Cougar?

[mnviking28]

Ok...before anyone accuses me of trying to make something up or anything of the sort...I got a text from my sister last night that she "thought" that her and her husband had just seen a cougar in their yard. I was very skeptical, she told me that they had gotten some "blurry" pics through their picture window. She sent this to me. I am not sure either direction. I had her husband go out and measure the height of the lighter colored leaves the cat is standing under. He said by his estimate, the cat was between 24 and 30 inches tall. She said it had a long tail like a house cat and was about the size of a Lab. I honestly don't know what else it could be. It is just too big to be a bobcat. It has a skinny face like a cougar, a bobcat is kind of puffy. The back left leg looks funny like there is a tail up against it. She says they have 3 deer that walk that same path basically daily, so it was probably hunting. They are going to put up one of my trail cameras this weekend, doubt that it will be back, but it is definitely an interesting topic for debate.

[96trigger]

Sure looks like a cougar to me!

[reinhard1]

i also think it's a couger. does your sister live in Bemidje as well? good luck.

[mnviking28]

She lives south of Thief River Falls

[B@ssDoctor]

Cougar. Typically with digital cameras, one would take a large number of photos of something like this. Does she have additional ones, blurry or not?

I would still report this to the DNR. It would be kind of scary with a 2 year old out there paying hide-n-go-seek in the trees.

[Lund79]

Sure looks like a cougar to me and agree on reporting the sighting to the DNR.

[hockeybc69]

I'd like to see another pic that shows the tail.

That would seal the deal with me as to what it for sure is.

One thing I am seeing that isnt convincing me its a cougar is the inside of the right front leg. sure looks like its got black blotches on it.

Its too bad the pic is blurred like that. Impossible to tell if the fur is mottled with the black spots or not.

Male bobcats can be up to 24 inches at the top of the shoulder. FYI.

[mnviking28]

I think it was his cell phone camera, thus the blur and the lack of more pics. The other one isn't of much value as it is running away and has even less detail. The tail looks shorter in the one that was running away, and I questioned her about it, but she said it is because it was lifted up as it is running.

[Bear55]

I'd like to see another pic that shows the tail.

One thing I am seeing that isnt convincing me its a cougar is the inside of the right front leg. sure looks like its got black blotches on it.

Thinking the same thing, leaning bobcat without more evidence.

With cougars if you have to question it then its likely not a couger, you would KNOW if it was a giant cat.

[Bear55]

Have them send you a pic with a person standing in that same spot, use the same camera and take it from the same window.

[BobT]

Sure looks like a cougar to me. Hard to be sure but the tail appears to be trailing as long or longer than the left rear leg in the photo. As far as spots and hair color, they can range in a variety of colors and patterns to some degree.

[paceman]

Looks like a cougar to me. The face for sure looks longer than a bobcats...

[B@ssDoctor]

WOW. No "cougar" jokes yet. I agree that a different photo needs to be taken in the same location, holding a hard stick along side of a visible leg, since we are not sure if your sister or her husband are midgets.

[mnviking28]

I am not sold either way. Hopefully the trail cam will tell the story. My first instinct was bobcat, until she kept talking about it being the same size as a lab she used to own (which was about 90 lbs) and the tail that was long like a house cat. What I told her was to have her husband measure from the ground to those leaves that are above the cat's head as they are pretty distinctive and the cat fills approximately 1/2 that distance. That is where he came up with the 24-30 inch measurement. It obviously could be a big bobcat, but the biggest of those I have ever seen is about 40 lbs.

[EBass]

As soon as I saw that I thought of a Cougar. The coat is a smooth tan/brownish color and not striped or dotted like a Bobcat. Blurry or not that looks like a Cougar to me.

I saw one (twice) near Longville 8 years ago.

[LightningBG]

I'm voting for Cougar.

[thatoneguy]

The head and coat look very cougar-ish.

[mrklean]

I guessing cougar

[PurpleFloyd]

Ask her if it smelled a little squatchy after it left.

[chris63]

Do cougars and bobs both eat squatches?

[B@ssDoctor]

Here we go....

[LightningBG]

Only way to tell for sure is to shoot it I guess...

[Bear55]

Have them send you a pic with a person standing in that same spot, use the same camera and take it from the same window.

Still hoping to see this, I think it could put everything into perspective. It certainly looks cougarish but for some reason I only see a smaller cat there.

[paul pachowicz]

Ya know, I've seen a few of em and the tail is really pronounced. I just can't make out a tail. I know the OP said it had one but the ones I've seen dead and alive that tail sure is visable from just about any angle. Take the pic to one of your DNR folks and see what they think. Right now, here, they are proposing a 100 cat quota with a sub quota of 70 females. Oh yea, the cougar cuddlers are coming out of the woodwork.

[BartmanMN]

http://www.startribune.com/local/166904976.html

They are out there.