Hell yeah I have lol

I have never seen one.

Yes

Yep, black as the ace of spades. Well, technically, i guess that would be a panther. So no, i haven't seen a cougar. A buddy of mine saw a beige cat, on the same piece of property. Maybe it was a cougar.

I lived in central florida 20+ years where there actually are panthers and never saw one in the woods, dead in the road, crossing the road at night.... I knew they were there and never saw one. I've only lived in bama going on 4 years now and have never seen one, but it doesn't mean they aren't there.

does this count???


A stripper at Sammys owned this one...

In the wild?? Heck no.....

I'd tell ya'll about the black one I've seen 3x on the south end of Redstone Arsenal near the igloos but if I did ... uh ...

Yep in Bibb County

Yep. Seen one in Northside, Tuscaloosa County.

I need to hear the story of why you are holding the puddy of a stripper from Sammy's.

And yet not a single trail cam pic.

I had a picture of one When i lived in Virginia mines. Wish i could find that picture.

They are invisible to a trail camera same as a Sasquatch and that demon dog in Texas.

In her bedroom !!!!!

I think we all know how this story ends....

I want to hear the stripper story too but your German Shepard was a beautiful dog Troy.

Think about all the big bucks that don't get caught on trail cameras.

Nope.

A gazillion hunting game cameras along with security cameras, city security and law enforcement cameras, private business security cameras ... and not a legitimate, bonafide, confirmed, "this definitely is one" clear photo of a mountain lion and none of a black mountain lion.

I believe we have mountain lions - tan, tabby, etc. Not black ones. But damned if we're not overrun with a herd of invisible cougars based on how many people have seen them in the Southeast.

Yes...in Conecuh county

Yes, just about every time I go to the grocery store.

Never seen a cougar but saw a black coyote and didn't shoot him that day thought it was someone's German shepherd . Got him on a trail cam and a few days later I seen him again. This time he wasn't so lucky. Same will go if a cougar ever comes up. Not holding my breath but anything is possible.

I think a lot of these animals stems from people getting them and then getting tired of them and the door comes open and out they go.

not I

Ive seen two lions (tan). one 20 years ago that was very big and long, slowly crossing the road. Outside of Huntsville. could've been a real african lion. and last year at jacobs tract I had one in front of my vehicle running down the road. it looked like the one in the picture. there you have it, loin at jacobs tract(skyline).

The one i saw was over 15 years ago. I didn't use trail camera's back then, nobody did much. Really don't care if anyone believes me or not, i know what i saw. I was looking at it thru a leoupold varix-3 scope on 10x. Once i realized what it was, i was going to shoot it, but it was trotting and got over a ridge top, before i could shoot. If i would have killed it, i probably would have went to jail, so i'm glad i didn't.

No.

What do y'all think this is? This isn't some chain email picture, this was taken last fall on OUR game camera on OUR farm in Greensboro, AL.

personally, I think it's a large bobcat but a couple of the guys that hunt there are convinced it's a panther. They claim they see a tail on the back of it hanging down, but to me that just looks like a stretched out back leg. also, the grass in that picture is a little over knee-high, for reference.

You see a true, solid black one again, shoot it, I'll get ya out of jail, for the pelt.

Paging 2 dogs from jail. I only have 10 minutes of allotted aldeer time. The hide is at Mr green pants house but hurry up I am getting hungry.

I saw one in the Casino the other night. She was wild as could be and had claws that could rip a mans back apart. She was out prowling and looking for her next victim

Yes... about 20 years ago in a remote area of Walker County.

I've never seen one but I believe they're here. When people see them its probably when their not "on ready" with a camera and a gun, before their gone and out of sight. Now, the lion...idk too much about lol

Yep

I'm with Clem on this one. Because so many people have their stories, I don't have much doubt they're truly seeing mountain lions. But where in the $%^#%$ are the billion trail cam photos that should exist??? And I further assume ML's can have color phases and variations (thus why some would appear "black"). But simply stating factual, biological science, we do NOT have "black panthers". There are no naturally occuring "panthers" in North America. And for what it's worth, I have seen some freaking enormous bobcats. I have one mounted on my parent's fireplace hearth that weighed 38 pounds and was probably knee-high tall. Big male, very muted-tan colored (not gray and spotted like many of the pics you see). Sans the tail, that cat would trick many people if it just darted across the road in front of them.

Haven't mountain lions been part of North America for many centuries, ranging from Canada and the Rockies to the Florida Keys? They're not new or something just introduced in the last few decades.

I know I've told this story before but I fell like this is the appropriate time to tell it again.


