Last week I had the pleasure of chatting with Mr. Shawn Heggart, resident of South Mountain – a small town southeast of Ottawa near Winchester.
Shawn is an avid outdoorsman – hunter and fisherman – like many of us are, and is always watching the fields and forests near his house for signs of wildlife.
Shawn was driving his vehicle near Mountain (another small hamlet north of his home in South Mountain) a couple of weeks back when something peculiar caught his attention.
A large brown ‘cat’ with a long tail was running along the roadside in front of him. It was a cougar and Shawn knows wildlife well enough to realize what one looks like.
“I wasn’t hard to tell this guy was a cougar, I mean, he was only 30 yards away and it was broad daylight!” said Heggert.
Upon returning home, Shawn got on the Internet and began searching Ontario Cougars, which led him to my article in the Ottawa SUN from last summer with the story of the cougar shot by Police in the Muskokas.
After contacting the MNR to share this information, Mr. Heggert’s next step(I’m happy to say) was to share the news with me..evidently the Outdoors Guy was a lot more receptive to Shawn’s cougar sighting than the MNR was.
“The Ministry told me flat out, there are NO COUGARS in Ontario and what I saw was probably just someone’s pet!” Heggert stated, matter of factly.
Shawn then asked the MNR official “OK, how many pythons owners are there in Ontario?” The MNR replied with “Well, we know there are 360 of them, but the python is a dangerous animal!”
Shawn immediately questioned why the department would document dangerous snake owners but has no record of cougar owners. My guess is that, unless you are operating a wildlife preserve, you are not even legally allowed to have a cougar as a pet.
Yet there are this many cougar owners in Ontario to account for the number of sightings?
My chat with Mr. Heggert was an interesting one indeed, since the last cougar incident I could recall from this part of the province was an interview I did back in 2005(OOD article) with a lad from Monkland (near Cornwall) who was bitten by a large cat, late one evening, while letting his dog out. Investigators determined, at the time, that his bite marks were consistent with that of a cougar.
Shawn went-on to tell me he knows of several people in that region who have seen cougars over the years. He said one man even saw a mother with cubs not far from there.
Could it be that all these sightings are from ‘pets’ or ‘formerly captive’ cougars? Sure, the one killed last summer in the Muskokas had evidently been a captive animal (it was declawed) but there are far too many sightings each year to ALL be escaped pets. It is possible that perhaps these pets have learned how to adapt and breed in the wild?
It seems no one wants to believe that a remnant population of the (now believe to be) extinct Eastern Cougar exists in Eastern Canada, yet the sightings continue to grow in numbers.
Near the end of my conversation, Heggert told me something that literally threw me back in my chair!! He shared some information that is so huge, if true, would make National News!!
At Shawn’s request, I am not permitted to speak a work of the information he gave me, but said I would be the first to know should it turn out to be true.
In my opinion, these cougar sightings across Ontario cannot ALL be the result of Pet Cougars as the MNR would have you believe..
One day hopefully we will have the evidence to prove the existence of wild cougars living and breeding in Central and Eastern Canada.
Outdoorsguy
Jeff maybe you should use “ruminant” as a question in your next outdoor quiz as in what is a “ruminant population ‘? I assume you meant to type remnant.
Put me in the doubters’ pool on this topic. I need proof other than mere sightings.
Whatever do you mean Rick, ‘remnant’ seems to be spelled ok??
So, you think every cougar spotted in central and eastern Canada had to have been a captive animal at one point?
Now you’re going tell me the Sasquatch isnt real?? And Santa Claus, what about him???
Outdoorsguy
so technically, is that a ‘mountain’ lion?
One would think that a game camera, somewhere, will get a picture eventually if they are indeed still out there.
johan, I think mountain lion is just another word for cougar….kind of like puma or panther which, I believe, are also cougars.
I have seen some trailcam images of cougars but not sure where they came from. Western Canada has quite of few of them.
Outdoorsguy
Jeff yes I believe every correctly identified cougar sighting in Ontario is of an escaped animal. The number of correctly identified sightings is minuscule.
Rick, what about all the cougar sightings in Nova Scotia each year…at one point there were like 100 or more sightings each year!
Outdoorsguy
Jeff with that many sightings there should be some hard evidence available.
Well Rick, ya never know, hard evidence could be just around the corner….
Outdoorsguy
Jeff. We here all kinds of stuff about cougars here cougars there. We have a long winter each year and nobody has come across tracks that can be verified or fresh deer kills with cougar traces or fresh scat that can be proven to be from the “wild” cougars. These are not animals that hibernate. So why then is there no sightings by all the skidooers on all the trails around. Also what about hunting season. No hunters have mentioned an encounter or shot one for that matter. I know if i came across one while hunting it would be coming down if for no other reason than to prove once and for all there exsistance.There would be only one reason why the MNR would not verify or admit if in fact they had released some and that is they would then be possibly liable if someone got killed by one because they would have willfully released a dangerous animal.
So, no i am another non believer.
OK Paul, so you are in the doubter category….I can see that. I’m getting the impression that you find the ‘MNR had released cougars’ story to be more credible, than the possibility of wild cougars existing in this part of the country?
Its’ crazy, I’ve heard that rumour…or urban legend, if you will..for years now and, honestly, it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. You can put me in the non-believer category for that one!
You think an agency with even minimal background in fish & wildlife management would find that move appropriate?? I even had trouble believing the QC rumour that the road’s dept released turkey vultures years ago to clean up road kill…although that one turned out to possibly be true.
But cougars? Come on!!
What would the MNR’s motivation be to release (non-native) cougars into the wilds of Ontario? And where would they acquire said cougars?? Was it to control the burgeoning whitetail herd at the time? It goes against every rule in the book and there’s no way any agency in Canada would approve something like that.
