The Ozark Howler is said to be a huge, panther-like predator that roams the deep woods of the
Ozark Mountains. But are Howlers just another urban legend or actually based in truth?
As a fantasy and horror writer, I’m often accused of having a wild imagination. You’re probably
thinking that an Ozark Howler is another Big Foot or Loch Ness Monster, and I can’t say that I blame
you.
I was inspired to write Tale of an Ozark Howler after hearing stories about black panthers or Howlers
prowling around the Ozark Mountains. Talk to anyone in the Ozarks and chances are, you’ll hear a
bloodcurdling account about crossing paths with a Howler in the woods. I was skeptical, that is, until I
spent some time in an isolated cabin in the heart of the Ozark Mountains last summer.
Being from Los Angeles, my friends and family thought I was insane for trekking off into “hillbilly
country” all by myself. But my curiosity got the better of me. I was writing my new novel, Tale of an
Ozark Howler, upon which the comic series is based, and I needed to investigate Howlers for myself.
Stretching from Northern Arkansas into Southern Missouri, the Ozark region is a magical land, alive
with superstition and folklore. Imagine evenings aglow with glimmering fireflies and endless, green
forests, so dense that they choke out most of the sunlight. Cell phone reception is sporadic and
some of the back roads are so seldom traveled that you may come across vines as thick as logs
stretching from one side of the blacktop to the other. There are no signs on the back roads and it’s
easy to get hopelessly lost (which I did on more than one occasion). You have to take the hairpin
turns slowly because deer, elk and armadillos will leap onto the road in front of your car. The Ozark
Mountains are choked with deep, dark caves, wildlife and an abundance of road kill—a predator’s
paradise.
I interviewed many locals and most had either encountered a black panther or knew someone who
had. At first I thought they were just joking around until I began to notice a similar pattern among the
stories. I even had dinner with a pair of Arkansas State Park Rangers who told me that hikers
frequently reported seeing black panthers in the thick woods along the Buffalo River.
With renewed curiosity, I drove deep into the forest and stopped at an isolated ranger station. The
ranger on duty swore that Ozark Howlers were real. In fact, she’d recently seen one. “It was late at
night and something big and black darted out in front of my vehicle,” she said. “I stopped to get a
closer look and couldn’t believe what I saw—a huge black panther. It snarled at me before it
disappeared into the woods.” Although the ranger reported the incident to her superiors, she said
that Arkansas Fish and Game refused to acknowledge the existence of the creatures because no
one had ever caught one or recovered a carcass. Despite hundreds of sightings, Fish and Game
determined that the legendary Ozark Howlers were “pet panthers” that had escaped captivity. But
people in the Ozarks will tell you otherwise. “What I saw out there that night was no escaped pet,” the
ranger said. “Whether Fish and Game recognizes Howlers or not, I know what I saw.”
(Seriously, how many people do you know who keep panthers as pets?)
After numerous interviews with locals, I concluded that the legendary Ozark Howler is an elusive, but
VERY REAL CREATURE. So how come no one’s ever captured one? That’s the premise of Tale of
an Ozark Howler. Perhaps they’re not animals at all, but something else entirely…
I hope you enjoy the first edition comic! Be sure to look out for my upcoming novel, Tale of an Ozark
Howler - the Spell Quilts.
Kelly Reno
KELLY'S OZARK PHOTO ALBUM
Cabin in the woods
| The Ozark woods are one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. They really are this green. |
| OZARK HOWLER? This is an extreme closeup of something in the woods behind my cabin in the Ozarks. I was all alone and It really freaked me out, but turned out to be a stray black dog. |
| The woods at night are quite spooky. You can't see them in the photo, but there are fireflies blinking everywhere. It's a magical and enchanted place. |
| The majestic Buffalo River in June |
| I was lost when I took this photo - hopelessly lost after taking a shortcut . I kept winding up in this deserted Ozark town where the general store and filling station were closed. It was Twillight Zone'ish! |
| Home-based business? |
| A witch's spell quilt with an Ozark Howler in the bottom corner. I'll tell you much more about this later! Or, if you can't wait, the spell quilt in this photo will be on display at the Wizard World Comic Convention in Los Angeles, March 14-16, 2008. Come and try your hand at deciphering it. |
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| OZARK HOWLERS - FACT OR FICTION? BY KELLY RENO |
