Mountain LION
an 80+ lb long tailed cat just ran In front of my car on 46 in great meadows. Extremely fast! Happen to anyone else in this area?
Lions mane Saw something very similar in Long Valley about 2 weeks back at dusk. Very long tail, tan in color and much much larger then a bob cat. Literally depicted what would be a mountain lion.
Jason 
4catmom 
Roadbiker2011 
Courtney1 
3wbdwnj 
Positive 
Oplk I had one in my yard in vasa park about six years ago? I know I know.. Pics or it didn't happen. But a full bright flashlight on its face and head told me it wasn't a bobcat... It took off.. Was apparently hunting a house cat which dropped down from a tree and scared the bejeezus out of me.. My neighbor was outside in his yard and saw something very large run past him. I heard the mountain lion screams and calls in the evening in the week before and week after..
Seriously people.. Get a picture. We can own this one!
Ser positivo Sorry fluffy got out recently - he is back home and won’t bother anyone anymore ... sorry for any panic this may have caused ... maybe next time get a picture so I can validate it was fluffy and not one of the other dozen on mountain lions living in your imagination
LibertyThinker "one of the other dozen on mountain lions living in your imagination"
HAHAHAHA! I nearly spit out my coffee! And yeah, I agree 100%. I spend most of my work day in the woods of Warren, Sussex, Morris, Hunterdon, and a bit of Passaic counties (don't ask, but yes it's my job), and have never seen a mountain lion or any evidence of such. 36 years at my current job, and no tracks, no scat, nothing. If they were here, there would be evidence other than people "thinking" they've seen one.
Rob Durana @ Rob - I am also in woods all time as a hunter and a true forest lover and never have I seen one caught one on a trail cam or a foot print - scat - evidence of a kill they might done ... nothing .... Maybe those who think they saw should got directly to a eye doctor and have far distance sight checked out ....
I was on Brass Castle Road heading towards Belvidere a few months ago and also saw a large cat dash across the road. Came to the conclusion that it was a big bob cat. I have been driving that road everyday 4x a day for 15 years, never saw one before. Was pretty cool.
Dee Great story thanks for sharing, bobcats are rare but to reside in NJ - I hope to see one someday but even with all my time in woods all that I have spotted that is rare is a NJ mink it was pretty cool looking...
maybe one someone had a mountain lion cub as a pet and when it got too big and was no longer a cute little cub they released it in the woods. Like flushing a baby alligator down a toilet and it is now living in the sewers
Jimt1058Oh that was fluffy then - she got out a few days ago she is home safe now ... she got out by mistake sorry she will never get out again .... (come on really) no mountain lions are in NJ
Last year I heard some strange screaming sounds in the woods behind my
house in Great Meadows. The only thing I could imagine was a mountain
lion. But a more informed friend clued me in that a fox makes a screaming
sound sometimes. It's a really spooky sounds to hear at night outside your
house.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6NuhlibHsM
Jim Beckman
James Beckman There existence has always been a legend that they were near Jenny Jump mountain. We did see a red Fox cross the Budd Lake bagel intersection at 4:30 pm Tuesday while waiting for the light to change.
Robert J Rowe yes we have red foxes, bobcats, coyotes, and the usual run of mammals- deer, raccoons and more
I leave between 5:45 and 6:00 am to go to work and as I am heading up on Drakestown Road, near the nudist colony for those who know. I usually have at least 1 or more fox(es) run in front of me at least 1 time during a week. Years ago I did see a Coyote on the corner of Powhattan and Mine hill rd. More bear than I can count. What I miss is the bats at night. Have only seen 1 in the sky for the last 5 years. Saw my bat this past weekend.
Jim 
Drew 
PBM Fox, bobcat, and coyotes are abundant. Besides seeing them with my own eyes, I've seen evidence of all. Mountain lions. No. One was found dead on the side of the road on I-84 in CT a few years ago. It was determined that it was a pet that got loose. Prove me wrong. Not by anecdotal evidence, but by photos.
