Posted on 04/10/2014 9:36:00 PM PDT by smokingfrog
Byron Maharrey knows what a Florida panther looks like. The former chairman of the board for the Florida Sportsmen's Conservation Association had seen the elusive cats near Palatka and around his home by Lake Kissimmee before. And he swears he saw one of these rare cougar subspecies while hunting there last month. Maharrey was sitting in a chair surrounded by decoy turkeys when an unseen force knocked the outdoorsman onto his gun and ran away. The tawny color and the long tail were dead giveaways that this was no mere bobcat.
"Florida Wildlife Commission has always said there's no documented case of panther attacks on humans," he tells the Pulp. "I don't think they can say that anymore."
Thankfully, Maharrey was wearing three layers of clothing during the March 17 attack. Long johns, a heavy camo shirt, and a Ghillie suit -- one of those outfits designed to make hunters look like Chewbacca -- protected him against serious injury. According to an incident report filed on April 4th with the FWC, Maharrey suffered only a four-inch wound on his left shoulder and two puncture wounds on his left thigh.
He says that he wasn't scared and that he waited days to go to the doctor. The only thing he's worried about is rabies -- and he's about to start his first series of shots on Friday, although he thinks he would have been toast if the animal were truly rabid.
And he's right that his experience is unique, if it's true. "This is the first report we've ever had on this type of incident," says Gary Morse, spokesman for the FWC's Southwest regional office. "My guess is that he was making turkey sounds and that's what attracted the panther."
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.browardpalmbeach.com ...
There’s a panther on Robertson’s land near West Monroe. Si has seen it numerous times.
I remember FG&FC saying, there are no panthers in Florida and we need to protect them.
well they do have luongo now..
They are here and have been, you just can’t expect them to pose for you.
I SEE YOU!
Is this kinda a where’s Waldo thing.
I saw one run across a road in DeSoto County a few months back. Oh, how I’d love one to pose!
The Florida Panthers are the worst team imaginable and are going nowhere fast.
They’ve become little more than a shakedown by which ever owner has them to threaten the city of Sunrise for ever more subsidies from taxpayers.
The white one?
He who sit with Turkey end up with panther on shoulder. :-)
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