Bad track found

[Pine]

Was at my deer hunting property today and I found a cat track that was as big my fist .
Only found one but it was on a bare spot of dirt in one of the paths that I keep mowed . It was very clear and distinct with no claw marks .
Very disturbing .
Good thing there are no Mountain lions in Michigan .

[Spookinelk]

Aw heck, I thought  you were going to say you found an ATV track, Lion tracks are cool!

Good thing there are no lions there.  Not so many years ago there were none here either, but four or five must have escaped from some strange person that kept them as pets.  That is what we were told, but really, how many people were secretly keeping pet mountain lions around here that no one knew about? They didn't think the one that I saw was someone's pet, they shot it.  There must have been someone in your neighborhood that was secretly letting his big kitty out at night, cat people do that.

[Pheonixarcher]

Jeepers Graps! Where abouts is your property located? I sure hope they don't migrate into my area!
They tried telling us that for years until they kept showing up on trail cams. They still claim there's not a wolf problem in the UP as well.

[59Alaskan]

Yes...I am originally from Michigan....and love "up north" and the UP....I have seen signs in certain parks that remind you that you are not seeing large cats...just like a while back there were no wolves in the UP...

"These are not the droids you are looking for"

(Star Wars quote)
 
However this is from the MI DNR website:  

"In 2004, a hair sample was collected from a vehicle bumper and tested using DNA analysis. That sample was positively identified as cougar.

A recent study based on DNA analysis of scat samples was conducted by Central Michigan University and the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy. That study showed that samples from eight locations tested as positive as cougars.

 BUT, it goes on to state:

4. If cougars are here, where did they come from?
Based on documented evidence, cougars observed in Michigan could be escaped or released pets. Or, they could be transient or dispersing cougars from the nearest known breeding populations in North and South Dakota. These populations are over 900 miles from Michigan. During the winter of 2004-2005, the National Park Service conducted road and trail surveys and trail camera surveillance designed to detect cougars in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. No evidence of cougars was found.

5. Did the DNR release cougars into the wild in Michigan?
The DNR has never released cougars in Michigan, and has no plans to do so

[Jon Stewart]

Saw a cat in the U.P. a few years ago while baiting bear.  It was 300pm in the afternoon and that cat walked out in front of the truck about 10 yards away and stood there for about 10 seconds and then just walked away.  No camera in the truck but that won't happen again.

I mentioned it to a Lt from the DNR and his response was no pictures no cat.  That is before they confirmed that cats are in Michigan.  One guy even told me that someone's pet cougar got away.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I can understand why the DNR would have that reaction.  They do not want the public scared and hunters pissed off. I imagine they get hundreds of calls and letters everyday.

The best thing they can do is to educate and inform. Cougars can be potentially in all 50 states.  I know they have been here in NY. The DEC said it traveled form some western state like Wyoming..  

So if a Cat can travel cross country on  whim, why wouldn't they be in your back yard?

Graps, I wouldn't worry, your DNR does more damage to your deer herd than a big Kitty ever will.

[Pat B]

Not 3 miles from my home here in the mountains of Western NC 5 different folks saw a cougar in their 600ac subdivision, one with a kitten. This was a few years ago and the deer population is still in good shape and no one nor their pets have been harassed. I love knowing that at least some of out apex predators are still around.
By the was, has anyone heard from Apex Predator?

[mark Willoughby]

Fish and game killed one in Paris ky this year!! It was huge!!

[Michael Arnette]

It's what our Wildlife department has been telling us for years. No Cougars...then 3 years ago they came out with a statement that there is a stable population in every county... Hmmm.
I don't think they are really that much of a threat to local populations due to their secretive habits and sparse population they are the perfect predator for wilderness deer population control. I will say if I ever see one in range it's SSS

[Michael Arnette]

The whole cougar thing really destroyed any trust I had for our wildlife department. They were basically muzzling the departments employees and telling them to lie for years some people just wouldn't do it.

[highlow]

A cougar was road-killed in CT a few years ago.

[Chad Orde]

We have trailcam pics in our area as well as regular camera pics of kittens.

[shreffler]

Here's a cool website I stumbled across the other day...I'm not sure when the last time this was updated, but it kind of gives you an idea of their ranges.

http://www.cougarnet.org/sites/original/bigpicture.html

I've read a few articles stating the Great Lakes area states just don't have good enough habitat to sustain a stable population. If there has been confirmed evidence in every state around MI-OH-PA, you'd be ignorant to say they haven't been here. I'm sure they are here regularly - you just don't see them because for the most part they're settling down in the surrounding states. Personally I'd love to see one in the wild..

Almost like bigfoot though, I'll believe it when I see it    

[amazonjim]

We saw one some years ago in north west Alabama, the game warden told us they had a range of about 50 square miles.

[BWD]

Originally posted by Pat B:
 By the was, has anyone heard from Apex Predator?

He's gone fishin'

[Sam McMichael]

Some years ago I heard several people mention that the big cats had been seen in central Georgia. I mentioned to a DNR ranger that people had reported sightings, but the state was saying they were not accurate. His response was that if they were officially acknowledged, the state would have to spend money studying the cats. I don't know if that is true but would not be surprised.

[hart2hart]

With Sam on this one.
My sighting 45 yrs. ago was a black one..Of course
that was like seeing Bigfoot in West Texas.Never could happen!! but it did..on a cold,snowy December day where everything was snow and ice.
Mike

[achigan]

wrong thread   :rolleyes:

[Mudd]

Missouri has a growing population of the big kittys and the same is true of black bears.

We're even starting to hear rumors of there possibly being a limited season on the bears.

God bless,Mudd