THE Random Chat Thread - AKA "The RCT" - No shirt or shoes required - Open 24 / 7

[pepperj]

 

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[releventchair]

39c today. This hot weather makes it impossible to do anything.
But a question for you big cat country people.
There's always been stories of big cats in our bush. There were a number of releases back in the early goldrush days where cashed up miners shipped some over here for hunting just because they could. The majority got hunted down and killed but a couple they say escaped. Ok, that's the 1800s. More recent some US soldiers here in Victoria and other states doing training stuff with ours during WW2 had pumas and cougar mascots. They were told to destroy them but instead not wanting to kill them they let them go into the bush. Did they survive and breed is something often debated.
Since then there has been regular claims of sightings and paw prints.
These are the most recent just this week I think.
What do you guys make of these, big cats?
View attachment 2192187
View attachment 2192188

Top left could be cat tracks. But c'mon. No reference of size. Camera can zoom in or out all ya want.

Other tracks look canine.
Cats and fox are roundinsh. Often roundish blunt toes. Not always. But claws are valuable and like a folding pocket knife reserved for particular use.
If traction were needed that's different.

Studying would mean spending time following and finding where they defecate.
Diagnosing kills (whodid it.)

Prey matters.
Young cats will do alright on your rabbits but a decline in rabbits (they cycle in numbers often) can raise havoc on cats that became dependent on them.
Meaning in a few years it should show in attempts to shift to other prey when main prey is scarce.
Noe we're hanging around homes and ranches chasing easy stuff. Hopefully.

Bobcats here leave big tracks. Impressive big tracks some of them.
Lions do pass through at times.
I held a tape measure for dusty tracks where lady friend insisted on crossed the road in front of her.

A lion or two around isn't the same as one raising young.
If not remote and raising young there'd be more than tracks to suspect ; I suspect.

Claim is that young will follow humans sometimes.
While big cats are scarce in my parts I haven't heard of an adult following anyone.

Dd watch a large black one while hunting the back of a farm I used to rent. It was frogging like mice or rabbit were under a downed tree eventually after putting the sneak on it.
A former captive animal would be my 99% guess.
Left it alone and never had an issue about it with the horses or other stock. Nor saw tracks in the sand.
So it likely kept moving.

One cat here was allegedly from out West. (D.N.A. from hair sample maybe I've forgot how it was traced). Not just a couple states west either.
A yearling or slightly older one finding it's way after dispersal? And being uncontested by other cats mostly? ....Why not go on a walkabout?

In your area one would be lucky to survive long.
A spider bite and attack by a feral rabbit or twenty.

 

[Surf_Pirate]

If you use a metal detector, do you qualify as a Detective?

 

[releventchair]

Mornin all.

 

[Evan in CA]

Good morning all

 

[releventchair]

Good morning all

Mornin Evan!

 

[releventchair]

 

[releventchair]

Meskwaki (Fox) man and two women boiling Maple Tree Sap at the Meskwaki Settlement in Tama County, Iowa - circa 1920



Meskwaki (Fox) man and two women boiling Maple Tree Sap at the Meskwaki Settlement in Tama County, Iowa - circa 1920

 

[GirlWithWolf]

View attachment 2192214

We almost got killed by one of these running across the road our first week in Texas. I have no doubt he did it on purpose.

 

[Chilli]

Those prints look canine to me. Can even see the nails (cats don't walk with their claws out).

Ahha, yes, perfect match for the dog one. 👍
Was on several news shows here. Talk about lack of researching before running a story.

 

[Chilli]

We almost got killed by one of these running across the road our first week in Texas. I have no doubt he did it on purpose.

😮 They attack people!!!!
But they look so cute and harmless. 🤗
Did you sustain any injuries like bites and scratches?

 

[robertk]

They attack people!!!!

Armadillos? I guess that's possible but all the armadillos I've ever seen would run from a person and try like made to disappear down a hole. If they're headed down a hole and you manage to get ahold of them, they don't fight, they just spread their legs out and dig in, locking themselves into the tunnel. If you manage to catch one before it gets to a hole, they just pee on you so you drop it in disgust and then they run away laughing.

Missouri never had armadillos when I was growing up. That was always a "down south" or "out west" thing. But we've been seeing them here for several years now.

