trail cam in Independence would not surprise me, personally, in the least.
Mountain Lion struck by car yesterday in Warren County... http://fox2now.com/2017/01/23/mountain-lion-struck-by-car-on-i-70-in-warren-county/
...Missouri.
mohepinoke Google reverse image search shows that photo has been kicking around the internet for awhile, Mr Happy
Here is one forum saying it's from Franklin NJ in 2014 http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/threads/wildcat-in-wildcat.34652/page-4
Kepa - That's why I wanted him to say what town it was from before posting anything else. If his friend said Independence I'd then ask why the discrepancy (another site said that same picture was from Lafayette).
http://www.newjerseyhunter.com/forums/73-general-comments-information/208721-yet-another-nj-mountain-lion-sighting-lol.html
Also, all the pictures are always from someone's nameless friend, never the original photographer.
Kris It was supposedly taken on Petersburg Road in Independence. The guy who claims it was real and is a very low key person and down to earth. I asked him a bunch of times is the location real and he stated anyone that wants to see the rock and tree are more than welcome. I didn't look cause guite frankly I wasn't concerned and to busy with business and family. Next time I see him I will question authenticity.
https://youtu.be/DpiNIu13fzE .
This is my friends video she lives on video behind PV.
Theresa *Warning* "Black Cat" Sighting Feb 3 2017
Mt Bethel Road, Mansfield/Hackettstown NJ
To my surprise I found this recent thread after doing a "black panther sighting nj" google search after seeing what appeared to be a black cat that resembled a medium-large sized dog. At approximately 1AM, I was driving on Mt Bethel road in the Hackettstown/Port Murray/Mansfield Area. Within a half or so mile of reaching rockport Road in Port Murray, I saw two glowing green eyes glaring in my headlights off in the distance. As I got closer, rolling by at 30 or so MPH I expected to see typical wildlife or a house cat, to my surprise the figure was all black, long tale, large agile body, resembled that of a notable black panther, carfully maneuvering through heavy foliage than running off in the wood line going east towards Rockport. I'm not claiming this was a confirmed 100% "Panther" sighting but it visually resembled that of a larger framed black cat. Just a heads up to those who live in the area especially those with young ones and animals/pets. Mansfield PD was notified.
R0B https://patch.com/new-jersey/hackettstown/s/g5b98/bobcat-traps-long-valley-family-inside-their-bathroom?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=home+%26+garden&utm_campaign=autopost&utm_content=hackettstown
I think he just wanted to be their pet.
jrsemom 
skippy 
I live in Panther Valley off Bald Eagle Road, this animal was in my yard , does anybody know what type of animal this is?
Miiken You've got a pretty red fox there, Miiken. They also come in a grey/silver color in NJ, too. Very striking animals.
Unfortunately, the bobcat later attacked someone's dog and tested positive for rabies.
Jesse341 My parents used to own all of Panther Valley. My Dad's name was Robert S. Conahay and we built the mansion on the mountain in the 60's when we sold out to developers.I'm pretty sure I can solve this problem about the large cats you're seeing. They're panthers. We saw them all the time when I was growing up there......especially out by the limestone cliffs (but I don't know if the cliffs are still there. I am not at all familiar with your layout ) of course, there were always bobcats screaming at night, but the panthers were more scarce,almost shy. Like I said though, we often saw them. They always ran upon seeing any of us, so we were never worried. I'd be very careful these days though. I've seen them up close....WAY too close......and they're no joke !
Cassandra K. Conahay When you say "panther," I assume you mean "mountain lion?" ("Panther" can mean different types of large cats.)
I have personally witnessed something exactly as in Mr Happy's photo run across the road in front of me up in sussex a few years back.
Me and 3 other people in the car saw it, as well as the four people in the car behind me.
They are definitely in NJ
Darrin I just saw a Large BLACK cat this weekend in the woods of Hackettstown. It was about 160-180lbs and muscular. Twice the size of my dog so it was easy to estimate the weight.
