# MDNR confirms cougar in Menominee



## upmounty (Sep 26, 2007)

this is a follow up post to the EUP Cougar thread. I mentioned that the MDNR did confirm a cougar getting hit by a car in Menominee County a few years ago. I asked Krsitie if she could find the article but I actually found one online. Here it is

*COUGAR HAIR SAMPLE VERIFIED IN MENOMINEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN*
*Cougar Network News, 2/18/05* 
The MDNR has announced that hair samples retrieved from a car bumper last November came from a cougar. The hairs were retrieved by a state trooper after 
a motorist reported hitting "a large cat". 

After collecting the hairs, the trooper turned them over to biologists at the DNR's Escanaba field office. The samples were forwarded to the Wildlife Division's 
pathology lab and then sent to Central Michigan University for analysis. The lab did not test for genotype (North vs. South American).



The incident occurred in southern Menominee County, not far from the Wisconsin border.

"This is exactly the kind of information we are looking for to gain a better understanding of what animals are present in Michigan and identify potential areas 
for additional work," said DNR Natural Heritage Unit Supervisor Ray Rustem. "Though the information indicates the presence of a cougar, it still does not confirm 
the presence of a breeding population in Michigan."

The DNR encourages hunters and outdoor recreationists to report any sightings of lynx, cougars, moose and wolves using the online wildlife
observation report system on the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr. Click on Wildlife and Habitat and select the Report Wildlife Observations link.

*Acknowledgement*
The Cougar Network is indebted to Ray Rustem of the Michigan DNR for providing us with the documentation behind this report (Accident report & DNA test results).


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## solohunter (Jan 2, 2006)

You have no clue how many bowls of wheaties you just peed in :tsk::tsk:

I thought they had confirmed one also hit and killed in kalkaska county years back but I was unable to find any documentation on it, If i remember correctly they wrote it off as an escaped "pet"....
thanks for the post,,


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## no thyme (Jun 25, 2009)

knock knock!!! whos there? MODS!!! mods,who? mods need 2 close this!!!!! and ban all cat talk till , someone in this state proves it!
why not a forum on bigfoot and chupacabra sightings! anything but cougars!!!


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## solohunter (Jan 2, 2006)

no thyme said:


> knock knock!!! whos there? MODS!!! mods,who? mods need 2 close this!!!!! and ban all cat talk till , someone in this state proves it!
> why not a forum on bigfoot and chupacabra sightings! anything but cougars!!!


 
see what I mean about the wheaties???

Oh the mods are involved in most of the threads on cougars,,, :yikes::yikes:


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## N.E. Outdoorsman (Sep 18, 2006)

I think some folks simply refuse to believe that these animals could be here. Maybe their afraid. Maybe the thought of a potential food chain trump is too much to cope with. I don't know.

I was a skeptic (never a critic) before I saw one in Oscoda last month.

I can tell you first hand, that at least one is around. Could be a pet. Could be wild. Don't care. I saw it!


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

I remember this report and thought it was widely known about. All kidding aside, it is too easy to say it is not really enough proof but you have to admit it is hard to discount. A body or two sure would help though....
I say it is definitely possible we have some, especially after that wolf that was found hit by a car (in Missouri?) radio collared from Michigan so animals do travel long distances, but there was a body there.....if I remember that story right.


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## solohunter (Jan 2, 2006)

Oldgrandman said:


> I remember this report and thought it was widely known about. All kidding aside, it is too easy to say it is not really enough proof but you have to admit it is hard to discount. A body or two sure would help though....
> I say it is definitely possible we have some, especially after that wolf that was found hit by a car (in Missouri?) radio collared from Michigan so animals do travel long distances, but there was a body there.....if I remember that story right.


when they quite laughing a couple of finlanders will admit to tossing a road kill wolf on top a semi bound for the southlands,, seems the wolf swelled up and rolled off in missouri,,,, It wasnt one of the kangas, or jarvi,s i dont think  other than that senator I have no independant recollection of any thing relating to this matter, do you have any pictures, videos or documents to refresh my memory with?? LMAO!!!


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## solohunter (Jan 2, 2006)

no thyme said:


> knock knock!!! whos there? MODS!!! mods,who? mods need 2 close this!!!!! and ban all cat talk till , someone in this state proves it!
> why not a forum on bigfoot and chupacabra sightings! anything but cougars!!!


Here ya go,,,,,,,,,,,,,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 4, 2009

Contact: Kristie Sitar, 906-293-5131, Debbie Munson Badini,
906-226-1352 or Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014


DNR Verifies Cougar Tracks, Confirms Location of Trail Camera Photo in
Eastern Upper Peninsula

The Department of Natural Resources today announced it has verified two
sets of cougar tracks and confirmed the location of a cougar photo in
the eastern Upper Peninsula. The tracks were discovered in the DeTour
and Gulliver areas, while the photo was taken near Bruce Township.