Anyhow, I suppose I’m more of an optimist when it comes to wild cougars..but I honestly think we will, one day, find proof that they do exist. (Of course, I still think the sasquatch is real)
Outdoorsguy
Jeff, I’m with you on this one…
I’ve seen enough strange stuff in my life, and no not when I was tanked, to realize that when someone says that something is totally and absolutely impossible they are usually incorrect. The only thing that is really impossible is a purported impossibility. (hope that makes some sense).
I think it would be unreasonable to assume that a wild cougar does not inhabit any part of Ontario. Could there be some escaped pets? Of course. I don’t know how you would differentiate between the two in the wild unless it’s like that one they shot that had been de-clawed or you have one coming up to you looking for a chin scratch or belly rub. But these cats travel long distances. There could be one behind your house this morning and by tomorrow it could be in the next township.
Could some of the reported sightings be discounted as mistaken identity? Of course. But all of them? I doubt it. I’ll even bet that most of the bona fide sightings are actually the same animal.
I’ve seen the cougar in summer of 2019 just outside of Russel at night I thought it was a bobcat
When I worked for the Canadian Museum of Nature we had a Cougar brought in that had been killed near Laverendre Park, QC. DNA analysis was inconclusive as to its origin but back then DNA analysis was not what it is now. I wonder what happened to the samples?
One of the projects I was working on when I was laid off was a DNA data bank of Canadian birds. It was funded by the air industry as a means of identifying air strikes.
That’s interesting Rick…so by ‘inconclusive’ I assume that means they could not say for sure that it was an escaped animal.
With the one killed last summer the fact that it had been de-clawed was a giveaway as to its origin, but I wonder what type of analysis Dr. Rick Rosette and other experts would carry out? I believe they sent that Muskoka animal to Guelph for analysis…probably to the University of Guelph which has a famous Vet program.
Anyhow, I’ll be waiting with baited breath for news of a wild cougar to turn up!
I should probably contact Dr. Rosette again for his opinion on this…
Outdoorsguy
Rick, did that QC cougar have long blonde hair by an chance…hehe…sorry, couldn’t resist.
Outdoorsguy
Inconclusive in that it could not be determind where it originated geographically. Western or Eastern (Florida) North American, Central or South American.
At the time I knew of two local residents who had captive South America. Cougars.
That Quebec cougar had short blonde hair!
I was under the impression that eastern cougars were originally native to Ontario.
Here’s an interesting article about a cougar that was killed on a highway in Connecticut. DNA analysis was performed and it was determined to have come form the Black Hills of South Dakota. It had traveled 1500 miles east and was believed to have spent part of its journey in Ontario.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/27/us-mountainlion-idUSTRE76Q5ZE20110727
OK fishr, that article is nothing less than incredible!!
If this case is true, that a western cougar could venture more than 1500 miles..passing through parts of ON and ended up in Connecticut, then it truly is possible for a western cougar to end up in Central Canada (ON or QC)
And, of course, that leads to the next theory..what if a pair of cougars travelled that far to establish new territory in Central Canada…producing offspring??
OR, perhaps one of these wandering western cougars makes it to ON and finds one of our escaped cougars, and they mate?
Really, the possibility of an all-new East-West Hybrid could very well exist!!
Man, this is very exciting news…I sure how the analysis they did on the Connecticut animal was accurate.
Oh, and fishr you are right, I think the eastern cougar was native to Ontario at one time, but are now believed to be extinct.
Outdoorsguy
And, if I recall, Rocky Raccoon (Beatles song) also happened to be from the Black Hills of Dakota….coincidence??
I think not!
Outdoorsguy
I just watched a vid f rom the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) showing a cougar on trail cam video(the have 8 vids in all)…and the animal was clearly radio-collared and had an ear tag. According to the credits, only western cougar are currently being tracked with radio collar so it seems apparent to me that these animals are easily reaching Michigan’s Upper Peninsula from the West!
Oh, and this vid was filmed Sep 2011 – 3 months AFTER the Conecticut cougar(beleived to have passed thru and was filmed in Michigan) was killed.
Ever looked on a map where Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is located..trust me, it’s not that far away!
Outdoorsguy
Rick Poulin says:
That Quebec cougar had short blonde hair!
Now it would be shaved, but back in the day haha
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sorry I should laugh at my own jokes
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hey! Don’t everyone forget to apply for your doe (antlerless) tag, last day is Tuesday and if you’re doing it by phone don’t wait till then because they have no sympathy for you if you can’t get through
Cougars in the deer woods? A person might want to look up before climbing into their stand.
That’s right johan…just when you thought bears were the only thing to be concerned about.
The more I read about western cougars heading east, the more fasinating it gets.
Keep in mind that, at one time, the coyote was an animal restricted to western prairies and southwest plains of US & Canada…before they moved eastward.
And NOW look at them!!!!
Outdoorsguy
Not sure comparing cougars with coyotes is fair but I get your point. I would be way more concerned about becoming cougar scat than bear. Both will do the job but I suspect that you wouldn’t hear a cougar until he’s got a hold of you. Keep us informed on the cougar research.
I’ve spoken to enough credible people wo have reportedly seen cougars over the past 30 years to believe they have been in Ontario for a long time.
Two winters ago my farmer buddy called and showed me tracks in the snow of what could have been nothing other than a cougar in West Carleton: 14′ distance between footprints; imprints in the snow where thelong tail touched to supply balance; huge paw marks; places where it had stood on a mound to have a look-see. Only saw them the once. Got the photos.
From what I understand, if the MNR admits to there being “endangered” cougars in Ontario, they would have to impliment an expensive conservation and recovery plan for them. They don’t have the funds for that. So, there are, according to them, no wild cougars in Ontario.
Hey Maple, that is exactly what I told Mr. Heggert during our phone conversation! If the MNR admits to the presence of cougars in the province, it has major implications to their (currently underfunded/under staffed) department.