Here's what happened....I was sitting quietly by myself enjoying nature in the woods for hours and I saw a black animal creeping 40 feet away from me but facing slightly away from me. I thought it was a small bear at first until I saw how muscular it was and realized it was a Large cat. When I saw it clearly and realized it was a Large cat... I gasped and it shot off into the woods, up the hill, very quickly and silently!
I don't think it wants anything to do with humans so I'm not posting out of fear... However they are predators so i could be a meal if it really was hungry. Anyhow it clearly didnt want to hang with me. But it was definately black.. Pitch black.. And definately NOT a bobcat, as i have seen plently of those. I just want everyone interested in these large cat sightings to know that September 2017 there has been another sighting in Hackettstown NJ bordering Warren and Sussex County.
ilovecats Yes. This is what I saw in panther valley last year. My sister claims she saw a bobcat over the weekend. Would not surprise me with all the construction up there. Animals have nowhere to go.
Htown I have seen a very large one in frelinghuysen in my head lights one night about a year ago
huge cat head large body and very long tail. this creature was huge
I was at Ghost Lake on 8/24/19 walking my dog with a friend and had a run in with a mountain lion. For those who know the area, there is a cave not far down the path that runs along the lake... It is part of the Jenny Jump State Park. Upon approaching the cave, we smelled some kind of dead animal. We both saw it at the same time lingering in the far back of the cave. A LARGE mountain lion staring back at us we could easily see as our eyes focused towards the back of the dark cave. It was not a black cat like some of the other posters on this forum claimed to have seen, but normal markings on its head and a tan body... easily over 120 pounds. We high tailed it out of there and lucky for us, the State Park Police were in the lot as we were leaving. We explained to the officer what we encountered, and he said he could smell the dead deer the cat was eating from the parking lot himself. He also stated he had seen mountain lions in the area himself, but never in this spot. He proceeded to use yellow tape to block off the entrance to the tail head. We left as another unmarked police car was pulling in.
CS We don't have a breeding population in NJ people. If you saw one it's likely a lone male straggler like the one that was killed in CT a few years ago. That one traveled from the Black Hills in the Dakotas up through Canada, to NY, to where it ultimately got killed in CT. They know this because it was tagged. We have plenty of Bobcats. You're saying it was 120lbs.... that's bigger than a German Shepherd dog.
Mountain lions are big cats. Males generally weigh 117 to 220 lbs., averaging 150 lbs. Females typically weigh between 64 and 141 lbs., averaging 121 lbs.
Thanks, Metsman. It was a very big cat. The Park Police officer acknowledge to me that he has seen them several times in the area while patrolling the state park, but not in the cave. I think they are way more common in the area than people think, especially considering our proximity to the Delaware Water Gap, PA and the Port Jervis area of NY, where they are known to be. I think its far more likely it came from there, rather than CT. A trip from CT which would require the cat to make a far journey through residential and suburban areas of the state. I have lived in the area my entire life.... the only thing between the Delaware Water Gap and Allamuchy where I saw the cat is farms and heavily wooded rolling hills. Plenty of dead deer and other animals along route 80 for them to snack on as well.
You're missing my point. There is no breeding population east of the Mississippi except a small population in Michigan. Sometimes young males make long treks like the one in CT. The males are territorial and will get driven out of an area occupied by another male.
Easy there Metsman. don't get your panties in a bunch LOL. I don't think I am disagreeing with you or anyone else... It could have migrated, maybe not. At the end of the day, there has been little to no research done on the topic that I am aware of in a very long time and therefore its pretty presumptuous for you or anyone else to claim they know something like that for sure. If you're basing your 'point' on one cat that they found and tracked, I think its disingenuous to say that's the exact case for all of them. Not a very big sample size. Maybe not, you sound like you have a biology degree from somewhere....
Ive spotted them in port murray and long valley so there is breeding. They are very illusive so sightings are scarce. They have been around for a while.
Sandy Tomlinson 
Jono Fish and Game employs wildlife biologists. I'm sure they're doing field studies all the time across the state.
About six weeks ago I was running on the trail/road at Deer Park (allamuchy south) I ran from the first parking lot, past the second parking lot and toward the large pond/lake (is t called deer park pond?) with the dam at the one end.
