Castle in The Clouds Mountain Lion Sighting
 

FYI..

I have been hiking in NH for 40 + years and I frequently hike in the Ossipee Mountains and at 5:10 pm this evening on 9/30/13 I came within 25yds on an open part of the Mt Robert's trail to a Mountain Lion. I had just past the horse field where the trail turns right leaving the horse filed. As I was ascending up the inclined path I looked up and notice a large dark brown animal what looked at first like a chocolate lab but I soon realized what I was seeing was not a dog. So I stamped the ground with my foot as it was trotting up the trail ahead of me and it stopped and turned to look at me as I stopped and it squarely looked directly at me for 2-3 seconds. I have seen every species of wildlife in these wood in past 40+ years of being in them and I made no mistake in identifying this cat when it turned to look at me only 25 yard away on a clear will lit open path with no brush or branches hiding it. It did not perceive me to be a threat so it turned away and started trotting over the other side of the incline and it was gone out of sight before I reached the top as I continued my hike to Mt Roberts. On the way back I met two other hikers Patrick and Mat whom I showed the spot where I had seen the cat. I had recently read of another sighting at the Castle in the Forum "Moultonboro Speaks" but figured I'd never see it. I believe this could be the same cat and with the fish pond so close by it would not be surprising that it is finding food and hanging round the area. I mostly hike alone so I am always prepared to protect myself and I would suggest other hikers should be aware that when they hike in these mountains be aware there are real wild and untamed animals out there and most likely they will not bother you but you should always be prepared.

Greg Johns

I'm a believer.....I just don't think there can be that much wooded space, with that climate, and be no lions.

I am also a believer.

A few years ago, a mountain lion was killed crossing Rt. 15 in Milford, Ct. Milford is close to Bridgeport, CT and roughly 40 miles from the Bronx, NYC.

If these cats exist in Milford, CT, they exist here.

When this large mountain lion died, at first the local "F&G" claimed it had to be an escaped pet. A week or so later they confirmed the mountain lion was from South Dakota and that they had tracked it in its journey to Milford. Well if they knew that much about this single mountain lion, they know a lot more about them in New England.

Here is an article from USA Today with a photo of the dead mountain lion.

http://content.usatoday.com/communit...south-dakota/1

I have family in the Milford, CT area and they and their neighbors see a mountain lion once or twice every two or three years, including after this cat died.

R2B

GJ, did you look for tracks or scat in the area?

Mountain Lion Response-GJ
 

I too lived and have relatives in Ct as I was aware of the Mt Lion killed on the highway down there as I was aware of the sightings in Salem & Colchester, Ct. I know friends who have seen them in Wolfeboro NH and in Concord NH. Of course with a hard soiled rocky trail you are not going to find prints or the unlikely possibility of finding scat from one particular elusive animal like a Mountain Lion. I know it is not good for the tourist business for any public official announcement but non the less people need to be aware they do exist and are present in these mountains. Years ago early settlers drove them out to protect their live stock from them now there are not nearly as many farms and I don't know if they were unknowingly introduced into New England or if they have migrated in search of food and habitat but for the skeptics they can believe what they want but that does not change the truth or reality that these cats do exist in the area.

GJ

Greg, in the future...
 

Please carry a camera! :D It is both exciting and a little bit scary to have such a big predator in our area. Thanks for sharing your story and keep us posted if you get to see it again. Welcome to The Forum. :D

Ohhhhhhh noooooooo there are no Mt Lions in NH.......Nope....None at all.:rolleye2:

Yeah def keep a camera handy. The better, the better. F&G will deny it unless you have a 1000 mega pixel camera with range finder and GPS on it. Even then it will be a no admission scenario.....

From a previous thread
 

Well I am one who believes he has seen a mountain lion in NH. I was headed to my skihouse located at Cannon Mt. It was dusk and as I exited off the Peabody slopes exit, my gf and I saw an animal dart across the road about 500 ft in front of us. We could not see it's coloring at all but clearly saw the profile of a large cat. We both did the "did you see that?!" I did not know what kind of cats we had here except bobcats which are very small. There is no way this cat was a bobcat by it's size. I would estimate it stood about 3 feet high. I sent this info to John Harrigan who writes a wildlife column for the Union Leader and he said there have been reported sightings in that area. No confirmation but I know a saw a large cat. What it was I'm not sure.