BowHuntingFool

They treed him once but he got away, this should get interesting!




Mountain lion spotted near Spooner
By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel
Mar. 5, 2009 11:55 a.m.

A mountain lion has been spotted near Spooner and is being pursued Thursday by Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists.

The animal's tracks were initially spotted Monday by a homeowner in his yard near Trego, according to a DNR report. On Tuesday, a team of hounds followed the trail and treed the cougar.

DNR officials were then notified and took up pursuit of the animal Wednesday; attempts to capture the lion were unsuccessful, said Jim Bishop, DNR public affairs officer in Spooner, and are continuing Thursday.

Bishop said the wildlife officials intend to tranquilize the animal, take blood and hair samples, affix a radio collar and then release it. The animal is described as a 130-pound male.

The mountain lion, also known as cougar, catamount and puma, has a large breeding population in the Black Hills of South Dakota and has been spreading east into Midwestern states in recent years. A male cougar was verified near Janesville last year; it was later killed by police in Chicago.

There is no hunting season for mountain lion in Wisconsin.

The photo below was taken by Matt McKay of the DNR.

Centauri

These idiots want to release it??!! How many other Mt. Lions have been caught and released here in WI? They have their precious wolves and coyotes to destroy the deer population, do we need any more predators?

mr.mc54

I heard from the (coyote hunters) that treed this cat, that the DNR tried to shoot it with a blow gun tranquilizer. How will the DNR try to say there are no couger in WI. Do you think this kitty walked all the way from montana? Maybe they will say it's someones pet that got away. Maybe the trueth is this cat and others have been released here, YA THINK. What do cougers eat? I think the DNR has egg on their face from this one. I myself don't believe anything they say anymore!

Lanse couche couche

Considering that Panthers have been documented in Iowa and nothern Illinois for the last decade or so, I would tend to go with the assumption that they did, in fact, walk to Wisconsin.

BowHuntingFool

What do you want the DNR to do kill it??? I for one hope they do indeed catch it and collar it, then, yes, release it!

Centauri

Yes I do. The deer already have enough factors working against them. We don't need any more. Oh, and remember, Mt. Lions attack and kill people you know. Its only a matter of time before they become a threat.

Ihuntandfish

The DNR was bound to finally admit that there were cougars in Wisconsin. There were so many reports of possible sightings, that SOME of them had to be true. I hope they do catch it and collar it, so when they find a different one, they can't argue that its the same one. Hey Centauri, do youown the shirt and hat that have your quote about the wolves on it? I've seen them in a few stores in northern wisconsin.

BowHuntingFool

Kill the cat because it kills deer to eat... give me a break![:'(]

2 Lunger

Real intelligent statement. There are more documented cases of family pets killing humans than there are of Mt. Lions.

These cats are just making a come back to their native home. Wonder what this great land once was before the white man totally iniolated the native americans, cougars, bears, elk, bison, wolves...... and the list just keeps going on. Unfortunately Centauri, it's not up to you to decide what lives and where they live. I for one hope to see a wild cougar in my neck of the woods in my lifetime. I'll give each one of them a deer a week. Lord knows we got plenty to spare in IL.

lungbuster12point06

Nothing wrong with a few Mtn. lions roaming the country side. I'd rather have cougars than wolves any day.