Big cats spotted near town

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Reports of mountain lions in and near the city have been made, according to  Troy Achterhof, Wyoming Game and Fish Department game warden, and wildlife biologist Joe Sandrini, also of Game and Fish. The reports have not been confirmed. 
“They are just reports. That is all I can tell you at this time,” Achterhof told the News Letter Journal. 
According to Sandrini, it is not uncommon for mountain lions to be seen in the county or near Newcastle and that residents should not be too worried unless the animal is acting abnormally. 
“As long as they are acting like a mountain lion, not sleeping under your porch or wandering around town during the day, there isn’t much to worry about. That’s the take home message,” Sandrini said. “Mountain lions are naturally very curious, just like house cats, and they will venture near or into town if that is where their prey is going, like deer.” 
On Facebook, residents have warned others of a mountain lion near First Avenue, and Jill Pischke shared a photo that her husband, Brian, had taken of a mountain lion on Oil City Road. 
“It is common to have them around; their homes are in the area,” Sandrini said. 
 
Field day planned
Wyoming Game and Fish Department wildlife biologist Joe Sandrini will host a field day course on Aug. 14. The field day is the second piece of the local hunter’s education option, after the actual class in the county was discontinued. 
“The best option for anyone in the county is the online course and the field day,” Sandrini said. 
Information on the online course can be found on the Game and Fish website; currently, there is no minimum age requirement for the course. 
 
“Anyone interested in attending the field day needs to take the online course and pre-register for the field day. Anyone planning on it should do so soon, the field day is already half full,” Sandrini said. “I would like to see some locals take advantage of the local opportunity.”