{"id":551489,"date":"2026-01-29T11:55:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T11:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/551489\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T11:55:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T11:55:19","slug":"michigan-sees-record-cougar-reports-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/551489\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan sees record cougar reports in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Michigan had 31 confirmed cougar reports in 2025, some involving multiple cougars; it\u2019s the most confirmed observations in the state in more than 100 years.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The high number may have a lot to do with prevalence of trail cameras and repeat detections of the same cougars<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Still, 2025 was a big year for cougars, as two babies and their mother were observed in the Upper Peninsula, suggesting cougars aren\u2019t just passing through<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Cougars were detected 31 times in Michigan in 2025, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the highest number of confirmed observations since the predator was wiped out of the state in the early 1900s.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And the count is expected to increase.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat number will go up once we get our DNR cameras in there, as well,\u201d said Brian Roell, a large carnivore specialist with the department. \u201cThere\u2019s like 6 million images to go through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"72046\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/confirmed-cougar-reports-in-michigan-in-2025\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Confirmed-cougar-reports-in-Michigan-in-2025.png?fit=1080%2C1920&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1080,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Confirmed cougar reports in Michigan in 2025\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Confirmed-cougar-reports-in-Michigan-in-2025.png?fit=169%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Confirmed-cougar-reports-in-Michigan-in-2025.png?fit=576%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Confirmed-cougar-reports-in-Michigan-in-2025.png\" alt=\"A map showing where cougars were spotted in 2025 in Michigan\" class=\"wp-image-72046\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Cougars \u2014 also known as mountain lions or pumas \u2014 are tan or gray \u201cbig cats\u201d that can be as long as 8 feet and weigh up to 180 pounds. The large predators used to inhabit Michigan but disappeared after being over-hunted.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Then, the DNR started confirming their presence in the state about 20 years ago, but the biologists thought the animals were just passing through. This year, cougar cubs were discovered in the state, which means at least one cougar family is raising babies in Michigan.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe presence of a large carnivore reestablishing really demonstrates that the conditions have changed that have allowed that animal to return,\u201d said Byron Weckworth, a chief conservation and advocacy officer with the national nonprofit the Mountain Lion Foundation. \u201cHopefully, what follows is that the human presence there is going to embrace that and seek to find the right ways to coexist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While confirmed cougar reports in Michigan are higher than they\u2019ve been in more than 100 years, that doesn\u2019t mean that the number of cougars in the state definitely increased last year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve got to take that all with a little bit of a grain of salt,\u201d said Roell, the DNR biologist.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s hard to know whether there are more cougars or just more ways to spot them. Trail cameras posted by the DNR and private residents are becoming more and more prevalent, which makes it easier to detect cougars.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And, while there were 31 confirmed reports of cougars in Michigan last year, some of which involved multiple cougars (which is <a href=\"https:\/\/app.powerbigov.us\/view?r=eyJrIjoiMTVlNjE2ODMtZmIwZi00OTkyLWJkZjQtMTE1MDY4NmUwYzNkIiwidCI6ImQ1ZmI3MDg3LTM3NzctNDJhZC05NjZhLTg5MmVmNDcyMjVkMSJ9\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">why the DNR\u2019s data<\/a> counts 34 sightings for 2025), that doesn\u2019t mean there were 30-plus cougars in the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" data-attachment-id=\"72044\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/m0-als0-l26-t58-s54-ir40-c1-y51-b22-comp3-st2-24-4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20250807_Cougar_MDNR-scaled-e1769640956556.