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Big Cats in South Walton

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I have seen cat tracks on the dunes from the walk over at Deer Lake State Park on several occassions. One of the many reasons I love that park is the tell-tale signs that wildlife still exists there, even with the encroachment of humans.
 
I have met someone who had an encounter with what they described as a panther on one of the bike trails in Pt. Washington State Forest, and it is exciting :yikes:. Its interesting to me that many of the sightings I have heard of of jaguarundi all seem to have occurred in the same general areas, mainly off of Bay Dr. There must be something out there. If anyone is able to capture this creature on film, I would be very interested in seeing the photos. Keep us posted, everyone.
 
I also live off of Bay Drive. Several months ago I was walking with one of my neighbors and her husband. She was asking me if I had seen or heard of a jaquarundi in the area. I had never heard of one before, but now we keep on the look-out all the time. We've also seen a large black cat-like creature crossing Bay Drive and Little Canal Drive (the last sighting was a few months ago). I think my neighbor said that a wildlife officer had identified a jaquarundi in a tree in our area. I'm not positive about this, but I do think I remember her saying that. I'll ask her for more info next time I see her.
 
We definitely have some kind of wildcat in the woods south of our neighborhood. My house (vacation home) is just north of Gulf Place off 393. My neighbor is a full time resident and warned us about a panther (or some similar sort??) that he has seen near our yard and his (because we have two young children). I left to return home late last night and my wife called. She was on our deck and heard and eventually saw the cat near our yard which borders some fairly thick woods. She got a very detailed look (but no picture). It was a wildcat which she estimated to be slightly taller than our 4.5 year old daughter. It had a lightish blond coat and based on her comparison to our dogs, I am estimating the cat weighed approximately 45-65 lbs. Her scientific description was that it looked just like a wildcat you would see at the zoo. I am not too worried but can anyone shed anymore light on this mystery cat? It is definitely real as I now have two reliable sourced sightings. Plus my wife has a valid excuse to drink wine on the wine on the deck tonight once the kids go down. She will have her camera in hand.
 
I really hope you have luck in getting a photo. Maybe a small stuffed poodle or something out in the middle of the yard to draw the cat in.
Sorry....couldn't help it. :funn:
 
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