# Black Panther



## jimk (May 28, 2004)

As a kid growing up in S. Texas, I heard repeatedly about cattle being killed by a panther....sometimes the story would be of a "Black Panther." I know some folks get pretty emotional about seeing one, but I have never, ever run across any proof of a black cat...it's always been hearsay...my uncle's friend saw one..."they" saw one up thataway. 

I don't doubt that cougars helped themselves as they came through..but the only cat that I know of that can be large and black in these parts would be a jaguar...which probably roamed the creek/river bottoms in years past.

If anyone has seen one firsthand, I'd like to hear about it.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

My uncle used to have a dairy in East Texas near Marshall... he claimed to have a black panther for years around his farm. He even showed me some scars on some of his dairy cattle on their hindquarters and one had scars on her milk bag that looked like they could have been made by a large cat. That being said, I still think the black panther stories are a hoax. As many hunters as there are in the East Texas woods, someone would have had to get a shot at one and dropped it at sometime.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

When reporting a mountain lion or cougar sighting one of the first things a Game Warden will ask you is, "was it black?" If you say yes, they go about their business. Wive's tales and such.

Now, if any of you see Jackalope running around, I want one. 

TH


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## Red_King (May 11, 2005)

We've seen jaguarunis on our deer lease...they are closely related to the cougar (much smaller obviously) but I bet these can be confused with a lager cat if you only got a glimpse of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguarundi


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Jaguarundi

From what I have heare are making quite a comeback in Texas. Some appear dark and almost black. Not as tall as cougar but has that tail. Some around Uvalde .Could be confused .

Charlie


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## rost495 (May 24, 2006)

Black is a color phase. To say they don't exist is ignorant. They are there, just like an albino/piebald/melanistic deer are there. Needle in a haystack though.


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## Johnny9 (Sep 7, 2005)

*Saw my 1st one*

Two years ago I saw one about 6 feet long just west of Bellville about 1 mile from the town square on my FIL's place. It went to a tank and got a drink of water. I was deer hunting and could not believe what I was seeing. Beautiful animal.


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## Txpintal (Sep 19, 2004)

Heard the Panther story for year, have to agree with Pursuit that it's a myth.
As for the Jaguarundi have seen only one and it was at the zoo.


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## Team Ranger Bob (Jul 13, 2004)

*Cats*

I have a guy at work in the office next to mine, he says he saw one two weeks ago while fishing at one of the plants resevoirs.
I do not doubt it at all.

Ranger Bob


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## jimk (May 28, 2004)

Juan & Team Ranger Bob...are you talking about a jaguarundi or black panther?


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## gundoctor (May 20, 2004)

I don't know what kind it was, but I saw a rather large (24in at the shoulder and 6ft+, including tail) black cat when I was a youngster. I shot said cat twice with a 22 rifle and knocked it down with both rounds. The cat ran off while being chased by the pack of hounds I had with me at the time.
This all happened across the road from my father's place, just north of Vivian Louisana. The time frame would have been 1959-1960. Before that I would have been considered too young to be out by my self with a gun and in the spring of 61 we moved.

I base my size estimate on compareing the cat to the largest dog I had in the pack.


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## tiderunner (Aug 3, 2005)

Here's a few links to some interesting articles about panthers.
http://www.webarchaeology.com/html/drthyhis.htm
http://www.wtblock.com/wtblockjr/black.htm
http://www.anomalist.com/features/jag.html


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

Popcorn anyone?


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## Johnny9 (Sep 7, 2005)

*Whay is it?*

What I saw was a black panther


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## Hooked Up (May 23, 2004)

Naw, just anudder; "If I haven't seen it,it doesn't exist" thread. I saw one and I was quite sober at the time! LMBO, Guy


JDFTurtle said:


> Popcorn anyone?


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## Chunky (Oct 15, 2006)

I would not say that you could not have a cougar that has a particularly dark coat. There are always color variations in animals.

If you are talking about a separate species...a black panther...then I am on the I don't think so side. Where are the pictures, how come none have been hit on the road, shot by hunters, trail cam pics, treed by hounds????? You might have an undiscovered species of large animal in the middle of the rain forrest...but not in Texas.


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## Hooked Up (May 23, 2004)

Granted, my sighting was actually in SouthEast Louisiana but I dont think it's too big of a stretch to believe they could be here too. I'm not saying they're indigenous. I'm just stating that they "are" out there. If nothing else, we need to remember that there are and have been over the years, alot of irresponsible exotic owners / breeders out there. "I" wont be challenging anybody who says they saw one because I "know" what I saw that night. Tight lines, Guy


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

Well, I got all kind of ribbing in college when I told everyone that I almost hit a bear on a highway northwest of Nacogdoches back in the late '80s: Of course, since then, there's getting to be more and more sightings of same in the area. That being said, I pretty rarely would tell anybody "no, you didn't see one" on anything but something completely out of the realm of reason: maybe a wild elephant in Austin County or something: Nobody believes that there's wild turkey in Waller Co. either: I've seen then within a quarter-mile of my house on two different occasions. There's a lot of stuff out there, especially nocturnal animals, that humans just aren't going to see. That doesn't mean they're not out there.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

*Pictures, we need pictures!*

Pictures, we need pictures of black panthers (the animals not the organization)!

TH


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## Silverspoon (Jun 1, 2005)

OMG! Now that's funny!


Trouthunter said:


> Pictures, we need pictures of black panthers (the animals not the organization)!
> 
> TH


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## troutslayer (Feb 7, 2006)

I caught this one last night walking through the yard


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

How'd you get him to hold still while you painted him?

