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:usaflag: Black Panther in Texas?? (The Four Legged Kind!!)

C

Cupajo

Active member
School children in parts of Texas have to travel a long way by bus to get to school each day. When I was seventeen or so that early morning bus ride provided me with a bit of adventure that is still etched in my mind fifty one years later.

One cold morning as the bus traveled through the farming area back-roads picking up school children I saw a large black animal jump off the on-ramp of a small (50-75
 
There are people who will argue that there aren't any black cougars, but back in the '50s, on what was then Overby's Heart Of Texas Ranch on old US81 abt 5 mi south of Georgetown, one was shot. The hide was on display at Wolfe's Wool & Mohair on what was then W. 12th St (now University Blvd) for about 6 or 7 years. I saw it a number of times. I'll agree the black ones are rare, but they are out there.
 
:thumbup: I traveled the area where I saw the critter many times coon hunting with a pack of fine dogs (Black and Tans, Walkers and Blue Ticks) and fishing the river and never even saw a track!

These creatures are well known for being secretive and avoiding humankind, so it doesn't surprise me that few are seen.

There was a night when all of the dogs were making a lot of unusual racket and every one of those hounds nearly ran us over on the way back to the pickups.

These are dogs that would tree a Bobcat and enjoy it and needless to say the hunters there that night didn't wait around to see what chased them out of the dark thicket!

It's one of those mysteries that will never be solved, because those dogs were terrified and couldn.t get into the trucks fast enough!

No one there that night ever went back to that stretch of woods.

CJ
 
I doubt that 51 years ago there were many laws governing it. Pets get loose and are turned lose when they get too hard to handle. Looks at the Boa problem in Florida now days.

That is interesting
 
that he saw a Black Panther in the creek bottoms near Gates Cemetery Road in Gonzales County, Texas. Calvin was not a man of idle words, and when he said something, folks listened to what he had to say. He was one of those type men that you never questioned the truthfullness of what they said. I really have no doubt that the Black Panther still lives in Texas on a limited basis. Kelley (Texas) :)
 
I do not think that I would ever go back to that site either...might have been a shost that they saw. Kelley (Texas) :)
 
Personally, I think that they may be up the creek without a paddle...they are never going to get rid of those big snakes. Anyone found turning one of those big snakes loose should be tied to a stake as food for the snake. Kelley (Texas) :)
 
Another rare animal is the Ring Tail, and I have only seen two of them. I have never seen a Black Bear in Texas, but it is my understanding that they are making a comeback in certain areas, mostly in East Texas. They are coming back into the area by way of Arkansas, and Louisiana. Also, there are some Black Bears down in the Big Ben area. Kelley (Texas) :)
 
Hi Fred,

These creatures are not subject to any particular boundaries and will migrate to where they can survive.

I can remember reading years ago and hearing stories about Jaguars that somehow found their way into parts of Texas.

I even have a vague recollection of one being killed there many years ago.

Puma are known to sometimes settle IN too close to mankind and survive by eating domestic animals and pets.

In the sixties there was one seen regularly inside the Phoenix city limits.

One never knows when they may encounter a wild critter up close and must have some sort of understanding of what to do if it happens!

The area where I live in Connecticut is strictly suburban and yet there have been recent black bear sightings only a few miles from where I sit writing this.

To a roaming animal that can be traveled in a very short time.

Regards,

CJ
 
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The jaguar was originally native to Texas, as was the jaguarundi. There was a lot of varmint-shooting of them in the 19th & early 20th centuries, but there were still some around as late as the '30s. I think what probably drove them out was a combination of varmint-shooting & the Texas Fever cattle dipping from the 1870s to the 1950s. A lot of arsenic got spread around during that period--the dip contained 8 lbs of powdered white arsenic to every 500 gal of water--& as a result a lot of critters either died out or were chased out.

I've never personally seen a black cougar, just that hide back in the '50s. I have, however, personally seen 2 black bears in Palo Pinto County, Texas.

The first one was just off old US 80 just west of Palo Pinto. The road goes down the hill there normally now, but there were, back in the '70s, remnants of the old Model T era switchback road. There were a lot of grapevines hanging over that old road. The first bear I saw there was standing on its hind legs, pushing bunches of mustang grapes into its mouth with a forepaw. Folks tried to tell me I'd seen a feral hog, but I've seen a lot of feral hogs. I've never seen one stand up on its hind legs & use a front hoof to put food in its mouth.

The second one I saw on a creek feeding into Palo Pinto Lake. I was in a deer stand, glassing the water's edge, when I saw a half-grown bear come down to the water. I thought it was going to drink, but instead it was intending to play. It would slap the water with a forepaw & bite at the drops it splashed up. I watched that thing for half an hour doing that. I may have missed every trophy buck in Palo Pinto County, but I wouldn't trade watching that little bear for anything.
 
Hi Charley,

Ever think about how few people there are today that have a clue of what we are talking about?

I suppose if I had stayed in Texas I could have more colorful tales to tell, but being an itchy footed wanderer sent me traveling and bout all I got left of Texas are memories and a few kin scattered about.

It's great to read your stories Friend as they sure help push the clouds away from some of those old memories!

Thanks,

CJ
 
down here in South Texas. As a matter of fact, the old historical Walker Ranch over near West Ave. and Bitters Road area has one near where Panther Springs Creek and Salado Creek meet each other. UTSA did a survey and said that the original ranch house was located a short distance away which is not correct. I know where the original ranch house was located and about thirty years ago they started building homes through out the area. For you folks on the Forum, the Walker Ranch was established in the 1840's when the Indians still freely roamed the area. The original ranch house was built from rocks taken from a quarry on the creek. I use to ride horses in that area long before any development of the area. Kelley (Texas) :)
 
The 'ringtail,' which is properly called 'cacomistle,' is actually one of the most common small predators in Texas. The reason you rarely see them is they are entirely nocturnal. Back during the Disney 'Davy Crockett' era I financed a lot of dates--& my first car, my first deer rifle, & my first pair of handmade boots--with coon hunting. We hunted coons at night, which is when I saw the first ringtails I'd ever seen, but we saw a lot of 'em while coon hunting.

Every kid in the US wanted a coonskin cap like Fess Parker wore in the TV shows & the movie. Hide buyers would buy anything they could get. The cap-makers would split a coon's tail & roll it, because they could usually make 2 small caps from a single hide but the hide had only one tail. A good, green adult coonhide was worth about $5 then--when 15
 
I'm sorry I don't have pictures of my Walker/Blue Tick Cross hounds as I know you would think them beautiful as a dog lover!

Got them as pups and broke them in right by taking them hunting as soon as they could walk.

They each had a taste of hunting when the coon "marked them" with a fast swipe of its paw, just before it died from the mauling of the grown dogs!

From that day on they were "coon dogs" and remained so until they died of poisoning from wolf bait set by a local cattleman!

CJ
 
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