# Cougar in Jackson County



## ReddHead (Feb 17, 2005)

According to the Jackson Citizen Patriot there was a cougar attack on a horse in which the horse subsequently died. Has anyone else heard about this story. I read it in the paper but have heard nothing else and I haven't seen anything on the forum, unless I missed it. Sounds pretty interesting and kind of makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up when I think about walking to my tree stand before first light.


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## ReddHead (Feb 17, 2005)

Here is the link to the newspaper article.

http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-14/1125741953142290.xml?jacitpat?NEJ&coll=3


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## tommy-n (Jan 9, 2004)

Here we go again :lol:


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## StumpJumper (Nov 13, 2001)

yeah here we go again, with proof this time????


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## outfishin_ (Jul 28, 2004)

StumpJumper said:


> yeah here we go again, with proof this time????


The only proof that will be good enough will be a dead cat.....oh wait then they'll blame it on an escaped pet....lol...never mind..lol


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## dogwhistle (Oct 31, 2004)

since they are an endangered species, i hardly think someone is going to kill one and then report it to law enforcement. photographs, even if you could get one would be of dubious value. how do you prove the time and especially location. at any rate, photographing wildlife takes special techniques and professional cameras with specialized lenses. a snapshot with a 35mm or digital camera, especially at night isnt going to show much. you will be lucky if you can tell if it's a cougar, woodchuck or what.

i said this in another thread, but what is needed is an independent professional examination of the scene and forensics including a necropsy of the victim animal. then you can at least determine cause of death and possible even dna from the "suspect". it's done all the time with humans. it's done all the time with homicides, it's not necessary to have the suspect in custody or a photograph to determine how the death occurred and even by whom.

the way these things are handled with the "crime scene" and "victim" contaminated beyond belief, all you get are opinions and wild speculation pro and con.


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

Oh yeah, thats a great article! Yep, keep tha area quiet, "hunters" may want to capture the animal. Morons!  I'm not taking the word of NWC either, sorry. I wonder what kind of testing was done on the horse? Just looking and saying yep, classic Cougar is not enough...how many classic Cougar kills as this guy handled? Hopefully the horse has been sent to some independent source for further testing. Sounds like a Cougar kill though, just hope their is some follow up from some other source other than the MWC. Their credibility is suspect at best.


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## Rondevous (Mar 14, 2005)

Classic alright........
Classic Confirmation :lol:


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## fishingrookie (Feb 16, 2004)

Can they collect and extract the DNA from the bites left on the horse? Detectives are even able to collect a human's DNA from a drinking cup.


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## chiefrocka (Dec 16, 2004)

seems as though it has been confirmed...

http://www.freep.com/sports/outdoors/outcol10e_20050910.htm


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

An article in the Free Press along the exact same lines as the Jackson Patriot doesn't confirm anything.

I have no doubt that there was an attack on a horse, and that the horse died. Of what remains to be seen and confirmed, and probably never will be, since forensic pathologists weren't contacted in time to do the proper investigative necropsy...


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## lookin for the gills (Jan 21, 2003)

My brother in law lives down the road from there. He is by no means a sportsman or has little knowledge of wild animals. He was telling me about a week before the attack that he thought he heard a cougar in the woods behind his house so he brought the dogs in. Is there any noise that a cougar makes at night, maybe a mating call or just a call? I dont know... ANyways like I said he lives down the road and thought he heard one about a week before. Just thought i would add that this topic. As for me, I am gonna have my handgun with me during bow season for sure. I know its illegal but hey, if i see a cougar and feel he is gonna attack me then down goes that kitty. Protected or not.


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## jps (Jan 6, 2005)

They whistle. no kidding.

Now, given that 10s of other animal that normally whistle at night from high up a tree in the middle of a forest, that would be of little help to identify the animal in this case.

But, I can tell you: pumas whistle... at least in my homeland .

