Report Received From: The GCBRO Online Report Submission Form.
 
Report Posted To GCBRO Web Site On:   December 1, 2009

DATE:    December 1987 
 

TIME:     3:30 AM 
 

LOCATION:   Lincoln County, North Carolina 
 

TERRAIN:    Other 
 

OBSERVED:    An animal, looking exactly like a large cougar (that I had observed all my life [38 yr.] in multitudes of pictures), bounded out of a grove of pine trees, crossed a paved two lane highway into a densely wooded area off the roadside.

Additional things: My headlights caught the animal by surprise... no other traffic or activity in the area.
 

Activities of Witness:   I was on routine night patrol as a deputy sheriff and as I rounded the curve my headlights illuminated the cougar as it left the woods and crossed the road. The cougar looked directly at me and never broke stride as he entered the wooded area.  
 

Description of Creature:  The animal had the coloration of a tan/light brown cougar with some white areas. Size was more than width of a crown victoria from head to tip of tail.  The tail was long in comparison to the body and the head appeared small compared to the body. It looked like a common ordinary garden variety full grown cougar. 
 

Other Notes:    The encounter lasted less than 3 seconds. I told several close friends at the time to avoid ridicule from the experts who deny the existence of things they do not see.
 

Other (Informational or Encounter History in the General Area) Notes:    I know of two other cougar sightings in this county but none within 10 miles of this sighting. 
 

Additional Notes and or Follow up Comments:  N/A