BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

[jfrench]

Wow... I've been tugging away at this thread. Phew!!! Personally I believe that cougars are back in New England. I also think that Fish and Game needs to start educating New Englanders about them too, before someone has an accident.

[jonesy]

This may be heading off on a tangent but... I heard something this weekend ( 8-5) regaurding the whole cat subject, that i found to be very interesting. All the talk of there not being any cats in new England, esp. here in vt, ( what ya-all exspect i live here, LOL. ) the reason the state says its all false is due to the fact they dont have the money to spend to make it public. Now I'm not going into the whole name thing due to confidentialality purposes of it all. Anyhow they have been seen, in the northern parts of the state. Yeah, some will dispute this, others wont. I just figured i'd throw this in for others to enjoy.

[jfrench]

I have heard that it would have an economic impact on New England. Laws would need to be passed, maybe habitat set aside in some respects, possible affects on tourism too?

[jonesy]

I've also heard the same thing. i would imagine that until they become a very well established in there numbers and start to infringe in/on other areas of current populations, they will keep up ( the state ) insisting there arent any.

[atomikall]

I'd like to see some proof too.

I can't make a dicision on what facts you have given John, But if your an anti wolf in sheeps clothing, you might consider not keeping this up on this site, here your dealing with honest, hard working hunters, and we love the way we live. Noones taking that from us.

And as also stated, Hunting and fishing organizations have done more for wildlife then antis will ever do, all they wanna do is close every hunting season and live with the animals. Well I can tell you one thing (You'll get my gun when you pry it from my cold dead fingers)Hunting is here to stay if I have anything to say about it. Conservation comes hand in hand with population control In my books.

By the way Who hunts woodpeckers?
Just a question because I'd be there for thier reasoning in why they closed an area down because a woodpecker lived there. I dont know anyone who shoots woodpeckers! Do you?

Just my point of view Thanks..

[wlfdg]

About 2 summers ago I met a retired Adirondak State Park Ranger. He said " They (biologists) can say what they want and take any position they want but there are lions in those mountains (the "Daks). When they spend as much time out there as we do they will have another position." I can imagine if they are in the 'Daks then they would be in New England.

Chris

[rezhunter]

what about bigfoot :)

[syndeis]

Dont know if Mr Lutz is still in attendence or not, but I have followed this thread for a while. Today I happened across an anti-hunting site spewing typical rhetoric about hunting, cats the main focus.

Be warned if you are easily hooked; I was just amazed at how stupid people are. This website does more to exploit big cats than I ever will as a hunter.

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/hu.....xgodqRW_fg

Back to the point, contradiction in these two anti-hunter tactics. Mr. Lutz says the Game & Fish Organizations are trying to keep the mountian lion a big secret, deny their existence in the east. The site above says the Game&Fish are trying to include the mountain lion as a native species to generate the sale of license revenue and pay wildlife officer salaries.

Which anti-hunter is tellin the truth since neither lie or mislead for a donation. Mr. Lutz hasn't confessed to being an anti-hunter though he hasnt denied it as far as I can see either.

You may laugh at me for this suggestion, but Hunters & Fishermen need an NRA Type Organization and not rely on state agencies to maintain our sport..

[Hammer1]

I'll try to be tactful and polite:

Mr Lutz is Totally Divorced from Reality if in fact he believes what he reduces to type, at least as far as his Nova Scotia claims go.

[Shaun]

I live in the forest in Great Britain and regularly see mountain lions which are now quite profuse in this island. I can't say how they all got here, but, they were brought here for private estates when America and Americans were British. That is a while ago. The aristocracy didn't know how high these cats could jump.
Some people have released mountain lion after the Dangerous Wild Animal Act of the 1970s and a few have escaped from Zoological gardens.
I can tell you , that where deer live in our Kingdom, mountain lion live, thrive even. I have seen cubs and mothers around the edge of villages, have been followed in the night by a mother, had them in the big bushes within my garden.I think that before long someone is going to be eaten.
We also have a sub-species of black leopard in this country; a European leopard survival colony. These cats have been documented since the 13 00s. Since the release of wild animals in the 1970s these creatures have bred with Asian black leopards and are becoming less afraid and seclusive. As a result people now see them regularly in villages and the Police are at a loss as to what to do.
Gloucester Police have operation black cat ready for when someone is eaten, but, they won't be very effective.

[ndemiter]

i really don't understand why people get so fired up about hunting big cats... fine... outlaw hunting, protect them, let them flourish... and don't call my @ss at 3 in the morning when your kid gets eaten. take for instance Vancouver Island. we need to appropriately manage what we have, not preserve it. as the human organism changes the planet to suit it's needs. other species that will ultimately succeed can adapt to those changes with us. if they can't, then we can only protect them for so long until they have no future. use intelligence and science to create environmental policy... not bleeding heart liberal crap.

[CVC]

ndemiter,

I agree that wildlife must be managed, but I think it is in our best interest to preserve certain species even if they cannot survive on their own due to our changing the planet.

We should strive to create a balance between man and nature. Unfortunately, it is not an easy thing to do as witnessed in Idaho where the wolves are decimating the elk population.

Hunting has done more to preserve wildlife than any nature loving anti-hunting group. I think Africa best illustrates this point. Without hunting, the wild animals are merely food to be slaughtered until they are gone. With hunting they are a renewable resource for the people of Africa.

[ndemiter]

if there is anything that life has taught me, it's that there is no balance. there are highs and lows in every cycle. i really don't want to see what happens to california, who, i believe, has closed lion season indefinately. i find it amazing that people who's call themselves leberal and consider themselves open to new ideas, refuse to accept their human brothers who have chosen a different path. as for myself, i'm not a liberal or a conservative, i'm just a man doing the best i can with what i got. but shouldn't we all be trying that? every time i log on, i can't hardly believe that certain threads are still here stirring up trouble.

i've spent five years of my life studying earth science, yet i see people who should know better creating policies based upon their beliefs and opinions and not the work which we have done. my last best hope for some resolution was my recent move to wyoming. lets hope it works. ::-k