The Junkyard

There have been confirmed sightings of Florida Panthers in my neck of the sticks in different areas and frequency. But more then likely you are hearing a Bobcat/Wildcat as their numbers have grown and are more wide spread.

Florida panthers sound like women screaming out in the woods- a little freaky if you hear it. We had a panther come into the path department at UGA a few years back that was shot somewhere near Lagrange.

One was hit on I-95 about four or five years ago around Brunswick. And another has a home range around Waycross. But its probably a Kentucky wildcat wanting to move to the acc.

The bear have made quite a comeback and continue to increase their range, as have the coyote, so it would only stand to reason that cougar/panther would be equally as successful. I caught a glimpse of what I thought was the hind quarter of a big cat. It was along the Savannah river about forty miles below Augusta.

What about black panthers? I have heard a lot of stories especially around the Rome Georgia area.

Once upon a time while walking a trail to my deer stand I came upon a bobcat. It made a sound I would not like to hear at 5:30 in the morning in the woods ever again. I'd just as soon walk up on a Sasquatch.

I believe the name was changed to the Crisp County Cougars in 1971 when the schools were integrated. Previously they were the Crisp County Rebels.

Crisp Academy's mascot is the Wildcats. And Dooley Co. is the Bobcats.

Cougar from Class of '77.

I was hunting in Lincoln county a few years back and had a large cat walk up on me about 100 yards away. It was black with a long tail. It was walking towards me and I was going to shoot it if it came closer, but it turned back up into the woods. I have also heard other stories of black panther/cougar sightings in the Augusta / Lincoln county areas

There was a good article in GON a few months back on this. They asked readers to submit photos taken with trail cameras. One photo that stood out was in the Cordele area. The one that was killed, like a previous poster said was up in Lagrange area. From what I've heard and read, the speculation is that they have migrated north from Florida following rivers such as the Flint. The last few years wildfires in the Okefenokee area have reportedly pushed them farther north

DNR would actually have to get out of their air conditioned truck to find anything. Therefore they aren't going to do it. Every hunter I know has a big cat story and I know not all of them are lying. These cats cover a huge amount of territory and will travel to places that most people can't/won't accept as being feasible. I ran across a set of fresh cougar tracks while turkey hunting on a ranch just outside of Abilene Texas. I told the rancher what I had found and he flat out told me I was crazy and that there were no cats in that area. This was back before camera phones existed so I had nothing to show him regarding what I had found but I know for a fact what it was. Nothing else in that area has a round track about the size of my palm. Some people just can't accept what they've been told can't happen.