There has always been people saying they've seen and heard mountain lions in the KY mountains. I can't remember which county, but a few years back a young mountain lion was hit by a vehicle on a road in southeastern KY, and another shot out of a tree in Bourbon County, by a fish and wildlife officer. In both instances they acknowledged the animal as a mountain lion but were very vague about there presence they down played it and tried to pass it off in sort of of a suggested narrative as random events or as being animals that were brought in illegally.My uncle has told me of a time when my Papaw and the boys were out coon hunting. Dogs had something treed when all of a sudden all the dogs were scared shitless and wanted to turn back. Uncle said my Papaw suspected it was a big cat. This would have been in Clay County KY in the early 70's.
I've been in areas with heavy cat populations many, many times, and I've never seen one. Out in the outback where they live and thrive. I've smelled them and seen their marks, but have never actually seen the animal itself. It's on my bucket list as I've seen so many things others never have, and it's frustrating. But I'd rather have a bucket list with missing pieces than the alternative.I haven't seen one in person, but my boys stumbled up on one while running their traps on night. We took pictures of the tracks the next morning. Definitely cat tracks a little over 4 inches wide. A neighbor has game camera photos of a big cat with a tail as long as its body from each of the last 3 years. Last year there were little ones with it. It takes 2 to make that happen!
No one is in denial any longer.