Wisconsin’s Mystery Cats: 2010
Posted by: Loren Coleman on August 14th, 2010
A new article in the Janesville Gazette has been published reviewing the “cougar” situation in Wisconsin.
Photo by Dan Lassiter
Doug Graf points out some possible cougar tracks to his sister Kathy Rudnitzki on their rural Edgerton property.
Photo by Dan Lassiter
Jim Rudnitzki uses his hand to judge the size of a suspected cougar print. Though DNR officials didn’t think the track belonged to a big cat, the state’s leading cougar expert said the Rudnitzkis were right to get pictures of the prints.
Photo by Dan Lassiter
Jim Rudnitzki measures the stride of what he suspects to be a cougar on his property in rural Edgerton.
For more, read here.
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I live in the center of Iowa (Story County) and have heard from two farmers (one in Radcliffe, one north of Nevada, IA) who live within less than 10 miles of each other who have reported tracks and sightings. Both describe the classic tawny mountain lion in color and size. One also found one of the burial cache mounds where the big cat digs up earth and buries their prey to allow it to ripen a bit before they come back to enjoy it later.
With numerous sightings and, at least, three confirmed cases (i.e. dead bodies) of cougars in Illinois within the past 10 years – the most recent, in the city if Chicago, itself (!), in 2008 – is there really any question that Wisconsin has a population of the big cats?
I mean, unless they’re swimming the Mississippi from Iowa, or flying in via O’Hare Int’l., those cats are coming from somewhere!
First Cheeseheads and now this… Thanks, Wisconsin.
I hunt out in WI with my cousin and he has seen one up in Chippewa county while deer hunting 2 years ago. Although with the increased wolf populations out there, they will be competing for the same food supply.
I worked for a couple years at Fort McCoy in Monroe County in west-central Wisconsin, and there was an area of the installation that people were warned to be careful when going in alone, as there were sightings of a cougar. This was in 1999-2000.
There are cougars through out Minnesota, I’ve been within 30 feet of one on foot and nearly hit one with my truck. It’s no surprise they are in Wisconsin too.
My wife and I came across cougar tracks about half-way between Dunbar and Pembine, WI. No question in my mind as to what they were… no bobcat ever grew that big.
I also heard that eerie cry they make, one night while camping on an island in the Wisconsin River.
This is no mystery to those of us in the midwest…the only people still in denial about mountain lions in the midwest are the respective state dnrs.
Off-topic: This site has definately improved their advertisers….now if we could only lose those God-awful “baby” ads….