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Big Cat BS in Bellville (Black Panther)

17,289 Views | 65 Replies | Last: 9 yr ago by EastTexAg09
Arminius
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Chatting with a coworker who lives west of Houston who knows folk in Bellville. Says he worked at a Christmas tree farm years back.

Christmas tree farm supposedly backs up to small tributary of the Brazos. Coworker says he and a couple of guys would sometimes take morning break down by the creek. He swore up and down that he and a couple of the other guys saw a black panther one morning. He went on to say they found a mangled bobcat (a large tom) on another morning and when they took it up to the office, they heard a "big cat scream" seconds after they set it on the ground to show it to the owner.

Apparently someone found a cave upstream along the creek where the panther lived and there is hearsay that the panther was living off possums and local pets. The story gets better when someone working at the Christmas tree farm helped a local rancher kill it since it had attacked his livestock. Unfortunately, as told by my coworker, no photos were taken during the four or five sightings mentioned nor of the panther after it was killed.

Why this supposed kill wasn't brought up to the game warden or TPWD beats the hell out of me since the last confirmed sighting in Texas was decades ago.

Now, I haven't heard much about bobcats east of San Antonio and Cat Springs is named for puma(s) shot there by settlers but this whole story seems like horse puckey.

Anyone else had their leg pulled about black panther sightings in Bellville?
AggiePride07
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AG
Popcorn in the microwave
FSGuide
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quote:

the last confirmed sighting in Texas was decades ago.

Now, I haven't heard much about bobcats east of San Antonio
1. You mean a CONFIRMED black panther sighting? Source please
2. There are definitely bobcats well east of San Antonio.
OnlyForNow
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AG
No bobcats east of San Antonio?

Might wanna tell College Station, Maddisonville, North Zulch, and Iola that... all from my own personal experience.
apc10
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Panther? Nah. But there are bobcats around this area. I live in Brenham and easily could have ran one over a few weeks back. I slammed on the brakes and watched it ease across the road a few yards in front of me.
Ag In Ok
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AG
Panther - nope. I haven't heard the story. We have land that backs up on Mill creek and haven't seen anything near that amazing. Last time I saw a good buck there was in the mid 90's. Last time I saw a rattler there was in the mid 80's. I still see bobcats from time to time. Saw a stray german shepherd that could be mistaken for a wolf I guess, but that would need some help from a case of beer. Panther would be one hell of a stretch. Was the story told over beer?
jakeaggie84
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AG
My uncle claims to have seen a "black panther" on his land in burleson county near the brazos river.
Finn Maccumhail
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AG
I've seen several bobcats here in the suburbs on the Upper East Side of Houston. And there's a big one that likes to hang out near the park offices at Sheldon SP.

As for the "panther"- they maybe, possible, could have seen a panther/cougar/mountain lion but it wasn't black. Those don't exist.
BigGameAg07
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AG
Lol at no bobcats in east Texas.
Josepi
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AG
Here's a map of the bobcat's habitat range. I'm no geography major, but i'm pretty sure some of that is east of San Antonio

O.G.
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quote:
quote:

the last confirmed sighting in Texas was decades ago.

Now, I haven't heard much about bobcats east of San Antonio
1. You mean a CONFIRMED black panther sighting? Source please
2. There are definitely bobcats well east of San Antonio.
Having killed a Bobcat in Brazos county and multiple near Refugio.......I too approve this message.
ursusguy
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AG
I have personally seen bobcats literally just outside of Bellville out in the Cat Springs area.

Most cat "screams" are foxes.

There has NEVER been a confirmed, not in a zoo (aka leopard or jaguar), black panther in Texas. Even when jaguars were present in Texas, all specimens were of the spotted variety. The closest a confirmed melanistic jaguar has come to Texas was 300 miles south of El Paso in 2008 (or 2011-don't feel like digging it up). Melanistic jaguars are, and always have been, rare north of Central America.----And that's all I plan on saying on the matter today, but would love to see evidence. ;-)
The Fife
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We have bobcats in Charleston. When you head east from TX there isn't a lot of land left b between us and the ocean, so I'm pretty sure there are bobcats between us and San Antonio.
up-n-aTm
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AG
So are the big cats (puma aka mountain lions) only in south Texas? I have seen one near Falfurrias, another near George West and several east of Refugio. I currently hunt north of Goliad- lots of bobcats but no sign of lions.
Aries
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Was talking to an older lady up the road from us the other & she was telling us about the panther/puma/jaguar that used to be in the area. She said it was killing people's sheep.