As I was coming up to where the woods opens up and you can see the lake on the left hand side, I saw what I first thought was a dog, then a deer and then, to my horror, was 95% sure I was looking at a tan mountain lion. It was maybe 150ft away but I could tell It had a very long tail and round head. It’s legs were beefier than a dog or certainly a deer. A few seconds glimpse is all I got as it skulked away into the woods opposite the lake.
I thought I was seeing things. Maybe I was. I did some short research when I got home and decided I must have been mistaken because they are supposedly extinct from this area and have been for 100 years. This thread is making me think that what I saw was really a mountain lion/cougar/panther. Needless to say, I’ve been running at other parks since then.
I have seen one in my yard. It was stalking a cat. Scared the bejesus out of me. We had heard what sounded like a mountain lion calling in the woods the week before. It was gone before I could take a picture.. But I agree.. Take pictures people. Our phones now have the camera option readily available for a quick memory shot. No memory like a mountain lion that's for sure
chef peder https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/01/north-american-eastern-cougar-mountain-lion-extinct-spd/
I find it hard to believe you're all seeing Mountain Lions.
Every single reported lion sighting has been proven to be either a coyote or a bobcat. Usually by a real biologist examining the tracks or the doing DNA analysis of the fur. I saw my first bobcat this weekend, but it was in Colorado. Big fella for a bobcat, but the short tail gave it away. (BTW there are mountain lions near RMNP where I saw the cat.)
Sorry unless you have a picture and or actual physical evidence I will remain a skeptic.
Jono and Agust, I would have loved to snap a photo on my phone but I high tailed it to my car. There have been plenty of others who have posted videos and photos. To summarize see below:
http://www.newjerseyhunter.com/forums/73-general-comments-information/208721-yet-another-nj-mountain-lion-sighting-lol.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kalaFCOqzA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQn2Sf4aWf8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_M3GKFTSKI
Metsman - can you send me a link to the research? If they have them, they're public information. NJ posts the results of all scientific studies performed. For example, here's the 2018 Annual Fishing report which details the results of a study on stocked trout in the Big Flat Brook and Flat Brook... https://www.njfishandwildlife.com/pdf/fwfisheries/reports/annualreport18.pdf
Don’t know why people are in such disbelief that mountain lions don’t exist here. Any animal can migrate, there is nothing keeping them to just one spot.
F&G does not normally issue reports saying they did not find something. NJ Non Game and Endangered species has many studies on bobcat and coyote. If they had t issue a report on every person that reported a bobcat as a mountain lion, they would never get any actual work done. Same for all the folks who claim the coyote they saw is actually a wolf, because coyotes cannot possibly be that big. (They are).
They also have not issued any reports on the lack of Bigfoot, or endangered Jersey Devil or the Hookerman.
CS, the first link you posted, from newjerseyhunter website is a post MAKING FUN of people who say they have a photo of a mountain lion. They were making fun that someone again was just re-using a photo that has been used for years all over.
Rich Agust, Agreed... my point is that there has been no funds allocated to the research. Just a little crazy to me that there have literally been hundreds of sightings, acknowledgement from authorities, but some are still in disbelief.
I'll tell you what, here are the coordinates of where I saw it.. was only 4 days ago. Take a walk down the path after parking in the lot (assuming the yellow tape is down that the Park Police put up) and poke your head in the cave there...here are your coordinates. 40.923116, -74.892929
Jono since i dont run or rock climb with a phone pictures arent happening. I have lived in this area for 60 ish years and in the last 20 i have seen 5.
This year ive come up on bears more than any time. 5 last month in different spots. Seems like they have really increased. Wildlife seems to be adapting to us.
bug3 - There have been loads of pictures that goes with the number of sightings. The only issue is those pictures (like the links) have all turned out to be bobcats. That's what our F&G friends are trying to tell us. ;-)
Sandy I would place bets you either saw bobcats or housecats. 5 sightings? Cmon.... Everyone has seen a bear around here. I've seen coyote dead on the side of the road and in the woods while hunting. There's no proof of mountain lions. The only proof we had was of a lone male mountain lion a few years back that traveled a long way and got hit by a car in CT. For you to have 5 sightings in the past 20 years would mean there's a breeding population which there is not and that is proven. The Eastern Cougar is extinct and there are yet to be breeding populations from western mountain lions in neighboring states west of here. They're not here.