TH


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## donbmt (Nov 19, 2004)

troutslayer said:


> I caught this one last night walking through the yard


I saw a cat that looked just like that in 1987 between Devers and Nome(east of Houston off Hwy 90) I was bringing a day dove hunter to his spot on our lease, we both saw it. It walked 30 feet in front of my truck, his tail turned up at the end and was white at the end, his snout was also white, like an old dog. A TPWD biologist identified the prints, he said "call it what you want, cougar, panther, but it's a big cat". A little while after that we found a fresh deer carcus covered in leaves in an old barn near the sighting.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

As far as never seeing one dead on the road, there was a big tan colored cat on I-10 near my house in Jefferson county a couple of years ago, I called TPWD. It was not a bobcat, they were very interested when I called, they even called back cuz they couldn't find it the first time they went out, I gave them the mile marker, that afternoon on the way home from work it was gone.


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## Whitecrow (May 26, 2004)

Several years ago I was jackalope hunting at our lease in east south north Texas and saw a black panther. I followed it for several miles and was almost close enough for a photo, but a bigfoot came busting out of the brush after some snipe and scared it off. Honest.


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

what is really funny is the amout of people that you talk to that have seen these "black Panthers" A guy that lives down the road from me said he seen one in his driveway one time, I live in the country of course, but you hear all the time about the "black panther" come on people !!! I mean really !! funny they never have pics, it was always at night, or he was running too fast, or I was too scared to shoot BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH


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## gundoctor (May 20, 2004)

awally said:


> what is really funny is the amout of people that you talk to that have seen these "black Panthers" A guy that lives down the road from me said he seen one in his driveway one time, I live in the country of course, but you hear all the time about the "black panther" come on people !!! I mean really !! funny they never have pics, it was always at night, or he was running too fast, or I was too scared to shoot BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH


And since you ain't seen one yet, they don't exist.
BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH

The only way black panthers will ever be proved to exist, is for someone to dump one(alive or dead) on TP&Ws front desk. Proving they don't exist is impossible.
Pictures are too easy to fake, so they won't ever be accepted as proof.


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## KIKO (Oct 24, 2006)

Probably what everyone is seeing thinking is a black Jaguar is a mountain lion with a dark gray coat. I seen a black jaguar while spotlighting rabbits in a ranch close to the town Linares, Mexico. The ranch on the foothills of the Sierra Madre about 200 miles southwest of McAllen, TX. Didn't give me a chance to shoot. 

On a on a black jaguar you can see spots on the coat. That black beauty was steeling pigs out of a penn. The rach hands made a snair out of a 10 speed bike brake wire and cought him.

One way to find out if you have jaguars in you property is that you will find cracked turtle shells.


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## baldhunter (Oct 8, 2004)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imageuma_face.jpg http://www.biocrawler.com/videos/albums/userpics/10001/Black-Panther-Jaguar.wmv

Have you ever noticed how "black" some deer look in the early or late hours of the day?Most of the cat sightings are usually during these times of low light, and shadowing can be a factor in how dark the animal looks.I know the first big cat I saw was in Jackson Co. right as the sun began to rise,it ran across the road and looked very dark on his shadowed body.We stopped the vehicle to get a good look at what we were seeing.The cat ran some 75 yards from the road and sat down and looked at us for about a minute.Where he stopped,the early morning sun was now shining brightly on him.The cat was dark,but more like the color of a very dark deer.I've seen a few more of these big cats since that first one back in 1978.One was a very large tawny cat out in Jim Hogg Co. about three o'clock in the afternoon,slipping through the thick pear and mesquite.But the ones that really stick in my mind are the three "black" ones I've seen over the years,crossing the road in front of me as I was traveling to work in the mornings around sunrise on the south end of Flour Bluff near the big city of Corpus Christi!I just keep telling myself,"There Are No Black Mountain Lions"!


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

I have seen 2 in the past around Presidio Texas on the Rio Grande River.


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## Hotrod (Oct 11, 2006)

No black panthers here. At least one Taxidermist would have one mounted by now. My buddy has been one for 23 yrs and his buddy for over 30. They have yet to see or mount one.


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## scwine (Sep 7, 2006)

*RODRÍGUEZ, JOSÉ POLICARPO* (1829-1914).

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/RR/fro52.html

One of the first hunting guides to lead trips out of San Antonio to Bandera and there abouts. They would kill numerous Black Bear and Black Panthers along the Medina.

I could not find the link that posts all of his kills anymore, but it was very impressive, the numbers of those two animals.


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

thank you hotrod ! exactly my point ! you see mountain lions mounted, black squirrels mounted, white deer mounted and all, you would think somewhere they would have one on display as a "Texas Black Panther" don't get me wrong I am not saying that a mountain lion could not be black by some freak of nature, but there sure are a lot of people posting up that have seen them, but still not one has been able get get a shot at one ! hhhhmmmmmmm, you don't see lots of these dreaded black panthers mounted if there are that many, I am sure that it is possible that somewhere in america there has been a black cat of somekind that has been mounted but I really don't think all these people are seeing these black panthers, somebody please shoot one and prove me wrong, I guess you believe in bigfoot and the Lochness monster also oh almost forgot aliens, and jackalopes, someone said proving they don't exist is impossible, well you are exactly right, so in that case we should believe in aliens, bigfoot lochness, the easter bunny, Santa Claus because after all it has not been proved that they don't exist like you said.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

scwine, that was a hundred years ago. Can you imagine how cool it would be if it was like that today? 

TH


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

come on somebody has got to have a pic or a mount of one !!! no takers hhhhhmmmmmm, but there are so many !!


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## surf-n-turf (Mar 19, 2005)

I was out checking my cows in halls bayou ranch Brazoria / Galveston county back in 1990. I rounded a corner in my truck and there sat a big black cat with a long tail. It looked just like a mountain lion to me, the only difference was the black color. Call it what ever you like. they do exist.


