SCORES & OUTDOORS: Reported sightings of mountain lions on the upswing in Maine
This photo of what appears to be a mountain lion, was taken by a game camera in the backyard of a home near Mark Pantermoller’s home, in Fairfield. (photo courtesy of Mark Pantermoller)
by Roland D. Hallee
There has been a long-going debate as to whether mountain lions, also known as cougars, are present in Maine.
The official word from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is that they do not exist. Officials at the department state, “No known cougar populations exist in Maine.” Although Maine once had a cougar population, they have long been officially listed as extirpated. Wildlife spokesmen say that, “if cougars existed here, we would have trapped one by now, or killed one on the highway.”
I have maintained for years that they do exist. I have not personally seen one, but many signs have been spotted. However, my son, who lives in Rome, told me he saw one in his driveway one day about seven years ago. He described to me what he saw and it fit the description of a mountain lion to a “T.” It was large for a cat, light brown/beige, and exhibited the long tail that seems to drag on the ground, and it was club-like on the end. But not seeing it, I could not definitely say it was one.
While hunting on a logging road in Windsor one year, I came across some feline paw prints in the mud that measured four-and-a-half inches across. Mighty large paw prints for a house cat, or even a lynx or bobcat.
On a fishing trip up north on Harrington Lake, outside my friend’s lodge, one morning, again in the mud near some remnants of that winter’s snow, I, again, saw the same size print.
All signs, but yet no sightings.
Uncropped version of photo above.
Another time I became aware of an actual sighting was several years ago, when a woman from Palermo called me to say she had spotted a cougar at the end of her driveway, near the road, because she had been alerted by her barking dog. When she looked out the window to see what the fuss was about, she spotted the large cat. Needless to say, she went outside to retrieve her dog.
All fine and good, but still no clear photographs of an actual cougar.
Well, then came Christmas morning of this year. While going through my emails, I saw one from Mark Pantermoller, of Fairfield, who sent a photo shot from a game camera near his property, that was definitely a clear, crisp photo of a mountain lion.
I’ve been criticized in the past for saying that mountain lions existed in Maine, but I think we now have the proof that is necessary to uphold my beliefs.
In an article written by V. Paul Reynolds, in a Special to the Piscataquis Observer, dated July 27, 2020, he states:
“In a way, the elusive and mysterious cougar has become somewhat of a Maine folklore icon, the Maine equivalent of Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest. Anybody who spends time in the outdoors and enjoys the pure anticipation of sighting wild animals, has to be intrigued by the mere idea that there might be a real mountain lion around the next corner on a woods road, or over there along the edge of that meandering dead water.”
The Maine cougar question has become intriguing because the scientific community and the general public seem to contradict each other. The state officials continue to contend the cougar does not exist in Maine.
Again, according to Reynolds,
“On the other hand, anecdotal cougar-sighting reports by laymen have been on the upswing. And this doesn’t seem to jibe with pronouncements from officialdom.”
According to the Piscataquis Observer article, “Last month the Northwoods Sporting Journal invited readers to share their mountain-lion sighting reports. The monthly outdoor magazine received more than 20 cougar-sighting accounts from readers, and published some of them. Witnesses ranged from loggers, trappers and hunters to housewives and fall leaf peepers. Personal interviews suggested that witnesses seemed credible, rational and sincere. All but one reported seeing a large, long-tailed sandy or tawny-colored cat. This past winter in Lubec the town was abuzz with cougar sightings reports. Reporter Karen Holmes recounted in the Quoddy Tides more than a half dozen cougar sightings by Lubec area residents!”
On one occasion, a retired biologist with the California Fish and Game department, who worked with mountain lions on the west coast and owns a camp near West Grand Lake, Maine, says he saw a black mountain lion not far from West Grand Lake. He says it was 15 feet away from him when it ran off. A sighting claim by a man who worked with the animals out west, and more than likely, knows one when he sees one.
Unfortunately, many game cameras have captured the elusive cat in its lens, but the quality of the photos have been so poor that biologist poo-poo them as either Canada lynx or bobcats. But in every photo is the prolific, long, club-like tail of the mountain lion.
