COUGAR TIME: We hear from A. Buck Tantalo of Bradford:

“Mountain Lions: Are these large cats in Penn’s woods? Yes.

“When you’re 4 feet from a mountain lion face-to-face, when you
can see their teeth, there’s no problem. You can distinguish the
lion from other animals, so the Pennsylvania Game Commission, this
wasn’t a deer, bobcat, coyote or other animal. I am not guessing –
I am positive.

“If you’re wondering about me being so close to the lion, I had
an article in the Era about one year ago. I was at my kitchen
window at 4 a.m., and the lion was 4 feet from the window, sitting
on the railing of the deck. The night light illuminates the area on
the deck, and I am in the dark at the kitchen window.

“And so my (dear buddy) Steve Sherk Jr., I know mountain lions
are out there. I’ve satisfied my curiosity.”

THAT PHOTO: Mr. Tantalo’s comment is in response to our sports
coverage of a photograph of a big cat footprint and story about
mountain lions which ran about 10 days ago.

Speculation about mountain lions in this region has raged for
years, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission remains skeptical –
despite some evidence and supposed sightings to the contrary.

One item we have seen at The Era is a photo of a mountain lion
dragging off a big, beautiful buck. Supposedly, the image was
captured on a wildlife camera in Rixford or Rew in McKean
County.

The photo has been making the rounds and, thanks to the
internet, has gone “viral.” We are always skeptical of information
from the internet since it often seems to take on a life of its own
and becomes virtually impossible to track down.

Double that when a photo is involved. With the software now
available digital images can be manipulated pretty easily.

As for this particular photo, it’s been making the rounds for at
least three months – probably much longer, if truth were told – and
supposedly was from a wildlife camera set up in Texas. While our
most recent information claims the photo is an actual shot from a
ranch in South Texas, we remain leery. The deer looks too perfect
and the mountain lion’s leg too fake.

At the very least, though, it wasn’t a scene that happened in
McKean County.