Cougar Sightings??

A work acquaintance of mine was returning from a Canadian fishing trip about a week and half ago. Some where in the vicinity of Minong or so along highway 53 he says he saw what he swears was a cougar. This guy doesn't seem prone to just making up tales, allegedly had his two teenaged grandsons along as witness. Anyone here have or hear of anything verifying stories like this?? Kind of cool, yet a bit unnerving if you walk northern streams as i occasionally do alone. So, what say ye? Thanks, bob p.

Casting, Bears in this area have a habit of standing and watching people fishing. I had a doe stand still and just watch me fish a small stream outside Pembine for a good 20 minutes. I was in water almost to the top of my chest waders so maybe she just couldn't figure out what I was.

I got this picture two years ago about 20 yards from one of my bow hunting tree stands. I had a wildlife biologist confirm the site and the spotting as a juvenile male cougar roughly 100-120 lbs. You can see this picture on the WI DNR website via cougar sightings. Edit: my camera was messed up so the date and time were off. It was taken about 10:30 at night on 8/12/12 after tracing back the date and time.

Thats a bobcat. Why too short of a body for a cougar. You can relax and continue to go outside now.

My daughter and I saw one last year north of Pembine. Had a clear view of it crossing a road. Called DNR and they referred me to their cougar specialist. He said there had been several other sightings and confirmed there was a cougar in the area and it was likely we had seen the same one. Back in the mid to late 80s, there were numerous sightings of a melanistic phase cougar in the Rhinelander area. The Biologists were were working that area confirmed some of the sightings were cougars - but most were not. One turned out to be a large black Lab with a habit of wandering from its home for days at a time. The dog actually returned to the site of one of the reported cougar sightings. DNR guys said the dog was really friendly.

Wish he would've come through in daylight. I have no video of canines in this location. This is a mile from Hwy E and Hwy H where multiple sightings of cougar have occurred. The only other animals I had here were bears. I would say this cat is standing about 24" tall judging by what I witnessed in daylight and knowing the territory. I'd say the biggest bobcat I've seen has only been about 18-20" tall. My opinion is that it is too tall for a bobcat. I see quite a few bobcats but never this big and bulky. The bobcats I see don't have as block shaped of a head as this cat nor the solid front shoulders. This is just my opinion though. You won't see a BIG cougar in Wisconsin. The only ones you'll see are juveniles that are relocating from out west and the U.P. I'm not a cat biologist though...I just think it's difficult to compare a young cougar to a mature bobcat without clear footage or daylight to get the coloring. I do have night time video of a bobcat at a different stand and it looks completely different and even acted different. After I saw the film, I went to bait that spot the next day and was pumped to look for tracks but I couldn't make out anything but bear tracks. I'd like to say it's a cougar, but if it's not, SWEET! I've been applying for my bobcat tag and I know just where I'd start to trap.

I'm leaning toward bobcat...

Do you have any pictures of deer or Coyotes near the same spot so we can get a better idea for size comparisons? To me it currently looks too short to the ground to be a Cougar, so I'm leaning Bobcat.

Hard to tell from the video but the dark tips on the back of the ears screams bobcat to me.

I hunt in Bayfield County. I got this film on my trail camera during bear season: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-R0jH6Wbms This is in a woods near a field where locals keep talking about a lion they see. Wishing it would have kept walking to show its tail, but it's big block head and strong shoulders, along with its height tell me it's a lion. I had no video of wolves, which I found odd, however, this may also back up that this is a lion...maybe lions don't allow wolves to coexist. Whatever...you be the judge.

I agree, a screen shot?? sheeesh, hard to tell, does look cougarish as was said, too long of a body for a bobcat, the tail that is visible is too long for a bobcat, could be a dog. c'mon man, if you can get the real pic on your screen, you can post it here.

I also think bobcat. Body is short, and short legs, a cougar would be more lanky.

I think it is a bobcat also.You really cant see a long tail which a cougar would have.

I think the last 2 pics are a bobcat. Looks too small for a cougar. Also I see a leg sticking back but no long tail.

Looks kinda cougarish. Hard to tell. That picture is to small. Can you upload just the picture without taking a screen shot?

Got these pics from the gun opener in pepin cty. what do you think?