I had set up a trail game near the top of Cheaha Mountain last year. I had seen a deer track of a buck that had to score at least 168 6/8" net. That track was huge, but anyway.....I set up my camera and left it for a week. When I came back to check it, my entire Clorox stump was gone. There were no deer tracks but lots of other tracks around what was left of the stump. Once I checked the camera I realized what had left the tracks.


I just happen to have my Canon SLR7000ahvfrs897 35mm camera with me and was about to take some pics of the tracks and what the painter had done to my Clorox stump and I looked up and here comes this painter right at me.


I was so excited about seeing him I went straight to Dick's sporting goods in Oxford to tell the sporting good's counter boy about my experience and he acted like it was no big deal. He even had one mounted in the store that he had killed.


After realizing just how many of these things we have in Alabama I decided that I was going to start counducting guiding hunts in Cheaha State Park for them. My first client got his cat just after we got out of the truck on the first morning.


Now we all know that this state is choked full of the very common black panther but I have been very lucky to guide and personally kill a few piebald or spotted black panthers. I even got a picture of a cougar and a spotted black panther together.


I was lucky to have this one walk across my flower bed at the house one afternoon and I got a shot.



I guess my point is, to answer the original questions, I've never seen a cougar in Alabama. We have no cougars in this state. Black panthers and spotted black panthers are an entirely different story altogether.

that girl ain't old enough to be a cougar and the guy above her looks very Ethopian

now stop it....

BGH Id like to book a "twofur" trip, Alabama panther and then Alaskan fishing.

You want an ice cream while you are at the zoo?

I think they are here but I haven't seen what I could prove to be one.

I've gotten attacked by several. It's fun. But that was back in my single days.

Just talking about a different genus of critter. They're as different as a cheetah and a leopard are. A mountain lion is not a panther, or at least not the African jungle kind of "black panther."

I saw one in Barbour wma in about 1980 when Billy Sharp was over it. Really dry that day and the deer I had seen made noise in leaves but big long tail cat came below me silent and jumped on a tree that had fell over. Had crosshairs on it but didn't shoot. Big cat tracks there that fall but have not seen big tracks since

I had one stalking me at "Rubie Tuesday" a couple of weeks ago! She was a fine looking specimen, but my girlfriend spooked her and she ran off!

way to go Shooters

The Cougar or Lion whatever you want to call it, I saw was in 1999. We were out scouting for deer season and he crossed the road in front of us. He was black in color with a tail around 2-21/2 ft long. You don't have to believe it but I saw it with my own eyes and no I was not Drunk or Stoned.

No no, and no. They're not ghosts either. A corn feeder will attract EVERY kind of predator there is "except" a cougar? I don't think so. Maybe a tame one gets released every now and again, but not a breeding population. No
Gomerpyle your pic looks exactly like a bob cat to me.

Saw one in Vaenessa's place one night.

Troy looks nothing like I imagined....

2dogs, i'll keep that in mind, but you better be Johnny on the Spot, cause i may be in a cell with big Bubba, and he may be desperate.

Yep, seen several.
In magazines and on TV.
I have relatives in SE Georgia who have seen what are probably Fla panthers.

I saw two long tailed tan colored cats come across a pasture one morning while turkey hunting,definitely wasn't a bobcat or coyote,this was in north monroe county,my nephew had an encounter with one in burnt corn while working on a fence one afternoon

I know what I saw. I was hunting along a creek. I was young and didn't believe the black panther stories. It was slinking through some weeds coming right at me. Black as black can be. Long tail. Got really close before I realized it was the biggest otter I have ever seen.

I actually had 2 really bad days hunting several years ago. 1st day a black bear wouldn't leave me alone. I don't pay them much attention but this one wouldn't stop following me. Thought I was going to have to shoot it. Next day right at dark a mountain lion came off the mountain. Saw me and started stalking to get behind me. I was prepared to shoot him also. But hat was in Chama, New Mexico.

Alabama, ain't seen nothing I'm not suppose to.

Saw a big black cat in the early 70's in Barbour County right on the south line of the management area above Gulledge's Grocery. Friend of mine saw it just a few seconds before it ran by me at about 20 yards, bright frosty morning, no doubt what we saw.

I believe people think they saw something but they aren't certain what it was.

I know several ranchers in several Western states and Canadian Provinces that have lots of mountain lions (everything being relative) on their ranches. Some even have outfitters that hunt their ranch or they themselves are outfitters for mountain lions on their own properties. Almost all of them have never seen a mountain lion in their entire life. Most outfitters that live and work in cat country have never seen a mountain lion without the aide of dogs.....and they are looking for them.

