Hunted Mountain lions in CA from 1962 tell 1968 in the Angeles Nation Forest out side of Sunland CA. They would come down and attack farm animals in the Big River Ranch area. I know what one looks like dead and alive so when I saw one in AL. in a WLMA I knew what it was. Yes it was black not tan but was a cougar none the less. Have seen black panthers in GA. and they are smaller but are still a cougar. Have hunted man and beast so I know my target when I see it. 3/5 GET SOME
People have been recording history in this country for 500 years or so. Nobody ever has confirmed a black mountain lion in that time. None shot, trapped, snared, run over. Zero. The melanistic phase does not occur in mountain lions. If you see a black one, you didn’t see a mountain lion.
Any old garbage hound that will run a housecat will also run a bobcat or lion, they all smell the same to him. It isn’t hard to put a lion up a tree. Some of those southern boys should go out and tree a few black lions and make the history books. Shouldn’t take a long morning to accomplish if they are as plentiful as anecdotes would have you believe.