Mountain Lion season in Iowa!

[Iowabowhunter]

My dad saw a big lion by the bike trail off hwy 6 outside of Adel a couple weeks ago dragging a deer. But they don't live in Iowa!

[tarponnut]

I used to live outside Adel and there were several long time locals I had talked to who had seen mountain lions near there.
It would actually be hard to imagine them not being there with all of the deer and ideal habitat.
In Florida, I've personally seen two. It would be pretty hard to mistake a lion/panther for something else.
Same thing in NY, credible witnesses but the DEC says "no way" they are mountain lions.

[Mint]

If one can make it form North Dakota to Connectticut ( like that male did before getting killed by a car )they can make it anywhere.

[Jason Kendall]

JimB, I plan on doing exactly that tomorrow and I will look for the prints myself if they dont get washed away in the rain. I know the grass they are in is about a foot high so they sure arent farm cats!

[TRB]

A fellow from Cedar Rapids shot one during shotgun season a couple years ago. He had a full body mount done, saw it at the Iowa deer classic. I think he shot it somewhere near Marengo.

[moththerlode]

That isn't good thing.

[JimB]

Originally posted by Jason Kendall:
JimB, I plan on doing exactly that tomorrow and I will look for the prints myself if they dont get washed away in the rain. I know the grass they are in is about a foot high so they sure arent farm cats!

Sounds like a plan.Don't wear your deer decoy suit Jason.

[Jason Kendall]

[old arrow]

Cool picture Jason          neil

[Mudd]

According to MDC we have hogs in Missouri that no one I know can find.

In the not too distant past they finally admitted that we have black bears and big cats

Our government says no Grizzlies in Colorado. No Bigfoot anywhere and no aliens....lol

God bless, Mudd

PS: The IRS is here to help us...lol

[adeeden]

Mud,I have saw  a group of hogs in MO. Way down south near clarkton. I can say there were hogs with 100% certainty as they were under 30 yards. 4 of them.

[straigharrow]

Five or six years ago while approaching my tree stand before sunrise in Benton County Iowa I heard something in the area let out what I can only describe as a loud long roar.Can't say it was a lion but I have spent alot of time in the woods and had never heard anything like it. Made me glad of two things, that I was up in a tree and I was armed with 15 rounds of 40 caliber as well as my bow. Two years ago I was in a cafe in southern Iowa and they had a picture of dead mountain lion with two people standing over it in the snow. The waiter said it was shot by a customer nearby and the DNR accused him of fabricating the story.

[Jason Kendall]

It rained to hard last night but I measured the grass where they were and it varies from 6-12" long. Those are not farm cats    

[kennym]

So Jason, if they are barn cats, what is that farm  field, 12' wide?  :D

[Iowa Tom L.]

Obviously a mountain lion can't turn from a female into a male but it is easy to misidentify the sex of a lion (or bobcat), especially younger animals if the observer is not experienced.  I have had my hands on at least 200 lions (Utah & Montana) and it was not terribly uncommon for the hunter to misidentify the sex of the animal.

I even had a hunter once misidentify the sex of his bear, that one was a little harder to accept...

[Cobie33]

I can understand that myself Iowa Tom, but a DNR official who gets to handle the dead cat for official verification should not make that mistake.

[Thumper Dunker]

They troll for them out here. You put on floresant colord tights and matching shirt and go bike riding in the foot hills.It works. Lose some bait doing it some times.

[Dave Lay]

we have seen one in North central Missouri im sure they are in Iowa

[doug77]

Their hear, I saw one last winter east of Solan IA. The local farmer saw it also.

doug77

[Kituwa]

Iowa Tom,,we have some PEOPLE that live just down the road from us that are VERY hard to identify the sex of,lol.