Cougars

[J0E]

On our hunting property near mahnomen we have had 2 cougar sightings, droppings, footprints and one mauled deer with cougar tracks all around it.

My cousin had his sighting of the cougar walking to his stand to bow hunt. It was 10 yards away from him at a trail crossing. No gun. It roared at him and continued walking.

I was curious to hear if anyone else has similar stories of cougars in the past years

[RumRiverRat]

It was probably swamp gas.

There are no Cougars in Minnesota.

In before all the Cougar innuendos.

[PEATMOSS]

In before all the Cougar innuendos.

Curse you. Foiled again

[Seamus]

I saw a cougar at the mall today

[paul pachowicz]

our cat season is getting close to reaching the allowed head taken. 3 to go. Just this past Thursday there was an article in the paper about a guy who has hunted them for two years now and has fianaly taken one with a bow. A ten yard shot. Pretty sure this is the 1st archery kill on a cat.

[tracker x-2]

When we go out on Thursdays I always manage to see some cougers at the bars.

[mixxedbagg]

Quote:

There are no Cougars in Minnesota.

Not picking on you, RRR, but I'm wondering why I always see this type of comment whenever cougars come up on these forums. Comments that basically claim that the DNR says there are no cougars in Minnesota. I've never found this claim in any DNR publication or news release. I'm just curious where this comes from.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/cougar.html

That said, so many people I know have claimed to see cougars on their property that I can't even keep track anymore. I suspect the number of actual sightings is maybe 1/10 or less than the number of claimed sightings. If a hunter can mistake a buddy dressed in orange for a deer, I'd believe your average person can mistake a bobcat or other largish mammal for a cougar.

[iceman16]

i have called the DNR out on a couple a tracks in northern minnesota up on the north shore and they always say they are not cat tracks. even when we printed out cat tracks on paper and went back. have never seen a cat but plenty of tracks up there to know they are there.

iceman

[JayinMN]

The only cougar sighting/story I trust is the one verified by the dnr or is a verified video/trail cam shot. I have seen too many bear, wolf, dog and other tracks mistaken for cougar.

I found these cat tracks on the N. Shore. My hand is 8 inches long, the phone 4.5 inches for scale.

[harvey lee]

Cougar spotted by many and also verified by the local CO in our area around Arlington last winter.

The real type also.

Also have seen them in ND where we hunt deer.

[Crm7290]

I have a friend who claims to see at least one cougar and a angry pack of wolves every time he hunts it seems to me...

Dnr knows they are there but what can they do about it?

[mixxedbagg]

Quote:

I have a friend who claims to see at least one cougar and a angry pack of wolves every time he hunts it seems to me...

That's just it. If we accepted every single cougar report that comes out of a deer stand and a six pack, we'd have a state overrun with cougars. It would be a miracle to make it out of the woods alive or see a deer out there.

[mrklean]

there around everyone knows there around but we have to pick through the [PoorWordUsage] stories and that facts from trail cams and what not

[Effie07]

Trail cam photo from Two Harbors area last October was verified by DNR I believe. Female Cat hit and killed by car near Bemidji last year, no denying that one. A buddy and I both saw the same cat about 6 years back when deer hunting near Big Elbow Lake in Northern Becker County, SW of Itasca State Park. That is the only wild cat I have ever seen.

[JayinMN]

Quote:

. Female Cat hit and killed by car near Bemidji last year, no denying that one.

It was a young male, not a female.

[gloomiseye]

Haha our DNR always claimed there werent any in Iowa either, that is untill one got shot last year.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/79313477.html

[Effie07]

It was a young male, not a female.

[ERdeerhunter]

The only cougar sighting/story I trust is the one verified by the dnr or is a verified video/trail cam shot. I have seen too many bear, wolf, dog and other tracks mistaken for cougar.

I found these cat tracks on the N. Shore. My hand is 8 inches long, the phone 4.5 inches for scale.

Hmmmm, not sure if I should believe the 6-fingered man!