You are lucky to at least have seen cougars prints..and if you would send me those pics, I’d love to post them here.
I realize you may not have those images with you now where you are, but maybe when you get home…
Now, go out and eat some more lobster you magnificent bastard you!
Outdoorsguy
I think we give the MNR too much credit and they haven’t admitted it because there just isn’t much SOLID evidence. A few tracks, and one dead, de-clawed cougar doesn’t really provide a strong basis for endangered species programs to be launched. Sure they are more than likely out there but you can’t do much with tracks and stories. I would like to see the pics too!
Yes johan, I suppose you’re right. It’s kind of like..”show me the money”..or at least the “money shot”..but my guess is, it’s only a matter of time before we have proof(well, if my secret info. comes to fruition anyway)
Closest I came to seeing a cougar was back home in the Laurentian mountains – 2 hours north of Montreal, an old member of our gang was hunting my father’s old homestead (the farm where he grew-up) in about 1990 I’d say. During a chase/drive they were doing this man sat there in broad daylight and watched a ‘very large brown cat’ with a long tail came creeping out of the chase towards him. The cat looked at Pat in the eyes from probably 50 feet away, turned and took off into the woods.
This man was NOT a bs’er and was an experienced hunter too. He pass away about 5 years ago and took this sighting with him to the grave you could say.
Now I say this was closest I came to seeing a cougar because my Dad and I were at our hunt when Pat saw the cougar, only about 5 miles away.
Anyhow, there are hundreds more sightings just like this in Central and Eastern Canada. It would nice to get some hard evidence, that’s for sure!! If nothing more than to prove that a bunch of people are NOT crazy for what they saw!
Outdoorsguy
If MNR would devote a tenth of the funding and resources wasted on CWD we woukd have more than enough to properly handle the cougar study.
Oh man Rick, that ticks me off!
I see Chronic Wasting Disease prevention as more of a political move than anything…I mean, the ON ban on natural scent was ludicrous(the adjective not the rap artist!) and they’re still devoting money and resources to this?
Outdoorsguy
Jeff, this message is to let you know that I have personally seen the cougars on my property twice. Once 2 years ago in October, I saw 2 full grown cougars which were about 200 feet away from me. I contacted the Ministry . I ran into the same disbelief that Shawn encountered.
Last week , I was grooming the trails on my property when a cougar darted out of the woods and back in again( about 30-40 feet away). Once again I notified the Ministry and once again I left frustrated at the refusal to admit that there are cougars. One of my neighbours has also seen one.
There is more to this story but will leave it at that for now.
I live in Ottawa but closer to Kemptville.
Carl do you have access to a trail camera? Maybe Jeff can loan you one. I would gladly loan you one but I do not own any.
Yes Carl, I can help in that regard…just let me know.
Outdoorsguy
P.S. Rick, you dont own a trailcam..you’re kidding me!
Paul says:
June 25, 2013 at 3:33 pm
So why then is there no sightings by all the skidooers on all the trails around.
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Paul, you’re kidding right ? Have you ever seen how fast those morons travel ? They couldn’t see an elephant on the side of a trail let alone a cougar.
We’re gonna get one in a trap one of these days. I’ll give you the exclusive if we do Jeff.
OK trapper, sounds a like deal to me!
Have you heard of any cougar sightings out your way in recent years?
Outdoorsguy
Jeff: Just a quick story regarding conservationists pooh poohing cougar sightings. While vacationing in Englewood, Florida about 12 or 13 years ago, Central Florida, Gulf coast before the four lane highway was built between Port Charlotte and Englewood, many residents spoke against this highway project for various reasons, one being endangering the few Florida Panthers (cougar) in that area. The Wildlife Conservation people stated categorically that all Panthers were down in the Everglades area and that no evidence,nor records of sightings were ever published or mentioned of the Florida Panther in the central Florida area. This really surprised me, because I thought the Panther was a regular local resident of this area. When I called the local newspaper to report a sighting of the Panther in that area, they laughed at me, until I showed them my video of same. Well, they showed that video on all the newscasts for the next two or three days, and the Florida Conservationists were totally astonished, but instantly became believers. I still have that video as proof. Steve Burke
Hey Steve, thanks for sharing that Florida cougar story…and your point is well taken. Until some sort of ‘proof’ comes forward on the existence of cougars..there will always be naysayers among us.
Let’s just say, a certain story/info I’m following closely (if found to be true) will shed a lot more light on the presence of cougars in this region. I’m talking National front-page news here!
Outdoorsguy
Quite interesting read , I am in Kemptville, On. About two months ago there was several sighting of a cougar on Padden road in a subdivision just behind our place on Donnelly Drive in Kemptville. The rumour is that a few were released by MNR to try to take down the Fisher’s population. It was heard several nights in a row, it’s cries was quite distinct nothing anyone had heard before. Large population of hunters around here, so I doubt they would mistake a cougar for a lynx or bob Cat. I don’t think MNR are too fortcoming when it comes to passing on information to the public. I had a red Eastern Wolf last year living on my property. I saw her every morning for a month, not a coyote and not an Hybrid. When I called MNR they told me we had no wolfs in Ontario..Really?
Today’s Ottawa SUN – Outdoors Column for anyone who missed it:
http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/07/03/osgoode-hosts-fishing-event-for-young-anglers-this-weekend
Outdoorsguy
OK Michelle, that is very interesting.
So evidently many of these cougar sightings DO get reported; however, are dismissed by the MNR. I suppose, as Steve Burke has pointed out, this will continue unabated until some hard evidence emerges. And damn, I hope it happens soon!
The only thing I will say, though, is that it’s highly unlikely you saw an actual Timber (grey) wolf near Kemptville. It is most likely just an eastern coyote with a reddish tinge to it. And did the MNR really say there are NO wolves in Ontario..or did they say in this region of Ontario?