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## KIKO (Oct 24, 2006)

*No natural color jaguars either*

If people have seen balck panthers in present day Texas, why has anyone talked about natural color jaguars either. The odds for a natural color jaguar are greater than black jaguars.



awally said:


> thank you hotrod ! exactly my point ! you see mountain lions mounted, black squirrels mounted, white deer mounted and all, you would think somewhere they would have one on display as a "Texas Black Panther" don't get me wrong I am not saying that a mountain lion could not be black by some freak of nature, but there sure are a lot of people posting up that have seen them, but still not one has been able get get a shot at one ! hhhhmmmmmmm, you don't see lots of these dreaded black panthers mounted if there are that many, I am sure that it is possible that somewhere in america there has been a black cat of somekind that has been mounted but I really don't think all these people are seeing these black panthers, somebody please shoot one and prove me wrong, I guess you believe in bigfoot and the Lochness monster also oh almost forgot aliens, and jackalopes, someone said proving they don't exist is impossible, well you are exactly right, so in that case we should believe in aliens, bigfoot lochness, the easter bunny, Santa Claus because after all it has not been proved that they don't exist like you said.


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

These discussions have gone on for fifty years, with probably half the population of E Texas claiming to have seen, been chased by, etc. a black panther and a smaller group saying they don't exist, they're a myth and a fable. 

If they ever existed in a fourth the numbers they have been reported, incontrovertable proof would have been provided decades ago. 

My guess is that since melanism (and albinism) occur in most all mammals, a dark phase mountain lion exists from time to time. Maybe .5% of the population. 

Problem is, people in Texas and Louisiana report seeing more "black panthers" than they do regular mountain lions! 

The dawn and dusk thing makes good sense to me also. I've only ever seen one mountain lion, near Brackettville about 5 years ago and while there's NO WAY he could have been called a "black panther" in the broad daylight sun where I saw him, his coat was tawny, a little on the darker side - I was actually somewhat surprised by it. In the evening or early morning light (when one is more likely to sight one of these animals) I am sure it could appear black, or at least "dark".


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

Thank you Kiko seems that most sightings are always the black ones, always a black panther, don't here much about the regular ol mountain lion, if there are that many black ones hell there should lots of the tan ones, cause for every black squirrel you see, you see thousand of brown ones, these black panther wives tales have always been around and always will be! once again I am not saying one could not have been transplanted or have escaped or something but these stories get bigger as they get passed down the line and so forth, kinda like when you catch a fish at the time it was 5 pounds but 10 years later it grew to be about 15 pounds, but whatever, I have seen bigfoot several times in east Texas chasing jackalopes, but did not have time to take a picture


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

I believe in the toothfairy also ha ha ha ha ha!!! oooooooooooooooooooooooo a Black Panther is gonna get us in the woods, f$#^#*g please people!!


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## Woodrow (Jun 17, 2004)

On one hand there are too many reports for them to not exist.

On the other hand, with all the hunters/drivers/people in Texas how is there no known physical evidence?

To me, the most rational conclusion is that they are Mt.Lions with coats in a dark phase. Jaguarundi are too small and Jaguars are presently far too rare in the US.


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

yeah well there are also a lot of reports of UFO's, bigfoot and Lochness monsters! I sure was hoping all you people that have seen one would prove me wrong, whats the matter cat got your tongue?


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

It's fun to mess with each other but come on, let's not get nasty with each other.

Enjoy.

TH


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

fair enough, just that black panther story always hit a nerve with me, I have vented okay I'm done !


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## OUTLAW (May 26, 2004)

I agree with some of the other statements about no one getting a shot at one so far or actually getting one killed. However, I was on a lease in Etoil, east of Lufkin and I did see a cougar type cat cross a right of way. it was not very wide but the cat was very long and had a nice long tail. I'm not saying it was black but definately very dark in coloration, possible chocolate. One thing for sure, it was definately not tan as most are. "and that's all I have to say about that"!


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## stinky2102 (Mar 26, 2007)

In the words of the famous Forrest Gump 

"I'm sorry I had a fight in the middle of your Black Panther party."


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## donbmt (Nov 19, 2004)

awally said:


> fair enough, just that black panther story always hit a nerve with me, I have vented okay I'm done !


Thank you, your position on the subject is well understood.

Peace


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

No known black couger has been ever documented:

"In spite of anecdotal accounts of "black panthers" in the cougar's range (and outside the Jaguar's), melanism has never been documented in the cougar. Such anecdotal accounts are particularly prominent in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, a region where _P. concolor_ is accepted as having been wholly extirpated by the late 1800s, and where breeding populations have not been documented as re-established by 2005"

Black jaguars have been killed near the Texas border in Mexico and may have been killed in texas in the 1800s. Last typical colored jaguar was killed in deep S. Texas in 1920s

*"Distribution in Texas.* The jaguar inhabits the dense chaparral and timbered sections of the New World tropics and seldom ventures into the high, cooler inland areas. Apparently, it was once fairly common over southern Texas and nearly the whole of the eastern part of the state to Louisiana and north to the Red River. The last verified records of the jaguar in Texas are from near the turn of the century and this beautiful cat is now extirpated from the state. The jaguar is listed as "endangered" by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."

I have witnessed three cougars in my life up close. One big male I walked up on with a cold North wind in my face in S. Texas NW of Freer at late dusk. This cat in a photo would have looked black but my eyes saw a dark tan color. Two I saw drinking water at South of Dolan Falls at base of Dead Mans Canyon off the Devils River in Sutten County, Texas when hiking at the top of the canyon at daybreak. It was a female with a mature kit. Both these cougars looked dark in dark shadow but turned lighter as they moved away from water into morning sunlight.

