cougar in central Iowa

Kirby then my question would be how did your dad know what a mt lion sounded like back in the day? Also was this summer and full of foilage or not and how tall was the tree in question? Was it a dark cloudy night or a full moon night?

Just saying many,many reports of lions are just that reports with no facts to back them up.We have had people swear on it and find out it was many other things but not a mt lion. People want tosee what isn't there alot of times, but if more people would educate themselves then the reporting would be much better and have more foundation to them.

Can you have mt lions in other places yes, are they setting up home and raising young in these more populated areas? So far reasearch doesn't prove that to be a fact. They adapt but they also have very large home ranges the "males" in smaller farm country if they where setting up a home range people would see them for sure. Even in areas that are more remote where you have a decent lion population people see them very often.
 
There are/was old movies on T.V, showing cougars "screaming" This was many yrs ago, as an example. My Dad is no longer alive, to ask. But he said it was a large cat. He thought sounded like a cougar.

I suppose it could've been a bobcat?, but I doubt it. As there are none around central Marshall County Iowa. Some Bobcat, over in neighboring[Tama County] to the East. Much better habitiat & more prey from what I've seen over there.

I've personally spoken with a handfull of Marshall County people who have seen a lion, relatively close. No mistake to them what it was. Why, so many sightings over the last 5-6yrs. I really have no clue.

There was many yrs ago, a guy who lived in the same small town. Where my Dad lived[East end of Marshall County]. That guy had two cougars & two grey wolves, in a hog panel enclosure. The guy moved & the pens were tore down. Where did those animals go? I suspect he turned them all loose.
 
SouWest Marshall County...
Four yrs ago, I met a farmer who had coyotes killing his sheep. I done what I could for him. He told me to ask the widow lady[farmer] down the road to hunt as well. I did, we became friends.

Two yrs ago, she seen a large cat cross the gravel road down from her house[late pm]. One night she heard a large cat scream down in a brushy draw behind her house. She said, her dogs wouldn't go outside. Her dogs continued this behavior off/on over the next yr.

Not last Fall, but the Fall before last. This lady & her boy friend where driving around sight seeing[daytime] & looking at her farm property. They both seen a long tan colored animal laying about a 1/4 mile off the gravel on her CRP land. They pulled onto the land & drove nearer.

It was a cougar sunning itself. They stopped about 50' away from the lion in disbelief. The lion casually got up & walked towards some timber.

Two yrs ago, I met a lady through my wife. Whom wanted some remodeling done. I done the work & we visited. I told her I hunted coyotes. She use to be married & had an acrege NorWest of Albion Iowa a couple miles[near the Iowa River bluffs].

They had a campground[w/electrical hook-ups] on some pasture land behind their house. That they rented to campers for a fee. One day the mother took her two daughters out back to have a pick-nic.

As they were unpacking. A cougar was soon seen low crawling towards them[on the mowed grass] from the top side of the timbered river bluff.
The mother told her daughters to run to the van, they did.
The lion kept creeping closer to the Mother. She stood upon a pick-nic table yelling & waving her arms. The cougar stopped & then turned back towards the river. Lady said it got very close to her. They quit going back on their property, near the river.
 
I'm about 1/2 thru a real good book called "Beast of Never, Cat of God" about mt lions in the mid-west, mostly Mich. Real interesting stuff, both pro & con. Also talks about Iowa, Minn, Illinois,N&S Dakota ect. What about that cat shot in Chicago last spring? Any more come out, was it an escaped pet, or wild, did they do any DNA testing to find where it came from? I guess the Black Hills population would be the obvious source of the Iowa cat.
 
A gentleman my husband worked with lives in South Central Iowa. His wife got pictures of a pair of cougars just outside their house.
And here in our neighborhood in North Central Missouri and mind you we live within an earshot of Iowa, they have been one has been spotted by more than one person. My neighbor seen one across the road from their house watching their cattle. My mother inlaw had one cross the road in front of her vehicle just four miles down the road from our house.And there as been other sightings.
The thing people need to remember is that a cougar has territory of 100 miles. My husbands uncle casted the print from one on his place just 10 miles from where we live.
And on the black bears in Northern Missouri. Several have been seen in the Pattonsburg area. A coworker found sign on her place down there.
 
Interesting, moladihunter.

A rather disapointing Winter. Not that I didn't put in a boatload of time, looking for a fresh track or a sighting. I expected to come across a fresh track & find one in a mile section. But no cigar.

Good news is, I found a pr of older tracks early this last Winter. I expect they are still alive & hanging along the timbered Iowa River bluffs. As I haven't heard of any being killed or hit by a vehicle all yr.

Were supposed to get a little snow tonight. One more fleeting chance I wreckon.
 
Spoke with a retired Fire Capt the other day. He spoke with a local farmer last yr. Whom seen a cougar trying to pull down a deer, along a timbered creek bottom one day. The retired Fire Capt's wife, seen a cougar on their front porch two yrs ago[they live along the Iowa River, on a high bluff acrege]. This is all in the same focal area[within two miles]. Of where I seen a pr of cougar tracks last Winter. Walking Northbound on a field draw, heading towards a large timber patch.

From what I have deducted is, these cougar are following the deer up from the river bottom area. During deer season. The deer head Northbound to open hilly adjoining mile crop sections, that have timber strips & or timber patch's.