My guess is that bonafide timber wolves are even more rare in these parts than cougars…but again, I would love to be wrong about this.
Any thoughts?
Outdoorsguy
I too have heard the story that the Ministry introduced cougars to control the fisher population, but does that even make sense? Are they supposed to be prey of choice? I would think that if you are going to reintroduce something like a cougar to control fisher population you would have to be damn sure they actually ate them. Maybe they do.
I would hazard to guess that a cougar would have to be pretty hungry before it tackled another predator. I have heard that fishers can be somewhat gnarly beasts in their own right.
Outdoorsguy – why do you believe that Timber wolves are more rare in these parts than cougars?
johan, it has been my understanding that true timber wolf population are really only present in sizable numbers far north of us. This assumption was confirmed after speaking last winter with MNR Biologist Scott Smithers, who also believes there aren’t many actual wolves around in these parts.
Back home in the Laurentian mountains around Tremblant, however, there seems to be both Eastern Coyotes and Grey Wolf populations living together however the coyotes (brush wolves) far outnumber the wolves. Of course, the size of some of these yotes also makes it difficult to tell them apart..except with a trained eye.
And of course hybrids make it even more difficult but Smithers doesn’t think we have many of those around either.
Oh, and I’m with you johan, I HIGHLY doubt cougars would prey on fishers. It would be similar to my photo observation of ‘coyote vs raccoon’…..cougar prob would not risk getting injured.
Outdoorsguy
I’ve seen wolves in Ontario, west of Thunder Bay, but never any in this part of Ontario. I’ve also seen and heard wolves in Algonquin Park and if I’m not mistaken, they are the red wolves that Michelle talks of, but I’ve never seen any in these parts, and I’ve spent a lot of time in the bush around here
Hi Jeff,
On Friday, June 28 at 11 pm, I saw a cougar lope past my front porch heading in the direction of the Port Burwell Provincial Park depot on Chatham St. It was going down the edge of the road that leads to the Provincial Park in Port Burwell on Lake Erie. It was 15 feet away and we made eye contact. You wouldn’t believe the nasty look I got. as it went past, as in: “Don’t even think about doing what you think you want to do”. Believe me, I wasn’t thinking anything. I was too stunned. I still feel the chill from that look. Thank God it wasn’t hungry.
As I came down with the flu, my sister reported the incident to Park employees the next day at the Day Visitors’ window down the street. In addition, a friend spotted cougar tracks on the Port Burwell Municipal Beach.
I don’t think the Park people believed us. Or wanted to. The Friday before a long weekend? It would be too much like “Jaws”. You’d think I’d spotted a UFO.
There are cougars in Ontario, although this may have been an escaped one, I don’t know. I hope my sister’s report made it to the authourities. At the very least, the campers in the Park should be warned.
Yikes, is all I can say.
@ Iggy i to have seen the “Red Wolves” while hunting in Algonquin park i have never seen them for the first 17 years of hunting in the park the last three years have seen and heard them . the mnr stopped all hunting of wolves and coyotes in the area to protect these so called endangered species which may be a good thing as they have possibly found out that they are neither the Red wolf or the eastern wolf but a new species that may have once roamed eastern Ontario “At the same time, new advancements in molecular genetics have shown that the wolves of a broad area of southeastern Canada, from north of Quebec City west to Manitoba and Minnesota and including Algonquin Provincial Park, are different from the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) found in northern Canada. These southeastern wolves are now believed to be the same as a species that once occurred throughout eastern North America with the proposed name of Eastern Canadian Wolf, Canis lycaon. The Eastern Canadian Wolf appears to be extremely closely related to the endangered Red Wolf (Canis rufus) of the southern U.S., and is characterized by the ability to hybridize with Coyotes (Canis latrans) and with Gray Wolves (Canis lupus). my next adventure is to carry me camera and video camera to catch these things on digital format they are very neat to see …
Oh man Chessy…there is so much ‘grey area’ between these wolf subspecies, hybrids and coyotes..how could we ever correctly identify all the predators roaming in this part of the world?
Outdoorsguy
I was driving to work around 5:45 am on a Saturday in July of 2000 and just north of Reid’s Mills on Stagecoach Road, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw a large animal bound across the road. At first, I thought it was a dog but it more resembled a cat.
Because it was so fast, I had very little time to realize what I had seen. It seemed to be roughly half the width of the road and had a long tail. Definitely much larger than a domestic cat. Was it a cougar, I don’t know, but some people I had told this to (who lived around the North Augusta area) said it may very well have been a cougar or at least sounded like one, as they had been spotted in that area as well.
Now that I have read this piece, I see that others have seen at least what they think may have been cougars, so it really wouldn’t surprise me at all if it turns out they are in the area and have been for some time.
On a side note, I did in fact see a cougar back in the summer of ’73 up in the mountains above Chilliwack BC and the critter I saw in Reid’s Mills looked suspiciously like that one.
I have seen cougars in North Augusta too, only those sighting originated at Frank’s Pizza on wing night.
I do remember a cougar sighting many years ago made by a farmer between me and North Augusta but I hadn’t heard of any in this area since.
Reminds me I should check my game cam, it’s been a while. If I don’t post for a few days it’s because the mosquitos will have left my bloodless carcass somewhere in the woods for the ants to clean up.
johan said “because the mosquitos will have left my bloodless carcass somewhere in the woods for the ants to clean up”
Hahahaha……
Outdoorsguy
OK Paul, evidently you are another one with great timing!
And Pete, your sighting from 13 years ago evidently stuck with you…I suppose there were a lot of escaped cougars back then too?
If these are all formerly captive cougars, why then do we see other exotic animals roaming the woods these days? Are there that really that many people with cougars and NOT any other species kept as a pet??
