I've been within 3 ft. of 3 different rattlers in the last 3 years, so yeah they're here, though I don't think dnr denies their existence. as far as cougars, yeah they're here to. 2 out of 3 people around here have seen one.

Oh I've seen the rattlesnakes too, It's the story of them dropping them out of the plane that I doubt......

I live in Douglas county and my Dad swears up and down he saw a "very large cat, bigger than a german shepard" I have never had a reason to doubt 'ol Dad in all of my 33 years, but I dunno....
However, I have seen a bunch of bobcats further south, they are fun to watch.
I hunt about 1 mile from Dad's cat sighting, so for my own sanity I'm gonna CHOOSE to dismiss this one.

GPSandfords,I hunt Franklin county near Ewing,Whitington and Maccedonia,that is where the couugars have been seen.

Will rattlers no not eat eggs ,only warm blooded animals. 2nd. when it snows get out there and film those cougar tracks and post them.


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I saw a cougar, (or at least a cat TWICE the size of a bobcat) up in northern-Illinois. I live in the N.E. corner of LaSalle county and I saw it while I was driving home late one night. It was about 100 yards ahead of me and crossed the road left to right. It was just barely inside the headlight-beams, but there was no doubt what it was.

I have a good friend who's a pretty experienced outdoorsman who saw a timber rattler crawl under his shed in northern Illinois. He lived in Tinley Park at the time. I doubt the DNR dropped them in the middle of town....
I think if an animal can walk, and it doesn't get shot or hit by a car/truck/train, it could end up anywhere.

Yeah, cougars are known for driving home late at night.....

So you saw a baby cougar in mid- November???

We get all kinds of reports on SILO as well... Plenty of rattlers; true, but it wasn't from Snakes on a Plane...

I heard the rattle snake BS from a cousin. He claims they were released in Brown County Indiana to control turkey? Let's start a new one........how about the deer eating python that escaped from the circus!

Since cougars are well documented in Iowa, and in Missouri (I think) as well, it shouldn't be any surprise that they are popping up in Illinois. As for the snakes, have there been any sightings of Samuel L. Jackson in that same area. Maybe they are filming Snakes on a Plane II.