I hunted the surrounding sections hard last Winter. I only seen the 1-pr of cougar tracks. As when deer season closed. The deer went back to the river bottom area. So I suspect the cougar followed suit.
 
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$10 says that the DNR will deny that there was or ever will be any cougars in iowa. If you ask about wolves they deny that too. My stepsisters cousin works for the DNR and he said that they turned 12 neutard or spade wolves lose north east of washington. I don't know about cougars being turned lose by the DNR all i've heard is roomers. A very likely idea is that the dominate males push the young males outta there area so they come east. Black bear, lions, bobcat, and hogs i think iowa might need some elk too got alomst everything else.
Moladihunter how far you live from bloomfield?
 
Why would they[IDNR] turn loose neutered wolves? Sounds odd to me. As for the cougars in Iowa. I've read where the IDNR, has admitted to some being in the state. Personally, I don't buy into that they [IDNR] has released any cougars in Iowa. I agree with some, they traveled here on their own. From neighboring states.

As for the wolves in Iowa. I have no doubts they've done the same. Traveled from neighboring states. Perhaps a few were released into the wild by their owners & or breeders.

Awhile back, I conversed with an old guy who watched his neighbors & relatives trap wolves many yrs ago in central Iowa[up along the Iowa River by Eldora, Iowa]. I also spoke with an old farmer two seasons ago. He was in his late 80's if I recall. He told me, he seen lone wolves & some pr's pass through the neighboring farm ground. Which is in my coyote hunt area.

A couple of seasons ago Winter snowfly, I remarked on another site. Early one am after a fresh snow. I went out looking for coyote. Came across a very fresh track crossing a gravel roadway. I got out to inspect. Very large prints, I knew this canine was not far away into the two mile section. I rounded the end of the section & around 1/2 mile into the section. I seen a very large canine working it's way Westbound. Canine looked my way as well. Watched him cross through a spread in a 1/2 mile fence wire.

It was a tad foggy out. But I could tell his size as compared to the fenceline it crossed through. Not a coyote, but I couldn't absolutely say it was a wolf either. Even after zooming him with my 60x spotter. If I had to pick[coyote vs wolf], I'd say wolf based on it's size. Never seen him again.
 
They turned loose the wolves because of the deer population. I did not speak to the man who siad it that was what i was told. What would you do if you saw that wolf with your dogs in the truck? Do you think they could kill a lone wolf?
 
I haven't owned any hounds in quite afew yrs. Many yrs ago, we did have two hounds that caught & fought a lone nomad wolf. Both hounds, got whipped good. Both hounds had many bite puncture & slash wounds. About the head/muzzle, neck & chest area, from face to face fighting with that lone wolf. Regardless, they both held their own for a short while. Wolf got away.

BTW, I've also read of other's opinions about the IDNR, releasing cougars & other animals. I just don't buy it is all. Main reason, I don't is, they could make money by opening early & extending deer season. Beyond it's regular dates/times. To help control deer pop.

Another thought is, why would they take the risk/liability of releasing an animal[cougar]. That could stalk & kill a human? For the sole reason/hope to regulate the increase in deer pop. That would be quite foolish.
 
We never used to have a bobcat seacon until last year. I know that we have always had them but why did they suddenly open a season. What type of hounds?
 
Both hounds were large males of their breed. One a Black-N-Tan, the other a Walker. They were excellent dogs with alot of grit & stamina.
 
States, especially lately in the midwest deny cougar populations because if they are knowingly present, then the DNR is obligated to have a management plan and to do population surveys. Denying the presence of the animals is a way to save money from these costly programs.
 
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States, especially lately in the midwest deny cougar populations because if they are knowingly present, then the DNR is obligated to have a management plan and to do population surveys. Denying the presence of the animals is a way to save money from these costly programs.



Not true in all states... Missouri listed mountain lions as an undesirable species that would be unable to coexist in modern times in our state. Mountain lions are protected in Missouri, however, there is zero management effort being made to sustain the species here. If lions make it in Missouri, it will be on their own because the state will do nothing to regulate (other than list them as a protected species) or adopt a management plan because of the fact we do have them here. This effectively solves the problem you mention.
 
A few years ago I made a phone call to the DesMoines office of the Iowa DNR. I was told that couar are not protected in Iowa. GameWardens in Pott. and Harrison counties are aware of cougars passing through this area. They asked me to call them if I should get one, so they can come out and take photographs. I have seen cougar tracks here, but no luck in calling one yet. Cougars travel a very long ways in a day, so the chance of one being close enough to hear my calls are very slim. I don't believe that cougars will take up residence around here because of lack of cover and constent human activity.
 
Thats the cool part Dickey transport owns some land over by ollie iowa and a guy my dad works with saw some cougar tracks there is not supposed to be anyone out there but even if there is there aren't that many. It is on the river bottom right next to the skunk river lots of deer and turkey hopefully i will get a shot if i don't pee my pants.
 
My trapping partner found a lion track on the missouri river last fall up near Waverly Mo. We called the conservation agent and he instructed us to put a bucket over the track so he could check it out. In the end he told us that it very likely could have been a lion but just a couple of tracks was not enough to do anything about. He did tell us to give him a call if we found anything else. Unfortunatly we didn't.
 
On return from a hunting trip to Montana 1n '97 We saw a dead Mountain Lion on the interstate east of Iowa City. Just a quick look at about 80 mph but it was definitely was a Mountain Lion, the tail seemed as long as the body.
 
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