http://www.record-eagle.com/lo...story_308141925.html

Published: November 04, 2009 02:18 pm

2:20pm: Cougar sighting confirmed in U.P.

By JOHN FLESHER
AP environmental writer

State wildlife officials say they've confirmed the sighting of a cougar in Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula.

The Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday it had determined that a trail camera in Chippewa County snapped a photo of a cougar wandering by one night last month.

Also, the DNR said it had verified two sets of cougar tracks found recently in the U.P. One was spotted near DeTour in late October and the other this week near Gulliver in Schoolcraft County.

Wildlife biologist Kristie Sitar says this is the first time a cougar's presence in the eastern U.P. has been confirmed, and it's the fourth such confirmation statewide.

There have been numerous other reports of cougar sightings, but the department hasn't been able to verify them.

You don't have to go to the U.P. There was one sighted at Tawas Point last week. There was an article in the Oscoda Press(www.oscodapress.com)

Stepchild

According to the MN, Mi,Wis Dnr its all the same cat because there couldn't be more then one.

Wonder if it's the same one my dad, Bill Vaughn, Herschel Everrets and Dale Tyler saw on the county line road east of Clarion and south of Petoskey in 1954 while deer hunting?? None of these guys would take a drink. The one they saw was black.. broad daylight.. Les

My father in law has some pictures that are clearly couger tracks. Her took them last whitetail season near Stephenson,MI

That Michigan biologist doesn't know what she is talking about. A DNR employee encountered a cougar in the UP over 30 years ago. Not sure what they are defining as "eastern UP"....

Cougar have been confirmed in Illinois. One was killed walking the streets in Chicago.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/...bapr15,0,98147.story
The Illinois DNR later confirmed it was a wild cat.

Pete

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
According to the MN, Mi,Wis Dnr its all the same cat because there couldn't be more then one.

My brother in law found a dead deer that had been buried with leaves and debris scraped up, like a house cat does in a litter box,in the woods of northern MN last year.There have been numerous sightings and tracks in the area,but the dnr says there is no breeding population.

quote:

Originally posted by stepchild 2:
You don't have to go to the U.P. There was one sighted at Tawas Point last week. There was an article in the Oscoda Press(www.oscodapress.com)

Stepchild

A few years ago, my youngest son was Deer hunting 50 miles east of here in Curran. He and his hunting buddy went to the local restaurant for lunch one day, and everyone there was looking at a picture the Fire Chief was showing them. It turns out the pix was of a Cougar that the Fire Chief took with his trail camera. The pix was taken on property close to Curran.

Mean while the DNR is busy telling any one who will listen that there are no cougars or wolves, there are both.
A friend who used to run coyotes with hounds heard the dogs pouring it on when a large black animal crossed the 2 track, he walked down to the crossing and in his words, the tracks were as big as your fist.
Do a search on Michigan Cougar Sightings for some interesting reading. Alcona county(this is where I live) was specifically mentioned as having cougar scat that was DNA tested by two different labs and came back as North American Cougars.
I wont go into the outdoors with out a firearm!
FWIW, Curran is less than 15 miles from my house.

Stepchild

They've confirmed a sighting, but is there a bag limit and season on them? I wonder what happens if/when someone shoots one. A window of opportunity maybe??