I'm in the woods alot hunting, and have trail cams. I never have seen or gotten pics of coyotes. The are here for sure but since I never saw or got pics does that mean they aren't? Just food for thought and now let the comments rip :<)
https://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/2014/01/new_jersey_wildlife_bobcat_njs.html
There are so many of these pieces, people, and agencies poo-pooinng the Mountain Lion in NJ myth EXCEPT for an occasional pet/zoo version getting loose.
Coyotes on the other hand are seen, heard, photographed often. Here's a pick and a story: https://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/coyote_info.htm
strangerdanger I've seen coyotes - including some brought into rescue because of injury or illness such as mange.....................
Well, now dat I thin aboot it; I live on a mountain and many here say I’m a lion all da time. At least that’s what I here.
There are thousands of trail cameras in use all over in northern NJ used by hunters, wildlife watchers, and homeowners for surveillance, and ring doorbell and yard cameras for homeowners and business.
There has never been a confirmed or even published picture of a mountain lion in NJ....just sayin'
Every single time a biologist has investigated, except the one up in CT, the claim has been disputed. Almost always either a bobcat or a coyote. Feel free to believe you saw one, but I for one think you probably did not. If there was a definitive long tail, coyote, if just a cat like silhouette probably a bobcat. If you are really intrigued, go back to the spot and take a picture of the track.
Agust 
PREDATOR Predator - You do know that's picture is a fake, right?? That greenish mask is pretty amateur, the picture is pretty well known and came from out west. You can just Google "Mountian lion is a unit" to find lots of copies of it.
GC GC are you suggesting there are untruths on the internet??! LOL
Here is that photo attributed to be in Canada this time around.
https://www.reddit.com/r/natureismetal/comments/fgalm9/this_absolute_beast_of_a_mountain_lion_from_a/
Greg 
Joe M Preadator - Nonsense. Bigfoot is on 100% pure unadulterated Alternative News stations. What could POSSIBLY be wrong???
Oh you got a picture of fluffy .... he is such a big boy and really friendly .... he is home now so you rest at night ....
I don’t know how much truth there is to this but a friend of mine, who is a hunter, lived in my condo before me. A few weeks after I moved in I saw a crazy “scuffle” in the bushes right outside of my house on the nature trail. It was really big and loud and looked and sounded like a big cat. He confirmed that he’s gotten a shot of a large cat on the trail in Allamuchy. He texted it to me.
BighART still waiting for pictures - otherwise it's a bobcat or a huge house cat or fox or coyote
I've seen very large coyote in NJ, even in my backyard in Valley View Woods. I'm talking about the size of a medium-sized German Shepherd. These large animals could possibly be mistaken for a large cat especially with poor lighting (or poor vision, lol!)
Yes, I'm still waiting for pictures too. Not holding my breath. Every pic I've ever seen of a mountain lion in NJ has turned out to be fake, ....... from somewhere else.
Nice pic bighart but that’s a bobcat. Ears give it away. Plus the head is too large in relation to the body for a mountain lion. Cool pic nonetheless!
The R The picture is 5 years old - the picture is from September 2015 and by the vegetation growth I am pretty sure it’s was taken in September ... and it’s a bobcat ... which is really cool thanks for sharing ... can we come to a forum agreement that we don’t have mountain lions in NJ ...
For the record: IMO, it's possible but not probable.
Confirmed kill in CT. 2011 https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/opinion/the-cougar-behind-your-trash-can.html
Most often it's an escaped captive Cougar. but it's possible they wandered more than 1,500 miles for a tasty treat of Eastern Whitetail. The Eastern Cougar is extinct never to return unless by Jurassic Park methodologies.
For the Western Cougar, just no confirmed sightings, pictures, or leavings except the 2011 story that I can find.