I giggled to myself.
Sgt. Hartman
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AG
Definitely bobcats in Refugio. They won the state title in 2011.

Hippos in Hutto too.
The Fife
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Unicorns in New Braunfels!
80s Guy
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I have a bobcat in the freezer near taken near Edna, just waiting on the taxidermist to call saying he has time do make a small rug out of it.
80s Guy
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Oh and at least 10 different farmers here in Falls County claim to.have seen black panthers
logcabinag
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bobcats and sightings of mountain lions are reliable outside of Cuero in Cheapside area for last several years
ursusguy
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AG
A buddy of mine used to be a/the cop in Lott, it was amazing some of the claims that came out of that area. We'll just say there are some odd pervs around there. He flat out gave up on dating any "single" women over the age of 25 that were actually from Falls County.
80s Guy
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I married a Falls County girl while at A&M. We moved back a couple of years ago when her dad's health got bad. Let's just say 90 % of the time, I feel like the smartest person within a 60 mile circle.
DrillinAg
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AG
I have three bobcats on my game camera in Bellville, also my brother shot two bobcats out of his bedroom window in Burton.
carpe vinum
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AG
quote:
Here's a map of the bobcat's habitat range. I'm no geography major, but i'm pretty sure some of that is east of San Antonio


Jerry Clower told me there are Lynx in Amite County MS. I believe him.
Muzzleblast
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I have resident bobcats on my place north of Iola. The whole family roams my place. I don't bother them and they don't bother me.

My Great Uncle's 2nd cousin twice removed heard there were some black panthers there too. I've looked for them many years but there's not many places to vote on my farm.
agsalaska
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AG
quote:
So are the big cats (puma aka mountain lions) only in south Texas? I have seen one near Falfurrias, another near George West and several east of Refugio. I currently hunt north of Goliad- lots of bobcats but no sign of lions.


Any Mountain Lion East of, say, 281 is likely an isolated case, roaming male, etc. When you hear of one the story is BS 99.9% of the time.

Unless of course it's black. Those are everywhere but don't like to be photographed.
agsalaska
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AG
quote:
Oh and at least 10 different farmers here in Falls County claim to.have seen black panthers


Same for Robertson Co. I hear a new story every time I am out here.
80s Guy
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quote:
quote:
Oh and at least 10 different farmers here in Falls County claim to.have seen black panthers


Same for Robertson Co. I hear a new story every time I am out here.


Sad thing is that one of the guys that swears he saw one drives a school bus.... Think it may be time for a nonrandom random drug test!
Potlicker
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AG
quote:
quote:
So are the big cats (puma aka mountain lions) only in south Texas? I have seen one near Falfurrias, another near George West and several east of Refugio. I currently hunt north of Goliad- lots of bobcats but no sign of lions.


Any Mountain Lion East of, say, 281 is likely an isolated case, roaming male, etc. When you hear of one the story is BS 99.9% of the time.

Unless of course it's black. Those are everywhere but don't like to be photographed.


What about a female with two young ones??
ursusguy
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AG
Always possible, just highly unlikely. The vast majority of oddball location sightings (legit ones) are sub-adult males. Those "little" guys travel a lot with the sole purpose of not getting their butt kicked. Same principle applies to most of the black bears that pop up in odd locations.
carpe vinum
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AG
About any county with a river is possible. Even Brazos has a confirmed sighting in the past 10 years that came down the Navasota bottoms.
AquaAg1984
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AG
OP had a great day luring them in it seems.
malenurse
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quote:
Sad thing is that one of the guys that swears he saw one drives a school bus
Did anyone else but me read that as, "the guy swears he saw one driving a school bus"?
CanyonAg77
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AG
quote:
quote:
Sad thing is that one of the guys that swears he saw one drives a school bus
Did anyone else but me read that as, "the guy swears he saw one driving a school bus"?

I was wondering how a black panther got a CDL.
CanyonAg77
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AG
quote:
Unless of course it's black. Those are everywhere but don't like to be photographed.

As a photographer for 40+ years, I can explain that. It's because of the death of black and white film. Everyone uses color film now, and black panthers only show up on black and white.
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