cougars in Michigan

[Ron Scott]

Eastern Cougars Extinct.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has declared the eastern cougar subspecies to be extinct, but this has no relationship to cougar populations in Michigan according to Russ Mason, Wildlife Chief for the DNR. There is no
unanimity of thought among cougar researchers as to how many subspecies of cougar exist or have existed, but they are all listed as state endangered and will remain thus protected until they reach a viable, self-sustaining population level. If you should see a cougar in Michigan, there is an online observation form; the DNR would like to know about it.

DNR listserve

[Ron Scott]

Cougar in Houghton County

http://www.petoskeynews.com/news/pnr-dnr-confirms-presence-of-cougar-in-houghton-county-20110927,0,6429196.story

[chevytaHOE5674]

Same cougar was photographed on a trailcam in Ontonagon county a couple weeks back and Wisconsin before that. He is making his way around the Midwest. Ha

[Ron Scott]

Another cougar photo in U.P.

http://www.ironmountaindailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/535728.html

[lumberjack48]

I lived at Sand Lake, MN. by a Cougar crossing, i was under my pickup fixing a lose muffler. It was just getting dark, when all of a sudden i heard a scream like howl, very loud. I don't scare easy, in all my years living here i never heard such a noise, it didn't take me long to get in the house. 

[Chuck White]

There have been cougars sighted here in Up-State New York too.

About 20 years ago, one of my brothers (he had cattle at that time) was out after dark to see what was making the cattle nervous and caught sight of a cougar as it was about to enter the woods, not far from the cattle.

About 8 years ago I was on my way home from the bus garage and I had a cougar cross the road about 50 yards ahead of me.  Line of sight, this sighting was only about 1 mile from my house.

Cougars are here, but usually not seen.

[lumberjack48]

A cougar mulled a horse around Aitkin, MN. a week ago, about 125 miles from me.

[Ron Scott]

Cougar illegally killed in Schoolcraft County; DNR conservation officers apprehend suspects

Michigan Department of Natural Resources law enforcement officials have confirmed a cougar was illegally killed last week in the Upper Peninsula's Schoolcraft County.

Acting on a tip that a cougar had been illegally killed at a hunting camp in northeast Schoolcraft County, DNR conservation officers and Special Investigations Unit detectives were able to successfully recover evidence and identify and apprehend two suspects from Bay County.

Upon completion of the DNR's investigation, the case will be turned over to the Schoolcraft County Prosecuting Attorney with warrant requests for charges. The state penalty for illegally killing a cougar, classified as an endangered species in Michigan, is up to 90 days in jail and fines and restitution of up to $2,500.

Anyone with information about this or any other poaching case is encouraged to call the DNR's Report All Poaching (RAP) hotline at 800-292-7800, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Information can also be reported online at www.michigan.gov/conservationofficers. Tips and information can be left anonymously; information that leads to an arrest and conviction is eligible for a cash reward funded by the state's Game and Fish Protection Fund.

A trail camera photo of a cougar near the same area as this incident was recently confirmed by the DNR's Wildlife Division. Wildlife officials believe the animal killed was most likely the same cougar seen in the recent photo.

Cougars, also known as mountain lions, disappeared from the state in the early 1900s. The last confirmed wild cougar in Michigan prior to 2008 was an animal killed near Newberry in 1906.

Since 2008, the DNR has confirmed photos or tracks of cougars on 23 occasions in 10 Upper Peninsula counties. The animals are believed to be young individuals dispersing from established populations in the Dakotas in search of new territory. There is no evidence of a breeding population of cougars in the state.

The Wildlife Division's specially trained cougar team welcomes citizen reports of possible cougar evidence or sightings. Cougar photos and other evidence – such as tracks, scat or cached kills – should be reported to a local DNR office or through the DNR's online reporting form at www.michigan.gov/cougars.

[mesquite buckeye]

Nice kitties. ;D

They like to stalk you when you deer hunt in their territory.

The same geniouses from AZ Game and Fish that ended up accidentally killing an endangered jaguar have now reintroduced 30 head of bighorn sheep into the Santa Catalina Mountains. They had previously disappeared over the past 30 years due to the high population of mountain lions. G & F blamed hikers disturbing the sheep.

There is a healthy herd of bighorns that live in and around the open pit mine above Morenci, AZ. The huge trucks (400T capacity) drive right past them, shaking the ground and they don't care. They blast in the pit every day and the sheep don't care. I doubt they are worried about a few hikers.

Anyway, they have just reintroduced these 30 sheep from near Yuma, and the lions have already eaten 3 in the first two weeks. Good use of tax resources. Now they are shooting the lions to reduce their numbers and the A R whackos are coming out in force in defense of the poor kitties. :D

I mentioned in an earlier post that my rancher friend lost 80 head of cattle to lions last year. Nobody is rushing in to reimburse him. That is an $80,000 loss on an operation that is barely making it as is.

There is a place here for mountain lions. I think in populated areas less so. There have been several fatal lion encounters in the West over the last 20 years. When they don't ever get hunted, they become emboldened, more likely to look at people as food. The same thing is happening with the bears. Too bad we have to just keep repeating mistakes over and over again.

They used to call it wildlife management. I'm wondering where the management part went to.

One last little comment. The entire western portion of the Santa Catalina Mountains is now closed to the public so they don't look at the sheep and scare them to death. This is now the exclusive playground of G & F employees and their guests.

