I saw one twice between Graham and Bryson. The reason I think it was the same is because it was in the same spot while driving. I also saw one South of Graham while hunting. I was varmint hunting on the same place att night and we heard one scream while we were calling.

More than likely, it was more than one, even though the sighting occurred in the same spot. They’re just so common that the odds are against that sort of thing.

So obvious

I've never hunted any area of Texas where someone did not claim to having seen a panther.

Let’s not pretend that East Texas isn’t a hot spot.

I killed a coyote and the massive influx of other coyotes to fill the void has wiped out all my black panthers.

You were warned.

My comments do not apply to the referenced article and photo. It only applies to sightings in general.

As a trained professional with over 30 years of forestry and wildlife management experience, I believe anything is possible. Too many species have been discovered in the last 10 years that once were thought to be local myths or considered to be extinct. I also believe that since many of the people seeing things like black panthers are people with training in wildlife identification that those people count as more credible witnesses than the average person on the street.

If you take east Texas and western Louisiana there are countless schools whose mascots are panthers and cougars. Those were named by local folks many of who made their livings and survived off the land. They were familiar with the local wildlife and if they said they saw something I believe they saw something .

And as one of those government workers referenced in previous comments, from history I can say that often the government is involved in restocking efforts of species and those efforts are often not shared with the general public. The restocking program of the Louisiana black bear is a good example where the public was not informed early on in the program or at least the locations of the release.

Just my 2 cents
Big Hutch

name some of the species that have been discovered in the last 10 years? I'm not talking about invertebraes or lizards, what mammals have been discovered in the last 10 years that were thought to be local myths or considered extinct?

My kids graduated as Industrial cobras. Haven't seen any of those around Inez! High school mascots have very little to do with local fauna. Just ask the Hutto Hippos! Schools probably pick those names such as panthers or cougars because they are fierce animals just like the school football team wants to be!

I'm hoping this is a joke

Proof that people believe what they want to.

Here you go from a simple Google search: https://www.businessinsider.com/animal-species-discovered-in-last-decade-2019-12


I believe none of us are omniscient or omnipresent. We don’t know for 100% certainty what is out there.

Example, I have observed and hunted crows from the time I could shoot a Daisy Red Rider until today at 51 years old. Crows are crop depredators in our family pecan orchard and truck farm. We are sworn enemies. Back in late October I saw a piebald crow on the side of a road I frequently travel. The piebald crow was mixed in with 5 black crows feeding on an armadillo carcass. I noticed it from a good distance because my mind said what is a white bird like a cattle egret doing feeding with some crows. When I got close I was so shocked and amazed I almost ran off the road. Before I could go up the road and get turned around to take a picture another vehicle spooked them and they flew away.

Definitely not a black panther but have you ever seen a piebald crow?? If so kudos. If not does the fact that you haven’t seen one mean that piebald crows don’t exist?? Are there any pictures out there of piebald crows?? Etc.

I realize the example of the mascots is not a real argument for the existence of black panthers, but there is a reason those same areas don’t have a wolverine, moose, timber wolf, etc. for their mascot.

P. S. If my kids went to a school whose mascot was an industrial cobra I think I would lobby for a new mascot … in Texas maybe a rattler …


Big Hutch

So you think there were pirates running around Granbury or dragons around Southlake

The Unicorns must have run loose in New Braunfels. I wonder if the hippos in Hutto were originally from Africa? Would like to have seen one of the punchers in Mason. Never before realized how prevalent greyhounds must've been in Boerne. Stil don't understand the Judson Rockets.

There is a song about Werewolves of London.....you think he just came up with that off the top of his head?

I don’t care what your opinion is on odd wildlife sighting or even the cryptid nerds, either way I can agree to disagree. I don’t have enough interest even continue participating in the conversation. But I had to look.

I can’t get on board with anything the government does in secret. Especially releasing large predatory animals, with no consent or even notification to the local people and land owners nearby.

It does not sit well with me.

Did I miss something or did they keep a pretty good secret?

BigHutch Wrote:



Yes, many things are 'possible'. That point is not lost on us.

But I submit you can't go to your local barber shop and get 5-6 people to say they've seen a piebald crow (or know someone who has) like you can a Black Panther.

If these things were truly so damned common that literally THOUSANDS of people have seen one, then there must be quite a few in existence, right? The only other possibility is that there are only a few and those rascals really get around.

Your argument that some translucent, cave dwelling snail was recently discovered or a piebald crow witnessed just isn't a very strong argument for Black Panthers (Melanistic Mountain Lion).

To date.... there is NO empirical evidence for such....but MANY claims that folks have seen them. So how do you reconcile this?

BigHutch mentioned something about releasing bears in Louisiana in secret. Bears are cool but that just isn’t right. Would not surprise me, the government has worse secrets than that. Still pretty outrageous.

It’s no wonder they failed their audit 6 years in a row.

You have to laugh at the government sometimes. I worked with a gentleman who was born and raised, and spent his entire life in SE Idaho on the Snake River. About 20-25 years ago, Idaho Fish and Game started an aggressive program to expand hunting and eliminate most of the whitetails in the area. They claimed they must have migrated in all the way from Montana. Mr friend remembered them releasing them in the 60's, and had lots of pictures. He gave them to the newspaper and called them liars in an editorial. Lots of egg on some embarrassed big wigs in IDFG!!

Just another example of the government trying to justify it’s own existence.