Has anyone seen a cougar in Ontario.

rickp262

rickp262

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Sydenham, On
There are a lot of rumors that the MNR has released cougars in Ontario. (The MNR denies this) However many people claim to have seen them or signs of them. Does anyone have proof??? We have a lot of hunters on this site and I thought maybe someone can share some stories and maybe even some pics. I hunt the Sharbot Lake area and many farmers in the area claim to have seen them.

:cool:
 
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Yup, my buddy saw one. (Smiths Falls area).

Another one spotted out near North Augusta.

The question is; Is the cougar a native Ontario species?
 
Someone in North Bay claims to have seen one just yesterday.

If they are here its due to natural range expansion not the MNR. The MNR doesnt have enought budget to put gas in the CO's trucks so I doubt they have the money to fund any covert cougar re-introduction programs.

Until someone produces a track, carcass, photo or I see one myslef......... I say lay off the sauce.
 
My cousin said he spotted one this summer when we were at our fish camp week. The camp is located between the Sault and Wawa. Nobody else saw it, but he swears that is what is was. Since then we have heard of several sightings in Northern Ontario, even around the Collingwood area.
 
The question is : If I see one, can I shoot it?

If it's not a native species to Ontario, by rights, it shouldn't be here.
 
44fordy said:
The question is : If I see one, can I shoot it?

If it's not a native species to Ontario, by rights, it shouldn't be here.
Click to expand...

Who says it's not native? They definitely once called Ontatrio home and there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that they still do......nothing physical though

map0708.jpg
 
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Yes they have been seen. MNr officers have even reported seeing them. I am totally confused as to why there would be any reason to deny their existence? Given they have potentially huge ranges to admit they are in one province and then gasp at the mere possibilty they might be seen in another is bizzare. Unless of course these big cats have invisible fence collars.

There are alot of sources claiming cougar release to control deer populations... who knows. But as gth states, not alot of budget for such activities.

Of course that is over looking the fact that the Eastern Cougar is supposedly native to Ontario.

http://www.ontariopuma.ca/

Sheep hunter beat me to the map!!!!
 
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the MNR has never denied that cougars could exist in Ontario, they have denied releasing any in Ontario. The cougar is native along with Bobcat and Lynx in Ontario.
While away moose hunting this year, the lastest rumor was that some menonites had shot one and the MNR had confiscated it because it was chipped. How true that is I dunno.
 
I am with most here, untill evidence is produced I'm not a believer. That being said, during last years deer hunt my cousin claimed he saw one at dusk. Most people I wouldn't believe but he is a seasoned hunter and outdoorsman. he keeps his sighting quiet because as he states, without a pic no need to talk about it.
 
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