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Pelt renews mountain lion debate
Wildlife officials say shot cat not proof of major presence here.
By Amy Bickel - The Hutchinson News - [email protected]
Have you ever seen a mountain lion in Kansas? Click here to comment
MEDICINE LODGE - A mountain lion was killed in Kansas last fall, but the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks is not ready to admit it was a wild animal on the roam.
Wildlife officials acquired the adult mountain lion's pelt Monday from a Texas taxidermist. Charges are pending on a Barber County man who shot the animal on his property in November.
For years, the department has said there wasn't sufficient proof of mountain lions in the state, despite repeated calls by residents who claimed they had seen cougars.
And in this instance, the animal could have been captive, said Matt Peek, a furbearer biologist with the wildlife agency. Investigators plan to conduct a genetic analysis to determine if the mountain lion came from a captive bloodline.
If wild, the lion could have moved into the state from Colorado or New Mexico, he said. There also have been reports of animals as far north as the Oklahoma panhandle.
Tips from local residents launched the investigation about three weeks ago, said agency spokesman Bob Mathews.
Mathews said, according to the report, the man who shot the mountain lion was chopping wood when he saw the animal in the grass. He retrieved a firearm from his truck and shot it.
However, there is no hunting season for mountain lions in Kansas, Peek said, and the man could be charged with killing a non-game animal for which there is not an established season and/or possessing a mountain lion.
"You can't legally kill one for merely being present," he said, noting that the allegations haven't been proven in court.
Mountain lions in Kansas?
The last documented wild mountain lion in Kansas was killed in Ellis County in 1904, Mathews said.
"We don't deny they pass through the state now and then," Mathews said. "But we haven't had any form of tangible or physical proof beyond the collection of fuzzy photographs and personal accounts of mountain lion sightings."
In years past, parks officials said residents might be seeing a large dog or bobcat.
"It is possible there are more in the state," Peek said, although he questioned why a hunter's trail camera has never photographed the animal.
And with more miles of roadway in the state, why hadn't more become roadkill?
However, besides stories from Kansans, there is some more solid evidence of big cats. In 2003, a wildlife researcher in Lawrence set up a trail camera near the University of Kansas campus that took several non-conclusive photos of an animal many thought was a mountain lion. That same year, DNA retrieved from scat found on the location proved that a mountain lion had been in the area.
Meanwhile, Peek admitted a mountain lion collared in South Dakota for tracking purposes that was hit by a train 40 miles south of Arkansas City probably had passed through Kansas.
He also wasn't surprised one showed up in the state, saying the department implemented a response plan a few years ago if the incident should happen.
Residents in Barber County also aren't surprised. They've seen mountain lions amid the Gyp Hills for years.
"Why wouldn't we have a population?" questioned Tim Marshall, the Barber County Extension Agent who also is part of the ranching community. "Every state around us does - especially with the geography in this county."
He saw a mountain lion in 2002 near his house, he said. Many other residents have reported seeing cougars as well.
A neighbor reported to Marshall that he saw a mountain lion just two weeks ago on his ranch.
"He was grabbing a bale and there was one standing right in the middle of the road," Marshall said.
He said a Kansas State University wildlife specialist helped him set traps a few years ago after his incident with one, but they never caught one.
Meanwhile, rancher Mike Jones said his hired man saw a cougar last winter chasing the ranch's horses. Jones himself has never seen one.
But he does question why a couple of his colts mysteriously disappeared in recent years. He also said he saw a dead deer covered with sticks beneath a tree on his ranch. He estimates it was the effort of a mountain lion.
According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, mountain lions drag their carcasses to sheltered spots beneath trees or overhang to feed on them. They cover the carcasses with dirt, leaves or snow and may return to feed on them for a few days.
Peek said he's heard all these types of claims. Such tales have come from every county in Kansas. In recent years, more reports have come from the Lawrence area.
"There could be some out there," he said. "We could very soundly say the number out there is very, very small. That is based on the lack of other evidence."
