A coworker recently asked me if I had heard of any “lions” in the area. Not the African or Detroit variety, but mountain lions. Also referred to as cougars.
A deliveryman had just informed her that he’d seen one on the north side of Buchanan. He also mentioned a customer, presumably from the area, who claimed that five or six such lions had passed through her yard.
The topic of periodic mountain lion sightings has lingered in the Michiana area for years. Louie Stout says that when he was writing hunting and fishing columns for The Tribune, he heard about sightings from readers frequently enough to believe it was a real possibility. In a 2017 column, Stout recalled readers who reported seeing cougars in Cass County in 2009 and 2010.
However, solid evidence has proven difficult to obtain.
One hunter told Stout that while he was fully camouflaged as a bush, a mountain lion stopped and stared at him from 35 yards away. In 2020, the hunter stood at the edge of an apple orchard in Marshall County, waiting for deer.
The hunter described the cat as having an elongated, tan-colored body and a long, rope-like tail, similar to a mountain lion’s. The hunter mentioned pointed ears, but mountain lions actually have rounded ears.
During those few minutes of awe, the hunter never took a photograph of the creature. He said he didn’t want to move and scare it away.
To answer my coworker’s question, I spoke with Brian Roell, a large carnivore specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources based in the Upper Peninsula’s snowy, dog-mushing paradise of Marquette.
Roell leads the state’s investigation into public reports of big-cat sightings. He claims the DNR had no record of anyone calling about a cougar in the Buchanan area.
However, his team receives hundreds of similar claims from across Michigan, many of which include hundreds of photographs. They are frequently identified as coyotes, foxes, large house cats, or bobcats. Bobcats are much smaller and have a distinct appearance, but they do live in Michiana. My coworker reported seeing one on her Niles property’s wooded area.
The DNR has documented and confirmed mountain lions in the Upper Peninsula. According to Roell, they most likely originated in the western states. North and South Dakota are the closest states with cougar breeding populations. According to him, young male cats in the Upper Peninsula are solitary and dispersed as they seek their own territory, rather than congregating to breed.
In the Lower Peninsula, the DNR’s only confirmed sighting of a cougar since 2008 occurred in a wildlife area east of Lansing in 2017.
Some speculate that people keep young cougars as pets and then release them when they grow too large.
The public can report these and other wildlife sightings in Michigan using the DNR’s Eyes in the Field website.
“If you provide evidence (of a cougar), you will get an email from me,” Roell tells me.
Evidence could include scat (or droppings), paw prints, or a cougar carcass. The state has a “cougar team,” he says, that reviews all of the evidence and must reach a consensus on whether or not a cougar was present. This includes determining whether a photo or video was actually taken where the person claimed it was.
There are many hoaxes, he observes.
Roell does not rule out the possibility of it occurring in the Lower Peninsula, but lacks evidence to support this claim. “It’s similar to bigfoot.”
Many posters on the Facebook group Michigan Citizens for Cougar Recognition, which has 16,200 members, insist that mountain lions live in the Lower Peninsula. Recent posts acknowledge the DNR’s statement about mistaking the identities of other animals. However, as members share photos and sightings, they remain firm in their belief.
The Indiana DNR’s only confirmed mountain lion reports in recent years occurred in southern Clay County in 2009 and northern Greene County in 2010. The two southwest Indiana locations are so close that it could have been the same animal, but officials aren’t certain.
Lt. Ashley Jackson of DNR Conservation District No. 1 in northern Indiana says he hasn’t heard of any cougar sightings in the last year, but there were a slew of reports during the pandemic.
“I’m not going to fully discount it,” says the gentleman.
If the big cats are present, Jackson is surprised that they have not been captured by the “astronomical” proliferation of trail cameras. Hunters frequently set up these cameras in their preferred locations. They receive alerts on their cellphones whenever something moves into view.
Derek Pelc, chief naturalist at Berrien County Parks, says people have mentioned sightings there. A few have shown photos, he says, “that we ultimately determine as house cats or unconfirmed because the picture is of too low quality.”
I’ve been writing about local trails and parks for decades, and I haven’t heard of any close encounters between cougars and hikers, paddlers, or other outdoor enthusiasts. Have you?
So there’s no need to reach for the panic button. However, given how people have reported these sightings with awe, we can have some respect for such a magnificent creature.
What to know about cougars
∎ Cougars were extinct in Michigan in the early 1900s and Indiana in the late 1800s, despite once being common in the eastern United States.
∎ Cougars can weigh between 80 and 160 pounds and grow to be seven to eight feet long. The tail may be two to three feet long.
∎ In contrast, a bobcat can weigh 15 to 30 pounds, stretch 30 to 50 inches, and have a tail of only four to five inches. The fur has dark speckles and stripes.
∎ Cougars tend to be reclusive. According to the Indiana DNR, it is unlikely that they will appear in neighborhoods or urban areas. If you come across one, the DNR advises against approaching it. Rather, give it a way out. Do not crouch, either. Stand, face the animal, and make yourself appear large by slowly raising your arms and speaking in a firm, loud tone.
∎ Report Michigan cougars using the link provided in this column online. Report Michigan wildlife in general at the link provided in the story online. Learn more about the state’s cougars at this link.
∎ Report Indiana mammals through a form linked here in the text of this column online.
Hike Potato Creek
On February 22, join the Hoosier Hikers for a 5K or 10K hike along the paved bike trail at Potato Creek State Park in North Liberty. Registration will be open between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. near the park’s nature center. Look for the club’s sign. After you’ve signed in, you can hike at your own pace. The cost is $4. For inquiries, please contact Bob Buzolich at [email protected].
Explore more at Quiet Adventures Symposium
Want to talk with other adventurers, clubs, and experts about your next Midwestern expedition, no matter how big or small? The 30th annual Quiet Adventures Symposium begins March 1 at Michigan State University.
Expect plenty of exhibits, as well as talks and demonstrations on hiking, camping, paddling, biking, fishing, adaptive sports, wildlife conservation, and boat building and restoration. It will keep you occupied all day, and you will be inundated with ideas and inspiration.
The symposium will take place from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Michigan State University Pavilion, 4031 Farm Lane Road, south of Mount Hope in East Lansing. Admission at the door is $20 per person or $30 for two, $5 for students, and free for children under the age of 12. Advance tickets are available for $13 online through February 26. Learn more at quietwatersociety.org.
Motored devices in national parks?
Where and how should visitors be permitted to ride e-scooters, hoverboards, Segways, and other micromobility vehicles in national parks across the country? The National Park Service would like to hear from you by March 17 about a proposed rule.
The NPS’s current rules classify micromobility devices as cars, so they are subject to the same regulations as motor vehicles. However, the proposed rule states that the superintendent of each park or site has the authority to manage the use of these powered devices, including on sidewalks, gravel or paved paths.
To comment, go to www.regulations.gov, search for “1024-AE79,” and follow the instructions. Hard copies can be mailed to Jay Calhoun at National Park Service, Division of Regulations, Jurisdiction, and Special Park Uses, MS-2560, 1849 C St. NW, Washington, DC 20240.
Columnist Joseph Dits can be reached on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures, 574-235-6158, or [email protected].