 

[Chilli]

Top left could be cat tracks. But c'mon. No reference of size. Camera can zoom in or out all ya want.

Other tracks look canine.
Cats and fox are roundinsh. Often roundish blunt toes. Not always. But claws are valuable and like a folding pocket knife reserved for particular use.
If traction were needed that's different.

Studying would mean spending time following and finding where they defecate.
Diagnosing kills (whodid it.)

Prey matters.
Young cats will do alright on your rabbits but a decline in rabbits (they cycle in numbers often) can raise havoc on cats that became dependent on them.
Meaning in a few years it should show in attempts to shift to other prey when main prey is scarce.
Noe we're hanging around homes and ranches chasing easy stuff. Hopefully.

Bobcats here leave big tracks. Impressive big tracks some of them.
Lions do pass through at times.
I held a tape measure for dusty tracks where lady friend insisted on crossed the road in front of her.

A lion or two around isn't the same as one raising young.
If not remote and raising young there'd be more than tracks to suspect ; I suspect.

Claim is that young will follow humans sometimes.
While big cats are scarce in my parts I haven't heard of an adult following anyone.

Dd watch a large black one while hunting the back of a farm I used to rent. It was frogging like mice or rabbit were under a downed tree eventually after putting the sneak on it.
A former captive animal would be my 99% guess.
Left it alone and never had an issue about it with the horses or other stock. Nor saw tracks in the sand.
So it likely kept moving.

One cat here was allegedly from out West. (D.N.A. from hair sample maybe I've forgot how it was traced). Not just a couple states west either.
A yearling or slightly older one finding it's way after dispersal? And being uncontested by other cats mostly? ....Why not go on a walkabout?

In your area one would be lucky to survive long.
A spider bite and attack by a feral rabbit or twenty.

Hi. Oh our feral cats are destroying our wildlife. They have been wiping out anything from small wallabies down since being here. Australia has the worst case in the world of mammal loss due to feral cat predation.
I know lots of people love cats and there are some lovely looking breeds like Siamese. But I believe here in Australia, keep your cat locked inside or its a dead cat and should be. At my late parents home was a colony of sugar gliders living in the gumtrees. Tiny little possums. My sister got cats and they killed every single one of them within weeks. I loathe seeing anyones cat being allowed to free roam here. They have bred in the bush to double normal cat size and like I said are capable of taking out small wallabies with ease.
This is how big they can get so I can understand some seeing one from a distance thinking its a Big Cat like a panther or something. There's a lot of videos out there where its claimed they are Panthers or something similar but you can tell they are big ferals. Here's an example of what our wildlife is up against and why they have no hope against them.

Nah we're not worried about being attacked by feral wabbits. Its the Drop Bears we gotta watch out for.

Fact File: Drop bear (Thylarctos plummetus)

The drop bear is a native Australian marsupial related to the koala that is ferocious, savage, cunning and…. entirely fabricated.

www.australiangeographic.com.au

 

[Oregon Viking]

G morn T Crew.

Good morning A to the R to the C !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 pots of coffee I'm shakin' like a leaf on a tree....

 

[Oregon Viking]

Winter Waterfalls

Waterfalls are alluring in any season. The cascade is transfixing to the eye, but the anticipation that builds when you hear the falls off in the distance — or the pounding of your chest when you stand next to one — heightens the senses and does something pretty special for the soul.

traveloregon.com

 

[Oregon Viking]

Morning all, after chores this morning, it looks like a good day to ride!!View attachment 2192201

How fast will that suicide machine go??

 

[Oregon Viking]

No coat today! Coastal snow is gone. I can drive inland 15 miles and find snow if I want the stuff. 25 miles can get to 4,000 feet!!

 

[robertk]

For anyone curious, I did a partial restore on an antique coffee grinder (matches parts I dug). More info and photos here.

 

[Iceman-NYS]

How fast will that suicide machine go??

Not that fast, it's Ski Doo Summit 800, made for mountain riding, it might do tops 85

 

[pepperj]

No coat today! Coastal snow is gone. I can drive inland 15 miles and find snow if I want the stuff. 25 miles can get to 4,000 feet!!

View attachment 2192272

We got another 4 inches. Snow banks are growing. The forecast is still calling for 18" over the next 2 weeks. No days above freezing either.
Winds are picking up to 30 mph, trees are shedding the snow now.