Both of these experiences were truely memorable and I treasure them - I got the drop of some animals that rarely anyone gets the drop on. Each time I had no firearm and was just out looking around.


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## screamin eagle (Nov 30, 2005)

awally said:


> Thank you Kiko seems that most sightings are always the black ones, always a black panther, don't here much about the regular ol mountain lion, if there are that many black ones hell there should lots of the tan ones, cause for every black squirrel you see, you see thousand of brown ones, these black panther wives tales have always been around and always will be! once again I am not saying one could not have been transplanted or have escaped or something but these stories get bigger as they get passed down the line and so forth, kinda like when you catch a fish at the time it was 5 pounds but 10 years later it grew to be about 15 pounds, but whatever, I have seen bigfoot several times in east Texas chasing jackalopes, but did not have time to take a picture


My dad (capt. don) my cousin (RJVFISHER) and my self have called up a couger
in Columbus 2 or 3 times. And my dad swears he saw a BLACK PANTHER while he was hunting in Franklin. He said a **** came walking down a trail and about 2 mins. later this coal black panther came down the same trail following the ****. He said he was between 6-6 1/2 feet long.


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

in 03 there was two killed off my lease in clevland


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## CHICKENCHASER (Dec 27, 2005)

awally said:


> thank you hotrod ! exactly my point ! you see mountain lions mounted, black squirrels mounted, white deer mounted and all, you would think somewhere they would have one on display as a "Texas Black Panther" don't get me wrong I am not saying that a mountain lion could not be black by some freak of nature, but there sure are a lot of people posting up that have seen them, but still not one has been able get get a shot at one ! hhhhmmmmmmm, you don't see lots of these dreaded black panthers mounted if there are that many, I am sure that it is possible that somewhere in america there has been a black cat of somekind that has been mounted but I really don't think all these people are seeing these black panthers, somebody please shoot one and prove me wrong, I guess you believe in bigfoot and the Lochness monster also oh almost forgot aliens, and jackalopes, someone said proving they don't exist is impossible, well you are exactly right, so in that case we should believe in aliens, bigfoot lochness, the easter bunny, Santa Claus because after all it has not been proved that they don't exist like you said.


WAit a minute, BIG FOOT does exist, I was chased by him in east Texas. I'm not kidding.


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

and so the stories go on and on but still no pics !


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## Woodrow (Jun 17, 2004)

awally said:


> yeah well there are also a lot of reports of UFO's, bigfoot and Lochness monsters!


I see your point, but I wouldn't put the people with the black panther stories (seemingly normal people, or at least the 2 I know are) in the same class as the UFO, Bigfoot, & Lochness people (weird people)...


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## SpeckReds (Sep 10, 2005)

I saw one in Missouri a couple of times as a kid. But not here in Texas. I hate their scream. We would hear them once in a while. Chilling.


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## troutslayer (Feb 7, 2006)

they do exist


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## Salt Assault (Dec 3, 2004)

If Black Panthers are a myth, then let me tell of my encounter. Approx. 15 years ago, Panther or Jaguar call them what you want. My brother and I arrived on Lake Spence in West Texas on a part of the lake we called the backside. A place we could camp and avoid the crowds. Arriving around 2:00 am we decided not to pitch the tent since we had planned to get up so early to go fishing.
We slept in the bed of the truck. When I camp out I sleep with a flashlight at my side and this was no exception. Around 4:00 am I awoke to hear cats fighting. By the sound I knew it was large cats. ( I thought Bobcats). I grabbed the flashlight and spotted one of the most awesome sights I have ever seen. There was a mountain lion standing on its back 2 feet and across from him was a bigger cat, a Black Panther raised up and facing the cougar in the same position. I punched my brother and said you got to see this because I need a witness. The Black Panther lunged at the Mountain Lion and rolled the cougar back several feet. All the time I had the flashlight on both of them and they were less than 50 feet away from us. I could clearly make out both of the big cats and judge their colors. Only when we made a noise did they notice and look towards us and the light. They both ran away in the same direction. Believe it or not I dont care but I know what I saw and that was a solid black cat larger than the mountain lion.
Oh yea I don't believe in UFOs or big foot


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## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

FlakMan said:


> Such anecdotal accounts are particularly prominent in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, a region where _P. concolor_ is accepted as having been wholly extirpated by the late 1800s, and where breeding populations have not been documented as re-established by 2005"


I grew up in Virginia and hunted the Massanutten Mountain (90mile Range that splits the Shenandoah Valley and is located between the Blue Ridge and Allegany Mountains) which is part of the Appalachian Mountains.

There were many tails of Black Panthers that one could hear where ever some of the older folks gathered to talk. I too thought them just to be tall tales, as were any of someone seeing a Mountain Lion in those days. Virginia Fish and Game, just like Texas Parks and Wildlife, took every opportunity to tell people that there were no longer any Mountain Lions or Panthers living in the state, no matter the color.

One of the tells that I had heard many times and many versions over the years was how on a full moon at a rock overhang on the Blue Ridge Parkway (Also known as the Skyland Drive) you could see a Black Panther. This was not just any Black Panther, but one that had once been a very beautiful black haired woman. She had lured her cheating boyfriend up to that overhang on a full moon and turned into the panther and killed him. My friends and I made many trips to that spot during the full moon (guns in hand of course) but never saw this mythic she cat.