I am with the skeptics and would go so far as to say I don’t believe they exist out here. I have spent many hours and days hiking in the backcountry out west and have spoken to many park rangers, other hikers, etc. who have spent much more time in areas where lions maintain breeding populations than I have, and with the exception of 1-2 people, no one had EVER seen one, including rangers who have spent 25+ years in the wilderness. Cougars are notoriously elusive and reclusive and generally shun contact with humans. So I find it extremely hard to believe that not only are sightings occurring in NJ, but that people are reporting numerous sightings over a number of years. That picture from “Lafayette “ has been making the rounds online for years and IIRC came from a trail cam in Colorado. To date, there has been no hard evidence of a lion in NJ in over 100 years. Show me the evidence and I will become a believer
The R They have been In the area for well over 10 yrs. Brought back for deer population management at one point. Knew of a farmer in the blairstown/Sussex area who spotted one around his farm animals. He told authorities. They told him he probably saw something else. So he said ok, I'll shoot it next time and bring it to you. They told him he would be arrested. After he did some questioning to people he knew, he found out they were brought in the area.
I am sure some others have 'migrated' from other areas in recent yrs, tagging proved it
Metsman. Having hitchhiked in 1980 from here to Alaska, thru the Yukon territory, to Wa. state, back across to here, camped in the rockies, southwest, up and down the Appalachian trail, in the heart of Tenn. and all thru NY state and Pa, I think I have had close encounters with alot of wild life. Bobcats do not have long tails anywhere in the north American continent. Wolves are larger than mtn. lions. Cyotes look like dogs. Cougars look like very large cats. Ive seen them in Fla. The ones here are very simular.
Kind of like the BFRO thinks there's bigfoot everywhere. LOL...
I would say in time they could migrate from out west to here. But guess what.... That has to happen in places like PA and Ohio first. They don't have breeding populations either.
Strangerdanger 
Drew I spend hours and hours in the forest - at Jenny Jump … I hunt whitetail deer and have cameras out for nearly 6 months at a time … I have never seen a big cat... I have seen coyotes but that is it … Yes it possible but highly unlikely we have any big cats in the area …
LibertyThinker The Cat-Files: I Want to Believe
Unfortunately, all the belief in the world doesn't change the fact, there is no resident population of mountain lions east of the Mississippi, other than a very small population of mountain lions in Florida. Although there have been confirmed sightings in the U.P. of Michigan, there is no evidence of a breeding population.
And BTW, there's never been a report of a melanistic (i.e. black) mountain lion. The classic "black panther" is a jaguar from South America.
Bemused Just had a large coyote pass thru our yard. I could easily see how it could be taken as a mountain lion because it was That. Big.
I bet it weighed 60 pounds.
3wbdwnj Don't let anyone tell you there are no cougar's (puma) in NJ. I grew up in the Watchung Mountains, NJ at night they would come in our yard, leave their footprints in the snow, and YES we even saw them!! I had to be in the house before dark every night because of them. You could even hear them at night scream...so like I said YES THERE ARE COUGAR'S IN NJ!! Joyce Boettger Gruver
Joyce Gruver 
4catmom 
iJay Joyce cmon.... We have bobcat and lynx. That's it. The last confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in the Northeast was this one. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mountainlion/mountain-lion-killed-in-connecticut-prowled-east-from-s-dakota-idUSTRE76Q5ZE20110727
It came a long way. So to say you had a breeding population where you lived isn't backed by evidence.
We are a bit West of that Connecticut location. One or two in the area could be possible.
I find it funny that most people tend to pass off these sightings as probably bobcats. As if number one, nobody knows what a bobcat looks like, and number two the animals don't look completely different. SMH
That mountain lion went from the Dakotas, up through Canada, down through NY, and into CT. It's not impossible that we may have one lone male wandering around, but there's no breeding population east of the Mississippi other than in Florida and Michigan.
