I was coming home from southern Illinois this morning and driving west on interstate 74(from 57 to 47)just east of Mahomet,I saw off to my right what most certainly looked like a cougar,it was traveling a newly planted field toward a treeline.I had seen many deer on this trip this morning and had on three or four occasions had deer almost run out in front of my truck heading north on I57.This was definately not a deer that I saw nor was it livestock.It had a waddle as it walked.I don't think that it was a dog either.I have heard of cougar being spotted here in Illinois at various locations,and one killed by an archer in northwest Illinois a year or two ago.I will report what I saw to the IDNR,I was just wondering if any of you have spotted any here in our state?The direction it was traveling was toward a heavily deer populated area,called lake of the woods nature preserve I believe.Just thought I would share.

I don't doubt that you could have seen a cougar especially in the southern parts of our state. The evidence is clear enough.

However, driving along at 70 + mph it might have been something other than a cougar?

Illinois has a lot of big bobcats

THE LEGEND CONTINUES..... LAST FALL, I HEARD MANY STORIES ABOUT A COUGAR IN VERMILION COUNTY, 30 MILES FROM MAHOMET. I NEVER SAW HIM PERSONALLY. BUT IN 1994, MY FATHER AND I WERE LOOKING FOR A DEER I SHOT AND SOMETHING RAN AWAY FROM THE UNRECOVERED DEER QUICKLY. JUST SO HAPPENED, THE ANIMAL WALKED THROUGH A CLEARING ABOUT 150 YARDS AWAY. IT WAS VERY LOW TO THE GROUND AND HAD VERY LONG, SLENDER TAIL. CAN'T SAY FOR SURE BUT I KNOW IT WASN'T A COYOTE AND I'VE HUNTED 100 DAYS A YEAR SINCE 1993 AND STILL HAVEN'T SEEN A BOBCAT.

TWO YEARS AGO, I ALSO HAD A DOE I SHOT DEMOLISHED BY AN ANIMALIN A SUSPICIOUS WAY. HER SKIN WAS PEELED BACK FROM NECK TO RUMP. THE MEAT WAS GONE TO BONE. THE DEER WAS THERE FOR LESS THAN 6 HOURS. COYOTES USUALLY EAT THE REAR FIRST.

Does Illinois D.N.R acknowledge that courgars even exist in your state.Here in P.a I have friends that have photos from there trail cams of cougars.Our D.N.R says they dont exist and what we are seeing pets that have escaped.However we still cant shoot them.Its against the game laws.Makes no sense to me.

ihunt1975,the part where you mentionedbeing low to the ground and a long slender tail is what got my attention,also the waddle ,and the color of it.I did pull off to the shoulder and back way up on the shoulder to see if I could get another look but it was gone over the hill by then.I usualy would have kept driving if I wasn't certain of what I saw or doubted what I saw.It definatly didn't have the colors of a bobcat,and looked much larger than one.I don't find it impossible to see cougars because of the great distances they travel,and knowing that this area is loaded with deer and other critters.

My aunt owned a farm in the 1980s where she raised fur animals like fox and she also owned some cougars. That was in orangeville illinois. but i live in pecatonica illinois about 20 minutes from wisconsin state line and i have see 2 in my last 8 years at night driving here at night. so i know they are here. and about 6 yrs ago a friend of mine who live traps for the heck of it, trapped a canadian lynx go figure and it was very beautiful he has pictures of it, it is endangered had to call DNR to pick it up.
so their are some strange things out there thank you .
William Daughenbaugh

Good post daughenbaugh!One of my fellow lineman buddies told me that in the area you mentioned that there is an elk farm nearby, and that on occasion they do get loose and get on to his hunting property.

Ilive in northeast Ohio (Medina County) and ive never heard of any cougar sightings. Butone of my hunting buddiessaw a cougar in southern Ohio (Guernsey County, near Tappan Lake) and im pretty sure ive found some cougar tracks in Morgan County.

you know i know alot of farmers here, because i farm sheep. but i will say this we have a nice buffalo farm big one and they get out sometimes, and you wanna talk about a heater hunting frenzy, LOL. Also we have a meat slaughter house very small in seward illinois. a few bear and fallow ran off from there never to be found,
and the funniest thing that ever happened to me. we had a animal right group about 1998 release thousand of black mink from a farm nearby about 12 miles away, well i was bass fishing in the lake in winnebago illinois and guess what 3 black mink where running across the bank, so i got a chuckle they were a happy family to be free.