Cougar

[teejk]

Illinois seemed absent any large cats for decades, until recently. There have been several sightings and photographs from all around the state over the last couple of years. One just a few months ago was about 30 miles south and west of us near Waterloo, where a lady took a picture from a second floor window of a cougar walking up a driveway next to a wooded area.

I no longer walk out to the barn at night without a flashlight and a firearm.

Well if you figure we have confirmed sightings in Wisconsin as they pass through heading to the east coast, would make sense that they have to pass through Illinois...that lake is a big one!

 

[jack707]

I would think there are a few in Northern Wis haven't seen any so far.

 

[MossRoad]

Live in SE Indiana. Lions and Tigers and Bears ... OH MY! Report of a Black Bear spotted in southern Indiana recently. Apparently swam across Ohio River from Kentucky. Need to upgrade my concealed carry from .22 to .357!

Expert: Indiana black bear sightings likely to become more common | WISH-TV

That would make the 2nd confirmed bear in Indiana since 1871! The first was last year up here on the Indiana/Michigan border.
From the DNR website... DNR: Black Bears in Indiana

"Black bears were historically abundant across Indiana, excluding the northwest portions of the state dominated by prairie. Unregulated hunting and habitat loss caused black bears to be extirpated from Indiana and much of the Midwest by 1850. Before 2015, when a black bear entered Indiana at the Michigan border, the last confirmed report of a black bear in Indiana was in 1871"

 

[jack707]

I live up North in Wi. and I have blk.bears in my yard at times

 

[MossRoad]

Moss:

I am down South in the area of 31 and New Road. That bear was never seen out our way. My family thinks I am crazy of the Cougar thing. Not because the DNR denies it, but I guess because I am crazy or something. Of course I hang out here so that might be exhibit A.

We are blessed with the wildlife in our area too. We had family over last night including a good number of younger kids. They got to see a couple of deer come out of the woods, walk across our property to the pond on the neighbor's land and take a drink. Then they caught wind of something because they were out of there like a flash.

The kids were amazed that this stuff exists in the real world and not just on TV or in a zoo. Sad really that more people are moving into cities and not living in the country.

I know the area well. Been here all my life. Spend a lot of time at Potato Creek.

The closest the bear got to us was Elbel golf course, NW of the SB airport. Then it headed west all the way to Michigan City, then back and forth across the IN/MI border all winter. They killed it at Grand Mere State Park between Bridgeman and St. Joe.

There's been reports of cougars for years. With the rise in ownership of game cams, its just a matter of time until someone gets a convincing shot if they are out there.

Don't be sad that people are moving into the cities and not living in the country. It will end up like the housing in Granger that is slowly spreading west of the 31 bypass towards New Carlisle. When I was a kid, there was no housing in Granger. Now there's thousands and thousands of houses. Makes me sad.

 

[MossRoad]

There is not a day that goes by that I don't see several deer in our yard. While I have never seen a Mountain Lion here, they would sure have plenty to eat. But we live awful close to town.

We live in an old neighborhood from the 20's-WWII era. We've been here 20 years (it was supposed to be our 5 year house!). Nothing more than squirrels and rabbits until the last 5-6 years... now we've seen deer, coyotes, fox with a den and kits in our back yard, turkeys and drunk neighbor told us she saw an ostrich... seriously!

The wildlife is adapting to the people. But we still have some large wooded areas and nearest corn fields are less than a mile away. Also, a major rail line comes nearby, and that's a corridor for the wildlife, as is the major interstates and woods along them.

 

[MossRoad]

I've never seen direct denial from any DNR in any state of any species of animal. I've seen them say plenty of times that they have no reliable, credible evidence as of yet, of breeding populations or single animals. When they get that evidence, they acknowledge the sighting. Acknowledging a sighting is not an admittance of past denial people!

 

[teejk]

I've never seen direct denial from any DNR in any state of any species of animal. I've seen them say plenty of times that they have no reliable, credible evidence as of yet, of breeding populations or single animals. When they get that evidence, they acknowledge the sighting. Acknowledging a sighting is not an admittance of past denial people!

The Wis DNR has denied stuff simply because the odds of a rare animal were too big. Affordable trail cameras are changing that.

 

[MossRoad]

The Wis DNR has denied stuff simply because the odds of a rare animal were too big. Affordable trail cameras are changing that.

Show us where they said it didn't happen, please.

 

[jack707]

Mt
Lions they can't even tell the people the truth about how many packs of wolf's roam Wi.