"Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds always airs on the side of caution when it comes to the safety and well-being of the citizens of Hood County and will continue to alert them of any safety issue that may affect them," the sheriff's office added. After eight weeks of nursing, the kittens will weigh about 30 pounds. and help keep the future of the Observer, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, Dallas Observer's The Morning After Brunch. The Hood County Sheriff's Office said it responded to a missing person report at around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3 in the 15000 block of Howell Road in Lipan, about 65 miles west of Fort Worth. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department later confirmed another sighting of a mountain lion near Princeton in Collin County. There are rarely confirmed sightings of mountain lions in north Texas but the state's parks and wildlife department on Tuesday said its biologists had verified a sighting on private property. August 25, 2021 19. First published on December 5, 2020 / 9:30 PM. HOOD COUNTY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A 28-year-old man who was reported missing in a rural area of North Texas was found dead from a possible mountain lion attack earlier this week, authorities said. Klein says the lion weighed more than 200 pounds and has an official Boone & Crockett score of 15 4/16 inches (the world record cat scored 16 4/16 inches). Original story (Nov. 13, 2014): LITTLE ROCK, AR (News release) - A deer hunter shot and killed a 148-pound male mountain lion Saturday morning east of Hermitage in Bradley County. / CBS Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife also has no confirmed records of a mountain lion in Hood County," the department said. What Are Those White Sheep In The Hill Country? 3431 Rayford Rd. Reports also indicated the mountain lion was near Princeton in early December. Short answer: . Ste 200-408 I Spring, TX 77386 (281) 869-5511, Texas Fish & Game Publishing Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. This story was originally published December 4, 2019, 12:01 PM. Mountain lion sightings are very uncommon in the North Texas area. A hunter in Texas shot and killed a mountain lion on a ranch as it approached a feeder, media outlets report. Only 6 ICU Beds Available In Denton County: 'We Are At A Critical Point With COVID-19', Man Killed In Freak Accident Inside North Texas Car Wash, Texas COVID-19 Patient With '10% Chance Of Survival' Recovers After Oxygenation Treatment In Dallas Hospital. How to get one, Reports: 3 children dead, 2 wounded in attack at Texas home, Storms roll east after slamming South; 10 deaths reported. This wide range has brought it many common . LIPAN, Texas (AP) Texas wildlife officials on Sunday said there was no evidence that a mountain lion or any wild animal killed a 28-year-old man, disputing a medical examiner's preliminary finding in the case. Another major cause of death for mountain lions in the study is intraspecific strife, or mountain lions killing other mountain lions. Ste 200-408 I Spring, TX 77386 Cost: Texas cat hunts are $3,000 plus $3500 after your cat is killed. The sheriff's office is warning residents in and around Lipan to be mindful and to keep children and other animals inside at night. Texas Mountain Lion Mortality Reports, 1983 to 2005). If you have any photos or videos of cougars in Texas email them to [emailprotected]. TAYLOR COUNTY, TEXAS A Taylor County man and his friend were calling for coyotes Friday night when the unthinkable happened - a 150-pound mountain lion appeared in their sights. The viral nature of the photos is understandable, because the cat looks, well, enormous. No other publication matches our coverage of hunting, fishing, guns, gear, tackle, conservation, outdoor news, and wildlife subjects. Historically they could be found anywhere from the . Attacks on people are extremely rare with fewer than 30 confirmed fatal mountain lion attacks on people in North America in the last 100 years. There has never been a closed season on mountain lions in Texas. Lily A. University of Washington: Tweaking Daylight Savings Time Could Stop Many Deer Collissions. Status: True. Local nonprofit taking disabled individuals on hunting, fishing trips. The Hood County Sheriff's Office said authorities found a body in a wooded area near the 15000 block of Howell Road in Lipan, about 65 miles west of Fort Worth, earlier this week after a man was reported missing. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. The couple had set up a trail camera on the edge of their property near Lake Ray Hubbard thatcaught the lion walking byaround 4 a.m. that morning. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Get the latest Offers, Outdoor News, Stories, and Reviews delivered to your inbox. Males commonly weigh 110 - 232 pounds, while females range from 79 - 132 pounds, though Texas cats typically weigh at the lower end of the range. Additional samples were collected and are pending DNA analysis. But the report also notes that 12 cougar . December 15, 2020. Those footprints very well could have been made by a neighboring landowner. That means a hunting license is required to kill the animal, but there arent closed seasons or possession limits. The hunter stopped to show off the kill at Muy Grande, a convenience store and sporting goods resource that hosts a well-known deer hunting competition. Description Body length: 3-4 ft. Tail: 2.5-3 ft. The sheriff's office said it could possibly have been from a mountain lion. The deer hunter killed the animal and legally harvested it. 75-170 pounds. Authorities said they checked a nearby wooded area and found Whiteley dead. In December 2020, it was widely reported that Christopher Allen Whiteley was killed by a mountain lion in Hood County - a rural area southwest of Fort Worth. Cougars are carnivores, preying on a variety of animals, including deer, elk, and smaller mammals. See, here's the. ActionHub // Its tail alone was 32 inches long. He spent five years covering TCU athletics, which included two BCS bowls, two trips to the college World Series and the move to the Big 12. They have been absent from this state since the late 1800s; however, there have been a few isolated sightings. A service of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin | Contact us, A service of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, Houston Parents Evicted, Separated From Their Toddler After Landlord Rejects Rent Relief, Tesla Could Reshape Texans Relationship With The Electric Grid, How One Refugee Organization Navigates The Complexities Of Resettling Afghans, Famous San Antonian Takes A 500-Mile Walk, Almost On A Whim, New Literary Prize For Small Presses Launched In Dallas, In a Central Texas county, high schoolers are jailed on felony charges for vaping what could be legal hemp, As Texas STAAR test goes fully online, teachers feel defeated, Texas Education Agency projects confidence. In Texas, a justice of the peace determines cause of death. The mountain lion is a large, slender cat whose coat ranges from tawny yellow to dark brown. Whiteley was found dead in a wooded area near his girlfriends house. Christopher Allen Whiteley, 28, was found dead in a . Although mountain lions are a rare spectacle in northeast Texas, they're common in parts of the state's southern and western regions, Garcia said in an email. Male cougars weigh between 100 . Copyright 2020 by KSAT - All rights reserved. "The safety of Hood County Citizens are my priority one, but please don't interfere with the process of locating the animal and stay clear of the area being actively worked by officials," Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said. Previously, he reported for the Associated Press, Galveston County Daily News and Daily Herald in Chicago. Saturday, the Hood . We have documented at least 32 mountain lions killed by vehicles in our study area since 2002. You can see in that photo below this particular cat has not missed too many meals. Eastern cougars (mountain lions) do not have a native, self sustaining population in New York State. What was the Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls in Arlington? Mountain lions inhabit the badlands and Missouri River breaks regions of North Dakota. Adults are a uniform tan or tawny in color, with a white or cream-colored chin, undersides and inner legs. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. Advocates are pushing for legislation to help them. A. Johnson. Officials with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department will be studying a mountain lion (cougar) road killed by a high school student north of Mineral Wells. A mountain lion that was spotted on a trail camera in Rowlett has been killed in Hunt County, officials said. Non-game species can be hunted at any time on private property, per TPWD officials. The TPWD recently said that a man found dead in a wooded area in Lipan did not die from a mountain lion attack, as was first suggested by the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office, according to information released by the Hood County Sheriffs Office. Sighting and kill reports indicate that Mountain Lions now occur in more counties than they did 10 years ago and appear to be expanding their range into central Texas, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. However, because they are capable of traveling great distances, they have turned up in all parts of North Dakota. Wildlife officials say mountain lions are very uncommon in North Texas, and they suspect the mountain lion that was killed was the same one seen and photographed in the Dallas suburb of. . December 6, 2020. Its been 15 years since someone has brought in a mountain lion like that, Sharber told KRIS. Wolves, grizzly bears and jaguars have been wiped out. The cougar is also commonly known as mountain lion, puma, mountain cat, catamount, or panther. Called a petition for rulemaking, it was submitted to the . A game. A trail camera was set up and confirmed the presence of a mountain lion on February 16, 2020. With their tails, some individuals can be as much as 9 ft. long. Below is a list of physical characteristics that distinguish mountain lions from more . , to the first mountain lion documented to cross from north of the 101 Freeway to the south (P-012), to the . Become a member to support the independent voice of Dallas "It appears we have two conflicting reports from two agencies that are experts in their fields," the sheriff's office said. The mountain lion was an older adult male about six feet in length and weighed about 160 lbs. To learn more about hunting non-game species, click here. Ive seen a lot of country that no one has ever seen, but Ive never seen a mountain lion, Waggoner said. (Credit: Logan Aduddell and Stephanie Higgins via Storyful). Texas Fish & Game is the largest and most popular outdoor publication in the Lone Star State. I have to let God have it. A few years back we ran a storyshowing a very large cougar standing over a javelina it killed on reader Ron Wehmeyers ranch in the Trans Pecos. Texas woman arrested after smuggling. Two-hundred pounds is absolutely massive for a cougar and a cat this size killed in Texas shatters the myth that Texas cougars are all much smaller than their northern counterparts. Mountain lions are found in mountains, coniferous forests, grasslands, swamps, and dry scrublands. This little kitty was taken outside of Freer (on Saturday), according to the Facebook post. Officials say the hunter saw the mountain lion when it walked up to a deer feeder. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said Tuesday that the mountain lion an adult male that weighed about 160 pounds was legally killed Saturday by a deer . However, there are no closed seasons, bag limits or possession limits. Lion kittens begin to eat meat at the age of six weeks. There are no records of a confirmed fatal attack on a person by a wild mountain lion in Texas. Texas game wardens have a strong hunch that the nearly six-foot long, 160-pound male mountain lion might have been the very same lion spotted just a few weeks ago further south. Three mountain lions killed after they ate human remains near a popular hiking trail in Arizona. The lion was an adult male that weighed about 160 pounds, she said. Mountain Lion killed supposedly near Brownsville discussion on the TexAgs Outdoors forum. CNN A mountain lion attacked and killed a Los Angeles resident's pet chihuahua on an evening walk in the Hollywood Hills, according to KTLA . The Hood County Sheriff's Office says that they have closed the death investigation of a Lipan man who was attacked by an animal in early December, the office said Tuesday. It takes a few minutes for [a mountain lions] prey to go down, and there would be a lot of disturbance there. Bobcats, feral cats and domestic dogs may be misidentified as mountain lion. A team of biologists will then come out to examine the animal and through a DNA sample, they can determine where the mountain lion may have come from. . It kills to eat but does not necessarily practice any sort of conservation ethic. The mountain lion was shot around 8:30 p.m. from 50 yards away with an AR 223 by Aaron Getty, 24, and Tyler Terrell, 21, on a ranch just east of Tuscola. Their range goes from British Columbia, Canada all the way to Texas, including states like Utah, Nevada, California, and others. Each sighting involved cougars that are not native to New York. Stay up to date with the latest hunting, fishing, and outdoor news from the Lone Star State and beyond! A mountain lion will usually leave distinctive teeth marks, OHanlon said. Investigators found another set of footprints in addition to Whiteleys at the scene, but its unclear whether they are connected to his death. Description of the Mountain Lion. This is premium content. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Mountain Lion kittens are born with a spotted coat and bright blue eyes. The main habitat requirement for mountain lions is stalking cover to successfully hunt prey. Ste 200-408 I Spring, TX 77386. Whiteley was found dead in a wooded area near his girlfriend's house. Christopher Whiteley died last December in the woods of Hood County. Dates: October through April. AgDaily, OutdoorHub All Rights Reserved Carbon Media Group Outdoors, the one spotted on trail cameras weeks ago in Dallas County. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. He weighed about 160 pounds, according to a TPWD spokesperson. This is a cause for concern, and many conflicting factors play a part in the . Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. The wildlife agency said there have been no confirmed records of a mountain lion from Hood County. The adult male mountain lion was killed legally by a deer hunter, according. (281) 869-5511. If the mountain lion is a certified killer of sheep and, sometimes, cattle, it has also occasionally attacked . Males require even larger territoriesranging from around 60 to 300 square miles on average. Keenan Crow is an outdoor writer who graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism and creative writing. 3431 Rayford Rd. The cougars Latin name is Pumaconcolorwhich helps scientists navigate the many regional names for the animal. A lease hunter popped him headed toward (a) feeder, the post read. Hunting black bears and cougars with hounds is a controversial practice that is . Mountain lions once ranged more extensively than any other mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Both victims died from rabies, not from the physical injuries. Other than that, nobodys really sure, said Morgan OHanlon, who wrote about the case for Texas Monthly. MINERAL WELLS, TexasThe Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will be taking a closer look at a mountain lion killed this week on State Highway 337, just north of Mineral Wells. at the shoulder, that's nearly 3 ft. tall! A hunter in Texas had an unusual encounter in the woods on Saturday, when a mountain lion suddenly appeared and approached the blind he was deer hunting from. Texas game wardens have a. Confirmed sightings are usually in far West Texas and in southwestern parts of the state near the Mexican border. Officials from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department couldnt find evidence of a mountain lion attack at the scene, or on Whiteleys body. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department disputed findings on Sunday that a missing Hood County man was killed in an apparent wild animal attack, the sheriff's office says. According to the Mountain Lion Foundation, the mountain lion Puma concolor or Felis concolor is known as a cougar or panther, depending on the region. Christopher Whiteley, 28, was last seen on Wednesday and was. This mountain lion was shot, killed near Tuscola Friday, Jan. 24. Outside of hunting/fishing, he also loves to cook - especially with wild game - play golf and go on hikes with his yellow lab, Stella. At the time, the office. / CBS Texas. But for all the excitement surrounding . Rep. Nate Schatzline, Under Fire for 'Drag' Video, Accused of 'Doxxing' Keller ISD Mom, Another Carrollton Fentanyl Arrest and an On-Campus Overdose at R.L. independent local journalism in Dallas. By SEAN MURPHY Christopher Allen Whiteley never learned to drive . Mountain lions are considered a non-game species in Texas, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. The uncertainty surrounding Whiteleys death hangs over his family. Their bodies are mainly covered in tawny-beige fur, except for the whitish-gray belly and chest. The shooting happened outdoors near a child care center in far north Fort Worth. Weight. There is some evidence to suggest that a dog could have attacked Whiteley, but not enough to be conclusive. By RUSSELL HUFFMAN TheFlashToday.com Glen Rose's Wes Monk is going to have a hard time topping his December 6, hunting trip, but, then again, he has the story of a lifetime.