# DNR Announces New Cougar Web Site



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2006

Contact:
David Bostick 517-373-1263
Ann Wilson 517-335-3014

DNR Announces New Cougar Web Site

Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife officials today announced that up-to-date scientific information regarding cougars is now available on the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnrcougars.

The DNR recognizes the potential for the presence of cougars is alarming to many Michigan citizens. Providing information about cougars on our Web site is an important first step in educating the public, said DNR Director Rebecca A. Humphries. We encourage people to visit this Web site if they have any questions about cougars.

As part of the education strategy, DNR staff also will be participating in a national cougar training event in New Mexico next March.

It is critical that DNR personnel are trained to correctly identify cougar tracks, scats, markings and characteristics of animals that have been attacked by a cougar, said Bill Moritz, DNR Wildlife Division chief.

Moritz said the DNR is making it a priority to get staff trained about cougars so biologists can make accurate, informed decisions when conducting field investigations.

Cougars originally were native to Michigan, but were extirpated from the Midwest around the beginning of the 20th century. The last known wild cougar taken in Michigan occurred in 1906 near Newberry. There have been periodic reports of cougar sightings since that time from various locations throughout the state.

Currently, available evidence indicates cougar numbers in the Midwest are very low and, therefore, the likelihood of cougar encounters and attacks is correspondingly very low. Sightings of cougars may be reported online at www.michigan.gov/dnr under Wildlife and Habitat, then Viewing Wildlife.

The DNR will follow up on reported sightings when physical evidence of a cougar (scat, tracks or carcass) is present. If physical evidence is present, or livestock depredation suspected, contact the nearest DNR Operations Service Center. Phone numbers are listed on the DNR Web site. If the contact is made after normal business hours, call the DNR Report All Poaching hotline at (800) 292-7800.

It is extremely important to not disturb the area where the evidence was found and to keep the physical evidence intact until it can be investigated.

The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of our states natural resources for current and future generations.


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## fishingrookie (Feb 16, 2004)

Both cougars and wolverines are rare animals in Michigan. I am wondering why the DNR pays so much attention on the cougars not the wolverines. I remember two years ago one wolverine was spotted in the thumb area. Is DNR still tracking that wolverine's whereabout?


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

DNR not ignoring alleged wild cougar sightings; they need evidence

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/statewide/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1184125210238190.xml&coll=1

07/14/07 by Bob Gwizdz

It's been almost a year since publicity surrounding the alleged presence of wild cougars in Michigan caused the Department of Natural Resources to totally revamp its approach to the critters. And although there have been in excess of 500 sightings reported in the last 18 months, state wildlife officials have been unable to verify any of them. 

As it stands, there have been two verified sightings in Michigan in roughly the last century -- an animal struck by a vehicle in the Upper Peninsula in 2004 that left hair on the bumper, and, a number of years earlier, a cat that was spotted by a DNR biologist, who later found tracks and scats consistent with cougars, in the northeast Lower Peninsula. The rest? Unconfirmed. 

The DNR, which has been criticized by those who believe in Michigan cougars as being too dismissive of reported sightings, has established a formal process for investigating cougar sightings and promises to do so if there is any physical evidence to check. Call them and tell them you saw a cougar cross the road yesterday, for instance, and there's not a thing they can do about it. But if you have evidence -- scars on an attacked animal, say, or paw prints in the mud or snow -- the DNR will send someone out to look.

The DNR has sent several wildlife officials to New Mexico to study with cougar trackers so they can identify tracks, kills or scent posts (scrapes) left by the cats. Still, the odds of a sighting being confirmed are very slim. 

Only a small percentage of reported sightings include any physical evidence. And when there is, that evidence often shows the critter wasn't a cougar. Often, it's a dog. 

In fact, one of the most celebrated cougar sightings in Michigan, at Sleeping Bear Dunes, was painstakingly investigated to no avail. Everything the researchers tried -- using remote cameras, searching for tracks in the snow, searching the areas of sightings -- failed to confirm the presence of cougars. 

"The rarer an animal is, the harder it is to pick it up in a survey," said Dave Bostick, the DNR's bear and furbearer specialist who oversees the cougar controversy. "If there are only a handful of animals out there, they're going to be hard to find. The guys who did the survey -- and I know them personally -- are excellent researchers. They wouldn't have missed much. Their conclusion was they could not verify cougars at that location during the time of the study." 

That wasn't really unexpected. Cougars are secretive animals that travel mostly at night. 

"Even in areas with known, robust populations, they are not seen that often," Bostick said. 

What are seen, consistently, in areas with even modest cougar populations are dead cougars. Given that most cougars are reportedly sighted in southern Michigan, an area with significant roads and substantial vehicular traffic, why haven't officials ever confirmed a road kill? In a state with a long tradition of houndsmen running fox, coyotes, *****, bears and bobcats, why have we never confirmed a treed cougar? 

Answers to questions about Michigan cougars continue to be elusive. 