Whether you believe it or not, evidence is continuing to mount, along with eye witness accounts from people who seem credible and sincere, that the mountain lion has made a comeback in the state of Maine.
Roland’s trivia question of the week:
Name the six teams the New England Patriots have defeated in their Super Bowl victories.
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My son and I had one cross the road in front of our vehicle in searsport maine about 20 years ago. We were stopped and it crossed the rd in front of us, it’s gait and tail were instantly recognized as a mountain lion. When my husband came home from work the next morning he told me there must have been 500 crows flying in the blueberry field, we told him we watched a mountain lion come out of the field the evening before
This photo is a hoax. I have the original, uncropped version. Give me and email address and I’ll send it to you.
Dear Ms. McGnnis,
My Name is Mark.
The Photograph indeed has a wider, more complete lay of the land that the photograph I submitted for this article.
I will stand behind my photograph which was taken in The State of Maine.
I have also been given photographs of this picture being from The State of Alaska and The State of Louisiana.
Those pictures came from my picture in Maine and circulated from my original.
The Deciduous tree leaves, Pines in the background and Birch trees also in background leaves both those states Null, and Void.
You are much like many who want to interject an opinion or a thought based upon nothing you have that is truthful and unbiased. You are not a liar…just not correct. I pride myself as both truthful and belong to no person or group and will stick to my picture.
Thank you Madman,
Mark Pantermoller
Fairfield Maine
This exact photo is now circulating around Michigan as of June 2021, the guy from Grayling area claiming it was his cam that took it. I absolutely know that the guy in Grayling is spouting BS because this photo has been online making the rounds before. (We have the same trees, too) So far, I’ve never seen the date / time stamp (usually seen on wildlife cam photos) or the actual metadata in the photo. Without it, anyone can claim the story. Without DNA evidence, there is no proof.
If u believe it’s a fake or copy, will u please send me the other pic and the source it came from.
My wife and I had a mountain lion jump in front of our car in Union on rt 17 at two pm clear sun light had to lay on the brakes so not to hit it. Than my son saw one in his head light’s he jumped up into a tree next to the road, also in Union, 6 miles from our siting..
I ABSOLUTELY know you are speaking TRUTH! I’m born a& raised in Maine and I had NEVER seen a big cat in person UNTIL 2 days ago in my back yard next to little river creek on Fort Hill Rd in Gorham Maine, my boyfriend was on our second story deck and called me out to look and this big copper colored cat that was at least 70-80lbs about 3 feet tall & 6 feet easy long I was in aww and I was like OMGOSH that’s a freaking mountain Lion 😳 my heart was racing and I got scared for my dog who is not even half the size of this thing and I told my boyfriend skit it away I don’t want it hanging around so he starts smacking the deck telling it to go & the cat looked over at us and didn’t run off but turned & walked more into the tree line along the creek instead of being so exposed walking thru the grass of the yard by the garden!! I had NO idea we had mountain lions but I know what I saw and so Does My boyfriend and clearly you know what you’vecaptured in this picture regardless of what nay sayers who weren’t there and only want to turn the attention to them instead of this amazing animal!
BS!! He was supposedly in Medway on the 13th too. This pic has been circulating for years.
https://www.facebook.com/joshua.bernier.3158/posts/211401930570499
This picture is definitely a hoax. I have seen this same pic numerous times by people trying to get attention. The post was removed when he was called out for it being posted months if not years before from somewhere out west. I have no doubt there are mountain lions in Maine but this isn’t one of them!
I have never seen one, but I have seen a single lone wolf clear as day while deer hunting in northern maine. My theory is that small populations if once prominent species are returning to Maine slowly. The state is just to well forested with conifers to adequately find them all!
A few years ago I drove down the Ten Lots Road in Oakland, ME around 7:30 at night. I stopped suddenly as a large cat with a long tail jumped out in front of my Jeep. It was about 6 feet and light beige in color. I was by myself and it definitely shook me up. It looked like the photo taken in Fairfield.
