# Cougar illegally killed in Schoolcraft County; DNR conservation officers apprehend su



## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

*Cougar illegally killed in Schoolcraft County; DNR conservation officers apprehend suspects*

Contact: Lt. Skip Hagy, 906-293-5131 or Ed Golder, 517-284-6241
Agency: Natural ResourcesDec. 20, 2013

Michigan Department of Natural Resources law enforcement officials have confirmed a cougar was illegally killed last week in the Upper Peninsula's Schoolcraft County.

Acting on a tip that a cougar had been illegally killed at a hunting camp in northeast Schoolcraft County, DNR conservation officers and Special Investigations Unit detectives were able to successfully recover evidence and identify and apprehend two suspects from Bay County.

Upon completion of the DNR's investigation, the case will be turned over to the Schoolcraft County Prosecuting Attorney with warrant requests for charges. The state penalty for illegally killing a cougar, classified as an endangered species in Michigan, is up to 90 days in jail and fines and restitution of up to $2,500.

Anyone with information about this or any other poaching case is encouraged to call the DNR's Report All Poaching (RAP) hotline at 800-292-7800, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Information can also be reported online at www.michigan.gov/conservationofficers. Tips and information can be left anonymously; information that leads to an arrest and conviction is eligible for a cash reward funded by the state's Game and Fish Protection Fund.

A trail camera photo of a cougar near the same area as this incident was recently confirmed by the DNR's Wildlife Division. Wildlife officials believe the animal killed was most likely the same cougar seen in the recent photo.

Cougars, also known as mountain lions, disappeared from the state in the early 1900s. The last confirmed wild cougar in Michigan prior to 2008 was an animal killed near Newberry in 1906.

Since 2008, the DNR has confirmed photos or tracks of cougars on 23 occasions in 10 Upper Peninsula counties. The animals are believed to be young individuals dispersing from established populations in the Dakotas in search of new territory. There is no evidence of a breeding population of cougars in the state.

The Wildlife Division's specially trained cougar team welcomes citizen reports of possible cougar evidence or sightings. Cougar photos and other evidence - such as tracks, scat or cached kills - should be reported to a local DNR office or through the DNR's online reporting form at www.michigan.gov/cougars.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.











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## MEL (Jul 17, 2005)

About a week late. Already posted in General Hunting section.


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## MERGANZER (Aug 24, 2006)

What a couple of idiots. What did they think they were going to do with the thing not like you can just drop it off ast the taxidermist.

Ganzer


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

I am not saying that killing the cougar was the right thing to do but what does a person do in the UP. You have a hunting camp that you paid for (not cheap) and you are paying taxes, insurance, and upkeep on it. You attempt to go deer hunting on your camp and all that you see are wolves (not uncommon). You cannot sell the camp because it is now worth less than half of what you bought it for. I am beginning to wonder if these cougars that show up in the UP are actually coming here from the west or if the USFWS is not giving them a ride. Why does Michigan want to protect them when other states want you to shoot them on sight?


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## j-rock (Dec 17, 2008)

theres a reason they have gone from here for a 100+ years.if you dont learn from history....


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## Magnet (Mar 2, 2001)

I'm still waiting for them to release the names of the alleged poachers. Chomping at the bit to find out because I have a suspicion of who it might be but don't want to say anything until t's official.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

Robert Holmes said:


> I am not saying that killing the cougar was the right thing to do but what does a person do in the UP. You have a hunting camp that you paid for (not cheap) and you are paying taxes, insurance, and upkeep on it. You attempt to go deer hunting on your camp and all that you see are wolves (not uncommon). You cannot sell the camp because it is now worth less than half of what you bought it for. I am beginning to wonder if these cougars that show up in the UP are actually coming here from the west or if the USFWS is not giving them a ride. Why does Michigan want to protect them when other states want you to shoot them on sight?


This is nonsense! Just because someone invested money into land they want to use for a hunting camp doesn't give them the right to shoot any kind of animal they find on their land, any time they feel like it. What if a Wolverine wandered onto their property? Or Elk? Can they shoot Ducks and Geese in the springtime, as they migrate north for the summer? 

I don't for 1 second believe hunters see zero deer, but see lots of Wolves on their properties. Michigan has just had it's first Wolf hunt in a very long time, and a total of 21 animals have been killed. The "limit" was 42, so either the hunters suck, or the hunters don't really care about taking a Wolf, or there really aren't sooooooooooo many Wolves wandering around the UP, as some people claim. Which is it?


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