Outdoorsguy
If I see a cougar in Ontario can I shoot it ? If the ministry says that there are no wild ones but possibly only occasional tame escapees then I assume I could, as it would be akin to shooting any other feral cat. Or does the ministry protect them as an endangered species ? Are they in or are they out ? Just asking.
The way i see it is no you probably are not allowed to but if they are that secretive that you never see one then if one were to appear then it is obviously to close for my comfort and it will be coming down. Besides this would settle the question once and for all. Again i question why all the moose hunters and deer and bear and any kind of hunters have not run across one.
Bob,
I see in the 2013 Hunting Regulations Summary (Yes, I was able to abscond with one) that “Fur Bearing Mammals” that you can hunt under the authority of a Small Game License do not list the cougar.
Under the definition of “Fur Bearing Mammals” in the summary, there is no mention of the cougar – I guess that would in keeping with the MNR’s denial.
You are not allowed to hunt lynx, that’s pretty clear in the summary.
In the absence of a law to the contrary, I’d say that there’s not much anyone could do about taking a cougar. That’s just an opinion of course….
Jeff there was a kangaroo roaming the fields near Renfrew a few years ago.
Rick, how dare you refer to Valley folk as Kangaroos! The Valley has become my second home and there are some fine people living up there…
Outdoorsguy
It might have actually been a wallaby (named Wendell) who escaped from a farm near Kemptville in 2008.
Jeff, Rick…
I’m pretty sure those kangaroos escaped from Queen’s Park…..
Jeff I just heard on the radio that Ottawa has the third highest cougar population in Ontario. Although I think they were talking about a different type of cougar!
fishr that sounds right.
Jeff I just heard on the radio that Ottawa officially has the third highest poulation of cougars in Ontario! Although I am not sure they were talking about the same type of cougar!
For those interested Londonb has the highest!
Hey Jeffery
We use to have the same problem even in the yukon. oh so close to BC. No one could offically say they spotted a cougar. You need a photo of the cat with yourself in it along with a local news paper or something. Even after a guy said he was attacked by a cougar, unoffical. However they found a dead one in an abandond car in Watson Lake and we have had cougars ever since. Hope you get some hard evidence soon.
Hey Yukon Bobby…how’s life?!
I guess nothing changes, the cougars were all after you back in Lindsay too..hehe
Hope all is well now that you’re an old married man? Hope she lets you hunt, fish and trap?
Outdoorsguy
Be sure to check out tomorrow’s(Thurs) Ottawa SUN outdoors column, where I’ll be featuring ‘Sureshot Dave’ and his summer pasttime!
Outdoorsguy
OK Guys…TWO more cougar sightings in as many days!
One was just west of Kemptville and another in the Cornwall area.
Are these both escaped pets???
Outdoorsguy
A fellow named ‘Ryan’ left this comment last night on an older Cougar post:
“I just saw one yesterday out side of Cornwall ontario in a rural area it scared me at first because I didn’t think we had them up here. Hence why I’m online looking for more info. It was about 5 feet long 3 feet tall give or take it was massive. Saw it at 7am but it was too fast to take a pic I kinda rolled up on it.”
Outdoorsguy
Latest Blog Post:
http://blogs.canoe.ca/outdoorsguy/uncategorized/outdoors-guy-alive-and-well/
Outdoorsguy
What’s this I hear about SUN cuts?
LeGrand, sounds like SUN Media is cutting most of the free papers..guess they are no longer profitable in certain markets. I guess the only prosperous Free publication nowadays is Bounder magazine.
Outdoorsguy
Just went for a run right before dark, seen a large cat cross the road about 100′ in front if me, when I say large I mean large, like taking up half the road including a really long tail. No idea what it was. The road I had the sighting on was west of Kemptville, between two fields where I have seen lots if deer, turkey, and coyotes. Lets just say I was a little freaked and I think I ran faster after.
time for a cull?
Here is today/tomorrow’s Outdoors Column – tks to ‘sureshot dave’ for his contribution!
http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/07/18/conservation-technique-gains-popularity
Outdoorsguy
Not sure we’re quite at that point yet, johan..hehe
Outdoorsguy
Spotted the cougar while driving on Hurd St while crossing the bridge over the creek yesterday just before 9pm.
It was crossing the creek.walking through the water. Only my eyes this time.
My wife and I both saw one 5m from the house 7 or 8 winters ago on Mussell Rd. There were no rabbits around our house for years after.
Hey gord, I assume you are speaking of Hurd street and Mussell Rd in Kemptville?
Any chance of someone out there installing a trailcam below the Hurd st bridge?
Could you estimate the size/weight of that animal, based on what you saw in the water?
Thanks for your report, you are not the first person with a cougar sighting in Kemptville.
Outdoorsguy
My buddy Tom (from Kemptville) put me in contact with Star 97.5 Radio this am…evidently the news of cougars being spotted around town has yet to make local media. (well, except for here at the Outdoors Guy)
The radio station has also contacted the Scott Smithers of MNR for comment – it will be interesting to see Scott has to say.
I would think that 4 cougars sightings in the area in as many weeks, would be worth some investigating.
Or at least it shows there is something going on.
Outdoorsguy
Problem is there were 12 Elvis sightings this year in Kemptville so that has the press occupied. Besides, Cougars are extinct in Ontario…
There are not extinct . The one I saw was had a collar like the MNR uses . Jeff and I have already talked about it. And yes Jeff the good news is coming your way . the cougar near kemptvillehave a collar
Hey Shawn, I’m sorry….I forgot all about the radio collar you saw on your cougar!!
The other story I found on ‘radio-collared cougars’ was one spotted in Michigan which had photographed several times. Apparently the only agencies that carry-out research on cougars using radio collars are in the Pacific Northwest.