But the idea that Michigan wildlife officials are conspiring to deny the existence of a self-sustaining mountain lion population should be put to rest. There is no evidence that officials are ignoring cougar sightings. 

Critics may argue, perhaps with justification, that it took their prodding to get the DNR moving on this. But a formal process is in place and officials say if there's a potentially verifiable sighting, they want to hear about it. 

"We do want to hear about cougar sightings," Bostick said. "But sightings that are not reported to us in a timely manner are sightings we cannot investigate."


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

> The DNR has sent several wildlife officials to New Mexico to study with cougar trackers so they can identify tracks, kills or scent posts (scrapes) left by the cats. Still, the odds of a sighting being confirmed are very slim


Good to see our DNR spending our money wisely.


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## Rusher (Jan 6, 2006)

I thought we didn't have cougars in this state:yikes:


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

The DNR is obviously responding to pressure being put on them by those in higher places sensitive to the financial contributions of those who also have been hornswaggled into believing the cougar exists in this state, probably through the activity of the MWC.

It is absolutely laughable that the DNR is forced to close a handful of rustic campgrounds to save a paltry $75000 a year, but can afford to send people to New Mexico for seminars and education about an animal we have not yet been able to prove even exists here. 

It's all political crap. You can trace this right back to some powerful Democrat who's been duped into believing that the DNR is denying the existence of a "cougar problem"...


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## wyldkat49766 (Apr 21, 2007)

Just admit that they are here and go about business.


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## Bachflock (Jul 3, 2007)

mewww...

In '76 we moved from Brooklyn to Wellston. My cousin's had me absolutely FREAKED OUT about cougars - still talking about them 31 years later. Funny!


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## Mark-n-Fish (Dec 21, 2004)

Check out this link.http://www.mlive.com/booth/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1184125210238190.xml&coll=1


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## Nwing (Aug 17, 2005)

Linda G. said:


> The DNR is obviously responding to pressure being put on them by those in higher places sensitive to the financial contributions of those who also have been hornswaggled into believing the cougar exists in this state, probably through the activity of the MWC.
> 
> It is absolutely laughable that the DNR is forced to close a handful of rustic campgrounds to save a paltry $75000 a year, but can afford to send people to New Mexico for seminars and education about an animal we have not yet been able to prove even exists here.
> 
> It's all political crap. You can trace this right back to some powerful Democrat who's been duped into believing that the DNR is denying the existence of a "cougar problem"...


Linda, I watched a cougar cross a field this summer not far from Cadillac.
Friend of mine was even close, (he jumped it) and it was wild...turned and ran like a scalded kitten.
Please don't patronize those of us who have seen one of these...they are out there, regardless of what the DNR spokespersons such as yourself, say.


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## Overdew (Sep 7, 2004)

wyldkat49766 said:


> Just admit that they are here and go about business.


 
Well put!


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## MIfishinGuy (Feb 17, 2005)

Did anyone think that the last sighting was in 1906 because people were less skeptic and actually believed a qualified person to identify a COUGAR? now adays you need a print, a hair, a picture, video, and a big-cat expert standing next to you to even get someone to consider that a sighting occured.

I'm extremely happy this training is happening don't get me wrong. i want our officers to get all the training possible. but it does seem a little strange to need to go to new mexico.

those two cases which left hair on a bumper and a qualified expert isn't enough to prove they are here? i don't think people who have sighted one are arguing that there is a "self-sustaining population", just for the DNR to admit the fact that there is at least a few in the state would be enough for me.


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## srconnell22 (Aug 27, 2007)

a few years back my mom's horse was attacked by a cougar in Fairview, MI...there were tracks, hair, the vet standing there, and a bloody horse all saying it was a cougar...

DNR wouldnt confirm it...apparently there are other 100+ pound cat like animals jumping out of trees on top of horses that arent cougars?

I also know in the same area there were people who got them on their trail cameras but that was also quickly hushed...


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## frenchriver1 (Jul 5, 2005)

Linda G. said:


> ...You can trace this right back to some powerful Democrat who's been duped into believing that the DNR is denying the existence of a "cougar problem"...


People see their own version of demons all over the place...

Didn't realize cougars are associated with a particular party.... Wonder which party ***** and possums are into?


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## StumpJumper (Nov 13, 2001)

Was just talking to a friend at work and he knows a taxidermist near Homer, apparently his wife was bowhunting the other night and had a cougar climb a cherry tree by her and watch her, she celled her husband who came out and when he got there the thing jumped out of the tree and ran.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

srconnell22 said:


> I also know in the same area there were people who got them on their trail cameras but that was also quickly hushed...


Can you get these photos and post them? Not that it would be proof positive of anything (some guy posts photos on the internet...) but it would be interesting. Leave it up to the viewers to believe or not. Personally I believe it is possible, but not likely.
Still waiting to hear from the Eastern UP people who supposedly got some pictures.
I don't see wasting a lot of State $$ on the effort right now though, where cougars absolutely do exist there is plenty of tangible evidence of it.


