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General Discussion => General Forum => Topic started by: doublegobble on December 06, 2011, 11:10:41 AM

Title: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: doublegobble on December 06, 2011, 11:10:41 AM
Hey everyone, just curious on what you think. My neighbor took this picture from his house. Looks like one to me.  My other neighbor had a guy out shearing his sheep and that guy suppossedly saw it cross the driveway when he was leaving. I put my trail cam out but haven't got any pictures yet.
(http://images5a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp635%3A%3B%3Enu%3D3255%3E4%3A9%3E273%3EWSNRCG%3D3737%3B2%3A95732%3Cnu0mrj)
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: bird on December 06, 2011, 11:32:58 AM
Yep.... Here Kitty Kitty Kitty..... BOOM!
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: stone road turkey calls on December 06, 2011, 12:29:36 PM
Nice pic, how come the stumps in the lake don't have shadows
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: doublegobble on December 06, 2011, 12:42:28 PM
Suppossedly they sent the pic into the IDNR to get their input. I haven't heard what if anything they heard back from them. This pond is an old strip pit right across the field from my house. They built a house that overlooks the pond.
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: savduck on December 07, 2011, 04:48:47 PM
Looks like one to me. I dont see that big ol 4 foot long tail though.
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: Basser69 on December 07, 2011, 04:56:24 PM
I would say yes, short face and body shape and color look right
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: Duke0002 on December 07, 2011, 05:00:52 PM
Cougars are in IA for sure.  Have pics of tracks in snow and mud.
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: Jay on December 07, 2011, 05:54:23 PM
Definitely a Cougar, and not even that unusual in Iowa anymore. Wasn't that long ago a guy shot one off a limb when he was out Deer hunting. Of course he caught all kinds of crap from the City animal rights people.
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: Devastator on December 07, 2011, 07:01:50 PM
Quote from: savduck on December 07, 2011, 04:48:47 PM
Looks like one to me. I dont see that big ol 4 foot long tail though.
same hear,where is that tail?lol
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: Devastator on December 07, 2011, 07:05:16 PM
bobcat?have seen some very big and i mean big bobcats in my life.
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: turkey slayer on December 07, 2011, 08:06:25 PM
Quote from: bird on December 06, 2011, 11:32:58 AM
Yep.... Here Kitty Kitty Kitty..... BOOM!
:z-winnersmiley: :z-winnersmiley:
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: woodchip on December 07, 2011, 09:36:38 PM
That's a bobcat!
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: bird on December 08, 2011, 08:21:38 AM
Quote from: woodchip on December 07, 2011, 09:36:38 PM
That's a bobcat!

I would have to agree that the cat looks more like a bobcat than a cougar which makes him a turkey killing machine.  Shoot that bugger!
Title: Re: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: kdavis31 on December 08, 2011, 08:34:04 AM
Looks like a bobcat to me.  No tail and you can see the long hair on his cheek.

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: davisd9 on December 08, 2011, 09:21:18 AM
If that is a bobcat then that has to be a world record.  That thing is over 100 lbs.
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: stinkpickle on December 08, 2011, 09:56:26 AM
I'd have to visit the spot to get a better sense of scale, but that looks more like a big bobcat to me, and those suckers are all over Iowa now....had my own close call two turkey seasons ago.
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: ILIKEHEVI-13 on December 08, 2011, 01:05:52 PM
Well I zoomed in on the photo with my computer and you can see the spots that a bobcat has that a mountain lion don't. 
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: Basser69 on December 08, 2011, 02:17:10 PM
Quote from: ILIKEHEVI-13 on December 08, 2011, 01:05:52 PM
Well I zoomed in on the photo with my computer and you can see the spots that a bobcat has that a mountain lion don't. 

Can you do a screen shot of it zoomed in for us?
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: ILIKEHEVI-13 on December 08, 2011, 02:39:55 PM
Click this link.  Let me see if I can make it bigger yet.  But look at the black spots on the cats leg and back and you can see some on the rear leg it looks like to me.  I also see a little black spots under the jaw.

Let me try that again.

http://www.hunt101.com/showphoto.php?photo=752031&size=big&cat=&ppuser=23790
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: Basser69 on December 08, 2011, 03:05:11 PM
Well done Ilikehevi and bobcat it is
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: sugarray on December 08, 2011, 08:49:37 PM
My thoughts were bobcat from the beginning.  Where is the tail?  Blown up pic really shows this too.
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: Snoody Bastid on December 08, 2011, 11:06:38 PM
Either way, it's a pretty big cat. Looks like he's in some deep thought. Pondering a place to make numero dos perhaps??
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: doublegobble on December 09, 2011, 12:56:21 PM
Well I'm not going to disagree because I haven't seen and big cats but I have seen a lot of bobcats and if that is a bobcat, that thing is huge! Personally I would have taken the gun out rather than the camera and found out up close and personal what it was. Bobcat season was open at that time also. Still hoping to get a pic on my trail cam so I get a better idea what it is. Until then, I can't do anything but speculate.
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: Gobble! on December 09, 2011, 01:51:16 PM
if that is a bob cat that is a monster
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: Basser69 on December 09, 2011, 02:05:41 PM
Quote from: doublegobble on December 09, 2011, 12:56:21 PM
Well I'm not going to disagree because I haven't seen and big cats but I have seen a lot of bobcats and if that is a bobcat, that thing is huge! Personally I would have taken the gun out rather than the camera and found out up close and personal what it was. Bobcat season was open at that time also. Still hoping to get a pic on my trail cam so I get a better idea what it is. Until then, I can't do anything but speculate.

I am not a trapper so I don't know if this idea would work or not but could you not try some bait in front of the camera? Not sure what you would use but some of the trappers on here could
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: mossy835 on December 09, 2011, 02:21:41 PM
Hard to say but a good test for dead coyote loads, then you will know for sure. Here are two controlled pictures for you experts to compare with. Notice the smaller head to body ratio on the lion versus the bob cat.

Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: davisd9 on December 09, 2011, 02:34:48 PM
His tail could be curled or hidden in the grass.  You can't really tell much about its tail other than it goes straight down.  Young cougars have spots, could be a young one that is hitting maturity.  Also grown cougars have markings, and the one on that one does not quite looking like bobcat markings.  I am not saying it is or it isn't a cougar, but it looks to big and muscular to be a bobcat to me.  I have been wrong before.
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: ILIKEHEVI-13 on December 09, 2011, 06:56:53 PM
Hey and we could be wrong, too. 
Title: Re: Mountain Lion in Iowa?
Post by: woodchip on December 09, 2011, 11:51:02 PM
I still say it's a bobcat.  The terrain is causing it to appear larger than it actually is kind of an "illusion".  Atleast that's what I see.  Also that grass is pretty short it would be hard to hide a large tail in there.