Long time reader, first time poster. I have to admit I only started reading the Hackettstown forum because of how much the arrogance and ignorance on this specific topic amuses me:) Federal Agent here, affiliated mostly with rural railroad management. While that may not change anything, I can confirm that while it has not been proven Mountain Lions are living here, they are at the very least passing through. If you do your research thoroughly you will see this has been confirmed throughout the northeast in the last few years including New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire- in one case, I believe one was actually struck and killed by a car. Fisher’s have also been making special guest appearances, and those things are real nasty! Rob and LibertyThinker’s post about scat (a excellent point) did get me thinking though: I have a zillion squirrels in my yard, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen squirrel poop? Or even know what it looks like? Or fox scat? Raccoon? Coyote? But we all see them everyday? Please be advised as a species that was native to NJ, unless Mountain Lions became invasive or a threat to the immediate public, the government would not necessarily be required to announce their return or suspected return. I don’t understand why people find this topic so implausible and controversial? Remember, Pandas were only confirmed to exist about 100 years ago. Before that they were believed to be a mythical creature like a unicorn. Wolves are returning to California for the first known time in nearly a century.
Anyway- keep up the good work on both sides everyone! I’ll leave a saucer out for Fluffy. I can’t wait for the day someone posts Bigfoot has tamed a mountain lion, and rides the night with Mantis Man. And, please, in a world of image searches, those of you who keep posting false pictures-cut it out. Your hurting not just your credibility, but that of the entire argument.
bemused&amused125 Very good bemused&amused125. I really got a chuckle out of the arrogance and ignorance" statement. I never saw so many long winded experts on every subject under the sun. Keep on posting I can always use a good laugh !!
Well, if you can assure it, Without sources, I am reassured for sure. The car one was CT, was 2011, was a Western, and the link is posted above. I used possible but not probable. Eastern are extinct.
Why can't we have these guys patrol our woods with a 600 pound Dire wolf?
https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19001118.2.12&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
One-Eyed Poacher Yes, my daughter, while driving, saw one run out in front of her car chasing a deer on Rt, 46 in Hackettstown NJ. by the bridge over the Musconetcong River which is actually in Washington Twp. Morris County a coup[e of years ago( too fast to get a photo). We reported it to police and state wildlife officials at the time who denied the siting saying they don"t exist in NJ. My daughter KNOWS what she saw. She said it was large and tan with a long tail, not a bobcat. We are outdoor oriented, have livestock, and we have many wildlife books. Also, a resident on Main St., Johnsonburg in Frelinghuysen Twp Warren County saw one out in back of their house which is where the Federal Springs pond is located. This seems like a sci fi movie where no one wants to believe reality. Well that's their problem if they don' want to believe!
Janet H Schuring I have yet to see a definitive photo of these sightings.............strange isn't it............we see pix of all the other wildlife we know live in NJ
I’m pretty sure it would be kind of hard to whip out a cell phone from your pocketbook, focus it on a moving animal, and get a clear picture...all while you were driving. Also very illegal.
Spring fever I have had a mountain lion run across the road in Sussex on me 6 years ago, they are around....6 people total, three in the two cars we were traveling with all saw it.
Darrin Again with all security camera and hunter trail cams in our woods of NJ ... there are no mountain lions ... everyone have your eyes examined ... or stop drinking and or taking hallucinating drugs...
Philliesman Some questions for the folks that believe there are mountain lions in NJ.
Where is the closest documented breeding population of mountain lions?
Why/how would a Mt Lion travel from that documented range to NJ?
No one in this 2021 thread has said there was a near or far documented breeding population of mountain lions in NJ. Personally, I have no idea why a Mt. Lion would travel into NJ, but possibly they would travel on foot and come thru New York / NJ border.
Northern NJ has some great forested areas. Smart choice for a wayward mountain lion who likes solitude.
Last month I had a mountain lion cross 10 feet in front of my car, It was running, as I suspect I frightened it drinking out of a fairly large pond. The area has marshy areas which I've been told are a favored habitat. My husband (who was not with me) tried to convince me it was a bobcat, but it was way too large, possibly 5-6 feet long, head seemed small for its body, and at a running pace, the tail was trailing beyond the extended feet. We've always had big dogs, so I can estimate it might have been around 80-100+/- lbs. It was a mountain lion, without a doubt. Whether it was passing through, or setting up house, it was here in the south west portion of Frelinghuysen.
USAfirst USAfirst
Too bad you didn't have a dashcam that recorded it! That would hopefully put the controversy to rest.
Phil D. Commenting is no longer available.