Though I never saw the famed panther from the blue ridge, I did have two encounters with large cats while roaming the Massanutten hunting as a kid. The first of these was a treed cat that was very much colored like any normal mountain lion. It was far too big to be a bobcat or linx (what the GW said we had seen when we reported it), and its scream would make you clean your pants. I came very close to trying to knock it out the tree with my trusty 22, but was afraid of two things. Hitting it and just pizzing it off or the $5K fine that came with killing one ( this was the late 1960s and not many folks had $5k laying around.) So we pulled the dogs off and went on with our **** hunting.

My second encounter was in the early 1970s between 72-74. It was late November and I was deer hunting in the early afternoon hours. The rut was in full swing, so seeing a big buck was just as good then as anytime. I was about 10-15 feet up in a tree, in a build it yourself treestand (boards nailed to the tree). Though it was cold out, where I was seated in the stand was bathed in sun light and I was warm. I had been there for about an hour and kind of dozed off, but was awoken with a fright. I was not sure what had shook me, but I was on full alert and clasping my gun tightly. A few minutes passed and nothing seemed to be trying to get me, so I easied up a little. Seconds later I heard something walking up from behind me. I was unsure what it was, but didn't want to move in case it was a big buck. As it moved closer, I could tell by the pattern of its steps it was not a deer. Still I sat frozen, not moving. I didn't want to give my position away, and that uneasy feeling start to crawl back into me, and the hair on the back of my neck raised. Yes, I was scared. There was something that wasn't right about this at all and it was starting to give me the shakes. I could hear the unknown beast right below me now, but it was still out of my line of sight and worst of all had stopped. At that moment I really thought I was in danger, and flipped the safety off on my rifle. That small click that the safety made that I could barely hear was heard by the beast under me, and it bolted off to my right. It was a big, no really big cat with a long tail, and black as night. Though I turned and started to bring my rifle to bear on the beast, it was out of sight in just seconds. Needless to say I was off that mountain in a flash, and didn't even hunt the next two days I was that scared. This is the first time I have ever told this story, cause I knew if I did someone would call me a lair or just laugh at me or both.

Now I have not seen anything bigger than a bobcat in my over 25 years in Texas, but I will never be one to tell anyone what they did or didn't see.


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## txjoker (Jun 21, 2005)

I'd like to hear that story! 



CHICKENCHASER said:


> WAit a minute, BIG FOOT does exist, I was chased by him in east Texas. I'm not kidding.


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## KIKO (Oct 24, 2006)

*Here is a picture of a black pahther (Jaguar) It comes in yellow or black with spots. Does not live in Texas anymore anymore. Was chased south by CBP and the minutemen.*

This is a cougar, puma, mountain lion now so called black panther by 2coolers lives in Texas and most of North America.


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

Butter?


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## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

*More fuel for the fire.*

Here is some more information on this subject that I pulled from Wikipedia and if you want to read the full write up here is the link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther

*Reported Black Cougars In the United States*
In Florida, a few melanistic bobcats exist. They have been caught, and have also apparently been mistaken for panthers. Ulmer (1941) presents photographs and descriptions of two animals captured in Martin County in 1939 and 1940. In the photographs, they appear black, and one of the hunters called them black. However,

The Academy specimen, upon close examination, is far from black. The most heavily pigmented portions are the crown and dorsal area. In most lights these areas appear black, but at certain angles the dorsal strip has a decidedly mahogany tint. The mahogany coloring becomes lighter and richer on the sides. The underparts are lightest, being almost ferruginous in color. The chin, throat and cheeks are dark chocolate-brown, but the facial stripes can be seen clearly. The limbs are dark mahogany. In certain lights the typical spot-pattern of the Florida bobcat can be distinctly seen on the side, underparts and limbs. The Bronx Park animal appears darker and the spots are not visible, although the poor light in the quarantine cage may have been the reason.[1]
​Adult male bobcats are between 28 to 47" long (with a a short bobbed tail), and are between 18 to 24" high at shoulder height. (Females are slightly smaller.) Florida Cougars are between 23 to 32" at shoulder height, and between 5 to 7' _including tail_. Bobcats weight between 16 to 30 pounds, whereas Florida Cougars are between 50 to 154 pounds.

Another explanation for black Cougar sightings is the Jaguarundi, a cat very similar genetically to the Cougar, which grows around 65 cm (30 inches) with 45 cm (20 in) of tail. Their coat goes through a reddish-brown phase and a dark grey phase. While their acknowledged natural range ends in southern Texas, a small breeding population was introduced to Florida in the 1940's, and there are rumors of people breeding them as pets there as well - in Central America they are known as relatively docile pets, as far as non-domesticated animals go. Jaguarundis hunting territory can extend to 100 km wide for males, and it's quite possible that very small populations which rarely venture out of deep forests are responsible for many or most of the sightings. While they are significantly smaller than a Cougar, differently colored, and much lower to the ground (many note a resemblance to the weasel), a little memory bias combined with their secretive nature could explain many of the sightings in the southeastern US.

Another possibility are black Jaguars, who are believed to have ranged North America in historical memory. Melanistic Jaguars aren't common in nature, and more importantly, Jaguars themselves were hunted to near extinction in the '60's. However, while they do not look exactly like Cougars, they have the requisite size, and it's conceivable that there could be, for example, a breeding population hidden in the Louisiana bayou. The Jaguar has had several photographically confirmed and many unconfirmed sightings in Arizona, New Mexico, and southwest Texas, but not outside that region.


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## Mud Cat (Feb 23, 2005)

*Wow, what a topic, I love it..*

If you want to see one there is a Black Cougar (Panther) at the Wildlife Park between Dickinson and Alvin. They do exist..

When I was in High School I seen one while spotlighting ***** one night from a john boat. I have three other whitnesses to that sighting. I also had probably the same cat make me almost loose all s**t on myself one night while crappie fishing by myself when it screamed...Man I still get goose bumps remembering it.
I had two fishing rods reeled in and minnows loaded and the truck moving before the lanterns started to dim.