Now black panthers, that's a completely different deal...them suckers are everywhere in Alabama. Hell, their is one just to the left of this post.

Just like you can't convince someone to feel a certain way, there no way to convince someone that they haven't seen something they are absolutely convinced they saw. If you claim to have seen one and you believe it, I, nor anyone else, could change your mind. I just choose to believe you are mistaken in what you saw. Lord knows I've been guilty of seeing one thing and thinking it's something else.

Personally, I don't believe there is a wild panther in Alabama. No game warden or certified wildlife biologist has ever seen a documented track, hair, den, skeleton, or kill since the 1940's. I'm sorry, but Joe Bob that saw one on the "back forty" while checking his cows isn't reliable enough for me. The most experienced woodsman in the state wouldn't convince me that a cougar exists within the state lines. I learned a long time ago to "listen, but confirm." That works well in business and with people in general. I'll hear and listen to whatever you have to say, but there has to be undeniable proof to convince me of the truth. On the panther topic, I've yet to see anything even close to proving a panther exists in Alabama. Could they exist? I guess anything is possible.

At any one moment there are thousands of game cameras scattered from corner to corner in the woods of Alabama. They capture everything from deer, bears, and all forms of fowl and fauna, but not one single confirmed picture of a panther. Not a single one. Millions of images a year, yet not a single panther image. Even over gut piles or deer kills, no pics.

I'm not saying there never was nor ever will be a confirmed sighting. But until someone with credibility produces verifiable, undeniable and unmistakable evidence, I'll be content to continue believe that they are still confined to isolated pockets in the southern half of Florida.

My .02 worth.

Dr. B

Yes!! Saw about a thousand at the Keith Urban concert Saturday night!!

I got ya brother, just get that black painter and I'll bail ya out before Bubba makes you his girl friend.

I've had a outfitter and guides that have been in Mountain Lion country many years tell me they've never seen one in daylight other than up a tree with hounds treeing them. These Alabama cats just love to be seen I guess.

Yes, about 22 years ago.

My Dad swears that he had one jump out in the road in front of his CJ-5 headlights before daylight on Skyline WMA in the late 70's. Said it ran straight away from them for a good 100 yards with its tail swaying back and forth and there was no doubt whatsoever what it was. Other than that, the two of us have spent thousands of hours in those mountains over the years and have never seen another one, nor have we seen any sign of one.

About 25yrs ago I was hunting Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge in Choctaw Co. I had got up my tree well before daylight and as it was turning light but before you could really make out colors I had a large long tail cat come by within 10 to 12 yards of my tree. I would estimate it would weigh about 80 to 90 lbs. I watched this cat at close range for several minutes as it would slip and stop and watch. No doubt in my mind what it was.

Nope, never seen one. I did have a fellow tell me about a month ago that there have been two or three sightings of a mountain lion (or whatever you want to call it) in the Cook Springs area, up on that mountain above the church camp. The guys that have supposedly seen it, all work there.

Yep, seen one in 1998 about 5 miles outside of Marion. Hunting a power line not far from the Cahaba river. It was light brown/tan not black.

Our very own aldeer member, Hammerhead, got a picture in South Bama of several in the same tree and one of them is black. I'll find the picture...

no

I have seen some two legged ones...LOL Never saw a 4 legged one.

Yes, three years back. One crossed in front of me and wife couple miles from home.

Yep...now don't get me wrong, that's a BIG bobcat. We've caught what I believe to be the same bobcat on camera during daylight hours and there's no denying it's a big one. and I still wouldn't wanna jump him in the woods.

but no panthers

only on video

That's when I saw in in Perry county about 200 yds from the river in Heiberger. Tan cat long tail looked pretty dang big.

FYI my sister-in-law just told me last week that she saw one (tan/long tail) on the side of the road licking itself between Kennedy and Vernon. She was convinced too. Cameras don't lie.

Yep, several times in green briar cove. School bus driver pulled over one morning and we watched one walk across a pasture.

There are a ton of them that hang out at Higlands Bar and Grill.

And this brings up another question.........With the probably hundreds of thousands of deer drives that have went on through the years, as well as coon hunters and hog hunters why has NONE been treed and photos taken or wardens called to the scene? Dogs here a big wusses and won't even chase them in a pack like out west?

Yep, Baldwin County specifically Magnolia Springs...

Yep, seen one with my bro-n-law right beside me in the truck. It stood there less than a 100 yards away for 30-45 seconds minimum. Could've been a longtailed bobcat if they exist and marked as a mt lion. About the size of my 65 lb.