Thank you for this article. I have a B.S. as a wildlife biologist (Univ. of Maine) and I’m a Registered Maine Guide in Lincoln, Maine. I’ve been collecting sightings for years. I’ve seen two, one black or extremely dark mountain lion in the daytime, and one tawny puma after dark (in headlights). My web site for sightings is https://registeredmaineguide.wordpress.com/the-eastern-panther-2/
I am a native of Maine. Hunted most of the woods passed carrabasett Valley all the way to chain of ponds in Eustis. I was about 12 years old in late November 1993 when my father and I were hunting near a place called tea pond camps. I hunted this area many times over the years. Well that day I was standing below a large rock when I heard something. I figured it was a deer my father had pushed toward me. When I looked up I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. It was a mountain lion looking down at me. Well I didn’t move for what seemed like 5 mins but was probably 30 secs. The mountain lion turned and with a flick of its tail it was gone. So don’t tell me mountain lions don’t exist in Maine.
Sightings on Duck Point Road and Russell Hill in Bucksport. Large beige cat with elongated tail. They are here but rare.
Just a heads up that this photo by Mark Pantermoller has been shared by a news source in western Maryland saying that it was taken there. I know that’s inaccurate and I’ve already shared that with their News Director.
Mark is pulling the wool over ya’ll’s eyes.
Here’s where that image was cropped from.
http://marianladydeerhunter.blogspot.com/2020/05/panther-mountain-lion-couger.html?m=1
Well this is entertaining. I’m in VT, I got a trail cam photo a few years ago myself…I don’t really show anybody…it doesn’t make any difference what anyone else says about it so what’s the point; I realized real quick I wasn’t interested in anyone’s feedback. The one that walked by my camera was probably 90 lbs… a little bigger than my labrador retreiver, judging from pics of my dog taken at the same camera site. Cruising through at 3 in the morning. I did show it to VT biologists though and they said it’s a very “interesting” photo but they can’t “confirm” what it is, but they asked me to make an endangered species sighting report with them, or something just like that, and show them exactly on their Google earth map program where I got the picture.
While out bird hunting on Oct.9,2021 with my son Corey,he spotted a bird on the side of the road under a fir tree,Corey exited the truck to take a shot (he missed) simultaneously he and I spotted a large tan cat approx. 50 yards ahead. He and I were SURE it was a mountain lion, deep tan color with a tail about 2’ -3’ long, the cat stood about 2 1/2-3’ and about 4-5 long as I started to move the truck to get a better look and maybe a picture the big cat darted into the thick brush. I told my son “no one will believe us” but we’re absolutely sure of what we saw. And what a beautiful animal.We were roughly 4 miles north of Rumford Maine hunting on a logging road which I won’t say where,Reading these comments makes me feel a lot better. Thanks John David Rumford Maine
My wife and I were having dinner last Friday, October 8th at Kelly’s Landing in Greenville. While driving up Lily Bay Rd going back to our camp site out past Kokadjo, we seen what looked like to be a coyote cross in front of us about 40yrds away. As we got closer it had already made its way into the tree line and we got a good look at the back end and the tail. With the headlights on it, it was tan in color and the inside of the rear legs were white. The tail was very distinct of a mountain lion. If anyone knows the spot at the top of the hill that over looks Moosehead Lake, this was just after you pass that area. There is a guardrail on the left as you get into a small residential area, just before that is where it went into the tree line of some ones yard. We spend plenty of time in the woods in that area looking for moose and we have seen plenty of wildlife from moose to bobcats and bears. This was def something we haven’t seen before. I would bet my yrs salary that it was a mountain lion that crossed in front of us.
Mark, you can prove the photo was from Maine and not Alberta Canada by posting a photo at a different time of year showing leaves on the trees. Here is a link to a wider version of the photo that is claimed to be from Canada.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/150005188948015/posts/915761929039000/?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZVoqfLv-nQHlfPrXS8P11eAROTBk-ENvG3Tvyg_rUynGRfo8o-iB_qNYWCioYX8oXnHMOl30ERjTrHQxzGjVCzSf6vcw2lm2rp-Y8oO0D0EEejc3hoDcY00TVFbNjqQ1LizYtoW698jF5Z6m9Rq9EZPhg2CKe8B6vmbZAfdQ3tEu2MGCyamzC11hb8ClXj85Gg&__tn__=R&refid=18
They are around , I hit one at the end of fintown in warren , route one about 6 years ago
Thats my photo it was taken in my backyard in Alberta Canada 🇨🇦
I found this post based on a Google image search from someone posting it was taken in WV. The older folks need to learn Google image search. It is not hard. If you feel insulted it is an easy fix, write your name and the date on a sign and go stand in this same scene to get yourself in the same frame. You look really dumb and kinda like a con man right now, so why would you not prove it to save your reputation?