Hmmm….
Could your cougar(& some others in ON) actually be a western cougar that took a very long trip eastward? Incidentally, the one they found killed on Connecticut hwy in 2011 was deemed to have genetic makeup of a western cougar(South Dakota)..and said to have travelled over 1500 miles!
Oh how the plot thickens…
Shawn, if you have any other cougar-related news…you know where to find me.
Regards,
Outdoorsguy
My apologies Shawn, I failed to adequately convey my sarcasm and ‘party line’ about cougars being extinct….
Jeff, being a writer you really missed out on a small detail – a radio collar..! 😉
That’s cool stuff, and I have no doubt that a cougar could make a long journey like that. Much stranger things happen in nature. I am 40 minutes from Kemptville and I would love to see it first hand.
johan said “Jeff, being a writer you really missed out on a small detail – a radio collar..! ;-)”
See…that’s why I’m just an Outdoor Writer and NOT a Reporter! Kinda missed a biggie on this one…hehe
Have a feeling I might redeem myself in near future. With Shawn’s help of course.
Outdoorsguy
I saw one yesterday morning on my commute to work on Manotick Station Road, at the Osgoode end. It was magnificent. Luckily, I didn’t call Kemptville. MNR out of Peterborough confirmed that there ARE cougars in Ontario but they are endangered and not seen often. Unless, it seems, if you live in our area. 😉
I’m pretty excited to think there might be one near Mountain still, I live in South Mountain and would love to see another one. 🙂
Hi Fiona, thanks for sharing your story!
As you gathered from my Blog, there have been many many sightings like yours in the region, too many to just be a coincidence.
Be sure to check out tomorrow’s(Thurs) Ottawa SUN..flip to the end where my Last Word/outdoors column appears. In this week’s article I discuss ON cougar sightings and put forward an interesting theory.
You are very lucky…wish I could see one!
Regards,
Outdoorsguy
Cougars anyone..this week’s Outdoors Column
http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/07/31/ontario-cougars-running-amuck
Outdoorsguy
Jeff did you see today’s Sun story on Bigfoot?
Hey Rick, yeah, I read that yesterday…one vid is obviously a black bear while the other one Im not sure..it’s too bad this crap comes out to muddy the waters, since we both know that Sasquatch does exist…
btw, another cougar sighting just reported…
Outdoorsguy
Rec’d this cougar sighting from ‘Len’ this am:
Jeff
Just a quick note to tell about my personal cougar sighting. Last
September I was traveling on Highway 17 on my way to a fishing trip in
Algonquin Park. Just past Petawawa I noticed ahead what I initially
thought must be a deer making its way along the ditch at the side of
the highway. To my amazement as we passed I saw not a deer but a sandy
coloured cougar loping along the ditch. I was having a hard time
believing what I had just seen so when I got to Mattawa I dropped in to
the Ministry office to report my sighting and to see if anyone else had
reported such an event. The lady behind the desk confirmed that there
had been a couple of sightings in the Mattawa area that summer.
That’s it from me. I am still not sure if my buddies believed me when
I recounted my story that night at the fish camp but thanks to your
article I will have a little more evidence to back it up.
Regards
Len
WOW…looks like they’re even reading my column in New York City! Just got this email this am:
Mr. Morrison,
You article from yesterday’s paper was brought to my attention this morning. I just wanted to let you know that there are no such thing as black cougars. Cougars go by many names, puma, mountain lion, panther, catamount, etc. but they all the same roughly the same color of brown – hence their Latin name Puma concolor.
Sincerely,
HR
Hugh S. Robinson Ph.D.
Director, Landscape Analysis Lab
Panthera
8 West 40th St. 18th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Ph. (646) 786-0409
http://www.panthera.org
To my surprise and total amazement, I saw a cougar on the side of the railway track beside Hwy 17 near the Hwy 6 to Espinola and Manitoulin Island exit yesterday. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen! I was almost speechless and told my husband who was driving what I saw. We have had an amazing trip up here this year and I must say to those who don’t believe it, there truly are cougars in Ontario! I just wish my camera was available when I saw it! Gorgeous animals!
Hi Jeff
Only thought to check again today on this and saw your question.
It was Hurd St bridge on the edge of Kemptville. Only saw it due to taking the construction detour. There is very thick growth on both sides of the creek near that bridge due to the vines on all the bushes & trees. A camera in there would get a lot of interesting pictures. Who does trail cams?
The cougar was mostly brown colour, lighter colours around the neck and face, no spots or stripes that I could see in only a few seconds but over 1 meter long. I have no idea of the weight.
It had a long tail so it was not a lynx or bobcat. We have foxes, coyotes, fishers, coons and occasionally lynx and wolves around here so I know what those all look like.
Have a good day, Gord
Amazing. So far between 20 and 40 people have all seen cougars and no one has had a camera around. The police want to ban cell phones from cars because people are talking, texting, reading and looking at pictures on there phones and yet nobody can take a picture of all these cougars that are popping up everywhere. Boy they must be really worried about the fines if caught with phone in hand. Just one picture guys would probably pay for the fine!!!!!!!
I was reading the posts on here, just wanted to say I have also heard of many cougar sightings in the kenptville area. I live in Iroquois about 20 minutes south of south mountain where my mother had spotted a cougar about 5 years ago during the winter. Of course I was sceptical so I walked across the field to where she had spotted it and sure enough there were large cat tracks in the snow leading up to a page wire fence which judging by the tracks the cat had no problem jumping clear over it and continued into the bush heading north, that’s where I stopped lol. About 2 years after this she was lucky enough to spot the cat again, this time in the summer months and luckily the camera was ready! Sure enough she got a shot of it 2 actually, the pictures are not 100% clear because of the zoom on the camera, but u can definitely tell it is a large light brown cat with a very long tail. From the picture I would put the cat at about 50-70 lbs
Hey Travis, thanks for sharing your mom’s story. She is evidently someone who tends to be in the right place at the right time!