Idk folks but I live in Panther Valley and saw a large brownish gold cat ( absolutely) at seven pm last night crossing bald eagle road up about twenty feet from the golf course - cat - idk what kind - about sixty five pounds - no kidding - would not have thought about it twice but I read this thread and thought I would see if anyone else was in that area at the time- it was about ten feet from me ...I was driving very slow and sure of what I saw... long thin tail cool eyes- brownish gold in color ...
There is still one in port murray. Saw it for a second time 2 weeks ago. In broad daylight. In an open field. About 100 yards away.
And now the "had to be a bob cat" begins. Thats ok since I know its around .
I won’t believe it until FOXNEWS starts reporting on this story until then it is fake news
Fox news reported a large chariot pulled by 6 big cats driven by the bogeyman on shades of death road last night. Will anyone admit to seeing it.
I saw a cougar near the field by Miller Street firehouse -- this was about a year or so a go. It was NOT a coyote -- I know the difference.
Ru --
I can understand your thinking it was a bobcat, if someone told me this I would question it. But I know what I saw. It was maybe 4 feet in length, high off the ground, maybe 3 feet? It had a long tail that hit the ground. Bobcats are cat-like creatures that weigh maybe 40-50 pounds. This animal was very big. It was a solid color.
I would not believe it myself if I read it from someone else, but I know what I saw. Like I said I saw this a year ago and have not seen this since.
On the fence about it - my buddy a big hunter says no way a big cat is in NW NJ.
Should be on a trail cam by now maybe - but I keep an open mind about it.
People are seeing something.
.
I did see a large cat the other night- as I mentioned I do not know what kind it was. I will say people here are rude - so I will no longer be posting.
Mountain lions/cougars/puma are the bigfoot of New Jersey....soooooo many sightings, not a drop of factual evidence. I would love to believe that they're in the area, as I'm a huge fan of wildlife and it's nice to see animals inhabit areas that they historically did.
But, for the amount of time I spend outdoors, the amount of readily available prey in a very rural area that I live in, I haven't seen a single thing(sounds/scat/kill remains) that would lead me to believe it's possible. Some years ago, somebody took the body of a deer and Photoshopped a mountain lions head and tail onto it from an image from their trail cam. It was quite an impressive effort. For all the sightings, in the age of technology, that not a single legitimate picture has been taken, or a recording, I'm still on the "definitely not" side of the story.
Saw a mountain lion in Hawthorne NJ. They are here and are scary as heck. NJ residents know the truth. These mountain lions do not let you take a picture of them. Every time I reach for my camera they run away as if they know what little poop
Heads they are being.
THE BIG CAT LIVES
-Jordan
JORDAN lAcast I guess all these people are crazy as well...
https://endangerednj.blogspot.com/2019/08/is-that-mountain-lion-i-see-wandering.html
All the years I've hunted in NJ I have never seen one. Funny how people walking their dog or driving down the road or BBQing in their backyard think they've seen one.
So I was coming home around 4:15 this afternoon (I live on Russling Road) when a fairly large animal bounded across the road in front of me. It was approximately 40-45 lbs, tannish in color. It didn't look like a dog (it's movements were more like a cat) and it wasn't a bobcat. I didn't notice the size of the tail but I did notice that the ears were on the smallish size. So what was it????
Iris Calico696 I also know a hunter who decided it was a good idea to unload buckshot 100 feet from someone's house. There are a lot of people who think they see things that are mistaken. This guy for example didn't seem to see the wrong in shooting that close to a house when the rule is 450 feet.
So you are classifying all hunters as stupid and uninformed due to the moron you described? SMH
If one migrated east to Connecticut, it's more likely than not there's a few others.
Courtney1 Calico
Any hunter that walks into the woods with 2 boxes of shells is probably nuts....sadly that describes the majority of hunters in nj
Bug - Majority? I disagree. If it was the majority, they would be shooting themselves and other hunters all the time.
Show me a real photo please....................can't think of many animals that don't have local photos for viewing
Calico696 no I'm saying there's a percentage idiot hunters out there just like any other group.