Know a guy trying to get one on camera that his wife, himself and neighbor have seen behind his house. He's a pro wildlife photog, no game camera. Been all over the SE photographing all sorts of critters.

I have only 1 question, no one has anything to gain by saying they seen one. what's the big deal?

All sorts of critters are around that are non native. We had a spider monkey that lived outside for a few years. I'd imagine that had some stories going for a few days.

Yep and don't care who believes me.

Dogs can't do much with a decent size cat. I have been a many miles behind tree dogs day and night and I've never seen a bobcat treed. We have ran and treed what I think was a bobcat several times. Each time at night and we got nearly to the tree and the dogs would leave out and tree again a couple hundred yards away. One night we walked several miles just trying to catch the dogs. From what I have been told it takes a big pack to run a cat. I have killed one bobcat while hunting with dogs. I think the beagles were tracking it but I can't swear to it. They were running in a thicket and we let them run for a while , several loops then went in. The dog owner thought he saw a rabbit, said I just saw it and it's a big one set here and you will kill him. Dogs made the loop and went within 20 feet of me but nothing ahead of them. I thought I must have missed it then the cat came slipping behind them. I gave him both barrels of 12 gage bird shot when he looked at me. I think he had got that far ahead of them and was probably 30 yards behind them.

Sure are a lot of definite yes answers on here for something that does not exist in AL.

From the comments:"
I saw a large dark brown cat 3 days ago on my way home from work in south side alabama ( etowah county)!! It was approx 5.5-6 feet in length and had a long tail. It just walked slowly across the road and down into the woods. "

Which one of y'all is this?

Yep. I think I remember seeing one at Paul's sporting goods on 69 south in ttown back in about 1990 or so.

No, I have not.

I have never seen one for sure, but I had a big cat cross the road in front of me one morning headed to church. It came trotting off the side of a mountain, across a deep ditch and the road in about three steps. I honestly dont know what it was other than BIG, like German Shephard size. I don't remember seeing a tail, but it was much bigger than any bobcat I've ever seen.

About 3 years ago, my wife called me about 3 in the afternoon. She said " what kinda cat is dark tan, about the size of Claire ( my parents yellow lab), and has a long tail with a black tip?" I asked why. She said one just walked across the road in front of her.

Jackson, Madison, Marshal countys. Not Bkack, just mountain lions.

I was bow hunting with a buddy of mine in Bullock county around 2004. We were hunting a hardwood bottom and this big cat came in about 30 min before dark. It was tan with a long tail and no doubt it was what it was. Not a bob cat, not a yote, not a dog or even the Easter bunny. We both saw it and looked at it through binocs. Having said that, we ran cameras in that area before and after seeing it and never got a pic. A guy that hunted with us said he saw one not far from there a few years prior. Mountain lions/cougars may not live in Alabama, but they must visit from time to time.

I was around 12 or 13. I was sitting in my stand kept hearing something move around behind me. Never got to see it. But right before dark i heard a scream from a big cat between me and the truck. Lol I dont what kind it was but in my mind it sounded hungry and my stand was pretty comfortable. I hung around until my dad came to see what was wrong.

I have never seen one, but know a couple of people who I trust 100% that say they have seen them from the stand while hunting in Bullock county.

Where is Bluetick when we need him?

He's running a still...and on the run last I heard.....

Here is the problem. The DCNR does not take the stance that there isn't an occosional cougar seen. The problem comes into play with us having a breeding population, which we don't. Any we have are transients or released. We cannot verify big cats with any technique used to sample large carnivors. If every cougar sighting was valid, AL would have the largest cougar population in the country. Lots of folks just aren't seeing what they think they are.

I watched mine for about 5 minutes I am positive what it was.

I am not saying you are wrong but I had a well respected guy tell me the same thing about bigfoot.

A friend of mine says he saw one in Bibb Co. years ago and I know he knows his critters.

which sammy's , lol one of the two in b'ham or ft walton or pensacola . was this back around 82 or 83 ?

I can tell you how to get rid of them. just yell real loud "get out of here" and they will never come back. I learned that from watching mountain men.

I went ahead and read the article before reading this thread. When I saw the results of the survey, stating that right at 50% of the folks that answered said that they have seen a panther in Alabama, I laughed.

Now, I read the entire thread, and see that about 80% of the people in this thread think they've seen one too. Instead of laughing, it scares me. Not because of the presence of panthers in Alabama, but because some of you are toting high powered rifles around in the woods, spotting things that just aren't there. No wonder hunters get shot in the woods every year.