When was the last confirmed report of a mountain lion in Brazoria county? I don't know how to look that information up.

Standard facebook post - a neighbor of mine swears they saw a cougar in their yard early this morning. Did the normal facebook blast on the neighborhood page. I told them I guaranteed it was not a cougar, likely a large bobcat at best. Would like to just point out the last time (if ever) there was a confirmed cougar in my county to nip this in the bud before every housewife freaks out over a damned yellow lab or a tabby cat.

That's outside of my area I know the stats off the top of my head on (I know District 5 real well, and District 3 pretty well). I would have to contact the state mammologist to get real particular.

That being said, Brazoria County does not make the 1983-2005 Mountain Lion Mortalities map everyone likes to post.

i remember some people in my parents neighborhood talking about a black panther about 8-9 years ago. they live between lake jackson and brazoria.

in 1991, when we moved to lake jackson, our neighbor had a couple horses that got all tore up one night. the owner checked on them in the morning and they were laying down panting like they had been running all night, just exhausted almost to death. i was only a small kid at the time but i vividly remember the scratch marks on their backs. if that wasnt a mountain lion i dont know what it was.

Strange as it sounds i was recently reminded of this by the owners wife when she said they had wolves, or red wolf-coyote hybrids as the TPWD officer told her when she was inquring about a missing cat.

lol, you didnt have to quote that whole thing to call me a liar.

i still stand by my statement. just wish we had cameraphones 25 years ago.

BoerneGator said:

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And then there's the fact that people claim they've seen a black panther and they simply don't exist, except in people's imaginations.

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FIFY

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Uncle Gunnysack said:

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i remember some people in my parents neighborhood talking about a black panther about 8-9 years ago. they live between lake jackson and brazoria.

in 1991, when we moved to lake jackson, our neighbor had a couple horses that got all tore up one night. the owner checked on them in the morning and they were laying down panting like they had been running all night, just exhausted almost to death. i was only a small kid at the time but i vividly remember the scratch marks on their backs. if that wasnt a mountain lion i dont know what it was.

Strange as it sounds i was recently reminded of this by the owners wife when she said they had wolves, or red wolf-coyote hybrids as the TPWD officer told her when she was inquring about a missing cat.

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Sugar Mill doesn't have mountain lions. Even in the dense riverbottom on the south side of 332 there isn't anything out of the ordinary there. Trust me, that place is wooded and spooky - but there isn't a square foot of it that hasn't been trapsed upon by hog hunters, poachers from Brazoria during deer season, catfishers from the river or the occasional meth head.

The only black panthers in the area would be found over on east end in Freeport.

You can skip to about 29:00. I got prep the TPWD biologist that got stuck with this glorious show with talking points. Color me shocked on the DNA test.....side note, she is one of the best trackers in the state.

Uncle Gunnysack said:

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i remember some people in my parents neighborhood talking about a black panther about 8-9 years ago. they live between lake jackson and brazoria.

in 1991, when we moved to lake jackson, our neighbor had a couple horses that got all tore up one night. the owner checked on them in the morning and they were laying down panting like they had been running all night, just exhausted almost to death. i was only a small kid at the time but i vividly remember the scratch marks on their backs. if that wasnt a mountain lion i dont know what it was.

Strange as it sounds i was recently reminded of this by the owners wife when she said they had wolves, or red wolf-coyote hybrids as the TPWD officer told her when she was inquring about a missing cat.

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That's nothin. We got chupacabra down here in STX.

Brush Country said:

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Uncle Gunnysack said:

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i remember some people in my parents neighborhood talking about a black panther about 8-9 years ago. they live between lake jackson and brazoria.

in 1991, when we moved to lake jackson, our neighbor had a couple horses that got all tore up one night. the owner checked on them in the morning and they were laying down panting like they had been running all night, just exhausted almost to death. i was only a small kid at the time but i vividly remember the scratch marks on their backs. if that wasnt a mountain lion i dont know what it was.

Strange as it sounds i was recently reminded of this by the owners wife when she said they had wolves, or red wolf-coyote hybrids as the TPWD officer told her when she was inquring about a missing cat.

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That's nothin. We got chupacabra down here in STX.

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And owls with la bruja!

Thread didn't disappoint, although I am a little shocked how fast the black panther sighting showed up.

it definitely wasnt metal sheeting, ive seen that damage first hand. barb wire would be the safe bet especially since the two mares were on only a small 1 acre patch but what would have spooked them to run so foolishly? i realize horses arent smart but what gives?

i actually thought of you, ursusguy, when she mentioned the red wolf/coyote hybrid story. she was asking me about my dog, which got killed by coyotes, and i thought i remembered you being the first to educate me on that subject of interbreeding. i even argued with her for a few minutes about wolves in texas, and thats when i remembered how lowly you think of some TPWD officers.

schmellba99 said:

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Sugar Mill doesn't have mountain lions. Even in the dense riverbottom on the south side of 332 there isn't anything out of the ordinary there. Trust me, that place is wooded and spooky - but there isn't a square foot of it that hasn't been trapsed upon by hog hunters, poachers from Brazoria during deer season, catfishers from the river or the occasional meth head.

