Madeline (Giles) DeJournett is the Advance writer for the North Stoddard Countian. A retired high school English/history teacher, she spent 32 years teaching in 5 schools in Missouri and Alaska. These days, she lives quietly with a menagerie of wild and domestic animals on 52 secluded acres in the remote Tillman hills south of Advance. She graduated from Dexter High School in 1960 and Southeast Missouri State in 1964. She can be contacted at advancensc@sbcglobal.net.

From Madeline

Posted Wednesday, July 11, 2007, at 9:46 PM

Terrific! Someone from California! Great input! However, most of us in this rural area know the difference between a bobcat and a cougar. The bobcat has a short tail, and really looks nothing like the cougar I saw on the police video. I can see that I really need to get that photo posted, don't I? I'd also like to see what the Conservation agents think of the video. I can't imagine any authorities in this area posting warnings or bulletins about mountain lions. You're pretty much on your own in this part of the country! Besides, as thick as deer and turkey are around here, a big cat would have no need to attack humans or domestic animals.

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Perhaps you are right. We need the photo! If you're correct about mountain lions being in the area, how many do you suppose there might be?

-- Posted by michael_lynn on Thu, Jul 12, 2007, at 12:23 AM

Madeline Dejournett's response:
Yes, I'm tracking someone down to help me with the photo, as we speak! I can't imagine that we have very many big cats in the area, since the sightings are so isolated, and I haven't heard of anything being mauled by a cat (other than a horse some years ago --- but a neighbor who saw the horse said it looked as if it had been eaten by dogs......). I'm thinking that there might be a pair of cats with perhaps some young ones. An experienced hunter looked at the video and said the cat looked young.
i kilt me a mountain lion once. bobcat too. got um both stuffed in my house.

they great for scarin' the young'ums when it get's dark. hawhaw

i member one time when ma hid behind the big'un and growled at lil sissy. scared her so bad she peed her pants.

hawhawhaw

-- Posted by Obadieh on Thu, Jul 12, 2007, at 10:11 PM
Obadieh, I think you're a figment of our imagination!!!

-- Posted by goat lady on Fri, Jul 13, 2007, at 6:31 PM
Sure does my imagination good though. I guarantee you that I have paid to be entertained less. I say put him on tour. Will Rogers and Jeff Foxworthy have nothing on this guy. He has me shaking my head and visualizing maw behind that big cat.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Fri, Jul 13, 2007, at 10:39 PM
Hahahahahaha!! He does spice up the conversation considerably, doesn't he??

Actually, I think he might be a neighbor of mine.....

...or a cousin!!

-- Posted by goat lady on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 2:15 PM

Madeline Dejournett's response:
I have a quick update on the cougar topic, if anybody's still checking this blog.....

Yesterday I received an enlarged digital photo of the cat in the police video that I mentioned above. However, it's so blurry I can't use it. My assistant tells me that the original images were very small --- 72DPI (whatever that is) and since the camera was several hundred yards from the cat, the image had to be enlarged 500%.

We're still working on it.

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