We are really nervous sharing this information but this website seems to be open minded. July 13, 2010 in Fayette County, IL there was a black panther in our yard out by the shed and garden. The afternoon before, I heard this terrible screaming noise in our woods where our mama deer had her fawn hidden. I actually saw mama running towards the noise! We have not seen her or the baby since. They were always in our field several times a day and would just look up at us as we were working in the yard and talking to them. After researching black panthers since seeing it, we discovered that we probably had one living in our woods for an entire summer about 5 years ago. That whole summer we kept hearing these weird noises in our woods, sometimes sounded like a baby crying and sometimes a cat screaming and other times, well I don't how to describe it. We walked out there many evenings trying to figure out what it was. Wow, we know better now, but who would have thought.........!
At least I found this website! I love nature and especially wildlife and I think I will be spending alot of time here!

I haven't heard of any black panthers in the wild here in Illinois, but that doesn't mean one didn't escape from captivity and set up residence. Any posibility of getting a good photo of it?

Hi Chris!
Welcome TO SILO! Hope you enjoy your time here! Have you tried hanging some trail cameras up to see if you can get the cat on them? I'm not going to discount your story - there's few here in Randolph county who swear they've seen a big black/very dark cougar/panther...and have yetto get it film, buthave lost livestock and several great Pyranees who were guarding the livestock. The vet concurred on the surviving dog ( three were found dead on lived long enough to make it to the vet before expiring) that the wounds and teeth marks on the bones etc were from a large feline - larger than the average bobcat. And these dogs were accustomed to running off the yotes and bobcats..
Hope you can get some photos! What DNR's answer here has always been is that they'll bring and set up some barrel traps for us..but they also indicated that they would have to probably destroy the cat once they had it in custody... so no we declined the traps.

I've seen several in my life and know many who have also seen and heard them. The black ones are not cougars per say. Nor are they pets gone wild. They and the cougars have always been here.

I believe your story. I to have seen them in my area, but have no pictures for proof. I just know what I saw is out there.

Welcome aboard, and I hope you get a pic of the critter! It'll make you famous!

Welcome aboard, and I hope you get a pic of the critter! It'll make you famous!

Kinda like an armadillo does huh Bob?

Thank you all for the support, it really does mean alot! We know what we have seen also and have no prove. We do not want it trapped or destroyed or anyone trying to hunt it down. We have our own little wildlife preserve here and it is welcome to stay, preferably a little farther from the house though!

Welcome Chris! Yep you have found a very good group of folks here. As a couple have said, put some trail cameras out and see what turns up. If nothing else, you will be surprised at what is living in your little preserve. Hope to see some exciting pics soon from your neck of the woods(as you may have noticed more Cameras than guns are shot here or so it seems).

Wow, someone else that needs their eyeglasses checked.

(as you may have noticed more Cameras than guns are shot here or so it seems


at least during the off season. ;)

tree rats are in in a few days I bet Debunk is double checking his gear as we speak.

I just wish someone in SI would get that photo of a Cougar, Panther, Bear or Bigfoot as we all are anticipating it. The difficult thing is that those large creature tend to wander so unless there is a den it would be difficult to pattern them. Now Deer are like cattle and make trails so it is normal to get a photo of a the same deer multiple times.

All I can say is drop out some trail cams, always carry a camera.

As hot as it has been. I am not sure how a fur covered animal could stand it in the woods with no breeze. Unless it gets cooler opening day of squirrel is gonna have to wait.

You know, even if someone did get a good photo or video it would most likely be explained away within 2 days. When you have lived in the wild zone and talked to all these old farmers and others who are not given to making up stuff because 1 they have been far to busy trying to make a living off the land and 2 most of these honest people don't have the mind set to even think of something like black panthers in the first place. I saw my first wild cougar when I was 7 and I almost became dinner. Saw my first black panther when I was 10 at the edge of a bean field in pope county. I plan on getting some photos of these native cats somewhere along the line.But it won't really prove anything because the majority of humans around the state don't want to think there are things running around that could eat them in this day and age. Myself, I don't have to prove anything really, I know what's here.