Courtney1 yes that could be true. But there's a difference between lone males wandering and a breeding population that requires females as well. If you have 1 lion in a large area then multiple people aren't going to see it. It would be a rare occurrence to see one. 95% of these sightings at least have to be misidentification.
A Lynx? but they are in Canada - so a Bobcat is a Lynx but a Lynx is not a Bobcat - very confusing if you look into it. There is a comparison attached.
I know two hunters who have seen them.Calico696
I also know a hunter who decided it was a good idea to unload buckshot 100 feet from someone's house. There are a lot of people who think they see things that are mistaken. This guy for example didn't seem to see the wrong in shooting that close to a house when the rule is 450 feet.Metsman
Metsman what does what you said have to do with what Calico said? I'm just confused as to your response.
There are mountain lions, bobcats, bears, coyotes and wolves in NJ.
Walking Girl 
Philliesman Shows people don't realize their surroundings at times and think they're far enough away from a house or see an animal they mistake for another. No there are not wolves or mountain lions here. You people are hilarious. We've had one confirmed siting of a mountain lion in the northeast in decades that was hit by a car and killed in CT. It was a tagged animal that was tracked back to the Black Hills in the Dakotas. It wasn't from around here. I remember about 20 years ago a moose made it's way down to NJ. Doesn't mean we have a population of them here either. Stop spreading false information.
waiting for the photo proof - have seen bears, bobcats, and coyotes - live and in person - nary a mountain lion and the only wolves I've seen are at Lakota Wolf Preserve- as well as bobcat and -hmmm forget the other
Meet the coywolf, New Jersey's apex predator
The coywolf is actually a cross between a coyote and a wolf, and it's pretty common in the Northeast U.S., including N.J., according to several reports.
Researchers have learned that the coywolf is about twice the size of a coyote, with larger jaws and bigger muscles that allow it to kill deer, the UK Independent reports. The animals were dubbed the new "superpredators" by Field and Stream.
https://www.nj.com/bergen/2015/11/meet_the_coywolf_new_jerseys_apex_predator.html
Coywolfs, yes, wolves, no....most eastern coyotes have a percentage of wolf genetics, that's not new news. But they are not wolves...
Wolves are huge. I used to hunt by the state house at black river in Chester and the worker who lived in the house had 2 wolves at one point in a pen. Their backs were up to my waist and I’m tall. We have nothing like that loose in NJ.
My name is Connor corcoroan of passaic county. These panthers are here and thriving in the hawthorne paterson area. I have fought off a few with my bare hands. The real ones know the truth and the truth is these lions are here. Also I have had a couple encounters with the westmilford baboon. These exotic species thrive here. I'll include a photo of the cougar. That i've taken with my bare hands.
Connor Google Image Search is a real thing..
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Two-mountain-lion-sightings-reported-in-Golden-14420735.php
JrzyGirl88 In chrome pretty sure you can just right click and do one as one of the options. Otherwise just Google reverse image search and you can upload any image.
Yesimpc @happiestgirl exactly as Yesimpc described.. I will admit I learned how to do it when searching for a pair of shoes I saw on Pinterest LOL!!
The alternative to Google image search for those that don't use Chrome is tineye.com - this is also the way the infamous claim of the mountain lion in north NJ was debunked. The picture spread around was copied from some web site in Colorado.
Did anyone actually think Connor was being serious? Really? Have there been any other sightings of the elusive West Milford Baboon? LOL...
Baboons and wolves escaped from Jungle Habit in the 70's so maybe they have little colonies somewhere. LOL!!
There has been 2 sightings by seasoned hunters of a 100 lb mountain lion here in Long Valley as well. We have been told not in NJ. Well guess what. They are in NJ
Jen Cusmano Yea sure they did. Funny no one ever comes forward with a trail camera that a lot of hunters attach to trees near their stands. Do they just magically elude them all.....
Not saying one way or another but some big cats are super sensitive to human exposer, including trail cams. For a documentary they set up trail cams for 2 years trying to capture a rare tiger and only got 16 seconds out of it all. This is in addition to 3 other individuals living in basically a closet that they didn't leave for 6 months.
