Cougar near Sandwich, IL? (Sterling, Savanna: retire, firms, hunting)

[WLUTZ]

No, I don't think he did check which is suprising.

He did contact the DNR though.

This was actually in the summer when this happened. Just thought I'd post and see what comments came up about this.

[runninfiend]

Originally Posted by WLUTZ

No, I don't think he did check which is suprising.

He did contact the DNR though.

This was actually in the summer when this happened. Just thought I'd post and see what comments came up about this.

Hmm. My thought would be that a sighting in Sandwich, which is pretty far inside of the state, probably would have lead to another or multiple sightings since summer, although I'm thinking big cats can travel long distances in a day or two, so it's theoretically POSSIBLE that a cat could have slipped back into an area with heavier cover.

We have rumors of sightings in this area pretty frequently, quite a few from farmers down in the river bluff areas and west-central Illinois; it's just that without proof, they don't amount to a whole lot.

[Inthesprawlpath]

Originally Posted by runninfiend

Hmm. My thought would be that a sighting in Sandwich, which is pretty far inside of the state, probably would have lead to another or multiple sightings since summer, although I'm thinking big cats can travel long distances in a day or two, so it's theoretically POSSIBLE that a cat could have slipped back into an area with heavier cover.

.

Definately possible.Timber Wolves have been expanding thier range in Minnesota and Wisconsin.There are known packs as far south as Wood and Juneau Counties in Wisconsin.One Wisconsin tagged wolf was killed in Indiana.It had to pass through the entire Chicago area to get there and it was never sighted.Why not cougers.
I remember the DeKalb county couger sightings.The last sightings were around the Shabbona State Park area.The cat was never confirmed but the sightings were credible.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

I was told they were only down further south, near the Ozarks in Missouri. Bobcats have been seen in that area, which makes me leary everytime Im out herpin on their glades.

Cougars have been spotted around here before. And bobcats aren't that uncommon.

[runninfiend]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

Cougars have been spotted around here before. And bobcats aren't that uncommon.

I assume "here" is southeast Missouri. You folks have far more habitat where cougars could possibly roam undetected, yet even down there, confirmed cougar sightings are a rarity. There aren't sustained populations of them.

Bobcats are very common, yes, we have them all over Illinois too. A bobcat is a far different creature from a cougar-- that is to say, much, much smaller and less obvious.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by runninfiend

Bobcats are very common, yes, we have them all over Illinois too. A bobcat is a far different creature from a cougar-- that is to say, much, much smaller and less obvious.

Do you have any info regarding your claim?

[runninfiend]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Do you have any info regarding your claim?

Certainly. Bobcats were removed from the endangered list back in 1999. Here's some info from the IDNR:


Illinois Furbearer Guide: Bobcat

Another, albeit somewhat older artcile from Illinois Issues:


Bobcats Thriving in Illinois

This from the Wildlife Prairie Park site:

"Illinois' bobcat population has increased dramatically over the past 10-20 years. A study by Southern Illinois University documented the presence of bobcats in all but three of the 102 counties in Illinois. Though they are more common in the southern third of the state (population estimate 2,200), bobcats are increasingly common in the northern two-thirds of Illinois. "

Bobcat (broken link)

I've personally seen one and had good evidence of a den, but that's just anecdotal information.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by runninfiend

Certainly. Bobcats were removed from the endangered list back in 1999. Here's some info from the IDNR:


Illinois Furbearer Guide: Bobcat

Another, albeit somewhat older artcile from Illinois Issues:


Bobcats Thriving in Illinois

This from the Wildlife Prairie Park site:

"Illinois' bobcat population has increased dramatically over the past 10-20 years. A study by Southern Illinois University documented the presence of bobcats in all but three of the 102 counties in Illinois. Though they are more common in the southern third of the state (population estimate 2,200), bobcats are increasingly common in the northern two-thirds of Illinois. "

Bobcat (broken link)

I've personally seen one and had good evidence of a den, but that's just anecdotal information.

Awesome! Thanks!

[runninfiend]

Ironically, I've been reading the new book, "Listening to Cougar" which is a collection of essays regarding the state of mountain lions/cougars/pumas in the west. If you're at all interested in the topic, this is a short and intriguing read.

I'll excerpt this brief passage from an essay entitled, "A Short, Unnatural History":

"From time to time, the media reports that intermittent pumas scatter to midwestern states. The Great Plains, however, act as a Great Puma Barricade. While dispersing, pumas require cover such as trees or brush for travel and for hunting. Waterways such as the Platte River offer pumas travel corridors to the east, but the difficulty of establishing breeding populations in the Midwest comes from pumas' own dispersal tendencies. Young males typically travel further from the natal area then their sisters while looking to establish a home range. Also, males may have difficulties finding females in the Midwest, and thus establishing resident breeding populations may take some years."

Also, this article appeared in today's Peoria Journal-Star:

Prairie State Outdoors :: Mountain lions on my mind

[McDiesel]

I have confirmed a cougar sighting in Sandwich, IL. I was at Kelley's pub downtown and was surrounded by two of them. The room smelled of martini's and obsession perfume....they could smell my fear.