Well, I have never lived in Southern Illinois and back when I was a kid I lived up north in Danville where there was never any talk about a cougar in Illinois what so ever. So I was visiting my family around 10 years ago, they live outside of Carbondale somewhere. I was driving the rental car really late on my way from St. Louis airport to their house and I saw a cougar jump across the little gravel road to their house. And you have to remember, there was nothing even in my mind about a cougar being in IL at all because I had never heard of it. Got to the house and told them what I saw. Quite a few of the older folks in my family swore they have all seen them too... They live on Wagon Wheel road I believe it's called...

That would put them a few miles southeast of Carbondale and in the northeast corner of the Shawnee National Forest. I've been near there, and I could see that area supporting big cats.

BigFoot took down his pics, but what he had here were pretty convinving, but I'm a tad biased:

http://www.siloutdoors.com/showthread.php?t=14589&highlight=Cache

Sadly my experience has been that unless you drop the carcass off on the doorstep - DNR is not willing to admit that they are here yet. And when one does drop off the carcass ( as happened here a few years back) there are multipl tests and explanations given.. rather than say the way it went down with Bob and MadadaM's armadillo find :)

I think group is highly likely to get some images at some point - between the collective number of trail cams, phone cams, and plain old cams SILO has out there - our sheer numbers alone tip the scales in our favor -

I have heard the baby crying scream befor while bow hunting and a couple of farmers have said that they have seen a black panther or a large catg of some sort in the fields and on the out skirts of the woods we all know their here but just dont think about them being here because we dont see them enough to believe it but all i have to say is that if im in the woods and i have a large black cat of any sort coming to attack me im goin to fight back even if it means killing the animal but thats just how i think of it

BigFoot took down his pics, but what he had here were pretty convinving, but I'm a tad biased:

http://www.siloutdoors.com/showthread.php?t=14589&highlight=Cache

really, I have no memory of taking down those photos? Of course that don't really mean anything either! :cool:

I have heard the baby crying scream befor while bow hunting and a couple of farmers have said that they have seen a black panther or a large catg of some sort in the fields and on the out skirts of the woods we all know their here but just dont think about them being here because we dont see them enough to believe it but all i have to say is that if im in the woods and i have a large black cat of any sort coming to attack me im goin to fight back even if it means killing the animal but thats just how i think of it

If you hear one really scream(which sounds like a woman screaming) and that's putting it mildly. You won't ever forget it, it always makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. They do that baby crying thing too but that's nothing to what they can do. When we were living near Lusk Creek in Pope county I used to hear them screaming almost every night. It was common place really.
A great Horned Owl can do a pretty good scream too, but that's rare. And A grey fox can scare the Pee-water out of you if they sneak up behind you and let out a scream. But when a cougar or panther screams you will hear the differance believe me. :eek:

I think group is highly likely to get some images at some point - between the collective number of trail cams, phone cams, and plain old cams SILO has out there - our sheer numbers alone tip the scales in our favor -

Only if the critter wants to be seen by camera toting two-legs. Trail cam set ups will take every masking skill the camera owner has and then some. I know it's not probably legal, but what about putting a BIG hunk of meat out and setting a camera up to watch it? Might get a good picture.

I know it's not probably legal, but what about putting a BIG hunk of meat out and setting a camera up to watch it? Might get a good picture.

Deja Vu ------ its about this time I remember a chicken gets involved. :eek:

Some people I know hung up a dead pig and brought in a black Panther not 10 miles from where I live now. Of course, no one had a camera. They said they shot at it but it got away. I believe it scared them pretty bad when something did come in to the bait.

This thread has become humorous.

This thread has become humorous.

Don't laugh I seen one near fults by brandt road:eek:

Saw one chasing a bigfoot across the back yard last week, but a UFO swooped down and picked it up before I could get a picture>:D

Saw one chasing a bigfoot across the back yard last week, but a UFO swooped down and picked it up before I could get a picture>:D
You know what they say though...without pictures you don't have any proof.:D

If you do not beleive there are cougars in southern illinois you are ignorant. There is tons of proof out there and I personally have seen 2 in the past 3 1/2 years at my farm near Shawnee Nationl Forest. You are the one who needs your eyeglasses checked buddy

Wow, first post and already calling people ignorant. Way to introduce yourself. Anythings possible. But some seem to think we have a whole village of cats out there. That is not possible if you know anything about cats.