We had a cougar sighting in central Michigan area--2001 (ish)
I think it was in 2001 or 2002 that the local city (village) police , as well as several citizens spotted a cougar S.W. of Mt. Pleasant just before the November deer season. I was more than a little unnerved walking to the blind in the dark. At that time, I had to hunt deer with my Encore pistol in .270 Win. Accurate yes, but, 1 shot! Yeah!
Now, the law in Michigan at least I was told, one could not load up their deer rifle before hunting time (sun up). Wanna bet the hunters within a 10 mile radius had the deer rifles "unloaded" as they walked to their blinds in the darks?
Yeah, right! I knew several people who packed their shotgun with buckshot to get to their blind and had their deer rifle on shoulder via a sling. Others packed (in-hand) .44 Mags and their rifle slinged. People we VERY intense during that episode. At first, people though, no, couldn't be a cougar, then they had proof--PHOTOS from a camera near a hunter's blind, and tracks to boot.
I remember walking to the blind, I was scared doo doo-less! Sore as I was, the next day I left my Encore home and packed my Weatherby Mark V in .270 Win.
I can still feel the chills just thinking about that one!
Doc2005