Huge mountain lion of Kansas and Pennsylvania-Fiction!

The Huge Mountain Lion of Leon, Kansas, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Etc.-Fiction!

Summary of the eRumor
This eRumor includes a picture of a large mountain lion saying it weighed more than 200 pounds and was shot in Leon, Kansas, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.

The Truth
The email is a hoax.

According to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks says the picture was actually published in the Fall issue of the Boone and Crocket Club's magazine.
The big cat had been shot by a hunter named Ron Hisler from Duval, Washington.
He got it legally about 6 miles from Bellevue, Washington.

The same picture has been circulated with captions that claim it was shot near Hamsburg, PA, Alabama, Texas, Montana, and Wyoming.

We haven't found an official estimate of the lion's weight.
Hunters use other measurements of their prey to determine world records, but mountain lions have been known to reach the 200-pound range.

It's interesting how a picture like this will get passed around with incorrect information.
Whoever attached the name of Leon, Kansas to it was playing into local rumors about mountain lions occasionally being seen in areas where they've never been known to live.
According to an article in the Wichita Eagle on 1/25/04, a local naturalist named Kirk Woods has been looking for any evidence of mountain lions in Kansas for two decades.
He says he's never found any evidence of a lion so far.

Last updated 2/6/04

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

Version #1

Got this from one of my friends at [name a workplace]. This mountain lion was shot near Leon, Kansas. This guy is a friend of one of the guys who works with my friend. He was going deer hunting when he heard his neighbor's cows making noise. He discovered this cat attacking some calves.

"He shot and reportedly the cat jumped 8 feet into the air, ran about 100 yards, and died. The man in the picture is over 6 feet tall and the cat weighed over 200 pounds."

Version #2

     Subject: Cougar killed just north of Harrisburg !!! HUGE!!!

      Well, the PA Game Commission can't deny this evident proof!!!!! For the
     past few years they have denied that cougars were making a comeback in the
     state; in fact, that the game commission had actually introduced several pair to
     help control the exploding deer herd. They admitted to the coyote
     introduction and now they are so numerous and out of hand that open season
     is on them for hunters in the state!!! Go Figure!!!

     A friend of mine claims to have seen one up on Red Rock a few months back.
     They are here!!! Take a look at the photo - it's truly unbelievable how
     big this cat is when shown being held up by the man who shot him - he's
     huge!!!!! I would not want to be on the wrong end of his wrath!!!

     IT WAS KILLED ON STATE GAME LAND #211 APPROX. 18 MILES NORTH OF
     HARRISBURG. WHO SAYS THERE'S NO MOUNTAIN LIONS IN PA!!!!!! IT WAS SHOT BY A COYOTE
     HUNTER USING A CALL. THE HUNTER IS 6' 2".