Mountain lion sighting in SE Mo. confirmed

Thursday, November 1, 2012

STRINGTOWN, Mo. (AP) — For the second time in the past few weeks, a mountain lion sighting has been confirmed in southeast Missouri.

Trail cameras captured a big cat on a Ripley County farm last weekend.

Lee Ray Pickrell, who owns the farm, told the Southeast Missourian (http://bit.ly/VdSxNc ) that the cameras were set on food plots for deer. He was stunned when he checked and saw photos of a beefy male mountain lion.

Ripley County conservation agent Darren Killian confirmed the sighting. He says it is the first confirmed mountain lion in the county.

Resource scientist Jeff Beringer says male mountain lions travel extensively looking for new territory.

Another trail camera photographed a mountain lion Oct. 10 on the Current River Conservation Area near Ellington, Mo.

———

Information from: Southeast Missourian, http://www.semissourian.com

More like this story

JCLifer 6 months, 3 weeks ago

Did this one have a MDC tag on it? I'll bet it did.

The MDC was too smart to tag the bags of rattlesnakes they dropped out of helicopters years ago accross the Ozarks. I guess after the Multi-Floral Rose fiasco they started covering their tracks.

Best thing to happen would be for the MDC 1/8% sales tax to go away. Huge waste of tax dollars.

eileen10 6 months, 3 weeks ago

Why on earth did they drop rattlesnakes?

connor 6 months, 3 weeks ago

It's an old story repeated in many states over the years that various departments were stocking rattlesnakes, cougars and the like. Funny though that some of the critters did start showing up like the cougar mentioned in the article and bears that have plagued Western Arkansas and have started moving into Missouri or the Wolves out West. I read a report of a wolf being killed in a Missouri county just today actually. I think it was Cooper.

Since the rattlesnake was never endangered I don't buy the old stories but the MDC does have alot of money to play with and a government agency with a lot of money is always something you need to watch closely.

eileen10 6 months, 3 weeks ago

Thank you for the info. Are there rattlesnakes around here?

connor 6 months, 3 weeks ago

Yes but they are rare. I have only come across one in almost 50 years out in the woods, fields and old out buildings. Some of the county road crew guys from Callaway and Boone say the only place they have ever seen them has been the area right around Cedar creek and the only one I ever saw was also right above Cedar creek on a cliff. For whatever that's worth.

eileen10 6 months, 3 weeks ago

Worth a lot to me. I ran across one rattlesnake in Montana and I never want to see another one. I knew I had to freeze and I did but before I saw and heard it I never thought I'd be scared of a snake. Just to hear the rattle sound gave me the chills.I was in a pet store in N.D. and had a huge snake wrapped around me. Can't remember the name but the one that squeezes and that didn't scare me. It looks like I don't need to worry about running across a rattler. Whew.

eileen10 6 months, 3 weeks ago

It was a burmese python or boa constrictor. Not sure.

muleman 6 months, 3 weeks ago

Yeah, MDC says the wild hogs have all been hauled up here and released . Is someone hauling all the armidillo's we see up here too? Heck no, they got here the same way the hogs did, they migrated.

Please review our Policies and Procedures before registering or commenting

Or login with:

OpenID

News Tribune