Even if there here they go from small prey rabbits squirrels moles etc no interest in humans unless you do something
They are posting here because people in PV read this - It is a compliment. Hackettstown Forum is a great resource.
There is a current post on Nextdoor Hackettstown of a mountain lion sighting, and many people have responded that they have seen it too. The person who saw it Tuesday is on Stephensburg Rd and is setting up a trail cam. I saw one in the countryside section of Hackettstown about a year ago.
Mets - Maybe one will bite you in the arse one day and then you will believe. ;-)
We live in the most densely populated state in the country. I've seen deer, bears, coyotes, and every other known animal in this state dead on the side of the road. With all the supposed sightings people seem to have here, why hasn't one been hit by a car yet? These people are probably seeing above average sized bobcats.
Bobcats don't have long tails that sweep down to the ground and curl up at the end. Just sayin'.
I don't think people are paying attention to that. They just see something that looks bigger than a housecat and assume it's a mountain lion.
thomasnj "I saw the Loch Ness Monster in Allamuchy Pond yesterday."
OMG! I just spit water everywhere. Thanks for the laugh.
Hi I live hope nj been avid hunter for 40 years no all call sounds and sound of all most every species in woods was hunting in secluded area and had mountain lion stalking deer turkey it jumped took turkey out tree at 10 feet high so don't let anybody tell you no different they are here they are noctornal and prey on most food fixes deer turkey
Yes they are here and one that I seen is female because it cry a mating cry it was at my home last 2 April in row woke me and wife out bed so close to house very loud cry enough wake up out of sound sleep no bobcat or fix so don't suggest it
Thank you for posting your sightings. Honestly I really dont care if people dont believe. Enough of us have seen them.
I resonate can with is what said being cuz understandable is it anyway looked at same neighborhood mine meow call mating cat man too punctuation optional.
My story is posted above about my encounter at deer park near the pond/lake. I CANNOT say for certain it was a mountain lion but it was the same color and size as a deer with a tail as long as it’s body.
Not only is bear spray illegal in NJ but you can’t even have dog spray if it’s over .75 oz. I went on amazon and couldn’t find any dog spray smaller than 1.5oz. Against a bear or mt lion, the citizens of this state are on their own. Gotta love these laws. Don’t they make you feel so much safer? *eyeroll*
John I bet that moonshine you sip while sitting in your deer stand has you seeing all kinds of things. LOL....
except grammar and spelling...….
all this boils down to "could be, but probably not...."
Sure, big cats have travelled 2,000 miles looking for a mate. Given their chances here, that's surely to be one ticked-off cat :>) Stay away..... However, having lived in the hills of WV, I can attest to people bringing in all sorts of stuff to be weighed as deer. Not only do they stupidly shoot the wrong thing, I mean they actually bring in other animals as deer to be weighed.
Could be a mastiff, ridgeback, or other large dog like the rback in the pic.. For example, I have really large cats; they don't climb trees, they walk up them just like walking on the ground. I mean, that's big, strong, and huge claws. One of them has the profile and rear leg configuration like a lynx ---- jacked up and splayed. Looks like the Blue Buffalo lynx jumping. Makes her one heck of a pouncer, like from trees, but also the exact silhouette of a skunk when she walks. So close that I almost pet a skunk once... Oh yeah, tufted ears, white mouth lines too.
Could be a Bobcat, in summer, so having the right color and perhaps dragging a leg as it ran thus looking like a tail. Size is easy to mistake and a flash of brown behind the cat just must be a tail. A number of times I have seen a coyote vanish right in front of me making me question what I saw. Or if I saw anything at all.
That said, could be a mountain lion. There are confirmed kills, captures, in Tennessee, Connecticut, and other states making NJ as viable as CT. Yet, no pictures, not even trail cams I think, to confirm in NJ. No tracks either, and they are easily recognizable. But, could be: https://www.connecticutmag.com/the-connecticut-story/there-are-no-mountain-lions-in-connecticut-so-why-do/article_c03d308a-f52a-11e9-9a84-5ba07033defc.html
All I can say is keep those phone cameras ready; whoever snaps one will make history.
