Last year while outside in my backyard at night with my dogs, I heard a LOUD cat screech in the woods behind my house. I knew from the sound of it that it was no ordinary cat...it was something BIG! I told my husband and neighbor who told me I was nuts. Not a month later, less that 2 miles from me a mama cougar and two babies were seen and it was all over the news and the papers.

I am in SE Michigan.

I guess your DNR is like our MNR they say they are all escaped animals - thats alot of escaped animals...lol - I think they don't want the public to be all paranoid about them - An independant organization say they figure there are 500 here in Ontario - Its interesting our coyotes came from Michigan - we never had them here until 1917 or something like that.

cheers

a few years ago i saw one out by my pool. el paso, texas (mountains, desert, on border of new mexico and mexico.)

It was nice to know we have Bobcats in the area. I taught at a school and one of my kids came in one day saying they had a Bobcat in their driveway the night before. I had a hard time believing her until her parents confirmed it. I'm in Holly Springs, NC and we're about 20 min. south of Raleigh. The girl lives about 20 min. south of where I do (Angier). I'm originally from FL. so I guess I'm not very familiar with what can be lurking around! I thought we'd see them closer to the mountains but we are definitely not near the mountains (3 hrs. away). BTW, I've recently heard about more Bobcat sightings in the area. Go figure!

I'm in Raleigh. I hope they put this on the news and tell people to keep their cats and dogs from roaming lest a bobcat get them! (whatever works, LOL).

Here in NY we have countless sightings. Our Dept of Conservation says there aren't any in NY. People show them pictures and they say "yes thats a cougar but there aren't any in NY".Or its a runaway. Cougars are a extinct animal in NY according to the DEC.To own one takes a permit.They don't give these permits to everyone. You have to prove you can maintain this cats under DEC conditions.Now how many people in NY own a cougar. Very few.I live in the Binghamton area.I think our zoo has two the last I knew and I don't believe the Syracuse Zoo has any.There was a game farm years ago near here but it closed years ago. Most "pet cougars" have been made sterile.So, with few "pet or zoo cats how many could of escaped[plus it would make the news)???????? There are hundreds of sightings all over the state each year.This many cougars could not be escaping.

Orie, Just to clarify..pumas/cougars/mountain lions are not the same as a bobcat.

We've had a couger sighting in southern Wisconsin. The animal is elusive and hard to get a good look at it. An outdoorsman and hunter detected something suspicious in an old barn and when he climbed to the hay-mow to investigate, he said a cougar leaped out the upper floor to the ground and sped off. He only got a glimpse of it. The DNR came out and viewed tracks in the snow - said it was a possible big animal in the feline family, but came short of defining the incident as a 'positive' sighting of a cougar. They are watching the area.

Coyotes have moved in. For the past 2 years, I have heard them baying around 10 pm in the evening. Apparently, they have set up shop in a woods behind a nusery and about 3/8 mile from the road, but within the town limits.

There are wet lands at that location and migrating canadian geese would congregate there for a short stop and rest. They were a noisy bunch as they settled for the night. These stopovers have greatly dimished although there are plenty of geese in the area. The presence of coyotes would explain the reluctance of geese to sit on that ground.

Apparently there are photos taken of one from Connecticut.....I will have to try and conjure up the web link.

We in southern vermont have numerous "catamounts" as we call them. they are cougars. I am sure they do not care about state lines, so I am not surprised to hear they are in new york, craig76. I am holding my breath to see one. I think they are magnificent