JP


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## murph1 (Sep 20, 2005)

lookin for the gills said:


> My brother in law lives down the road from there. He is by no means a sportsman or has little knowledge of wild animals. He was telling me about a week before the attack that he thought he heard a cougar in the woods behind his house so he brought the dogs in. Is there any noise that a cougar makes at night, maybe a mating call or just a call? I dont know... ANyways like I said he lives down the road and thought he heard one about a week before. Just thought i would add that this topic. As for me, I am gonna have my handgun with me during bow season for sure. I know its illegal but hey, if i see a cougar and feel he is gonna attack me then down goes that kitty. Protected or not.


from a distance they sound kinda like a woman screaming...probably in heat..
from what i've read in the earlier parts of this thread some don't believe that they are in mich?..myself and a buddy saw one just north of lupton 2yrs ago crossing a road on our way out turkey hunting. not like the classic ones you see in movies, but darker and a little smaller..i would guess 60 -70 lbs..and no it was not a bobcat...several guys hunting in lupton swamp i had talked to had also got a quick look at it..


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## StumpJumper (Nov 13, 2001)

In your face! 

Sounds confirmed to me.


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## Big50blaster (Feb 4, 2005)

http://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-14/1127403389303070.xml&coll=3

 

*As sightings grow, locals want action*

Thursday, September 22, 2005By Pat Rombyer*[email protected] -- 768-4924* 

People in northwestern Jackson County, spooked by the presence of a roaming cougar, want to know what authorities are doing to keep their countryside safe. 

The truth is, not much. 

The Department of Natural Resources has no intention of tracking or capturing a cougar that has been sighted several times in Parma and Sandstone townships. 

"There's no way to track these animals; we have no expertise," said Ray Rustem, supervisor of the DNR's National Heritage Program. "He's on private property and we'd have to get permission from each property owner." 

He said the department would reconsider if it had more physical evidence linking the cougar to a specific area. 

"Without that knowledge, it would be a waste of time," Rustem said. "If we had the opportunity, if we could dart it, we'd attach a radio, a tracking device, and use it as a learning experience. We'd like to know its home range, where it's traveling." 

The cougar is the prime suspect in the Aug. 30 death of a registered Arabian horse on Callahan Road. It was seen the next day by the Parma Township supervisor, who said it crossed the road in front of her vehicle. 

Rustem is completing his investigation into the death of the horse, using information and photographs taken by Jackson County Animal Control officers and the horse's owner. 

He plans to forward his report to wildlife biologists out West, where they deal more frequently with cougars. 

The bites that broke the horse's neck are what convinced Rustem that the predator was likely a large feline. 

Several people say they would shoot the animal, given the chance, but it is protected by the state's Endangered Species Act. 

To legally shoot it, the cougar would have to be a direct threat to a human, roaming close to a residence or porch, Rustem said. 

Chief Jon Sutliff of the Parma-Sandstone Police Department wasn't convinced when he first heard that a cougar had been sighted in his township. 

"But now I'm a believer," he said. 

"I'm getting two or three calls a day from people who want to know how to protect their animals and children," Sutliff said. 

Last week, there were more sightings on Springport Road near Dearing Road. 

Residents out that way say the deer that normally come to their salt lick disappeared, barn cats and rabbits are missing, and at least one heard the cougar screech. 

They're bringing their dogs in at night and finishing up their yard work during daylight hours. 

"We've had three sightings within six houses," said David Bycraft, a Springport Road resident. "The people out here are on alert." 

On Friday, a day or two after his neighbor saw the large cat, Bycraft's dog was barking aggressively at dusk. 

"I grabbed my gun and flashlight and went out on the porch," he said. "It zipped across the yard. 

"We have a lot of children out here who wait for the school bus." 

Cougars have been a rarity in the state since the early 1900s. 

However, in recent years the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy and the DNR have documented their existence in several locations around the state. 

Thelma Behm and her husband, James, who live on Springport Road, like to sit out on their glassed-in porch in the morning and watch deer at their salt lick. Their home is back in the woods, surrounded by shrubs, trees and brush. 

"It was about dawn (one day last week), we saw him in the yard lying next to a tree," she said. 

"A couple of hours later we saw it again, moving through the yard. There's no mistaking it. It sat down by the salt lick and we called 911."


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## KEN C (Oct 28, 2002)

There was lights and then it landed in our yard... What in tarnation are those little green men doing to our dog!


