cougar

[Spinach]

I'm in my stand now and just saw a cougar up the hill.eard of cougars in the area but never saw one in person until now. I'm in afton mn.      Had 1 small buck come in range this morning at 830 too, still waiting for a mature buck though.

[sportsman90]

Was it a cougar or a Bobcat?  We have seen a bear at the farm that I hunt in Cottage Grove.  I didn't see anything this morning and niether did my dad.

[sportsman90]

Where you hunt in afton is it mostly open fields or is there alot of woods.  Where I hunt it is mostly open and I dont see that many deer after 7:30 A.M or before 4:30 P.M.

[Spinach]

Very well could of been a bobcat, he was pretty far away.had darker hair than I expected too.

[Spinach]

Thick woods and canyons, I'm right off hwy 95 on the highest bluff. See more deer in the am but usually all throughout the day too.been hunting here since 1982 I think.

[Mayfly]

Got an extra spot for me next weekend Pat?

[Mayfly]

"We probably get 200 cougar reports each year ... but most turn out to be bobcats or house cats or yellow dogs," said John Erb, DNR forest wildlife biologist in Grand Rapids. "We do get confirmation on occasion. We had two confirmed last year, including one near Floodwood but they are very, very rare. And for there to be two cougars together in one spot, that would be the first time in Minnesota probably in 75 years."

I'm guessing you didn't see a cougar. Clean your glasses. 

[black-ice]

Ted Kline and Ron Smith did what deer hunters are supposed to do — wait a few minutes before tracking a doe that Smith shot Monday morning near Culver.

But in the 30 minutes from the time Smith, of Lakeville, Minn., took his shot to when they found the downed deer, two hungry cougars had moved in on the kill.

“When we got there they had both been eating on it. We scared them off, but they kept circling us. They didn’t want to leave,” said Kline, who owns the land where the two were hunting along the Artichoke River, about 25 miles northwest of Duluth.

The hunters called for help so two men could drag the deer out while Kline could keep two hands on his rifle.

“The chunks they tore off that doe were huge. The claw marks were huge,” he said, estimating the cougars ate about a third of the usable meat in the few minutes before the hunters arrived.

Photos of the carcass show that the deer’s neck, rear leg and intestines were ripped apart. Kline said it appeared the cougars came upon the animal before it died.

Kline said the animals had long tails and were three feet long and definitely weren’t wolves, dogs or bobcats.

Kline’s wife had reported seeing the cougars cross their driveway, and Kline had seen cougar scat before in the yard.

Cougar sightings are fairly common across northern Minnesota, including by Department of Natural Resources employees and other wildlife personnel. The question is whether the cats are released or escaped pets or part of a small but nomadic population of wild cougars. The closest established population of cougars is in the western Dakotas, although cougars are native to Minnesota.

Kline and Smith reported their story to a DNR conservation officer.

“We probably get 200 cougar reports each year ... but most turn out to be bobcats or house cats or yellow dogs,” said John Erb, DNR forest wildlife biologist in Grand Rapids. “We do get confirmation on occasion. We had two confirmed last year, including one near Floodwood … but they are very, very rare. And for there to be two cougars together in one spot, that would be the first time in Minnesota probably in 75 years.”

Cougars are protected in Minnesota and can’t be shot, although law enforcement officers have wide leeway in deciding if an animal may be a threat to people.

[kenhuntin]

Seeing one of those cats raises the hair on your neck doesn't it? I have seen two in minnesota, One in Pope county four years ago that six of us scared out of a duck slough when we were putting out Wood duck houses. The other was in August this year in Deer River. Do not run at night in cougar country. Walk slow and keep looking back and you should have no trouble. If you happen on a Lion face the animal and try to look as big as you can and back slowly away.

[Fawkinnae]

Wow. I've dreamed of seeing a cougar in the wild all of my life. Pretty cool.
Ken you've seen two of them. You're living the highlife.

[sportsman90]

Pat, what part of 95 do you hunt?  Is it near Dale road? 

[Randy Kaar]

Wow. I've dreamed of seeing a cougar in the wild all of my life. Pretty cool.
Ken you've seen two of them. You're living the highlife.

hey Doug....  i think they were talking about the feline type, not the human type couger.
 


randy

[Spinach]

I'm just a half mile out of city limits, down from selmas ice cream.my brother saw the large cat tonight too, he thought cougar but said it could of been a bobcat, anyone know the color differences?

[Woody]

I saw a big wild cat!
How can I tell if it was a mountain lion or a bobcat?

There are some key visual differences between mountain lions (cougars) and bobcats.

SIZE: Mountain lions average between 75 and 150 lbs, while bobcats average between 15 and 30 lbs. However, an exceptionally large male bobcat can be close in size to a small female cougar.

COLOR: Cougars are mainly one color (a tawny gold); bobcats are spotted or striped. One exception: cougar cubs are spotted (for camouflage).

TAIL: The most pronounced difference between the 2 species is their tail shape. Cougar tails are very long, at least half as long as their body length. Bobcats are named for their short "bobbed" tails, which are only a few inches long.

EARS: Cougars have rounded, wide-set ears. Bobcats have a very distinct tuft of hair on top of each ear which makes the ear look pointed.

FUR: Bobcats have a ruff of fur on their cheeks, while mountain lions have short fur all over.

I got this info from this site:
http://www2.ucsc.edu/police/cougarvbobcat.htm

Hope this helps!

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[Woody]

After further investigation, I found some more pictures to help you figure out if you saw a cougar or not.  Apparently cougars can come with different shades of fur.  Although a majority of them seem to be tan or "blonde" in color.  Here are some more picture examples to go by.  The last is a picture of a video documentary of cougars.

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[Woody]

There is just no way I could pass up doing that!       

[Spinach]

I'd have to say it was for sure a cougar now. Tan close to 3.5 feet long with a tail. I don't really want to see him again but I'll have my camera in case.

[Fawkinnae]

Wow. I've dreamed of seeing a cougar in the wild all of my life. Pretty cool.
Ken you've seen two of them. You're living the highlife.

hey Doug....  i think they were talking about the feline type, not the human type couger.
 


randy

Hardy har har. Well believe it or not I was talking about the feline type but come to think of it I'm fascinated by the human variety as well. I wonder which type Ken was talking about.

That Woody he's quite the junior naturalist. Good job on the photos to help better understand the species.

[Woody]

Thanks, I try to help when I can!  

[Bobby Bass]

Should be noted that when in the woods and you spot a bobcat you might have the urge to call it, saying here kitty kitty over and over.. If spotting a cougar your reaction may be more like BIG KITTY KITTY when running away.. 

[kenhuntin]

Well guys I don't think any of us have to worry about Human cougars anymore. Youth is wasted on the youth. Although they can be just as dangerous. With their long legs, long claws and skin already tanned in the sun. That was some good huntin when you didn't need a gun.

[Go Big Red!]

Daddy likey cougars... 

As Campbell's Soup says, "MMMM Good"

[GRIZ]

Every yr I hear of cougar sightings but have never seen one myself. Last yr I seen cat tracks at a nieghbors that were huge. He called me over to get my opinion. I would have to say cougar due to the size of the track and the fact that he was missing a goat with nothing more than some blood left.

About 2 weeks after that a guy I used to work with showed me a video of a cougar he said he took while bow hunting only 3 miles away.

I think cougar are prolly pretty rare in MN but not as rare as the DNR wants us to think.

This instance was I am refering to was never reported to anyone.