Went out yesterday, trying to add to my horn collection. Found no antlers, but I did find a dead cougar. That's right, a dead cougar! Think of the odds of that happening.

It was a small cat, about 50-60 pounds maybe, been dead 2 weeks to 2 months. It hasn't been eaten on by anything, but really reeks. My best forensics suggest it was killed by a bull elk. It's got a one inch wide hole in its rib cage, about liver area, angling down. I'm sure it wasn't a bullet hole -no hole on the other side. I think a buck deer would have left more than one hole with its narrower rack. The kitty was in poor shape, appeared really skinny, and must have gotten desperate.

I've got to call F&G and see if it's okay for me to have the skull, if so I'll go back and retrieve it.

That is rare. I never found a dead cat or a dead bear. Did find a bear skull once, like a moron, I put it on a stump and left it. I would just go get your game regs and look and see if you can take the skull. In MT, we aren't able to take the skull unless it becomes naturally detached from the carcass. Is it in a place where someone else will find it? That would suck waiting around for the birds and bugs to do their work.

That's pretty neat.

Nice find but, gee i hope you're not in one of the eastern states like PA where the big cats "don't exist"(denial of state responsibility to eliminate risk to the 'commonwealth'). You might get famous.

That's cool,My friend in mt. has found 2 billy goat skulls in the last 6 years.


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Dirt, if I'm not mistaken your from mt. and if you ask the fish&wildlife if you can keep it the answer is NO!!! Its even illegal to pick up a set of antlers off a road kill.
SOS.

Bobby

Yes I am still in MT, and I did talk to Fish and Game. Turns out you can keep a found cougar skull IF it's a "natural kill". My find sure appears to be natural. I went and retrieved the skull yesterday. Smelly job. I re-examined the carcass and am certain it was indeed a tine wound, not a bullet hole.