Registered: Dec 2008
Location: Illinois
Posts: 331

My dad lives and farms west of Peoria IL. We have heard rumors of moutain lions from guys in the past but have never saw one. Well today my dad saw something out in the bean field behind the house and thought it was a deer, but said it looked funny so he got the spotting scope out and looked again and said he couldn't believe what he saw. It was a large cat, about the length of two coyotes, maybe two and a half times the length, and maybe a bit taller. It was golden brown and had a long tail. do you all think it could have been a mountain lion. What will a moutain lion do to a dog? I know the DNR says they aren't out there, we have never seen anything like this before.

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Registered: Jan 2008
Location: Gods Counrty in illinois
Posts: 96

I seen a video of one that a friend took last year date was 2/24/08. It was a large cat , not a kitty cat either. Took it to the local bow shop, guess what the DNR did found out about it and seized it!!!!! There around, many people have spotted them around Cumberland and Jasper Counties IL. Myself would never beleive it till I seen the video all I could say was rewind that one more time, again rewind that again!!!

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: waldo wi
Posts: 3221

NO MATTER WHEN IT IS I WANNA KNOW THIS ONE!!!!!

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Registered: Apr 2004
Location: Cutler, Il.
Posts: 1631

a mountian lion was hit & killed by a train, just north of Chester, Il. along the Mississippi River. There were pictures & an article in the local papers about it, & it was taken to Southern Il. Univ. to be examined & found to be considered a wild one, not one that had been turned loose. They said that the wear on it's foot pads & claws showed it to be of one that had been in the wild, along with deer remains in it's stomach. It was also determined to be 3-4 years old.

There are sightings just about monthly, just south of here down in the hills & as close as a half a mile east of here. So I would say that there are some around.

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John

CUTLER, AMERICA

Good judgement, is something that you get from using bad judgement.--Will Rogers

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: waldo wi
Posts: 3221

or peoria where his dads farm is?

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Registered: Jan 2009
Location: Central Illinois
Posts: 2814

I sell a fair number of my English pups to cat hunters. They all tell me any hound can tree a hot lion track. They say lions are afraid of any dog, a beagle could tree one. If there were lions around this area, someone's coon hound would have it up a tree sooner or later. There hasn't been any reports that I know about. No bobcats either.

Now when I was very young and just started coon hunting, my grandfather and the guys he coon hunted with (members of the Coles Co. Coonhunter's Association), talked about what they called a "whampus cat" living near the Coles County airport. This was in the late 50s and early 60s. They talked about the hounds running it hot until they got close to it, then they would cold trail, apparently, they were afraid of it. My grandfather traded for a part airdale that caught it one night. The dog went to screaming like it was caught in a fence, had cut marks on it, and when the other dogs came upon it, the dog was screaming and running in circles. The other dogs jumped on the dog. They said that the wampus cat sometimes would scream like a woman and make their hair stand on end. I really don't know if the story was true or they were fooling a 10 year old boy (I suspect the latter). But, I heard the story repeated many times by several different coon hunters. I hunted the area by myself at night about 15 years later alot and my dogs only got after coon.

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Dave Haugh

LAKELAND KENNELS
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PKC Sq Ch Lakeland's Mini Mouse
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Registered: Apr 2004
Location: Cutler, Il.
Posts: 1631

I'm probably 250 mile or better from Peoria. I'm southeast of St. Louis about 65-70 miles.

How have you been doing, been behaving I hope? LOL

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John

CUTLER, AMERICA

Good judgement, is something that you get from using bad judgement.--Will Rogers

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Registered: Jan 2007
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 269

any hound can trail a hot lion track and for the most part the lion will tree, but if it can't tree there better be more than two hounds because if the cat hits the fight response of the fight or flight response it will get nasty fast.

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Registered: Feb 2008
Location: SOUTHEASTERN ILLINOIS
Posts: 1451

there are big cats around here a couple of people have told me they seen one about 4 miles from the house in some bottoms i hunt. ive seen some tracks and big claw marks on trees before in one spot i hunt. i had 2 people with me when i found the claw marks we all agreed it had to have been a big cat. the claw marks started about 6 foot off the ground and went down about a foot.

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Home of these Hamilton county treeing walkers.
GRCH GRNITECH 'PR' OWEN'S STYLISH NOCTURNAL SHAKER.
And the pup 'pr' Owen's Rock River Ace...

Mike Owen owner/handler. hunting in style (WALKER STYLE)

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: North GA
Posts: 14395

Aint none here in GA either but a guy killed one this deer season!!

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Michael Ghorley

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Registered: Nov 2008
Location: Pinckneyville, IL
Posts: 959

There are sightings just about monthly, just south of here down in the hills & as close as a half a mile east of here. So I would say that there are some around. [/B][/QUOTE]
I live about 15 miles from John and have seen two. One while I was driving and one while I was deer hunting. No mistake. We also have lots of bobcats around. I see one about every third time I deer hunt and have a buddy whose dogs treed 2 one night. The reason more lions don't get treed is because there are some around but not too many and not very many coon hunters around here anymore.

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Keep 'em treed,
Jeff Wagner

Hunting is one of those pleasures that you won't understand if you have to have it explained, which is good because folks who enjoy it can't fully explain why. -Ron Spomer

Last edited by PlottChaser on 03-13-2009 at 01:31 AM

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: waldo wi
Posts: 3221

walkin around in a bit of haze every day, still cant believe kids are SOO OOLLDDD, daughter is teachung 1st grade(27 kids) up in bonduel ,wis.. and son ""ol' 240?!!?"" is student at uwm, in the big city of milwaukee,,,, hoping to get plenty of coonhuntin in this spring and hopin you do too!!!! take care, and THANKS!!

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Registered: Dec 2008
Location: Illinois
Posts: 331

You will be the first to know if she trees that cat. I've had dogs that go out and come back real fast and won't leave your feet for awhile. I wonder if they are scared of something like that?

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