I am not impressed.

[chain]

Cougars in Missouri too. I saw the tracks-in-the-snow sign this past week. Checked for my pocket pistol..not there! Didn't even wear my blaze orange cap..I've heard cats are afraid of orange?

'Officials' for many years denied the presence of mountain lions. Political, self-serving and self-promoting individuals in higher conservation positions can not afford to be wrong.

[mesquite buckeye]

When they are wrong and a bad outcome results, it seems there are no consequences anyway. >:(

[mesquite buckeye]

Just finished reading the local scandal sheet. Two relevant stories. One about excessive travel expenses by G & F officials. Don't really know about that one, but I think it goes to show they aren't short of money relative to other state agencies.

Second one says the lions just got another sheep. That's 4 in 3 weeks.

And then there were 26. I'll keep you posted.

Kitties are hungry.

[goose63]

NOT trying to offend any one here but for those of you like the wolf look up save elk .com it will tell you what is going in western Mont nortern Idaho and Wyoming some of the pictures aint good

[mesquite buckeye]

Wolves are pretty but they are not cute doggies. They will rip your guts out given the chance. My dad's grandfather homesteaded in Montana around the turn of the last century. The wolves would dig at the doors and windows to try to get at the family. Had to blast them in the face at the front door of the cabin with a 12 gauge so they could go outside and get to the woodpile so they wouldn't freeze to death. They called it quits after a few of these winters, great grandma minus one leg.

I can't even imagine.

Still have the shotgun. ;D
Not giving it up. ;D

[SliverPicker]

In the teens until the depression my grandpa was a teamster in the woods in the U.P. in Ontonagon County.  Among his duties was to  go into town with his team and a sleigh once a week to get food for the lumber camp.  He said most of the trips back from town when he was loaded with food he would see curious wolves following the sleigh at a distance for short periods.  I asked him if he was ever afraid when they were checking him out.  "No.", He said.  "They never bothered any body." 

I have seen a number wolves in the woods at distances as close at 50 feet.  I've also seen 15 or more lions over the years including mothers with cubs.  And bears?  It certainly must number in the 100s.  The last bear I saw was while bow hunting elk last year.  I was sitting on the ground watching a wallow.  The bear walked to within 11 feet (measured the next day) of me and stood there for 5 full minutes sniffing.  We where at eye level to each other.  Awesome!  Its hard to believe I'm alive to tell the tales. (sarcasm)  None of these critters are anything to be afraid of.

[Jeff]

Unless you are a deer a calf or someones pet...

[WH_Conley]

I would just as soon we kept our distance from each other.

[mesquite buckeye]

They are now up to 7 dead bighorn sheep out of 30. All lion kills.

[terry f]

    SliverPicker, it goes back to the saying, the only thing to fear, is fear itself. Cougars are killing machines and if they wanted you, not much you could do about it. No one has ever been killed by a wolf in the lower 48, and stay away from bears with cubs. My question is, how are there not cougars all over the upper Midwest and Northeast.

[sandhills]

Don't worry terry, they'll be there.  After years of "being told" we didn't have them in Nebraska we now have a hunting season for them, of course this is several years after one was shot while stalking a nearby towns playground while the kids were out for recess  ???

[terry f]

   How many can be killed and can you use hounds.

[sandhills]

Not sure about the hounds and it was a very limited number of tags, this was the first year I'll have to look into it a little bit.  I have a neighbor girl about a mile away that runs a lot and one evening she ran up on our other neighbors 2 great pyrannese? fighting one.  She was only in 8th grade at the time and ran another mile and a half down the road to the next house to get a ride home.  No one believed her until they went to Omaha to the zoo later that summer and she said "there, that's what I saw".  I never had a doubt, she was scared to death and had no reason to lie.  We have a few bobcats around here but I've never seen a mountain lion personally, and I really don't care to.

[chain]

Experts claim cougar are coming in to Missouri from Nebraska via Missouri river valley. They  are mostly young males seeking female cougs, supposedly no breeding going on in Missouri, hmmm. ???

Seemingly, the whole aim of modern conservation is to restore wild game as it once was BC [Before Columbus}. Bring back the wolves, Elk, bear, and cougar. An article in a monthly Missouri farm magazine reported NRCS sponsored "USDA WETLANDS" in some Mississippi  River countys were being restored in part to 'canebrake thickets' to enhance habitat for swamp-rabbits and canebrake rattlesnakes.

[mesquite buckeye]

If all the bad people just went away, then nature would be happy and Gaia would smile upon all the animals. ;D 8) 8) 8)

Nature = good, People = bad. :

[chain]

Something of interest if you have a Missouri connection is in the February issue of "Misssouri Conservationist" magazine..a great publication usually. But on page 2 someone sent in a photo of a lower base trunk of  a sycamore [does not look sycamore to me but I've been known to be wrong}, the tree nearly 13' in circumference; yet, the photo showing that a beaver has completely girdled the tree and will likely fall in the next wind storm.

The comments, seemingly boastful, of the novelty of having such an apparently "giant ghost beaver" are amusing to me. For one thing, what is the worth of this magnificent tree ? What devotion to dozens of ecological benefits has this tree provided in its lifetime? I've seen hundreds and hundreds of trees damaged and girdled down to waste from , let's say, "over achieving beaver"! ???

So, what's the point? The point is...someone needs to invent a 'girdling post' to save trees!