# Cougars in WI



## Jubilee (Mar 12, 2009)

I've been hearing stories of cougars in WI for years and, so I felt like sharing this info on this site. And we were even in Wonewoc on that day. They had their Old Fashioned Days and the kids enjoyed the parade (and candy).

http://www.piercecountyherald.com/event/article/id/26427/ 

DNR to try and capture cougar that attacked cattle near Wonewoc
Outdoor News

- Wildlife officials will attempt to locate and capture a cougar that attacked a one-year-old heifer on a farm in the Town of Wonewoc, Juneau County over the weekend, the Department of Natural Resources reported.

MADISON â Wildlife officials will attempt to locate and capture a cougar that attacked a one-year-old heifer on a farm in the Town of Wonewoc, Juneau County over the weekend, the Department of Natural Resources reported.



A turkey hunter first reported the incident to the landowner after hearing sounds of the attack Saturday. He observed what he believed to be a cougar pulling the cow to the ground. He fired shots in the air to scare off the cat before leaving the area to contact the landowner. The heifer survived the attack but was severely injured and had to be put down. Tracks and other evidence at the site of the attack appear to confirm that the predator was a cougar. Age and sex of the cougar are not known at this time



âAll evidence suggests that it was a cougar that attacked the heifer,â said Adrian Wydeven, DNRâs mammalian ecologist and wolf biologist. âWe intend to handle this in the same manner as we would if it were any other large predator of livestock such as a black bear or wolf. This animal attacked livestock and that is the main reason we will try to capture it, if we can find it.â



Motion activated trail cameras will be set near bait to determine if the cougar is still in the area. In accordance with established protocols for depredating wildlife, the cougar will be euthanized if captured and will be studied, including DNA sampling, to attempt to determine the origin of the big cat and to preserve it as a scientific specimen.



Historically, cougars were native to Wisconsin. Three cougar sightings have been confirmed since reports began in the mid-1940s. A cougar reported near Milton Wisconsin in January 2008 was the first confirmed sighting in Wisconsin since the early 20th century. A cougar was chased up a tree by hounds near Spooner and a cougar image was captured by trail cameras last winter in Clark and Dunn counties.



Cougar tracks were also discovered near Spring Valley.



âAbout 250 cougars live in the Black Hills of South Dakota and 100 or so in North Dakota, adds Wydeven. âMales are known to roam as far as 670 miles searching for new habitat so a male might find its way into Wisconsin.â



Cougars are classified as protected animals in Wisconsin with no open season for hunting or trapping.



Attacks on people by cougars are rare. People hiking in areas where cougars are known to occur are advised to hike in groups, and keep small children in sight. If a cougar approaches, and does not immediately flee, stand tall, wave your arms, throw stones or other objects, and yell. Donât run, but slowly back away from the site, keeping an eye on the cougar.


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## Ray (Dec 5, 2002)

we've had cougar, here in MO too, the conservation keeps saying the sightings are something else but its hard to refute the carcases of dead cougars which have turned up several times and they weren't able to keep the pictures and reports out of the papers. They even found a guy with a dead one he said he killed and they said he killed it in Colorado and brought it back, he said no he killed it here, hes in trouble no season here. 
Now there are many sightings of the black Panther or black cougars from Mexico sightings being seen. they were seen alot back in the late 50's and now they are coming up again, seen all trough the states from mexico to here lately. The so called authorities dispute these claims but they would even if they had the body of one because they don't want the public excited it seems the public are too stupid to handle that type info and become frightened and panicked. PHEW BULL the so called authorities are the only ones smart enough to know the truth about anything anymore, so I dont call any one or any position, one of authority. I call them public servants and expect them to serve and let the people decide whats important, just as the system was set up to work in the first place. best wishes, ray


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## Homesteadwi5 (Mar 16, 2008)

The one treed near spooner was for the dnr,it was a few members of the wbha and a warden and biologist,they wanted to dart it and put a tracking collar on it but they couldnt get a dart into it,.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

I'm surprised they admitted it was a cougar. When we had land in WI, the DNR folk all had the same story: No cougars around here. Even when livestock was obviously being killed/attacked by cougars, and there were sightings. They'd blame other animals.

It's the same as Ray says in this part of MO, too. Neighbors who are not scaredy-cats (no pun intended) have seen and even taken pictures of cougars on their land. "Nope, not cougars," is the response they get.

So, Ray, how can the guy be in trouble if we don't have cougars?  

Why are they so intent on covering it up?

Me, I'd just as soon not bother The Experts with our little problems. Thank God I've never had to deal with anything scarier than a skunk, and please God I'll never run into anything bigger.


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

In Clark County here....
Haven't seen a cougar but a friend believes his 400 pound heifer was killed by one last fall.

Just two days ago we saw a huge black bear and this morning we saw a wolf.

I love living in a county with so much forest land.


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

<SE Ohio...mid '90's> 
We were at a picnic and a local acquaintance told about losing a few goats to what he thought was a mountain lion (aka panther/cougar) ... no torn hindquarters, but finding their throats torn and the carcasses drug up hill and covered in leaves. Like usual, someone else had a story too. Despite how very "re-naturalized" ...wild/wooly...the brush covered hills around us are now, my husband and I didn't really think much about the story. There are black bears seen every couple of years and that fuels a bunch of bogus bear sighting stories...by the big talking oral diarhrea types. "Yeah, and there used to be mammoths here too ( there were )...doesn't mean that much"... or so I thought.

About a month later before dawn, my husband was on his way to work on a rural highway...usual routine. He called me, breathless and excited. He said; "It's true, I just had a whitetail run in front of my headlights and right behind it was a big long cat with a long tail!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Saw it myself, it is true!".

I go walking over the hills and thru the woods and pastures, down ravines with my packgoats. I'm not afraid of the 6 ft black snakes, I'm not afraid of the 45-50 lb coyotes that howl and hunt at night...and sometimes the day. BUT to be walking under rock outcroppings gives me the creeps now because a mountain lion will stalk a human unlike the other critters. I have my dogs running with me and I watch the goat's body language as I can always tell when somethings amiss by watching them, but...I do not hike as much or w/o my cell now. Southern Ohio's tightly packed, steep hills covered in dense undergrowth ( honeysuckle multiflora rose, understory trees etc.)is a very Appalachian jungle-y region. I see many animals returning to this area now that the small farms are returning to wild areas.

Now, who on this forum is really going to believe what the "gub'ment" folks are going to tell you about what's "out there"?

-scrt crk


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

I don't doubt that Wisconsin has cougars. Minnesota has them, Wisconsin is next door to Minnesota, so I figure Wisconsin should have a few as well.

Here is a local Conservation Officer with one of our (deceased) mountain lions.


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

Nah, not in WI...cougars won't cross a stateline, right? <G>
-scrt crk


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