Panther passing by tonight

[OD]

Tonight, I started out to the woodpile & noticed that the cows were up here lying down as close as they could get to the house. It's very unusual, because they are always down by the creek lying on the driveway at this time every night. As I started back to the house with my arms full of wood, I heard a panther scream. He was down at the creek about a quarter mile from the house. I came in & told DH, & we sat out on the porch & listened to him getting farther & farther away until we couldn't hear him any more. I'm wondering if the cows knew about him & that was why they were up here. Maybe they're psychic.....or maybe he spent the day down there in the woods....

[Xandras_Zoo]

Ooooo! I'd have love to have heard that (from inside of course...)!

[OD]

:haha: I'd have been in the house, too, if he'd been getting closer instead of farther away!!! We hear him go by 3 or 4 times a year.

[bgak47]

The cattle can SMELL the big cat,so that is undoubtably why they were huddeled up next to the house.

[OD]

The cows are still acting funny & hanging around close to the house this morning. I was planning to go down & look for tracks today, but now I'm afraid he may have came back. I think I'll wait till tomorrow!

[reluctantpatriot]

A suggestion to you is not to go checking for tracks unarmed or alone. I don't know about the panther you have your way, but we have had two cougar events here in my part of Missouri. In October a family 15 miles from here had two of their four large dogs killed by a cougar, one severely injured. The second was about 7 miles from here and a landowner found two sets of cougar tracks. If I knew of a cougar/puma/panther would be around hunting in the area of my homestead, I wouldn't be out unarmed. Unless you know it is afraid of humans, you may end up being its next target. Even if it is afraid, it may still attack you.

I keep a 12 gauge pump shotgun loaded with either 00 or 000 buckshot, a hunting rifle with a few loading clips ready to go or with the magazine loaded and a handgun with a full magazine loaded in the homestead in case of any predator events or if I need to go out to check on a predator event or sighting.

[Valmai]

Sheeesh... And I thought I had problems trying to protect my baby chickens from being harrassed by a hedgehog!!!

[reluctantpatriot]

Some of us have bigger and meaner predators than others. I prepare for the worst case senario though the usual is dealing with possums, raccoons and the occasional roaming dogs. For them a .22 rimfire rifle is enough.

It is about being prudent and ready for what might be out there.

[OD]

The cows have gone back down to the creek today, so I guess it's safe to go down & look for tracks. I'll take the shotgun anyway.
The only big cats that I know of being seen around here are black. Several years ago one was seen crossing the road near this same creek & it had 2 kittens with it. There is a large river bottom about 6 miles north & another one about 8 miles south & we assume it uses this creek to follow going back & forth between the rivers. We have never heard of it killing any domestic animals when it goes through, it just makes lots of noise & scares the cows.