If you think she wouldn’t mind, I would love to post those images she has…no pressure of course, and Id understand if she didnt want to share them.
Keep your eyes open, you never know what you might see down there.
regards
Outdoorsguy
Hi Jeff. My sister sent you an e-mail last night to your roger.com address that she seen in your July 31, 2013 “Ontario cougars running amok” Ottawa Sun article. The e-mail is regarding a cougar sighting. She also reported it to the MNR in Peterborough and she was planning on reporting it to the Ontario Puma Foundation. I am posting this here in case you did not receive my sister’s e-mail, plus to share with your readers.
The sighting happened around 2:00 PM on Wednesday Aug. 14, 2013, just a week ago. She told me that she took the dogs for a walk down her country road the other day and on the way back a cougar crossed the road in front of them. A young lad was with her. He also seen the cougar. Because he is a challenged young lad my sister opened some photos of different animals on her computer when they got back to the house. When asked what photo the animal that crossed the road looked like he immediately pointed to the cougar. This was about 2:00 in the afternoon when they seen the cougar. When I asked my sister how far away the cougar was she told me that it was about the distance from their hay barn to the swimming pool, which is less than 75 yards. That is way too close of an encounter, especially when they were walking. When they seen it they stopped and didn’t know what to do. Luckily a car came a long and my sister flagged it down. The lady driving the car drove slow as they walked along with the car until they got far past the spot where the cougar crossed the road. My sister’s place is back in off the road so they often see deer and wild turkey. But my sister was concerned that they haven’t seen any in the past month. What makes things worse is that her husband is working away from home through the week so she is by herself through the week.
This is the last paragraph on the wikipedia page for cougar.
“When cougars do attack, they usually employ their characteristic neck bite, attempting to position their teeth between the vertebrae and into the spinal cord. Neck, head, and spinal injuries are common and sometimes fatal. Children are at greatest risk of attack, and least likely to survive an encounter. Detailed research into attacks prior to 1991 showed that 64% of all victims and almost all fatalities were children. The same study showed the highest proportion of attacks to have occurred in British Columbia, particularly on Vancouver Island where cougar populations are especially dense. Preceding attacks on humans, cougars display aberrant behavior, such as activity during daylight hours, a lack of fear of humans, and stalking humans. There have sometimes been incidents of pet cougars mauling people.”
Not good at all. I have read on other web pages that cougar sitings generally happen at dusk or dawn. But this was 2:00 in the afternoon.
It’s been thought that cougars had been killed off in southern Ontario in the 1800s.
This 2009 Peterborough Examiner article says “Since 2002,…
Continued from above.
This 2009 Peterborough Examiner article says “Since 2002, close to 1,000 sightings similar to these have been reported to the MNR and the Ontario Puma Foundation. What is more interesting, a large percentage of these sightings have come from the counties of Peterborough, Haliburton and Kawartha Lakes.”
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2009/01/06/tracking-a-legend
My sister lives in the county of Kawartha Lakes and I live in Peterborough county. My sister said that she heard that there has been a cougar re-population program in southern Ontario and the Ontario Puma Foundation seems to verify it.
By the way, the Cougar Rewilding Foundation, which looks to be an organization in the States dedicated to re-colonizing the cougar copied the same 2009 Peterborough Examiner article to their web site.
http://cougarrewilding.org/CougarNews/?p=249
On their Objective page the Ontario Puma Foundation says part of their objective is to “Provide
support to projects involving the recovery of the Puma and its habitat in Ontario.” And “To
protect large wilderness tracts to allow Pumas to roam uninhibited and encourage the protection
of habitat for existing Puma populations in the province of Ontario.”
http://www.ontariopuma.ca/objectives.htm
On their front page the Ontario Puma Foundation says “Currently there is an estimated 550 North American pumas in the province and their numbers are increasing steadily to a sustainable population.”
http://www.ontariopuma.ca/index.html
The cougars were wiped out in southern Ontario in the 19th century for a reason. I have read that the Ojibwa, who are native to Ontario thought the cougar was from the underworld, so there’s a possibility that the Ojibwa had been keeping the cougar population in Ontario thinned out even before the white man got here. If the Ministry of Natural Resources, possibly along with the Ontario Puma Foundation have re-colonized a population of cougars in Ontario without informing the public then they are putting the people of southern Ontario at risk. If the MNR is introducing cougars to Ontario to manage the large deer population in Ontario then they should at least let us know. Besides they could just issue more deer licenses to manage the deer population.
Have you heard anything about a cougar re-colonization program in Ontario Jeff?
Continued from above.
A 2009 Peterborough Examiner article says “Since 2002, close to 1,000 sightings similar to these have been reported to the MNR and the Ontario Puma Foundation. What is more interesting, a large percentage of these
sightings have come from the counties of Peterborough, Haliburton and Kawartha Lakes.”
My sister lives in the county of Kawartha Lakes and I live in Peterborough county. My sister said that she heard that there has been a cougar re-population program in southern Ontario and the Ontario Puma Foundation seems to verify it.
By the way, the Cougar Rewilding Foundation, which looks to be an organization in the States dedicated to re-colonizing the cougar copied the same 2009 Peterborough Examiner article to their web site.
On their Objective page the Ontario Puma Foundation says part of their objective is to “Provide
support to projects involving the recovery of the Puma and its habitat in Ontario.” And “To
protect large wilderness tracts to allow Pumas to roam uninhibited and encourage the protection
of habitat for existing Puma populations in the province of Ontario.”
On their front page the Ontario Puma Foundation says “Currently there is an estimated 550 North American pumas in the province and their numbers are increasing steadily to a sustainable population.”