[jparrucci]

I think we all can agree that there are more of these around than the DNR is letting on. I myself have had 2 run ins, one was a little too close for comfort. One near Walker, another near Effie. Both times I was within 50 yards, no question as to what I saw. The first one was just a couple of years ago. A cougar followed me along the side of a pond I had jump shot wood ducks from. I walked back to the truck to get waders, and upon my return to the pond I had no firearm. I spotted it as I was about to head back to the truck, I saw some movement in the thick timber. I thought I was seeing things at first, until I saw it blink. I froze for a minutes, and thought my options through. I had no weapons, only sticks and rocks along the pond. I threw rocks at it and yelled bloody murder. It retreated a short distance into the woods in the opposite direction I needed to go along a ridge that ran all the way back to where I was headed. As I started to walk, it basically stalked me along the ridge. When I reached the truck, my friend said he never saw me so white in all my life. It was a young cougar that was easily under 100 lbs. I figured it was a young cougar, so young in fact, I didn't know if mom was around somewhere too.

The second one walked through spokes in a dear stand, following the same route a doe had walked a few minutes earlier. This cat was much, much bigger. I was only about 16 at that time. Never hunted out of that stand since. 2 years ago I also saw tracks that I believe were cougar in SE Minnesota near Whitewater while turkey hunting. Huge tracks in fresh mud, no claw marks.

People are also blowing these sightings out of proportion, you are more likely to get killed on the drive to the woods, than in it by a cougar. Still does make the hair on the back of your neck stick up when you are in the woods alone or in the dark.

[mixxedbagg]

Wow. I've been camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, ATVing, birdwatching, and working in some of the most remote forests northern Minnesota has to offer, yet I haven't seen dozens of cougars or superhighways of lion tracks all over the woods. You guys and your buddies and brother-in-laws must be spraying on cougar estrus urine and filling your pockets with Meow Mix before getting out of the truck. This is absolutely terrifying! I can't believe I haven't already been eaten!

[harvey lee]

Why do people seem to not believe these cougar reports? There have been verified sightings in most states in the midwest. I realize there may be some bogus reports but that should not make all liars.

No, there are not a ton of them but they are around.

[Crm7290]

They have been some spotted in Illinois, there are forums about them down there. They are probably coming from somewhere else but its possible that they follow the mississippi down there. Its a big corridor that is perfect for animal travel.

[mixxedbagg]

Quote:

I realize there may be some bogus reports but that should not make all liars.

I'm not saying everyone is a liar nor is our DNR, according to the link I posted. However, don't you think it's odd that practically everyone who goes into the woods seems to have one or more reports of quite possibly the rarest mammal found in our state????

I'm of the mind that there are a few transient cougars in Minnesota and possibly a breeding pair or two. The number of anecdotal reports suggests the woods are teeming with them and you could hardly get out of your truck without tripping over one. Given that, my sense is that a handful of reports are 'good' and the majority are bogus.

[Spearing Machine]

I'm not saying everyone is a liar nor is our DNR, according to the link I posted. However, don't you think it's odd that practically everyone who goes into the woods seems to have one or more reports of quite possibly the rarest mammal found in our state????

I'm of the mind that there are a few transient cougars in Minnesota and possibly a breeding pair or two. The number of anecdotal reports suggests the woods are teeming with them and you could hardly get out of your truck without tripping over one. Given that, my sense is that a handful of reports are 'good' and the majority are bogus.

+1....Couldn't agree more mixxedbagg!! I have watched and read way too many of these posts on this site over the last couple of years and quit battling with this group of people as you have hit the hammer on the head. They can say what they want and have their opinions and I will keep mine. That's all I will say.

[harvey lee]

I do not believe that everyone who goes into the woods see's cougar. That is a stretch.

I have never got from these reports that there are cougar running all over. I guess it's what one reads into the posts.

We can talk about the cougar that was in the town of Arlington last winter and out in the rural area for about 3 weeks. Many saw this cougar but that does not mean that 20 are running around. Simply 20-30 people who saw it and talked about it.