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1440&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1440\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;BTC6HDPX&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;M0 ALS0 L26 T58 S54 IR40 C1 Y51 B22 comp3 ST2 +-24 4&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1754604743&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;42&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.083333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;M0 ALS0 L26 T58 S54 IR40 C1 Y51 B22 comp3 ST2 +-24 4&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"M0 ALS0 L26 T58 S54 IR40 C1 Y51 B22 comp3 ST2 +-24 4\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A cougar picked up by a Michigan Department of Natural Resources trail camera in 2025. (Courtesy of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources)&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20250807_Cougar_MDNR-scaled-e1769640956556.jpeg?fit=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20250807_Cougar_MDNR-scaled-e1769640956556.jpeg?fit=780%2C439&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20250807_Cougar_MDNR-scaled-e1769640956556-1024x576.jpeg\" alt=\"A cougar is seen at night on a trial cam\" class=\"wp-image-72044\"  \/>A cougar picked up by a Michigan Department of Natural Resources trail camera in 2025. (Courtesy of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources)<\/p>\n<p>Male cougars are extremely territorial and two land owners located near each other accounted for nine of the 31 reports. Roell suspects that means \u201cwe had a very active cat close to these two landowners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, he does believe there are more cougars entering the Upper Peninsula, though the DNR doesn\u2019t know exactly how many.<\/p>\n<p>For decades, there were no confirmed cougar reports in Michigan. That changed in 2008, when the DNR confirmed cougar paw prints in the UP, followed by two other observations, also verified by tracks, later that year. Since then, the number has generally trended upward, with 20 observations in 2024, some of which involved multiple cougars.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The DNR knows from DNA that male cougars have been here in the last two decades, but officials weren\u2019t sure about females. Because male cougars will roam long distances to find females, officials assumed the animals observed in Michigan were just passing through.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That changed early last year, when two cougar cubs were <a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-environment-watch\/cougar-cubs-spotted-michigan-first-time-century\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">spotted by a motorist in Ontonagon County in March<\/a>. Nine months later in December, two slightly older cubs were spotted with an adult female on a residents\u2019 trail camera.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"72047\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/cougar-cut-michigan-dnr-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cougar-cut-michigan-dnr-e1769640863797.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,676\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"cougar-cut-michigan-dnr\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A photo of one of two cougar cubs spotted March 6 in Ontonagon County. It was the first evidence of possible cougar reproduction in Michigan in more than a century. (Courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources)&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cougar-cut-michigan-dnr-e1769640863797.jpg?fit=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cougar-cut-michigan-dnr-e1769640863797.jpg?fit=780%2C440&amp;ssl=1\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Open image 1 of 2 in full-screen\"  alt=\"A cougar cub\" data-height=\"676\" data-id=\"72047\" data-link=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/cougar-cut-michigan-dnr-2\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cougar-cut-michigan-dnr-e1769640863797-1024x577.jpg\" data-width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cougar-cut-michigan-dnr-e1769640863797-1024x577.jpg\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"72045\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/m0-als0-l58-t58-s0-ir85-c0-y15-b0-st4-snap0\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20251206_ThreeCougars_MDNR-scaled-e1769640930569.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1440&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1440\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;BTC4P&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;M0 ALS0 L58 T58 S0 IR85 C0 Y15 B0 ST4 SNAP0&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1765001763&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;42&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.083333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;M0 ALS0 L58 T58 S0 IR85 C0 Y15 B0 ST4 SNAP0&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"M0 ALS0 L58 T58 S0 IR85 C0 Y15 B0 ST4 SNAP0\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Two young cougars and their mother were picked up by a resident\u2019s trail camera in Ontonagon County on December 6. You can see the eyes of the third cougar in the back. (Courtesy of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources)&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20251206_ThreeCougars_MDNR-scaled-e1769640930569.jpeg?fit=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20251206_ThreeCougars_MDNR-scaled-e1769640930569.jpeg?fit=780%2C439&amp;ssl=1\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Open image 2 of 2 in full-screen\"  alt=\"Cougars seen on a trail cam at night\" data-height=\"1440\" data-id=\"72045\" data-link=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/m0-als0-l58-t58-s0-ir85-c0-y15-b0-st4-snap0\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20251206_ThreeCougars_MDNR-scaled-e1769640930569-1024x576.jpeg\" data-width=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20251206_ThreeCougars_MDNR-scaled-e1769640930569-1024x576.jpeg\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A cougar family had started in Michigan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the first time that there\u2019s been reproduction verified east of the Mississippi in well over 100 years, and possibly even east of the Missouri River,\u201d Roell said. \u201cSo that\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Amy Trotter was the CEO of Michigan United Conservation Clubs back in March, when news of the cubs came out. She told Bridge at the time that her group\u2019s members have <a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-environment-watch\/cougar-sightings-rise-upper-peninsula-after-years-skepticism\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">long thought cougars weren\u2019t just passing through<\/a>. In that sense, she said, the cub sighting was \u201cexciting and intriguing,\u201d but it wasn\u2019t necessarily surprising.