You guys have to remember at one time there were black bears in Galveston Co. and Harris Co. How long has it been since anyone has seen one ? I guess you may be questioning the existence of the breed. Go talk to Lenny at the wild life park and see for yourself.

And Thats all I got to say about that..

Later,
Mud Cat
(Bill P.)


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## Kenner21 (Aug 25, 2005)

I've seen a large black cat in person with my own two eyes. I really don't remember if it was a black mountain lion or a black panther. It was at a keg party in Evadale Texas. Someone brought it to the party in a cage made out of a horse trailer. It wasn't something I got a fleeting glance at or saw out of the corner of my eye, I sat there looking at it for about 20 minutes. My not so smart buddy even slapped it in the face(young dumb etc.) I guess it could have been a exotic pet but thats seems kind of strange for evadale if you know what I mean heh.


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## gander (Aug 23, 2006)

On our place in Junction our ranch hand who use to track and trap for the government swears that we have a black panther on our place. It could be from an exotic place because he said that he was once hired to track a balck bear in that part of the state and on a different occasion two alligators in the Llano river.


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

lots of black panther sightings out there


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## Brawler12 (Jul 20, 2006)

Last summer I was coming home from visiting my parents in Beaumont. I was traveling down 105 towards Cleveland at about 6:30 in the evening. I saw one cross the road near a town called Tarkington about 10 miles or so from Cleveland. It was about 70 yards away when it crossed and looked to be a brown color.


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## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

I think it is very possible there are big black cats out there. They hunt and roam when most of us are inside or in bed. Heck I bet that not everyone out there has seen a normal lion and if you have, they don't give you much of a chance to shoot in most cases. So it could make sense that if black ones are very rare, there is the possbility that even though they have been seen, no one has been able to get a shoot at them, or in some cases just didn't want to shoot them.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

Well I think that this thread has run its course, lol.

Do they exist or don't they? I have no idea and I'm not going to speculate either as I learned my lesson with the yellow haired chupacabre.

See one time down in Acuna we were...

TH


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## baldhunter (Oct 8, 2004)

Trouthunter said:


> Well I think that this thread has run its course, lol.
> 
> Do they exist or don't they? I have no idea and I'm not going to speculate either as I learned my lesson with the yellow haired chupacabre.
> 
> ...


 Was that the bar in Mexico where Selma Hyjek did the dance with the snake?Must have been a really wild night!


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

baldhunter said:


> Was that the bar in Mexico where Selma Hyjek did the dance with the snake?Must have been a really wild night!


I think he was referring to the time when he and ZZ top were down there and he introdeuced them to the mexican blackbird :dance:


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## KneeDeep&Sink'N (Jun 12, 2004)

*Two sightings years ago..*

both were in Matagorda County. One during the day light and one at night. Both as black as spades. By myself the first time. There were two of us the second time. Both sighting were approximately 30 years ago. (Its been that long since I lived there.) The one at night was within about 50 yards and let out several screams. Believe me, IT WILL MAKE YOUR HAIR STAND UP! Ain't ever heard anything like it since. By the way, what good would a picture do, you would just claim it was photoshopped. Right? :biggrin:


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## trout250 (Aug 24, 2005)

Man this horse has been beat to death. Don't have any pics, but we have sighted a large black cat on several different occasions, spotted by different people at our lease in deep east texas. i don't pretend to know if is a true black panther, but it is coal black with large green eyes, its tail ia as long as its body ,very fluffy and curved. We have also seen a chochlate colored 1 and 2 fawn colored kittens with the choc. colored one.


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## CCRanch (Jul 8, 2006)

*friend*

A friend of my dad's had his scope on one that was in a tree, but his wife threw a fit and wouldn't let him shoot it. This was in Wallisville.


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## haparks (Apr 12, 2006)

wow


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## activescrape (Jan 8, 2006)

If you want to be famous, and rich, SHOOT it. You will be on every magazine cover in North America, plus all the tv shows and wildlife expos. Then there is the speaking circuit.....That's what I'm going to do when I see one.


trout250 said:


> Man this horse has been beat to death. Don't have any pics, but we have sighted a large black cat on several different occasions, spotted by different people at our lease in deep east texas. i don't pretend to know if is a true black panther, but it is coal black with large green eyes, its tail ia as long as its body ,very fluffy and curved. We have also seen a chochlate colored 1 and 2 fawn colored kittens with the choc. colored one.


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## RickyT (May 24, 2004)

Low light, beer and otters.


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

anybody ever seen any pink panthers ? just a thought, you never know!


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## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

A couple of years ago, right around this time of year (bluebonnets), we were heading north on 36(?) around 5 miles south of Sommerville and my wife SWEARS she saw a very big, black cat walking near some trees in a cow pasture. She even made me turn around to go back and look but it was already gone. Clear blue day, very early afternoon, and she doesn't drink.

I didn't see it, so I can't comment on how big, it's shape, or anything else...I had Country Inn steaks on my mind, so I was a little pre-occupied.

SwampRat!


