Have you seen a Mt Lion?

[leechlake]

two days before rifle opener, adjacent land owner caught a Mt Lion on trail camera near Benedict, west of Leech Lake. Saw the pic.

One was killed on highway near Bemidji last year so it makes sense, still weird.

[ANYFISH2]

I have not. Really, I don't want to either.

[nofishfisherman]

Hmmm, tough decision... Should I make the obligatory cougar joke or leave it for the next guy?

I think I'll leave it for the next guy and I'll just answer no, I've never seen one in the wild.

[Pinusbanksiana]

I did see one, but in Montana not Minnesota.

[Dave S]

Hmmm, tough decision... Should I make the obligatory cougar joke or leave it for the next guy? I think I'll leave it for the next guy.

Thank You!!!!!!

The Cougar jokes as well as the Chupacabra jokes have run it's course IMO and have gone well beyond any possible realm of creativity. At one point it used to be funny but now it's just flat out annoying.

But to answer the OP's question, yes I've seen one in MN. No surprise. They do pass through on occasion and don't stick around long. For every cougar that heads East across the MN/WI border, there's atleast 1 if not 2 more that cross the SD/ND border into MN.

[BobT]

The day after Thanksgiving in 2005 my daughter was looking out the bay window facing south from our living room and suddenly exclaimed, “Who’s out in our field?” When I looked out there I saw what looked like it could be a rather large dog sitting on its haunches. It wasn’t sitting on our field but on our neighbor’s alfalfa field about 300 yards from our house and about 100 yards from our horse pasture. Nobody that I knew had a dog that large so I got my binoculars to have a closer look.

It appeared dark brown in color although it was a little foggy so color perception wasn't real good. While I was looking at it through the binoculars it suddenly turned and began to walk broadside toward the east. It was then that I knew it was a cat. I remember saying that it was at least four feet long with a long tail. I got online and was able to identify what I saw was a mountain lion.

The next morning I decided to grab my shotgun and go over to a WMA about 1/4 mile east of our place and hopefully be able to pick up its tracks. I got lucky and did in fact find its tracks. They were definitely feline and a little bigger than the palm of my hand. This substantiated what I thought I saw as the tracks were exactly the size indicated in my online research.

I live about 1 mile S-SE of Osakis, MN.

[Storm]

Saw one about 20 minutes outside of the st. cloud area at night while leaving a friends house. Heard the neighbors dog about a quarter mile away barking and heard the screaming noise coming from that direction. Everything quieted down so I drove away. About a quarter mile away then I saw the big cat run out infront of the vehicle. Turned my headlights out into the bean field and I could see eyes reflecting and barely the outline of the body.

A week later an uncle who lives a mile away from this location saw a mountain lion out in a field as well.

[LatLong]

Fall of 1995 a buddy and I were grouse hunting east of Bemidji on some hunter walking trails and one crossed the trail in front of us about 100' away. July 2nd 2009 my girlfriend had one cross the road in front of her just a few miles from my 1995 sighting.

[deerminator]

Yes, right outside Sibley State Park near New London. The DNR told me I was mistaken and that it was likely a yellow lab when I reported it, though, so I guess I didn't according to them.

[flyfisher03]

Yes, I did at Frontenac State Park, late summer '08, I didn't have any proof so no-one believed me.

[RumRiverRat]

Yes twice in the last 5 years.

One in Nowthen just east of Elk River and one in Bethel just east of Saint Francis.

[trebby01]

yes. it was about four years ago on bow opener. I walked out to my stand in the dark as normal and could hear something parrelling me in the woods didnt think anything of it. Then at first light on the same trail i used to get to the swamp i hunted here comes a couger with in ten yards of my stand. scared the liveing s**t out of me!

[CNCMike]

Yes, north of Crosby crossing the highway a couple years ago

Just snowed so we went and checked for tracks. Found them easily and DNR still said we were incorrect, even after the CO verified he prints as those of a mountain lion/cougar

[BobT]

The DNR denying these I don't understand. When I saw that one here in 2005 I contacted the DNR and not only did they not deny this they provided me with detailed information and up-to-date maps of known sightings. They didn't even hint at denial but quite the opposite.

[Jeff13]

Saw one a few years back off hwy 16 between Jenkins and Cross Lake, my parents spend a lot time up there in the summer and have seen one a few times over the years.

[ClownColor]

ones been spotted in aitkin this summer

[Solaris79]

I've never seen one in MN, but I've cut tracks in both Swift and Pope counties before. Territorial critters such as these kick out rivals (males) or eliminate chances of inbreeding (females)by pushing out their young, which become travelers looking for food, shelter, love, and a general place to call home for themselves.

[Archerysniper]

I have ran into tracks 3 separate times one just south of hwy 70 in pine county while I was bowhunting second set was along the Mississippi river just north and west of big sandy lake in atkin county while bowhunting neighbor has a trail cam pic 3rd one was up by squaw lake last gun season.

[harvey lee]

My wife saw one when I was hunting deer in North dakota about 60 miles from the Minnesota border. I talked with the CO in that area and he said they have a few sighting but they are not considered confirmed sightings as so many believe they saw one when it could easily have been something else or they thought they saw one.

There are no bobcat in our area and a buddy did get a few pics of some and I sent them to the ND GnF and they confirmed they were bobcat and that was the first confirmed sighting they knew of ever.

I guess one has to have a dead carcas or a photo for them to believe what you say you saw.

I am sure they do get many unconfirmed sightings and yes, some could be correct and then others are not.

Who knows what the real amount of sighting are.

[R. Miller]

My dad saw one in the early 2000s right down in the river bottoms near Chaska/Carver area.

[BobT]

My wife saw one when I was hunting deer in North dakota about 60 miles from the Minnesota border. I talked with the CO in that area and he said they have a few sighting but they are not considered confirmed sightings as so many believe they saw one when it could easily have been something else or they thought they saw one.

There are no bobcat in our area and a buddy did get a few pics of some and I sent them to the ND GnF and they confirmed they were bobcat and that was the first confirmed sighting they knew of ever.

I guess one has to have a dead carcas or a photo for them to believe what you say you saw.

I am sure they do get many unconfirmed sightings and yes, some could be correct and then others are not.

Who knows what the real amount of sighting are.

To some degree I can understand why they wouldn't record someone's opinion as a confirmed sighting. Some people can't tell the difference between a mountain lion and bobcat. How many coyotes or German shepherd dogs are mistaken for timber wolves? How many people have shot horses mistaken as deer?

I think it is equally important that they don't flat out deny they are around simply because they don't have any confirmed sightings but until they can substantiate anything they need to have proof. That's exercising due diligence.

Also, since a mountain lion's home range could be as big as St. Louis county and they are prone to wander great distances multiple sightings does not necessarily mean multiple animals.

[harvey lee]

You hit the nail on the head BobT.

[JIvers]

Here is a "mountain lion" sighting in Iowa City with video evidence :

This is why state wildlife agencies do not treat every reported cougar sighting as gospel truth. I've heard of other puma sightings down here that did in fact turn out to be deer, yellow labs, or large yellow tabby housecats.

I have no doubt there are real sightings of big cats in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin that aren't confirmed by public officials as the real thing. But this video shows why not all reported sightings are automatically treated as legitimate.