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## weekendredneck (Feb 16, 2002)

srconnell22 said:


> a few years back my mom's horse was attacked by a cougar in Fairview, MI...there were tracks, hair, the vet standing there, and a bloody horse all saying it was a cougar...
> 
> DNR wouldnt confirm it...apparently there are other 100+ pound cat like animals jumping out of trees on top of horses that arent cougars?
> 
> I also know in the same area there were people who got them on their trail cameras but that was also quickly hushed...


srconnell22,
my in-laws live in Fairview. I couple of years ago he was telling me that a cougar was spotted crossing the road right by his house. I laughed it off thinking that it must have been a bobcat or some other animal that was mistaken for a couger. He also said that someone got a picture of it and it was printed in the paper up there. I never saw it. Where was the horse at? This was around Kneeland Rd.


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## Frantz (Dec 9, 2003)

To me it is amazing how some people can be so shut out and ignorant with their beliefs. here are some of the things i remember being told by know-it-alls like many on this site and others around this state.

There are no bears in the LP.
There are no bobcat in the LP.
There are no wolves in the LP.
There are no coyotes this far south in the LP.


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## WAUB-MUKWA (Dec 13, 2003)

Feast your eyes on this one boys. Saw it on the duluth news last night. :yikes::yikes:

Won't be long before a U.P. trail cam gets one too.

Heres the picture










Picture proves mountain lions prowl Northland
Sam Cook Duluth News Tribune
Published Thursday, October 11, 2007

If you&#8217;re wondering whether mountain lions exist in northern Minnesota, Jim Schubitzke of Floodwood has a photo you might want to see.

It&#8217;s on a single frame from a digital trail camera. The camera recorded the image on Aug. 20 about 20 miles north of Floodwood.

And it&#8217;s definitely a mountain lion, or cougar. 



A mountain lion moves through the woods north of Floodwood in this image captured on a trail camera by Jim Schubitzke of Floodwood. The photo was taken Aug. 20 as the big cat passed by a mineral block that Schubitzke had placed to attract deer. [SUBMITTED PHOTO] 
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&#8220;In the 25 years I&#8217;ve been here, it&#8217;s the first one in my work area when someone got a picture,&#8221; said Rich Staffon, Department of Natural Resources area wildlife manager at Cloquet. &#8220;It&#8217;s pretty likely that this is a wild mountain lion, not one that someone turned loose.&#8221;

Schubitzke said he had five trail cameras in the woods during the summer to monitor deer movements.

&#8220;I was lucky. This was the only one that had a flash on it,&#8221; he said. 

The other cameras would have recorded the cat in black and white, but this shot is in color. The big cat, probably a male, Staffon said, was passing by a mineral block that Schubitzke had placed to attract deer. Schubitzke pulled all of his cameras out of the woods Oct. 1.

Several whitetail bucks had been visiting the mineral lick before the mountain lion passed by, Schubitzke said. 

&#8220;After that evening, there was nothing there for many, many days,&#8221; he said.

Photos of mountain lions &#8212; especially wild ones &#8212; in Minnesota are rare. A photo of a mountain lion, or cougar, was captured along the Minnesota River near the Twin Cities a few years ago.

Bill Berg, now retired after a long career as wildlife biologist for the DNR in Grand Rapids, says he saw two videos and a few pictures of mountain lions in northern Minnesota, but it was always difficult to know if the animals were wild or escaped pets. 

But Berg doesn&#8217;t doubt that a few mountain lions exist in Minnesota at any given time.

&#8220;No doubt there&#8217;s an animal now and then, and I think some of them are wild animals dispersing and some are cats that got too big for the kitty litter.&#8221;

Staffon&#8217;s office gets 10 to 15 reports a year from people who say they have seen mountain lions. Some are probably reliable, he said, and some may not be.

&#8220;It&#8217;s hard to tell,&#8221; Staffon said. &#8220;We&#8217;ve gotten reports of a mountain lion lying on a road, and when we get there, it&#8217;s a red fox.&#8221;

Staffon has twice seen tracks that he is sure were those of a mountain lion because a tail-drag mark was evident along with the footprints.

Biologists believe most of the mountain lion sightings in Northeastern Minnesota are animals roaming in from North Dakota or Canada.

&#8220;But we have had reports of people seeing kittens,&#8221; Staffon said. &#8220;So there may be some reproduction. I think it&#8217;s safe to say we have a small resident population and some migrants moving through.&#8221;

States such as North Dakota, where the mountain lion population is estimated at a few hundred, get 15 to 25 road-killed mountain lions per year, Staffon said. 

&#8220;And we never get any road kills, so the population has to be pretty sparse,&#8221; he said.

In a 2003 News Tribune story, federal trapper Bill Paul with the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in 27 years of trapping that he had not seen or trapped a cougar. He had seen evidence of only four cougar-killed livestock during those years, he said.

Schubitzke said the photo of the cougar got him to thinking.

&#8220;I was spooked for a couple of days because I was bear-baiting just a couple hundred yards from there,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Now I&#8217;m back to normal.&#8221;


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