Im in shock right now

[docdubz]

Be safe out there!!!
Will your DNR try to trap it?
Mry

Im waiting to hear back from them, as of right now it doesnt seem like they will be any help.

 

[McChooky]

Cleared out a lot of brush and found some more dens. So far 5 large dens spread out over about 3 acres. I set up a hide last night and but they stayed just outside of my property so I couldnt get a shot. But, I think everyone is correct, i heard something at least 100lbs jump on the goats climbing car and its not in their pen so it wasnt them. Had to be a cougar.

Gonna have to get a little more serious about this.

Im waiting to hear back from them, as of right now it doesnt seem like they will be any help.

I know you didn't ask my opinion but it wouldn't hurt to put up an electric fence. With an appetite big as that cats got this could turn sour quick. I pray you don't have livestock it can kill

 

[Tclloyd0812]

Look for tracks and put a game cam out.
We didn't know what ripped our quail pens open, but knew there were no signs of feathers or blood. We also had our chickens and ducks free ranging at the time with no perimeter fence, and any time we would leave the property and go somewhere and come back, we would be missing a bird. After hiking about 5 or 10 acres through our woods, we found feathers of the birds we lost. Most predators are messy and leave behind evidence. Not this one.

Looking around we found huge prints that paced around our chicken coop and quail pens as well as the rabbits. We think it ended up being a mountain lion. From the tracks at least it pointed to a cat from what my husband claimed. After moving their pens inside a better fenced in area off the ground as well as putting a Great Pyrenees with them and not just the other animals, we didn't lose any more.
***wanted to add that this was NOT my dog's doing. She was penned with goats at the time and does really well with birds. She does not attack them or mess with them even now being in the same fenced area. If it were regular dogs, they would have had to come from a long way because we live in the country a good ways from people.

 

[microchick]

What I have read on other threads like these on the forum is if you have a penny press or free press paper in your area advertise that you are looking for trappers. Many times they are looking for property to clear of predators for land owners. They will come in and set traps and keep an eye on them.

Where we live in Missouri, once a year usually in January, the young Amish men get together and have a predator hunt. They use #4 birdshot as they are interested in hunting varmints and not one another. They form a circle and drive the predators towards waiting hunters who shall we say, rid the area of problems. We have large yotes, Bobbies, fox, raccoon, and the first year we were here, they shot and killed a young cougar about a mile and a half from our property when it challenged them.

Way too close for my liking. I have my run hot wired and my coop is metal clad with a cement floor. Can't be too safe.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Look for tracks and put a game cam out.
We didn't know what ripped our quail pens open, but knew there were no signs of feathers or blood. We also had our chickens and ducks free ranging at the time with no perimeter fence, and any time we would leave the property and go somewhere and come back, we would be missing a bird. After hiking about 5 or 10 acres through our woods, we found feathers of the birds we lost. Most predators are messy and leave behind evidence. Not this one.

Looking around we found huge prints that paced around our chicken coop and quail pens as well as the rabbits. We think it ended up being a mountain lion. From the tracks at least it pointed to a cat from what my husband claimed. After moving their pens inside a better fenced in area off the ground as well as putting a Great Pyrenees with them and not just the other animals, we didn't lose any more.
***wanted to add that this was NOT my dog's doing. She was penned with goats at the time and does really well with birds. She does not attack them or mess with them even now being in the same fenced area. If it were regular dogs, they would have had to come from a long way because we live in the country a good ways from people.

That looks canid to me.

 

[docdubz]

Ive been searching for tracks. This is the only one Ive found. Thats a size 13 boot so the print isnt exactly small. I had it pegged for a yote though, figured the soft dusty soil just made the print come out bigger

 

[microchick]

Cougar track along with coyote and Bobbie. Looks feline to me, at least the larger track. Smaller could be canid.

 

[microchick]

You don't have any bear in your area do you? Here is a bear track in mud.

 

[docdubz]

Cougar track along with coyote and Bobbie. Looks feline to me, at least the larger track. Smaller could be canid.

View attachment 2835888

Thats what ive been thinking while looking at it again. But by the shape of the smaller im thinking its a cub. I didnt even notice the smaller one when I took that picture

 

[docdubz]

You don't have any bear in your area do you? Here is a bear track in mud.

View attachment 2835890

Supposedly no bears but when I first took ownership of my property there were tracks that looked like bear and when I asked my neighbors they said "the guy that owned the property used to walk with no shoes on thats gotta be it theres no bear here"