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Author Topic: Mature Lion or Not?  (Read 5445 times)

Offline weber240

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Mature Lion or Not?
« on: March 31, 2022, 05:59:54 PM »
Hoping to get some this forums expertise whether this cougar my camera stumbled upon is a mature cat or not? I am not experienced with cougars and was only in this area to scout for elk and deer. Appreciate anyone's input.


Offline MADMAX

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2022, 06:01:06 PM »
3 year old
Probably a female
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Offline redi

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #2 on: March 31, 2022, 06:07:39 PM »
Adult

Offline carpsniperg2

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #3 on: March 31, 2022, 07:21:05 PM »
 :yeah: Adult female
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Offline Houndhunter

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #4 on: March 31, 2022, 07:25:21 PM »
Adult and I wouldn't rule out Tom :twocents:

Offline KFhunter

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #5 on: March 31, 2022, 07:27:01 PM »
mature tom  :twocents:

Offline rainshadow1

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #6 on: March 31, 2022, 07:32:26 PM »
From that one angle...

The head looks a little narrow, like a female, but the sway back and slightly haggard look could mean it's skinny, so it's possible it's a Tom. They're VERY hard to tell apart except in the most healthy cases.

It looks very long, like it's quite mature. Definitely not young, but it's just not BEEFY like a Tom should be.

My initial reaction is "Old. Tired. Possibly over the hill, can't hold territory, and has become transient." Male or female is still in doubt with that assessment.
    But then I look at coloration, and it's not really gray and the color is smooth...

Cats are tricky! But it's not young. Not at all.
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Offline brew

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #7 on: March 31, 2022, 07:33:12 PM »
has anyone asked the cat what they identify as ? 
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Offline rainshadow1

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2022, 07:35:41 PM »
has anyone asked the cat what they identify as ?

I guess that's the main factor these days, isn't it...
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Offline KFhunter

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #9 on: March 31, 2022, 07:36:10 PM »
From that one angle...

The head looks a little narrow, like a female, but the sway back and slightly haggard look could mean it's skinny, so it's possible it's a Tom. They're VERY hard to tell apart except in the most healthy cases.

It looks very long, like it's quite mature. Definitely not young, but it's just not BEEFY like a Tom should be.

My initial reaction is "Old. Tired. Possibly over the hill, can't hold territory, and has become transient." Male or female is still in doubt with that assessment.
    But then I look at coloration, and it's not really gray and the color is smooth...

Cats are tricky!

the length is why I called tom, they're longer torso.   The front legs look pretty heavy, the ear twitched back pulls the face longer and sooths the blocky head toms get.   The rear legs are thick and heavy

all of it tells me a nice tom  :tup:

another thing is there's not really much of a primordial pouch that females get, toms can get them too, but not like females who've nursed

Offline Iveexcaped3

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #10 on: March 31, 2022, 07:41:20 PM »
Old enough to remove from the area.

Offline WAcoyotehunter

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #11 on: March 31, 2022, 07:48:02 PM »
I would say it's an adult female

Offline KFhunter

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #12 on: March 31, 2022, 08:34:03 PM »
I would say it's an adult female


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Offline AppyMtnBoy

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #13 on: March 31, 2022, 08:47:30 PM »
Can't say, I'm not a biologist... :IBCOOL:

Offline pd

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #14 on: March 31, 2022, 08:57:48 PM »
Si vis pacem, para bellum

Offline Jingles

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #15 on: April 01, 2022, 04:58:59 AM »
Old enough to be taken
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Offline nwwanderer

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #16 on: April 01, 2022, 05:43:11 AM »
Regardless, thanks for the share!!!

Offline Okanagan

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #17 on: April 01, 2022, 08:40:11 AM »
Plenty old enough to shoot, and then some.  Cougars IME retain juvenile spots and bars inside the legs, especially inside the front legs, up to another year or two after they leave their mother.  The spots/bars get fainter all the time, fading out slowly. 

I have seen young adult, independent cougars that were operating solo that still have faint spots and bars inside the legs.  Technically, according to the WA State Game Regs. it is apparently illegal to kill such a cougar, though it is virtually impossible to see the faint spots in a calling situation.  Weird law given how long cougars retain juvenile spots.

Anyway, the cat in the photo above has no trace of juvenile spots/bars inside its legs that I can see.  It's a grown up.



Offline MtnMuley

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #18 on: April 01, 2022, 08:45:05 AM »
That's a large adult female in my eyes.

Offline weber240

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #19 on: April 02, 2022, 06:59:59 PM »
Thanks for all the input everyone. This cat was from a game cam I had out in ID about two weeks into the archery elk season. None of the horned type showed up on camera, maybe due to the cat. But maybe since it was skinny there isn't any game in the area :dunno: Pretty cool though none the less. I have a few seconds on video of it strolling through. To be honest it's the first coug I've ever got on camera. I always see prints but have never caught one on cam nor in real life while out in the woods. Again, thanks for your comments. 

Offline HighlandLofts

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #20 on: April 03, 2022, 08:57:51 PM »
Was that taken on Camano island
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Offline idaho guy

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Re: Mature Lion or Not?
« Reply #21 on: April 03, 2022, 09:39:48 PM »
Was that taken on Camano island


He said from a game cam in ID. It’s a mature female in my opinion. Definitely an older cat but not “over the hill “ old it looks  skinny because it probably hasn’t eaten for little while. Same picture of that cat after making a fresh kill it will look very plump in my experience.

 


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