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Wildlife officials say shot cat not proof of major presence here.
By Amy Bickel - The Hutchinson News - [email protected]
Have you ever seen a mountain lion in Kansas? Click here to comment
MEDICINE LODGE - A mountain lion was killed in Kansas last fall, but the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks is not ready to admit it was a wild animal on the roam.
Wildlife officials acquired the adult mountain lion's pelt Monday from a Texas taxidermist. Charges are pending on a Barber County man who shot the animal on his property in November.
For years, the department has said there wasn't sufficient proof of mountain lions in the state, despite repeated calls by residents who claimed they had seen cougars.
And in this instance, the animal could have been captive, said Matt Peek, a furbearer biologist with the wildlife agency. Investigators plan to conduct a genetic analysis to determine if the mountain lion came from a captive bloodline.
If wild, the lion could have moved into the state from Colorado or New Mexico, he said. There also have been reports of animals as far north as the Oklahoma panhandle.
Tips from local residents launched the investigation about three weeks ago, said agency spokesman Bob Mathews.
Mathews said, according to the report, the man who shot the mountain lion was chopping wood when he saw the animal in the grass. He retrieved a firearm from his truck and shot it.
However, there is no hunting season for mountain lions in Kansas, Peek said, and the man could be charged with killing a non-game animal for which there is not an established season and/or possessing a mountain lion.
"You can't legally kill one for merely being present," he said, noting that the allegations haven't been proven in court.
Mountain lions in Kansas?
The last documented wild mountain lion in Kansas was killed in Ellis County in 1904, Mathews said.
"We don't deny they pass through the state now and then," Mathews said. "But we haven't had any form of tangible or physical proof beyond the collection of fuzzy photographs and personal accounts of mountain lion sightings."
In years past, parks officials said residents might be seeing a large dog or bobcat.
"It is possible there are more in the state," Peek said, although he questioned why a hunter's trail camera has never photographed the animal.
And with more miles of roadway in the state, why hadn't more become roadkill?
However, besides stories from Kansans, there is some more solid evidence of big cats. In 2003, a wildlife researcher in Lawrence set up a trail camera near the University of Kansas campus that took several non-conclusive photos of an animal many thought was a mountain lion. That same year, DNA retrieved from scat found on the location proved that a mountain lion had been in the area.
Meanwhile, Peek admitted a mountain lion collared in South Dakota for tracking purposes that was hit by a train 40 miles south of Arkansas City probably had passed through Kansas.
He also wasn't surprised one showed up in the state, saying the department implemented a response plan a few years ago if the incident should happen.
Residents in Barber County also aren't surprised. They've seen mountain lions amid the Gyp Hills for years.
"Why wouldn't we have a population?" questioned Tim Marshall, the Barber County Extension Agent who also is part of the ranching community. "Every state around us does - especially with the geography in this county."
He saw a mountain lion in 2002 near his house, he said. Many other residents have reported seeing cougars as well.
A neighbor reported to Marshall that he saw a mountain lion just two weeks ago on his ranch.
"He was grabbing a bale and there was one standing right in the middle of the road," Marshall said.
He said a Kansas State University wildlife specialist helped him set traps a few years ago after his incident with one, but they never caught one.
Meanwhile, rancher Mike Jones said his hired man saw a cougar last winter chasing the ranch's horses. Jones himself has never seen one.
But he does question why a couple of his colts mysteriously disappeared in recent years. He also said he saw a dead deer covered with sticks beneath a tree on his ranch. He estimates it was the effort of a mountain lion.
According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, mountain lions drag their carcasses to sheltered spots beneath trees or overhang to feed on them. They cover the carcasses with dirt, leaves or snow and may return to feed on them for a few days.
Peek said he's heard all these types of claims. Such tales have come from every county in Kansas. In recent years, more reports have come from the Lawrence area.
"There could be some out there," he said. "We could very soundly say the number out there is very, very small. That is based on the lack of other evidence."
Discuss this story | E-mail this story to a friend
