4 minute read
What Are They Seeing?
Searching for the “elusive” black panther
Dark-color-phase coyotes could be mistaken for lions in low-light conditions.
Ijust returned from the NRA Convention in Houston where I had the opportunity to work a booth with Ruger and Marlin firearms. The Ruger and Marlin brands are very popular, therefore we had heavy traffic flowing through our booth, which gave me the ability to meet and visit with a lot of good people from across the country. Many attendees were from East Texas and were aware that I’m a predator hunter. For this reason, many of these folks feel obligated to tell me stories about hunting, calling predators, and unusual things they have seen. On many occasions, this is where the conversation turns to the sightings of black panthers.
While I have heard stories of black panthers being sighted across all of Texas, it seems the great majority occur in East Texas. Now, I’m not one to tell these folks they’re mistaken because it’s obvious by their sincerity that they genuinely believe they did see a black cat of some sort. My question is, “What are these folks seeing?”
I remember Dad telling me, “You can see what you want to see.” I believe most hunters want to see a mountain lion or panther, but true sightings are extremely rare. While visiting with the late Hap Blackston, renowned lion and bear outfitter from New Mexico, I asked if he had ever seen a lion in the wild. Hap lived and outfitted for deer and elk and ranched in lion country all his life. If anyone had seen a lion in the wild, it should be him. He shocked me when he said the only lions he ever saw in the wild were put in trees or on rock or in caves by his hounds. If just seeing a lion in the wild is that rare, how wild would it be to see a black one?
Hap evidently didn’t spend much time in East Texas because I visited with a gentleman last Saturday who said, “The panthers were so thick along the Brazos and Trinity rivers that they will run over you.” And yes, some of them are black.
I will readily admit there are more lions in Texas today than at any time in my life. I’m sure there are a few living in the dense vegetation along the rivers. The feral hog population has exploded across Texas, and I know lions would prey on a small hog, if given the opportunity. I’m also wondering if many of the black panther sightings are not, in actuality, feral hogs.
It would be rare to see the whole body of a lion or hog living in the brush along the Trinity or Brazos rivers, unless it’s
The jaguarundi will weigh 15-20 pounds and measure about 2½ feet in length, with a tail that’s a foot and a half long. With a little imagination, it could be a miniature black panther.
crossing a road or other open right of way. A feral hog and a black panther would be of similar height and length.
While I have never killed a black coyote, I know many buddies who have. The dark-color-phased coyotes occur in the same general areas where many of the black panthers are seen. In low light conditions, it’s possible someone could mistake a coyote for a lion.
Jaguars were native to Texas over 100 years ago but were thought to be wiped out because of their predation on livestock. Jaguars are typically spotted but melanism does occur fairly often. While I’m not aware of any documented jaguar sightings in Texas in the last 50 years, I do know several hunters who have treed jaguars in southern New Mexico and Arizona.
While I have never seen a black bobcat, melanism can occur in bobcats. Again, melanism in the stubby-tailed felines seems to occur most often in the eastern part of the state. While most mature bobcats weigh 18-25 pounds, a minority of the population will exceed 30 pounds. I can understand why a melanistic bobcat weighing 30-plus pounds could be mistaken for a black panther.
Perhaps the one critter that could be easily mistaken for a black panther would be the jaguarundi. While the last confirmed sighting of a jaguarundi occurred near Brownsville in 1986, I personally have seen two in my lifetime. A few years ago, I received a very creditable report of one on a ranch in Menard County. In fact, there were several sightings of the same jaguarundi in the same location over a couple of months, leading me to believe that it may have been a female with kittens.
The jaguarundi is dark gray or dark brown and will weigh 15-20 pounds. It measures about 2½ feet long, with a tail that’s a foot and a half long. Add a little imagination and presto, you have a miniature black panther.
I believe black panther sightings are on the increase as more folks move into rural areas. Many of these rural residents were raised in the cities and are “looking for a Booger.” As Dad said, “You can see what you want to see.” If you have enough desire to see a black panther in the wild, a hog, coyote, bobcat or jaguarundi will do.
