Mountain Lion Shot in SE ND

[marine_man]

Here's the story from the Forum:

Two men hunting coyotes killed a mountain lion near Cogswell, in southeastern North Dakota, state wildlife officials said.

The cougar killed Tuesday was the first in an area that has no limits until the season closes on March 9, said Greg Link, assistant chief of the state Game and Fish Department's wildlife division.

The young male lion weighed about 100 pounds, Link said. Two men from the Cogswell area, in Sargent County, bagged the cougar, he said.

North Dakota's mountain lion season began in two zones on Aug. 1. The area west of North Dakota Highway 8 and south of state Highway 1804 has a limit of five cougars. In that region, known as the Badlands zone, the season ended on Nov. 10 after the quota was reached.

The remainder of the state has no limits. Link said the lion shot on New Year's Day was the easternmost kill ever by hunters.

"It's a little bit surprising but nothing surprises me any more about mountain lions," Link said.

Biologist Dorothy Fecske said a cougar wandering through the eastern part of the state is rare.

"Younger, more transitory animals, especially males, are what we would expect to see in these portions of the state," she said.

The carcass will be examined by biologists to determine the cat's diet and genetics. Link said biologists should be able to determine where the lion came from.

"We should be able to find out if it's more aligned with South Dakota mountain lion genetics or more aligned with cats taken in the Badlands," Link said.

Mountain lion sightings have been reported to state wildlife officials in each of North Dakota's 53 counties, Link said.

"There isn't a week that goes by that we don't get a sighting of a mountain lion," Link said. "Sightings are one thing but getting one is tougher.

"It's nice for (hunters) to get a few of these animals to find out whether some of the sightings are true," Link said.

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Now, I've heard from a couple different people down here in the area that the mountain lion is actually a female, contrary to what the Game and Fish is saying; but the GNF hasn't received the carcass yet, so it's possible for there to be a mistake there.

Here are some pictures:

I think mountain lions in the near future are going to become more common in areas east of the missouri!

marine_man

[prov1900]

My dept. shot one a couple of years ago, it was resting on a tree not very far from an elementary school. Last week, we had another confirmed sighting in a residential area next to a city lake/marsh. They are getting about as common as wild turkeys anymore.

I saw one several years ago in central Nebraska. Pretty awesome. It is amazing how fast they can run and how big they really are.

I don't have a problem with them. Although at night, when I feed my dog, I get kind of creeped out, admittedly. Not something I want to get in a "fist fight" with.

[harvey lee]

Boy, thats not to far from where we hunt. My wife saw one cat last fall and I have heard they are roaming those parts. Maybe the bow hunter is also being hunted and is not aware.

[marine_man]

 Originally Posted By: marine_man

Now, I've heard from a couple different people down here in the area that the mountain lion is actually a female, contrary to what the Game and Fish is saying; but the GNF hasn't received the carcass yet, so it's possible for there to be a mistake there.

The lastest word from the GNF is that it is indeed a male.

marine_man