The only black panthers in the area would be found over on east end in Freeport.

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great to see another brazoria countian native. the person who reported it was in buffalo camp though and I regret relaying the "Black panther" news in my OP now cause i never believed that story but still to this day never saw scratch marks like i did on the two mares as i did 25 years ago. Again, glad we have cameraphones nowdays where nothing escapes us.

It's not lowly, just some game wardens are just as prone to rumor and hearsay as the general public. Mountain lion is initially exciting, and they want to roll with it. After a few rounds of German Shepherds, they figure it out. Keep in mind for education and general background, some grew up hunting and fishing and may actually have a related college degree. But you are also just as likely to have a Criminal Justice degree, and what they know about wildlife is what they learned in the academy. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, as long as either self recognizes a personal shortfalling, it can work great.

I loved working with game wardens. Most of the time it was a great partnership. I still have 6 on my phone. They call me with biology questions, and I call them about grey areas in regulations I don't know off the top of my head.

But yeah, it is frustrating when a gw confirms canine tracks as lions, or it is locally well known that the gw is a huge proponent of black panthers.

ursusguy said:

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But yeah, it is frustrating when a gw confirms canine tracks as lions, or it is locally well known that the gw is a huge proponent of black panthers.

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Bwahaha gif insert

Uncle Gunnysack said:

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schmellba99 said:

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Sugar Mill doesn't have mountain lions. Even in the dense riverbottom on the south side of 332 there isn't anything out of the ordinary there. Trust me, that place is wooded and spooky - but there isn't a square foot of it that hasn't been trapsed upon by hog hunters, poachers from Brazoria during deer season, catfishers from the river or the occasional meth head.

The only black panthers in the area would be found over on east end in Freeport.

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great to see another brazoria countian native. the person who reported it was in buffalo camp though and I regret relaying the "Black panther" news in my OP now cause i never believed that story but still to this day never saw scratch marks like i did on the two mares as i did 25 years ago. Again, glad we have cameraphones nowdays where nothing escapes us.

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Yep, grew up in LJ, left in 1997 when I finished up a couple of years of juco at Brazosport College and went to A&M. Back in Brazoria County now, though I'm up towards the middle part of it and not down in LBC.

Buffalo Camp, Rigg's Oaks and Sugar Mill all encompass the same area to me - pretty much everything from Buffalo Camp Road west along 332 towards Brazoria until you get to the reservoir.

I still remember when Riverside was the hoity toity golf course and lowly serfs like us had to slum it on Freeport Muni. Riverside is long gone now. First time I drove over the new bridge into Brazoria it got me confused - I didn't know they had redone all of that at the time. It was also a sad day when the Armadillo closed its doors.

schmellba99 said:

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Uncle Gunnysack said:

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i remember some people in my parents neighborhood talking about a black panther about 8-9 years ago. they live between lake jackson and brazoria.

in 1991, when we moved to lake jackson, our neighbor had a couple horses that got all tore up one night. the owner checked on them in the morning and they were laying down panting like they had been running all night, just exhausted almost to death. i was only a small kid at the time but i vividly remember the scratch marks on their backs. if that wasnt a mountain lion i dont know what it was.

Strange as it sounds i was recently reminded of this by the owners wife when she said they had wolves, or red wolf-coyote hybrids as the TPWD officer told her when she was inquring about a missing cat.

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Sugar Mill doesn't have mountain lions. Even in the dense riverbottom on the south side of 332 there isn't anything out of the ordinary there. Trust me, that place is wooded and spooky - but there isn't a square foot of it that hasn't been trapsed upon by hog hunters, poachers from Brazoria during deer season, catfishers from the river or the occasional meth head.

The only black panthers in the area would be found over on east end in Freeport.

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Don't forget herpers. Brazoria Co is a big time herper and birder area with loads of data an all sorts of biota.

If you say so (on the herping). Plenty of snakes in the riverbottoms, for sure.

Bird watching has always been a big thing, the massive marshlands of BNWF, Peach Point and Follet's are a huge nesting ground for birds.

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Don't forget herpers. Brazoria Co is a big time herper and birder area with loads of data an all sorts of biota.

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Damn, the first time I read that I thought you said Herpes. Now, that would have been a story.

malenurse said:

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Don't forget herpers. Brazoria Co is a big time herper and birder area with loads of data an all sorts of biota.

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Damn, the first time I read that I thought you said Herpes. Now, that would have been a story.

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Honestly, in that area...yeah, wouldn't be all that shocking.

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I loved working with game wardens. Most of the time it was a great partnership. I still have 6 on my phone. They call me with biology questions, and I call them about grey areas in regulations I don't know off the top of my head.

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I'm just impressed your GW know the actual regulations. You'd be amazed at how many don't.

You would not be amazed how how un-amused they are when you explain the actual reg to them and how it should be enforced.


(We actually have a lot of really good GW/COs in Kansas, but my urban unit tends to get the newbies or the slackers that can't cut it out west where there is a lot more hunting.)