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s validating what hunters have suspected for a number of years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>The last confirmed cougar sighting in Michigan happened on Dec. 14. None have been confirmed yet in 2026. That means the two cubs haven\u2019t been seen in over a month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hope they\u2019re still alive. I assume they are, but obviously we don\u2019t have knowledge of that,\u201d Roell said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sign up for our outdoors newsletter<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Want more coverage like this delivered directly into your inbox? Sign up for the Bridge Michigan Outdoors newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridgemi.com\/signup\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to possibly turning up more adult cougar sightings, analyzing the DNR\u2019s remaining trail camera footage may show additional images of the cubs, indicating where they were between their first and second sightings \u2014 a nine-month spread \u2014 as well as where they might have gone since they were last spotted in December.<\/p>\n<p>Because cougars are on Michigan\u2019s endangered mammals list, hunting them or even just trying to locate them is illegal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo much human pressure can also trigger the female cougar to abandon her cubs,\u201d Roell said in a release after the cubs were spotted in December. \u201cAs with all wild animals, we\u2019re asking the public to respect their habitat and allow them to live naturally in their home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cougars are thought to be very shy and generally a low threat to humans. Still, attacks do occasionally happen. On Jan. 1, a woman hiking in Colorado was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.backpacker.com\/news-and-events\/news\/colorado-hiker-killed-in-suspected-mountain-lion-attack-first-in-26-years\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">killed by a cougar<\/a>. It was the first fatal attack by a cougar in the state <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2026\/01\/05\/human-dna-fatal-mountain-lion-attack\/#:~:text=An%20autopsy%20performed%20by%20the,in%20more%20than%2025%20years.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">in more than 25 years<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you see a cougar in the wild you should make yourself big, make a lot of noise, throw sticks or rocks at it and don\u2019t run away. Back away from it while still looking at it.<\/p>\n<p>If you see or photograph a cougar or find tracks or scat, you can report it online on the DNR\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.dnr.state.mi.us\/ors\/Survey\/2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Eyes in the Field form<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center u-text-uppercase\"><strong>Thank you to our Bridge Michigan Outdoors sponsors<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Bridge Michigan Outdoors is made possible by generous financial support from our sponsors. Sponsorship supports our independent journalism mission but does not constitute sponsor endorsement of individual articles or editorial content. Bridge Michigan journalism remains fact- and data-driven and independent at all times.<\/p>\n<p>Please visit the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/about\/?utm_source=Bridge+Michigan&amp;utm_campaign=5ab2a9ccc1-Bridge+Enviro+Watch+05%2F20%2F2025&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_c64a28dd5a-5ab2a9ccc1-73576649\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">About<\/a>\u00a0page for more information and to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/signup\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0to Bridge Michigan Outdoors. Interested in becoming a sponsor?\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/outdoors-life\/michigan-sees-record-cougar-reports-in-2025\/mailto:ecarr@centerformichigan.org\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Contact Emma Carr<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Republish This Story<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"license\" rel=\"noreferrer license nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"88\" height=\"31\" alt=\"Creative Commons License\" style=\"border-width:0\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1754972709_509_cc-by-nd-4.0.png\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Michigan had 31 confirmed cougar reports in 2025, some involving multiple cougars; it\u2019s the most confirmed observations in&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":551490,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[23],"tags":[746,159,67,132,87896,68],"class_list":["post-551489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-upper-peninsula","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115978261376314473","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/551490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}