In Search of the Mountain Lion
A couple of weeks ago, I took a walk with Sebastian and Aaron along the stream. While wandering, we noticed some pretty big prints.
I did not have a ruler, so I used my hand to give a size comparison.
Duke, our 90 lb dog, was with us and his prints seemed small in comparison. (We also found some scat of a carnivore.)
I don’t know if this scat is related to the print or not. There were other samples that I wish I would have taken photos of — larger and fuzzy.
So what could it be? A coyote is too small….a wolf?…a mountain lion (Puma concolor schorgeri, also known as cougar)?
It was cold and the three of us didn’t need to find a mountain lion today.
Several weeks later, Chuck and I went on a print-tracking adventure — in search of the big cat.
According to a 2003 study done by UW-Steven’s Point’s Department of Natural Resources, “Despite the lack of direct evidence of cougar presence in Wisconsin, it is likely that they will soon appear in the state, and may already occur here.”
UWSP put together a study on cougar sightings between 1994 and 2003.
The red square around that green dot is where we live.
Notice the green square of probable sightings—our backyard. Now this is getting more exciting.
Chuck and I walked in the same area of the first track sighting. The weather has since rained, snow melted, wet snow frozen and more new snow. It has been several days since any fresh snow, so we knew the tracks wouldn’t be the best. But, we brought along our trusty guide, “Scat and Tracks of the Great Lakes,” and our protector, Duke. Also known as the dog who runs through all tracks so it is hard to identify them.
Stay tuned and I’ll show you what we saw.
February 8th, 2010 at 10:41 am
Exciting!!
There have been five mountain lion sitings in our CITY in the last few years. A mountain lion even stalked a jogger on a bike trail shortly after we moved. It’s crazy.
My dad, who has seen evidence of mountain lions around farmland in SE Nebraska, has a theory that the DNR released them in the hopes they would help control the deer population. They can take down an unsuspecting cow with no problem…
The owner of a local golf course caught one on camera—and it was quite obviously a mountain lion. The DNR called it a “large domestic cat.” This only fueled my dad’s claim.
February 8th, 2010 at 10:41 am
Oh and Aaron could not be cuter.
February 8th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Yes, I have heard various DNR/conspiracies regarding various predators. But the simplest explanation is that they are slowly migrating from more remote areas to more populated areas because the living could be so good in areas that grow crops that deer and other animals can feed on. It is insane how many deer we have around here. And there are plenty of raccoons, opposums, coyotes and feral cats to snack on.
In the driftless area of WI there are many valleys that are too steep for ag use. This creates 100’s of miles of almost endless cover. Also the woods are overgrown with various invasive thorny plants - making it a place that is no so great for humans, but probably pretty good for a large cat.
One thing I have noticed around here is how rare it is for us to see human tracks. The only time I see evidence of humans out there is during hunting season. So it is pretty difficult for anyone to say what types of animals are out there.
It seems to me that the only thing that would stop this migration is humans. Otherwise it is inevitable.