So that was what was munching on my sheep...

Caught a picture on a trailcam, explains why my flock of sheep had problems growing... especially when not kept near the house.

This photo is from a station not even 300 meters from our home.



Honestly, I don't begrudge the puma a few snacks... I also got a photo of part of a deer, and a really big bird (like a meter tall)

Bad kitty!

If nothing else, a predator call and mid powered riffle is an option if you have patience and the legal permissions.

Yikes! We've got mountain lions up here in Nebraska, not a lot but enough to be a concern. A pair took out a huge number of goats about 30 miles north of us, and one was shot in a neighborhood 45 miles south last year.

I've heard a few good guard dogs can help keep them away.

what do you think the big bird was?

Maybe. When you say, munching on your sheep, it sounds as the sheep were attacked but not taken. If a cougar killed one of your sheep, it would be displaced to a quiet place in thick brush or under a low tree. The telltale sign of a cougar kill is how the remains are covered when the predator finishes its munching.

why does this make my bear problems seem like a kitty cat is pooing in my garden problems.
My heart goes out to you cuzz you really don't want to kill a puma, but when it comes to getting it's lunch your looking at an assassin.

Is portable electric fence paddock shifts possible for you? It might help your guardian animals as well in not getting hauled off to the forest.

Trail cams only ever seem to get really good pictures of animals butts. You have two options. Kill it or feed it. I've never had luck trying to live catch predators. Chain an old goat to a stump ala Jurassic Park and wait.

Please be careful! They attack humans more than just about anything in the US! I knew a guy who raised one as a mascot for a university and when it was grown it bit his face off - just in a bad mood that day. (He survived but needed LOTS of stitches!) These animals are dangerous!

If you're finding half-eaten carcasses or injured animals it could be a very young puma that's having trouble figuring out how to hunt.

I have some other very good pictures of the full cat, including cubs. Very cute. Our pumas don't attack people (never been reported), probably because no one goes into the jungles without a "long tooth", mine is a 28 inch machete which could easily decapitate a puma. Since I walk with a dog, and no puma is going to sneak up on us, I am not worried.

The puma stays, the sheep are gone, but I have goats now. They stay pretty close, except if I am out with them. Also, we have some pretty good size horses in the area, and the pumas aren't big enough to take on a couple of horses without serious risk of injury. Jaguars on the other hand can kill a full grown mare, but it is rare.

One issue you have up there is animals getting used to people, here they rarely see people, and if they do, they run the other way.

Honestly, I worry more about the 20 foot boa that was spotted one day, and the tapir, which we say a foot print. We also heard a giant anteater, which are pretty dangerous as well. But I would prefer wildlife, with a bit of risk.

John Eickert wrote:Maybe. When you say, munching on your sheep, it sounds as the sheep were attacked but not taken. If a cougar killed one of your sheep, it would be displaced to a quiet place in thick brush or under a low tree. The telltale sign of a cougar kill is how the remains are covered when the predator finishes its munching.

No doubt it was the puma, I found the remains, completely eaten, with marks on the trees nearby.

Chupicabraa

You'll find that there is a lot of ground shrinkage with snakes. I believe that the largest recorded boa ever was 13'. Unless you're talking anaconda (which is a member of the boa family) no one saw a 20' boa LOL.

My advice would be to practice the three "S"s.

1. shoot
2. shovel
3. shut your mouth

Tom Scialla wrote:You'll find that there is a lot of ground shrinkage with snakes. I believe that the largest recorded boa ever was 13'. Unless you're talking anaconda (which is a member of the boa family) no one saw a 20' boa LOL.

My advice would be to practice the three "S"s.

1. shoot
2. shovel
3. shut your mouth

13 feet is normal boa size, 18 and change is the largest found.