The one killed in CT was from the Dakotas. It went up through Canada, down through NY, and was hit by a car in CT. It had a tag on it that's how they confirmed where it came from. Game trail cameras captured images of him in NY. So when I hear several people say they see them all the time, that is funny to me. There are plenty of game trail cameras set up all over NJ. If we had them here someone would have confirmed it.
Might have used dna in the tracking too. Point is, it can happen, but not likely.
Yes it can happen, kind of like when a Moose made it's way down to NJ several years ago.
Over near Mallard Drive around October. Wife and I heard a terrible scream from the woods behind ours house. I’m no woodsman but don’t mind the animals either. We were Both a little shaken. It sounded like a desperate deer? Don’t know if they scream but I figured it had to be a mother and something very bad was happening or it was some other animal. It definitely did not sound like any cat I’ve ever heard. So maybe something made a deer scream a horrible scream? Went on for about 3 long minutes.
I say if it’s a cat let it be.
CaptSky If the scream went on for three minutes it was probably coyotes.. A mountain lion would latch on and do its work on the neck arteries. Those big cats don't mess around.
Foxes screams are scary as all get out. First time I heard it I was freaked....
sandblaster 9 Year old post, still no credible Lion sightings..Maybe with the new Netflix show folks will start reporting Tigers.
CatLover That was my original thought as well, but the tail looks too long. It's definitely not a house cat....too big. Body and legs too long. Some people are saying mountain lion but not sold on that either.
Tail too long to be a bobcat but head too large for a mountain lion. Tough to tell size as there is nothing in the pic to compare it to
Bernie 
JLor My fav thread.
Long tail and no long hair along jaw or ears ( that I can see). Need an expert (not the arm chair kind) to ID.
Where is location of pix?
Roywhite I’ve heard some coyotes recently from panther valley direction sounds like it’s coming from somewhere near the golf course woods to back near Alphono rd. No cats though!
pix is not clear enough to do an accurate identification - details - size - color--- I've seen a number of pix like this and they remain unidentified or inaccurately identified
The snow in my yard is still over a foot deep. That would make that a record for a house cat seeing that half it's leg is above the snow, Just saying!
Great Meadows You can't tell didley from that picture and if forced to guess I would say housecat based on configuration alone.
NJ is home to the Bobcat. It’s our only big cat. This is not a bobcat, the tail tells the tale.
Mountain lion, cougars, pumas, or catamounts, whatever ---- it could be but very, very doubtful. Basically, it would have to take a 1,500 mile journey. It's been done, but maybe only one time.
https://www.americanscientist.org/article/americas-cat-is-on-the-comeback
Sleepy There is def mountain lions and bob cats in the area about 3 months ago I was walking down island drag way road and saw a mountain lion and that was for the second time.
and I had seen a bob cat at the top of route 46 in independence it was small, then days later I saw it dead in the road, my mother and I removed it to the side of the road- he was still warm = ( also bob cats tails are short
I would be more scared of the rattlesnakes and copperheads.
humanonearth Bob cat yes. Mountain lion, get a picture. A good one. You can nake history! Definitely.
yup SD - we do have bobcats - but never ever have I seen a definitive picture of a mountain lion or anything similar around here- distant - shady - ill-defined--but NEVER a clear picture - and never a context- re size etc
Dreaming
Pyc I am so glad I am reading this because I saw this very creature!! I could not figure out what I was seeing. I had never seen anything like this either. I was driving on Bald Eagle past the golf course when I saw it running. It was very large and had a long tail. In the past I have definitely seen a bob cat but that was at dusk and it was very different then this animal.
I hope someone is able to get a picture at some point.
Jerseygirl74 Hi all live hope nj There no doubt about big cat in hope area seen while hunting at dusk took turkey out of tree. And in early April near house cry mating call no mistake for fox or bobcat matingcall.
Jj There is no breeding population for Mountain Lions east of the Mississippi River other than in a small portion of Michigan and Florida.
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