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## baldhunter (Oct 8, 2004)

*Here is another video someone sent me that was taken in Alabama, about 25 miles South of Selma. This one is amazing. Don't know if it is a cougar as the cat is black and cougars don't come in that color!!! Or do they??? Maybe it is a Jaguar or Leapord... those do come in black! *

*Curator for a natural history muesum in either Alabama or Mississippi (I forget where exactly) says that judging by the way the cat moves and looks that it is most likely a black african leopard.*

*The video was shot by a man and his daughter hunting on a deer lease. No fences, no game farm.*

3.6 Megs
Here we go again!This is an interesting site http://www.easternpumaresearch.com/pressrelease.htm


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## seapro (May 28, 2004)

My grandparents lived in northeast Texas. As a kid when we went to visit them they always told stories of black panthers that roamed on there property. I have been hunting in those woods since I was about 14 or 15 yrs of age and have never seen a big cat or any evidence of big cats.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

They seem to run the moonshine corridors...LOL


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## omegaman66 (May 28, 2004)

Throughout this thread it has been said over and over again. Where is the proof. Well a couple of post up you see the video proof, where are the nay sayers now? Speak up guys! Download the video. If you still say there are not black panthers roaming around occasionally then what is in that video.


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## Hotrod (Oct 11, 2006)

Probably an exotic that escaped from a keeper, happens. Like I said thousands of hunters across the nation and no one has shot one and had a mount done. Friend of mine been a Taxidermist over 23yrs and the guy he works for over 30yrs. They attend Taxidermist shows and mount numerous animals, never have they seen a Blank Panther done.


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## Shooter (Jun 10, 2004)

There are 7 known cats that roam Texas. I have seen big dark colored cats while hunting Freer and the hill country around Mason. They all looked dark due to poor lighting conditions. No black panthers in Texas.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/junior_naturalists/cats.phtml

Shooter


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

The ones that have been roaming the west end of galveston are on the light side........
Easy to see in low light conditions.
Now the black bears come in several diffferent color phases and feeding on sand fiddlers gives their coat a real shine.
We really need to get tp & w to take a look into some live trapping and re-locating some of these wiley predators.


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

I would say something but I am not allowed to talk about black panthers anymore and thats all I have to say about that!


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## Hotrod (Oct 11, 2006)

awally said:


> I would say something but I am not allowed to talk about black panthers anymore and thats all I have to say about that!


Dude that's funny. If you look at the video the deer are just curious and not spooked. If that cat frequents the area and the deer spotted it they would be gone quick. The cat didn't have that elusive walk, he was running around like he was lost and new to the woods. I think it was a caged cat that got loose, and like Awally that is all I have to say about that.


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## elkhunter (Aug 11, 2004)

I see a black panther on the news all the time. He even has a name. kwan L X. I think thats how you spell it in ebonics.


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## snapper tapper (Dec 21, 2006)

*panther*

people are mostlikely seeing a jaguarunda. We have seen several hunting south of Sabinal. They are like most other wild cats. When you first see them you think they are 80 pounds are so, but if you see them up close they are often 20 pounds are so. Like when you here people say they saw a 50-60 pound bob cat. In reality he was 25.


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## Lawman76 (Mar 22, 2007)

I saw a black cat about 10 years ago in Goliad County. It wasn't dark, In was about 1:00pm Broad day light. We saw it at about 200 yards at a full run. About 6 foot in length. Guessing here as I didn't run out there with a tape measure.


Now I dont know if this was a mountain Lion, ..... May not have been....... It could have been some exotic although we were miles from any high fenced area.

What I can tell you is that it was a CAT, It was LARGE, and it was BLACK. 

If you don't want to believe then dont. I could care less.

Just out of curisity........How many people have actually seen, in the wild a mountain Lion. I know they are in our area. I seen the tracks and have held paw castings but other than this one black cat I have never seen one other than in a zoo.


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## Sea Aggie (Jul 18, 2005)

I've seen brown cougars three times. Once in West Texas on the Black Top ranch, near Elephant Mtn. Two more in South Texas, Once on the Catarina ranch and the last time on John Austin's ranch near Tilden, next to the Lone Star ranch.


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

I am having my wife put me in a straight jacket and tape my mouth shut and tape my fingers up so I cannot reply to this thread, just so you know, the black cat hater/choker is signing off !


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

Better b4 ya bleed to death, thats alot of red in the right corner


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

by the way what in the world does that red mean and how does it work? can anyone explain?


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## Too Tall (May 21, 2004)

awally said:


> by the way what in the world does that red mean and how does it work? can anyone explain?


Click on user cp. Somebody's trying to tell you something.


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## Mr.Warsaw (Jun 12, 2004)

Awally, with all due respect I believe the red that someone has delivered to you is their way of saying they no longer or never did find your comments humorus, and that is there way of saying maybe you should stop posting your view on black panthers. I hope I am not coming across the wrong way, but it seems you are pretty new around here and that is more red than I have seen in a very long time.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

This has gone from seeing a black panther to BS calls to a grandma petting one. :ac550:


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

There are enough sightings - and no killings - reported in this thread to convince me (if I needed any) that black panthers are a myth. Perhaps perpetuated by a few escaped exotics (or released ones, as in the video). This is Texas. Most of the sightings were by people who were HUNTING. No dead animals. Hoax.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

awally said:


> by the way what in the world does that red mean and how does it work? can anyone explain?


I see you figured out how to work the red dot... :cloud: What comes around goes around bro.


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## awally (Mar 12, 2007)

it sure does doesn't it


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## OxbowOutfitters (Feb 17, 2006)

Dang aWally..I aint ever seen so much red...Ever..OMG..better chill for a bit Bro...
Your fixin to be Extinct..

Oxx..


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## capn (Aug 11, 2005)

He's talking about the red that has resulted in your status level being "awally is off the scale." That means you have the most negative feedback level possible on this site, and that a whole lot more users than just me have rewarded you for your input.

By the way, reputation points work based off of how many you have to start with. So the first couple reds you sent me off of random threads took off maybe 20 points, because you had a low rep level. But if you have a negative feedback rating and assign a red, it isn't even red anymore, it shows up gray on the receivers user cp and doesn't count. That would be like the last one you tried to send me on a random post this morning. 

