[Grant]

There have been a number of coyote sightings in the region, so this is most likely what you saw. There was an incident a few years ago in Melvin where a group of coyotes caused problems with a dog that was tied up in a yard -- back near the "mountain road." I believe this was covered in the Grunter.

Eastern coyotes are considerably larger than the traditional western coyotes because they've bred with wolves along the way. A few years ago, we nearly hit one on the Mass Tpk on the way to the Lake -- in the middle of the day. No denying what it was, either. We've seen a number of them down here in PA, and I know that there is a considerable population in western/central Mass.

Oddly enough, a friend and I down here were discussing this same topic just yesterday.

There have been sporadic reports of mountain lion sightings in the area for quite some time -- mostly in the northern and eastern areas near the Ossipees. Could they be bobcats?

I was lucky enough to see a lynx while backpaking deep in the white mountains in the mid-80s -- on a trail off of Mt. Guyot. There was a group spruce partridge feeding/loitering in the middle of the trail, so I stopped to watch for a minute. As I turned a corner, I spooked the lynx, who was obviously stalking a meal. Very distinctive ear tufts, larger and stockier than a bobcat.