Kelly’s Killing It
I just wanted to shoot a note over and say I love the work Kelly Groce does in the magazine and in the e-newsletter I get a few days a week.
She has done some great stuff on tarpon, and I really loved something she did on of all things lookdowns a while back. Tell her I said to keep it up.
Patrick T.
Editor: Yep, Kelly’s a great talent. I too enjoy her writings and appreciate her contributions to Texas Fish & Game.
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Port Arthur Cougar
What was your opinion of the supposed cougar that showed up on the security camera in Port Arthur this summer?
Ken Faye
Editor:
Southeast Texas is within the cougar’s range, despite some state officials downplaying their presence over the years.
Upon close inspection of the photo in question, the animal in my opinion is a large domestic cat, made to appear more imposing due to its distance from the camera.
Perspective can play tricks, and this in my opinion is a classic case of misidentification—a phenomenon I’ve encountered many times in my investigations of alleged cougar sightings.
People make mistakes in identifying things in blurry pictures. It happens.
Over the years, I’ve analyzed numerous photos that were believed to depict cougars. In many instances, these turned out to be domestic cats or even bobcats, their true size exaggerated by camera angles or distances.
Something I noticed about the animal in these photos is the size of the paws. They are domestic cat size in proportion to the body.
Cougars are present, in my opinion, at some level state-wide even if it’s only passing through but that was not a cougar on that camera that night.
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We Need Your Help
Editor: We have some upcoming stories where we could use your participation with in regard to experience and opinions.
Have you ever seen an elk outside of a high fence in East Texas, the Hill Country or Panhandle? Let us know for a second part of our well-received article about hidden Texas elk populations.
Do you have any photos of corvina, or corvina-trout hybrids caught back in the 80s and 90s when they were stocked on Braunig and Calaveras? We would love to get photos for an article about that program.
Also, what are your thoughts on dangers in the wild? We’re talking about the dangers of the human kind? Do you feel more or less safe in the great outdoors than you did 10 years ago? Have you had run-ins with dangerous people?
Email cmoore@fishgame.com. We would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
Email your comments to: editor@fishgame.com
