Cougar Re-locating?

[Rock Doctor]

I don't believe it, but have heard several times now that 7-8 Cougars have been Re-located to the Pink Mtn area of Northern BC.

I've never even heard of them being "live trapped", let alone being relocated.

Local Urban Legend in the making???



RD

[averagejoe]

are you talking animal cougars?? 4 legs long tail type? if so then that is very odd

if your talking the other type then im glad they did.

[bighornbob]

I don't believe it, but have heard several times now that 7-8 Cougars have been Re-located to the Pink Mtn area of Northern BC.

I've never even heard of them being "live trapped", let alone being relocated.

Local Urban Legend in the making???



RD

Down here in Kamloops, some bears are trapped and in the media it says they are relocated. Yes they are relocated.................. back to the office and put down:)

BHB

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Live traps are used and can be effective. Foot hold traps are more common. If tranqulizers are used it would be more then possible.

[Tank]

Friends of ours had a cougar show up on their ranch in the Halfway last year and the "relocation" rumor was brought up. Gives a little credit to the theory......this was the first cougar they had seen in 40 years of living there.

[srupp]

hmmm driving south a few days ago we had the flag lady on the north roadwork by pink mtn tell us they had been seeing cougars while on the nite shift....also a sow grizzly with 3 cubs, the guy at the other end of the road work said they had been seeing a 60" moose daily....just what I was told....

Steven

[BlacktailStalker]

this was the first cougar they had seen in 40 years of living there.

Doesnt mean much though, there are more cats here on the Island than anywhere and I know handfuls of 60 year old loggers who have never seen one in their life.
Cats that are seen want to be seen.

(just a point but not saying the relocation thing is a myth)

[Tank]

hmmm driving south a few days ago we had the flag lady on the north roadwork by pink mtn tell us they had been seeing cougars while on the nite shift....also a sow grizzly with 3 cubs, the guy at the other end of the road work said they had been seeing a 60" moose daily....just what I was told....

Steven

I appreciate the scarcasm, but if these friends, who have spent the better part of their lives carving a ranch out of the Halfway river valley said they had a cougar show up on property....then a cougar showed up on the property. This one in particular made an unusual day time appearance near the coral where they were breaking horses. I'm not claiming that cougars have been transplanted to the area by covert gov't agencies...but the animals are there.

[Rock Doctor]

I know Cougars ARE in the area and the surounding area. (Actually a friend has a nice full mount of one that he got up here.) I was just wondering about the rumor, thats all:wink:.
I'm sure that if it was true, someone would have heard it from a more reliable source.

RD

[Bear Chaser]

I heard last spring by two different sources that cougars were being relocated to the FSJ area. I wouldn't doubt that it has been occurring. The Alberta gov't thinks nothing of sending their problem grizzlies up this way.

[rocketrob]

are the co doing cougar re-locating?

[dana]

It's one thing for the big cats to head there on their own, but to relocate them to an area where they historically haven't been and close to sheep could be a recipe for some trouble. Like I had said in one of Willy's threads, would he be quick to harp on a resident hunter that shoots a female lion that is a sheep eater? ;)

[srupp]

HMMMM:confused: Tank...:confused: no sarcasm meant, intended..:confused: I merely passed along what I was recently told that the flag people had also been seeing cougars while on nites...and were very thankful for the mercury vapour lights they stood under..and she had also seen a grizzly sow with 3 cubs, and waiting at the other end that flag person mentioned the day crew ere seeing a 60" bull moose...no sarcasm intended thats what we were told..have not seen cougars up there but only occasionally drive through there...

cheers
Steven

[Tank]

HMMMM:confused: Tank...:confused: no sarcasm meant, intended..:confused: I merely passed along what I was recently told that the flag people had also been seeing cougars while on nites...and were very thankful for the mercury vapour lights they stood under..and she had also seen a grizzly sow with 3 cubs, and waiting at the other end that flag person mentioned the day crew ere seeing a 60" bull moose...no sarcasm intended thats what we were told..have not seen cougars up there but only occasionally drive through there...

cheers
Steven

My bad. A miss-interpretation.....the dangers of interweb communication.

[luckynuts]

Hey RD,

My cross shift spotted a big cat out at work last winter and a young guy that was covering the run for a couple of days had seen 2 different cats this summer one with spots. Nothing but muskeg and willow flats out at work. Every spring we see a handful of deer but thats about it rest is moose caribou BB and Grizz. I have to agree that there is a relocation thing happening. I had asked the local Bio in John and was told not to his knowledge. I had heard from some operators working up in the rainbow lakes area that Alberta was relocating problem Grizz up around the rainbow lakes area. The border ain't that far :wink:. Last year a grizz was shot a couple of blocks from our house in town and had a collar on it. Can't remember where they said it was from.

W.

[Bear Chaser]

Luckynuts the grizzly that was shot in town last year was originally from Canmore IIRC. I think there has always been some cougars around the FSJ area. People used to catch the odd glimpse back in the 80's and early 90's as well. About 14 or 15 years ago I was talking to a grader operator who had seen a cougar in the dead of winter up on the old Peggo winter road north of Fort Nelson.

[luckynuts]

Luckynuts the grizzly that was shot in town last year was originally from Canmore IIRC. I think there has always been some cougars around the FSJ area. People used to catch the odd glimpse back in the 80's and early 90's as well. About 14 or 15 years ago I was talking to a grader operator who had seen a cougar in the dead of winter up on the old Peggo winter road north of Fort Nelson.


Oh I totally agree cougars have always been in the peace. I work with some oldtimers/settlers and all have accounts of seeing cougars or stories of. Though weird they are showing up in such places like where i work with no real amounts of Prey with regards to deer and a ton of wolves. No real big timber per say with lots of thick regen and muskeg willow flats. I only see deer in the spring and a handful at most. Maybe they have a taste for moose? My neighbors hunting partner shot one on the banks of the peace in Taylor a few years ago. The biggest sightings seem to come from the goodlo/cecil lake area er well thats what i have been hearing. I know a bit salesman that seen a cougar in prespatou chasing deer in a field but was when we had the big snow dump in 2008 and a overpopulation of deer. Heck I just turned in a pair of Sharptail grouse legs to our local Bio that was taken on our moose trip north of the Sikanni. Anything is possible

W.

[parkerhale308]

Last fall we had someone stop by the house (chetwynd) and tell my wife to keep the kids inside, that he had just seen a cougar cross the road and pass through our yard. I took the dog and rifle and went for a good long hike up the hill on my next days off, and after a few hours with no sign of him I headed for home. When I got back to work the folowing week one of the guys there told me he had a cougar in his yard and that it had killed a nabours dog. (about 5 miles from home) I didn't worry about it and thought the cat was just passing through...I was wrong. Over the next couple of months we had our dog and a close nabours dog killed by the cat. I never actually saw him with my own eyes but his tracks were evertwhere. Then just like that he was gone and we have had no other problems all winter and this summer.
I hope he stays away or I get a shot at him.
Here are a couple of pictures taken by my co-workers nabour
2973

[257stew]

Years ago they re-located ~4 to the Charlottes but the locals were against it and they were all shot rather quickly. Guess they can and have been relocated by the sounds of things.