On the other hand, if a member with nearly 200,000 rep points sends a red, it weighs a whole bunch. Apparently others have figured this out and sent a message (cause I didn't send one today). Why not just take the message, take the input from the two mods that have already warned you about certain topics, stop fighting a losing battle, and go forward from here?

Screen names can only hide your identity for so long when you've been singled out with that much reputation. I'm proud that you've taken the time to figure out who I am, really, but the same process can work in reverse. Thing is, it isn't worth doing that research to me. It's the freekin internet. It's not worth cussin other people out via pm either, and really it's not worth getting hung up on. I'd recommend you take the same approach and move on from here.


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## capn (Aug 11, 2005)

I guess that the pm's I'm getting say that you don't want to take that approach and move forward. Oh well, I can atleast say I made an attempt.


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## waterspout (May 21, 2004)

It's not worth it Capn,,,,, Slap him on the ignore list and move on. LOL His red to me was worth .0000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 of nothing. LOL

Oh ya,, he hit me on a thread I was try to help a kid catch fish on the Lake. And as you know Capn I do know lake houston very well.
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?p=1125679#post1125679


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## OxbowOutfitters (Feb 17, 2006)

Well just forward the Pm's to Mont....or GB...they'll assist him with a Permant Move down the www

Oxx..


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## waterspout (May 21, 2004)

or send him a black cat! LOL


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## capn (Aug 11, 2005)

Not worth it Oxx. Judging by his reputation level, he's doing an ok job of hanging himself, even with the sympathy green he got on the first go round.


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## activescrape (Jan 8, 2006)

you're funny, really that is pure genius.
Awally seems so immature, all that rant about how he hates black cats sounded like middle school girl talk. That's why I just ignored it. I didn't realize he was giving out so much red. Whatever.


waterspout said:


> or send him a black cat! LOL


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to capn again.

Someone catch that for me.
​


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## OxbowOutfitters (Feb 17, 2006)

I hit him for ya..

Oxx..



JDF Turtle said:


> You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to capn again.
> 
> Someone catch that for me.
> ​


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

Anyone know who might need this???


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## capn (Aug 11, 2005)

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!


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## TXPalerider (May 21, 2004)

Haute Pursuit said:


> Anyone know who might need this???


I can come up with several on this thread alone!!  LOL

But, I believe I have an idea who your referring to in this case.


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## OxbowOutfitters (Feb 17, 2006)

Carefull Brad....



I know where you live..Just kiddin Bro..Lmao

Oxx..


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## TXPalerider (May 21, 2004)

OxbowOutfitters said:


> Carefull Brad....
> 
> I know where you live..Just kiddin Bro..Lmao
> 
> Oxx..


Pfft, Pfft, Pfft.....................LOL


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## markagg (May 22, 2007)

*I'm your huckleberry*

I own a small ranch between George West and Freer , pulling in to my gate on the way home from Houston , around midnight , saw a very dark , big cat , as my headlights illuminated the ditch. Cat had a small ferrel hog and drug it into the brush. I regularly see a fawn colored mountain lion on my place , as well as many bobcats. This cat was distictively darker and probably in the neighborhood of 90 lbs (referencing size and body mass against my German Shephard ) Black Panther ???? definitely not a Jagurundai ( spelling ? )

I will tell you during the drout years , there have been small bear that come up out of Mexico and are regularly reported digging through peoples trash barrels in remote areas of South and West Texas , so I am convinced Black Panthers / Mountain lions are not at all unlikely in Texas.

In short you are talking about pigmentation , and not a different breed of animal , if nature can give us an albino of a species , I am sure the pigmentation could go the other way as well...


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

The last black panther I saw on west galveston was eating a calf.
TP& W better get something going are there arent gonna be enough rabbits to go around.


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## Johnny9 (Sep 7, 2005)

Salt Assault said:


> If Black Panthers are a myth, then let me tell of my encounter. Approx. 15 years ago, Panther or Jaguar call them what you want. My brother and I arrived on Lake Spence in West Texas on a part of the lake we called the backside. A place we could camp and avoid the crowds. Arriving around 2:00 am we decided not to pitch the tent since we had planned to get up so early to go fishing.
> We slept in the bed of the truck. When I camp out I sleep with a flashlight at my side and this was no exception. Around 4:00 am I awoke to hear cats fighting. By the sound I knew it was large cats. ( I thought Bobcats). I grabbed the flashlight and spotted one of the most awesome sights I have ever seen. There was a mountain lion standing on its back 2 feet and across from him was a bigger cat, a Black Panther raised up and facing the cougar in the same position. I punched my brother and said you got to see this because I need a witness. The Black Panther lunged at the Mountain Lion and rolled the cougar back several feet. All the time I had the flashlight on both of them and they were less than 50 feet away from us. I could clearly make out both of the big cats and judge their colors. Only when we made a noise did they notice and look towards us and the light. They both ran away in the same direction. Believe it or not I dont care but I know what I saw and that was a solid black cat larger than the mountain lion.
> Oh yea I don't believe in UFOs or big foot


I agree with you Salt Attack. No one *will ever* convince me that what I saw
that moring near Bellville was a mountain lion or cougar. 7:30 am, jet black, 6-7 feet long. Watched for 3-4 minutes.


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## Johnny9 (Sep 7, 2005)

*Confirmation on Black Panther*

On Father's day went to a dinner for FIW and MIL said she has seen the black panther I saw twice in the last 6 months. Ist time sitting and second time walking back to the youpon brush. She stated that the eyes were green and bright. Now I have a eye witness that saw what I did 2 years ago near Bellville, Texas.


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## TXPalerider (May 21, 2004)

If anybody has more confirmed sightings or anything to add to this subject, please start another thread.


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