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## FishMichv2 (Oct 18, 2004)

i understand that many people are afraid of the unknown but it sickens me to think people would shoot such an amazing animal that is on the verge of a posible comeback without even thinking twice about it. its not going to attack you or your kids people so please calm down and dont do anything stupid. a better solution may be to trap and relocate. im not really talking about anyone here but more to the people in the article. if you, another person, or pet is in danger then that is one thing, but to just shoot it cuz it is in your backyard is beyond stupid.


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## slayer (Jun 1, 2002)

Hey fishmich are you going deer hunting ?????


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## FishMichv2 (Oct 18, 2004)

im not sure what the purpose of the deer hunting question is. i dont get into hunting mainly because i stick to the rivers for steel when i have the time to go up north that time of year. i have no problem with deer hunting or the killing of deer if that is what you are implying. i enjoy the venison my sister gets every year and im always proud to say she rarely gets anything less than an 8pt. if the purpose of the question was to say deer hunters should be afraid while they are out in the woods then that is just funny because your chances of getting attacked by a cougar are about as good as getting hit by an airplane.


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## slayer (Jun 1, 2002)

Ok just checkin ,we dont need any tree huggers on this site :evil: Right guys ??? By the way i wasen't implying ANYTHING ....


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## FishMichv2 (Oct 18, 2004)

i understand your question. im in no way what you would consider a tree hugger but i do care very much for our natural resources and its inhabitants. i hate to see anything, especially something endangered, killed for no purpose or because it is misunderstood. good luck in the upcoming hunting seasons.


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## slayer (Jun 1, 2002)

I know your allright, because i love to fish for steel also, what a thrill  Tight lines Bro...


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## Big50blaster (Feb 4, 2005)

they will have drawin tags for cougars. probly would be the only chance id ever have of blastin one. i doubt it ever happens though. i just love big game!

fishmich i would hate ta see em shoot a rare critter also. now if it were actin agressive to me or my family i would be the first ta split him in half. that is if my wife or kids didnt beet me to it.:lol: 

tight lines and tight groups ta both of ya:chillin:


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## FishMichv2 (Oct 18, 2004)

drawings for tags would make sense if the population could handle it. and it would also make sense to take one down if a person was threatened. im sorry if i came across as one of those people who is against killing something. i keep a .22 available for the damn muskrats that eat my koi. i have no problem with hunting, in fact, i love getting the elk, deer, and especially gator meat from family members that hunt. my sister has got some antelope too but i never got to try the meat. but i just have problems with certain levels of ignorance, like the kids that killed the 2 bald eagles earlier this year, that is the kind of needless crap that bothers me. anyways, you guys have a good day, i think im gonna go try to catch some fish.


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## KEN C (Oct 28, 2002)

Rumor has it that will be drawing in 2006 for non-existent cougar tags. 7.00 dollar application fee. $100.00 if you get drawn. :lol:


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## FishMichv2 (Oct 18, 2004)

yeah, i suppose it would be pretty funny if all of this talk about them is really about nothing but i wouldnt rule it out. a lot of the sightings may be hoaxes or mistaken identity, but the ones on tape in monroe county(i think) were confirmed by the dnr i do believe. they may have just been released pets i suppose but maybe not. only time will tell i guess.


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## The Terminator (Jun 15, 2001)

This is a very, very difficult situation. I strongly support protecting cougar populations in wild regions. However, these can be extremely dangerous animals. They are not bad or evil, they're just aggressive, opportunistic predators. I don't really care if they take livestock or someones dog, but if I lived in that area, I would be scared to death for my kids and would tell people that like to go jogging, remember , prey runs. As much as I love wildlife, that animal needs to be found and removed, a tough but not impossible task, before someones child gets hurt, or worse. 

The Terminator


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## KEN C (Oct 28, 2002)

Okay it has been days since the last sighting. The owners come get there pet and take it back home? Bowseason is around the corner and I do not want this cougar to be a problem for the hunters.


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## murph1 (Sep 20, 2005)

if its in a populated /residential area... i would shoot, shovel, and shutup..
in the wild i would let it be..have seen them in the wild and they are an impressive animal..but, they are oppertunists (sp),and will kill whatever looks like the days meal..no matter what it is....


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