Well, got the news just the other day a cougar has been spotted on some land we farm. The woods the cougar was spotted in follows a winding creek where the deer population is rather steady and prevalent. Our landlord said he had seen steady deer sightings along the field edges during season up to around the middle of December. After that, he said it was almost like the deer had disappeared. Just the other day, while watching three does in the field, the man spotted something that appeared to be chasing the does throughout the field. Sure enough, it was a large cougar. I know a few other people that live and hunt around the area. I am going to try and contact them as well and see if they had seen a drop in deer sightings or have seen the cougar themselves. From what I have heard, our landlord isn't the only person that I know of who has spotted the cat. Pretty wild to say the least. I thought coyotes were rough on deer, I can only imagine what cougars can do. I better find out, some of the ground I can hunt/shed hunt is less than two miles from the spottings. Anyone got any other information about cougars? Other than I wouldn't want one stalking me for its next meal!
A feller on a farm near where I hunt got 6 different trail camera pics of a cougar this year as well. Right here in central missouri. Golly, ain't that wonderful. NOT!
bols where in illinois are you located they have been spotted up by marseilles if you know where that is
I'm straight east of you fellah! I know exactly where Marseilles is. Downright scarey I tell you. I am almost considering my options when out shed hunting. Do I take a sidearm with me just in case?
Yeah, I am with John, you got the pictures. And I hear you Don on the wonderful part. I just don't know what I should do since this cougar has been spotted close enough to the farms I hunt as well as shed hunt.
Im betting it is a captive escapee if it truly exists....just because I am skeptical of these kind of things. I know someone who always tells the truth, that swears up and down he saw a black panther while working tobacco back in the late 70s....I believe that he thinks he saw one, but was there REALLY a black panther in central ky? Maybe, but not likely....
Trevor, not ruling out a captive escapee at all. But the following picture proves to me that cougars are present in IL and whether or not it was captive isn't the issue. The issue now becomes it is in the wild, in 100% survival mode. Which means killing deer, attack domesticated animals, or worse! Notice all of the sightings in Southern IL? Why is it a stretch for a black panther to be sighted in KY? We don't have to be skeptical all the time. Sometimes people do indeed tell the truth! Amazing, isn't it. :d
ummm... remember this... Not only a good luck charm for shed hunting, it works as a repellent with one more step involved... by dragging the headless/footless chicken body ( hen ) behind you using a very, very short sting... it repels cougars !! A must for good shed hunting in cougar infested areas !! Again trust me on this !! :d Tim
Tim, what would I do without you buddy! You really do come through in the clutch.....one issue though. What if I am allergic to chicken? Everytime I am around chickens my throat swells, hives appear, and I begin to shake uncontrollably? Should I forgo the chicken in favor of a non-winged creature such as a beaver?
I went to the mall the other day. I saw cougars almost everywhere I looked. Cougars, MILFs, and jailbait were everywhere in that place. Granted I kept getting slapped by my wife ... I don't see what the big deal is on this one. What's the big deal with seeing Cougars in the middle of hunting grounds??? Sound's like the beginning of a letter to Larry Flint...
Bols, are you talking mountain lion/cougars? We have had several spotted in my area of the state. There was even some footage on HNI sometime back from a town 10 miles north of me. I don't believe anyone when I hear them say "I saw a black panther in IL". We are a long way from the Congo. :D
I use to doubt the people who said they seen a cougar/mountain lion in Illinois. A very good freind of mine stopped by the house back in 2004 and said that he had mountian lions on 190 acre tract he own in Macoupin County. I asked why he tought that and he told me he was out running trail cameras and came across several dead turkeys and seen mountain lion tracks. I told him that he needed to stay out of the sun so much, and lay off the Busch Light. This guy was born and raised in Illinois and as far as I know, had never left the state before. So how would he know what a mountain lion track looked like. The next week he stopped by my house again, he had not talked to me all week (he was upset because I did not believe him) and threw down some trail camera pictures. Sure enought there was a mountain lion, bigger than life itself. Needless to say, I has crow for supper that night. This past Janurary I was running south down 159 heading towards Edwardsville when I seen what I thought was a large coyote in a shelled corn field. As I got closer I realized it was not a coyote, but a big cat. I watched it as it worked across the corn field for about 10 mins with my binos, there is not doubt in my mind that it was indeed a mountain lion.
With all the alleged cougar sightings in IL, why has there not been one credible photo from either a trail camera, or someone who says they've seen in in person? That's the only thing that boggles my mind. With the exception of the one that was shot and killed in Chicago last year there's really no hard evidence they exist. They're like the modern-day Chupacabra of the Midwest.
Justin, I'm in total agree with you. I don't believe we have an over abundant population of cougars in the state. And more than likely, most, if not all of the sightings are of captives that either escaped or were set into the wild by their intelligent owners. In this situation, until I see this with my very eyes I guess I cannot be 100% certain this is a cougar. But I personally know the two gentleman that have seen the alleged "cougar" and they are pretty smart guys. Not ruling out it isn't one, but certainly not crying foul just because the lack of evidence. Once cougars get established in an area, they are like ghost from what I have read. Check out this trail cam photo a guy got in Kane County (according to the article) http://illinoiscougarwatch.com/2008/12/21/large-cat-photographed-in-kane-county/ I'm not defending one side or another. There have been some incidents with cars hitting large cats around the highways surrounding the IL River Valley as well. So you're right, until more photographed evidence of these cougars are present, one may never know for certain whether cougars are now roaming in IL. But a lack of photographs doesn't always mean a lack of credibility to the sightings.