Exactly. It’s amusing though
I have maintained for the past 10 years that a mountain lion crossed in front of my car, middle of the day, on route 15 between Bangor and Dover-Foxcroft, in the Bud Leavitt wildlife management area. I know exactly what I saw without doubt.
I saw one in Charleston on that was time I moved the hell outta that town I couldn’t get dropped off in my own door yard at night getting home from work coming from. Bangor; without making loud noises to scare off wildlife.The damn crazy landlord didn’t allow lights on outside (electric included in rent) wanted us to use a flashlight. So glad to be living back in the city where wild turkey and deer and the occasional skunk and fox are the worst of it
To my surprise, I saw a cougar along Ripley Rd in Harrington, in October of 2020. I first thought it was a bobcat, which I have seen before, but then when it lept across the ditch to run into the woods, a long tail followed! As it jumped I could also the size and knew it was not a bobcat. Since then, I have heard that other people in the area have also seen it. Something I will not forget!
I have a game cam photo from back side of a cat ( head, ears, half body) taken in Pelermo spring 2021 that everyone I show it to believes it is a “Eastern Canada Mountain Lion ‘. Doesn’t look like a Bobcat.
Can I send it to some one for an expert opinion ?
You could email it to state biologists but don’t get too invested…they’ll likely talk it down and they can’t confirm it even if there’s a tiny chance that it isn’t a mountain lion…which actually makes sense to me. They would need an outstanding photo like the one on the top of this page to confirm what it is. It’s a funny subject because everyone has an opinion on it. I got a pic in VT once. If you wanted to talk further email me at mullen83@yahoo.com. There is the occasional one roaming around.
Don’t tell me they don’t live in Maine. I just saw one cross the 16th fairway at the Ledges golf course, York Me, not 100′ in front of me, could not believe what I was seeing. Amazing beautiful animal, there were also two fawns, little skeepas, frolicking on the 18th fairway, hope one of them didn’t end up as dinna.
I’m obviously replying because I’m doing research based off of a sighting I had on our property which is many acres 80+ backs up WMNF (white mountain national forest) and we saw clear as day an all black BobCat today. I’ve seen many animals as I’m in the woods hunting/exploring daily but never have I seen a black bobcat until today! It was quite large and very healthy. So Maine you do indeed have black bobcats 🌲 🏔
In Unity I saw a large black cat cross the road in broad daylight. Mountain Lions from what I’ve researched don’t come in black, so my assumption is perhaps someone illegally owned a black panther that got loose.
I have also seen a large tawny cat run from a field into a tree line. I grew up knowing we have bobcats here in Maine but never seeing one… So I believe we definitely have a mountain lion population, there is just plenty of space for them to hide.
Lots of people who spend time in the Maine woods will swear we have them here.
Nov 2022 in the town of Penobscot off of Rt166, around 8:15am; I had one jump in to the middle of the road from the woods on the right side. it was maybe 50 ft in front of my truck. I stopped and watched it slowly walk across the road and in to the woods. People kept telling me it was a bobcat, and I said no! It most definitely was not. It was tall and muscular and had a long tail and thick angular head, no tufted ears. I am absolutely certain it was a mountain lion. There is a farm close by, so this may be a regular route it travels.
My Dad, brother and I saw a cougar in Enfield about 55 years ago.
I have lived in Maine and New Hampshire and hunted all along the Canadian border near Jackman across to Caribou. I still own land their. It doesnt matter about the photos as they are all over the internet. The bottom line is that there are Cougars and Wolves in Maine. While rare I assure they exist.
I believe I saw a small cougar yesterday in Harrington, Maine.