On Oct. 26, DNR Wildlife Biologist Dave Jentoft received a call late in
the day at the Shingleton Field Office reporting tracks that looked like
cougar prints near DeTour. The caller was instructed to cover the tracks
to protect them from the elements, and Jentoft was able to respond the
next day to take photographs, measure the tracks and conduct a field
investigation. The information Jentoft collected was shared with the
DNR's trained cougar team, and the consensus was reached that the tracks
appear to have been made by a cougar.

On Nov. 2, DNR Wildlife Biologist Terry Minzey was contacted by a
private landowner near Gulliver who reported finding large tracks that
he thought may be from a cougar. DNR biologists Kristie Sitar and Kevin
Swanson investigated the site with Minzey, taking measurements, photos
and plaster casts of the tracks. In conjunction with the DNR's
specially-trained cougar team, it was determined that the tracks are
from a cougar.

"These are the first confirmed cougar tracks in the eastern Upper
Peninsula, and we appreciate the cooperation of the callers who reported
the tracks and worked to keep them covered until we could respond to the
scene," said Sitar, who is a member of the DNRâs cougar team. "Other
landowners who believe they have evidence of a cougar on their property,
such as tracks or a kill site, are encouraged to contact their local DNR
field office as soon as possible, which allows staff to investigate
before the evidence is compromised. Without good evidence, like what we
had in these two cases, verification becomes increasingly difficult."

The cougar photograph, taken by a trail camera on private property near
Bruce Township in mid-October, has been under investigation by wildlife
staff since Oct. 22. The photo shows a cougar at night walking through a
food plot. Though there was no doubt the photo depicted a cougar, the
location where the photo was taken was not accessible to DNR staff for
on-site inspection until Nov. 2. At that time, a field investigation by
Jentoft and DNR Wildlife Technician Tim Maples made it possible to
verify the location by comparing camera angles and vegetation markers at
the site, allowing wildlife officials to confirm the photo was taken at
that spot.

Cougars, also known as mountain lions, originally were native to
Michigan but were thought to have been extirpated around the turn of the
last century. The last known wild cougar taken in Michigan was killed
near Newberry in 1906. However, sightings are regularly reported and
although verification is often difficult, the DNR was able to verify
several sets of cougar tracks in Marquette and Delta counties in 2008.

Established cougar populations are found as close to Michigan as North
and South Dakota, and transient cougars dispersing from these areas have
been known to travel hundreds of miles in search of new territory.
Characteristic evidence of cougars include tracks, which are about three
inches long by three and a half inches wide and typically show no claw
marks, or suspicious kill sites, such as deer carcasses that are largely
intact and have been buried with sticks and debris.

Reports of cougar tracks and other evidence should be made to a local
DNR office or by calling the department's 24-hour Report All Poaching
line at 800-292-7800. If a citizen comes into contact with a cougar, the
following behavior is recommended:

- Stop, stand tall, pick up small children and do not run. A cougar's
instinct is to chase.

- Do not approach the animal.

- Try to appear larger than the cougar. Never take your eyes off the
animal or turn your back. Do not crouch down or try to hide.

- If the animal displays aggressive behavior, shout, wave your arms and
throw rocks. The idea is to convince the cougar that you are not prey,
but a potential danger.

- If a cougar attacks, fight back aggressively and try to stay on your
feet. Do not play dead. Cougars have been driven away by people who have
fought back.

Cougars are classified as an endangered species in Michigan. It is
unlawful to kill, harass or otherwise harm a cougar except in the
immediate defense of human life. For more information about the recent
cougar tracks and photo, call Sitar at 906-293-5131. To learn more about
cougars and how to identify their tracks, go online to
www.michigan.gov/dnr and click on Wildlife and Habitat.

The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management,
accessible use and enjoyment of the Stateâs natural resources for
current and future generations.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

solohunter said:


> when they quite laughing a couple of finlanders will admit to tossing a road kill wolf on top a semi bound for the southlands,, seems the wolf swelled up and rolled off in missouri,,,, It wasnt one of the kangas, or jarvi,s i dont think  other than that senator I have no independant recollection of any thing relating to this matter, do you have any pictures, videos or documents to refresh my memory with?? LMAO!!!


Yeah, I just made it all up.... 
Well if you want to believe it or not it is up to you, but it was reported and documented....I did have the story just a tad off, I will admit. It was killed by someone with a bow and arrow, not a car. 
This is what I found on the WWW

http://www.wolf.org/wolves/news/iwmag/2002/spring/world.pdf

See page 16 on this document.....
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/Draft_Wolf_Management_Plan_030708_227742_7.pdf

You OK with this as proof? I could probably dig up more but the state document should be enough.


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## solohunter (Jan 2, 2006)

I worked with the guys from the UP guard units at camp grayling all summer in 92-93-94,,, 
they hate wolves and made no bones about getting rid of them, road kill or otherwise, Including tossing them on semi,s leaving the mills.

lest we forget the one that the collar went dead on and three years or so later got trapped and killed in presque isle county in the lower?


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