A local realtor chimed in on cougars after a recent report of a Colrain sighting. The man made his first Ashfield home in an area I’m quite familiar with after decades of hunting, hiking and four-wheeling through a forest wonderland where kindred spirits beckon. Apparently, he felt as though he’d bitten his tongue long enough. […]

Not wanting to “beat a dead horse,” I had stopped reporting about Pioneer Valley mountain lion, or cougar, sightings by the late 1980s. Well, that horse has sprung to life, so I think I’ll ride it and see where it takes me. Yeah, I’m fully prepared for accusations from wildlife officials that I’m being “irresponsible” […]

As wildlife officials steadfastly dismiss Northeastern cougar sightings as misidentifications and mirages, big-cat witnesses keep coming forward from the Carolinas to Canada’s Maritime Provinces. And despite what the experts say, accepted Eastern cougar evidence has been gathered in the region, some as close as the Quabbin Reservation and the Goshen State Forest. So, although any […]

Woodsman Peter M. Falandes, a self-described “old codger” from Charlemont, chimed in about wild cats and beyond. Saying he has a good knowledge of local wildlife after spending “a lot of his life in the woods,” his typed letter touched on mountain lions and Canada lynx. Falandes doesn’t know what the fuss is about mountain […]

Here I go again, chasing ghosts, some tan, others darker, all with long, sloping tails bowed to the ground. Many credible sources claim to have seen these creatures in the area. Experts say they’re mistaken. So who do you believe — the credentialed ones who say cougars are extinct but can’t prove it, or honest […]

It’s bewildering how wildlife officials continue to turn deaf ears and blind eyes toward Northeastern cougar sightings. They should know better given what happened in Florida about 20 years ago, not to mention what is happening today in Arkansas, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. You’d think doctoral-level scientists worth their salt would learn from their mistakes, […]

I tried to get off the big-cat chase last week, just mentioning it in passing at the end of the column; but apparently readers haven’t had enough yet, thus the e-mails and phone calls reporting additional cougar information over the past seven days. As I sat at my desk Wednesday morning mulling options for this […]

Mountain lion tales are coming out of the woodwork. This week, during a brief stop at The Recorder, two people in the newsroom stopped with tales of sightings, one by reporter Diane Broncaccio, the other by the sister of the Composing Department’s Susan Smith. It all started the way most cougar discussions begin — Smith […]

This mountain lion story we’ve been chasing the past few weeks has legs — good, strong, healthy legs that are taking us on a wild ride through Franklin County and beyond. Yep, we may be onto something here, judging from the steady response. The reports keep coming, all of them worthy of attention. Seems that […]

I can’t say I’m surprised that last week’s cougar column drew some feedback from local eyewitnesses. In fact, truth be known, I was hoping to stir the pot. Seems like a great cabin-fever topic. The controversial subject of New England mountain lions has lain dormant in this space for some time despite knowledge of many […]