The cougars were wiped out in southern Ontario in the 19th century for a reason. I have read that the Ojibwa, who are native to Ontario thought the cougar was from the underworld, so there’s a possibility that the Ojibwa had been keeping the cougar population in Ontario thinned out even before the white man got here. If the Ministry of Natural Resources, possibly along with the Ontario Puma Foundation have re-colonized a population of cougars in Ontario without informing the public then they are putting the people of southern Ontario at risk. If the MNR is introducing cougars to Ontario to manage the large deer population in Ontario then they should at least let us know. Besides they could just issue more deer licenses to manage the deer population.
Have you heard anything about a cougar re-colonization program in Ontario Jeff?
I forgot to mention that my sister seen the cougar just south of the Lindsay, Ontario city limits. There is an 80 acre forest just behind her place that is full of deer and wild turkey. Or at least it used to be.
My sister was going to try to see if she could get a photo of the cougar tracks today. MY brother and I will be going to my sister’s place tomorrow so we will also see if we can get photos of the cougar tracks.
Thanks
Mike
It seems only yesterday that department policy was to summarily dismiss all cougar sightings in Wisconsin as either escaped pets or viewer misidentification.
Just received a game camera picture of a cougar in the Greater Sudbury area. Showed picture to an MNR biologist Meagan Rasmussen stationed in Sudbury and she told me that it was a picture from Colorado working its way around the internet. The people who took the game camera picture have no reason to lie. I could not find that same picture on the internet. Is the MNR trying to hide something. Without a picture they think you’re making it up or didn’t see what you saw, and with a picture, they say it is a hoax.
I must apologize to MNR and biologist Meagan Rasmussen because the picture that was sent to me as authentic was actually as she reported, a real picture, just not from a Sudbury trail camera at Fairbank Lake, but from a trail camera from Colorado. I am very sorry for the comments I made .
http://mauromedia.com/cameras/trail-camera-project-mancos-colorado/
Hello Norman:
Don’t feel badly, I too have been duped by images sent over the Internet! It all started with that dang World Record Northern Pike caught in Kenora, or was it Thunder Bay.. It still takes nothing away from the fact that cougar sightings in Ontario have increased exponentially!
So many people in this part of the province have spotted cougars now, I would almost call it an epidemic. One day we will get to the bottom of this with some hard evidence as to why these creatures are here, and where they came from.
In the meantime, keep your eyes and ears open..
Thanks for the comment!
Regards
Outdoorsguy
Yesterday, Friday October 18, my husband and I were hiking the Orphan Lake Trail in Lake Superior Provincial Park. As we came out of the forest area onto the beach at Lake Superior, both my husband and I saw what we are both convinced was a cougar only 20-30 feet away watching us, right at the edge where the forest meets the beach. We called out loudly and “made ourselves large” and backed off on down the beach. This morning, from the safety of our hotel room, I’ve been trying to research it. From the photos on the internet, it is clear it was a cougar. It was close enough to be very visible to us. And I see that officially cougars are supposedly extinct in Ontario. I did not take a photo so we have no record. Should we report our sighting? We have been traveling and hiking in Canada and are on our way home back in the U.S.
It was a gorgeous animal and a frightening experience.
My husband and I saw a cougar, almost as plain as day. In a few hours it would be 24 hours ago. We were driving north along highway 41 towards Pembroke at 2am (long drive from Keswick..) and as it was a full moon, it lit up everything that would be relatively black. We saw these two glowing eyes on the opposite side of the road and then it quickly turned and ran up the hill away from us as we drove past. There was NO mistaking it was a cougar/puma. The beige/light brown fur, staulky legs, i know what we saw, amd it was a BIG wildcat!!It was incredible and terrifying at the same time, especially since after a 4 hour drive, we saw this just literally 10 mins before we reached our destination.. I’m googling where to report it as Im sure a sighting would need reporting? But don’t have any photos as proof. We wernt particularly interested in stopping to prove it by attempting a photo either.
We have had weekly sightings of cougars for years in our area. But when the snow comes we cannot find tracks. You would think a large predator would leave lots of sign. Literature says they are easy to track in the snow and tree with hounds. That is how they were able to wipe them out years ago. Why is their not a good confirmed photo of a cougar in a tree ? Kyle Knopffs research in Alberta confirms that cougars will kill horses. Ontario has 380000 horses
Just think of it.
We saw a cougar last Friday while driving on route 622 north of Atikokan On it was brownish in colour , did not get pic because it was crossing the road and going to the bush
On June 13 2014 a large cat stood two and a half feet at the shoulder with a body that was about four feet long and a very thick tail that appeared to be as long as its body crossed the road in front of my vehicle. I was driving very slowly at the time and it was a full moon and the cat was walking. There is no doubt in my mind that I had seen a cougar. Since I had no picture of it the Ministry of Natural Resources didn’t want to hear any more. I am a hunter and I am very familiar with the animals of the Ontario forest. This happened just north of Port Dover.
I was hunting Nov 10th. I was well hidden & out came this large black cat. It came straight for me, sat about 30 yards looking at the blind. I had a pair of binoculars and could see it quite well. I am sure it was a cougar. Totally Black with a long tail. I had no camera but had a phone so I took a picture of it but it did not turn out that well so I shot a video. You can see it but only for a short time. I saw it just outside the Morrisburg area
Has no one seen the true story of the cougar that was hit by a car in Connecticut (google it)and was tied back to DNA it had left behind in Wisconsin and Michigan? It was further speculated to have possibly cut across Ontario before dropping down through the Adirondacks. This cat was also linked by DNA to the Black HiIls population. It had migrated over 1600 miles. Canada and the northern tier of the US are mainly wilderness. Any cat in ONT does not have to have come from ONT and certainly does not have to have been a pet.
I’ve been driving the 417 between Glengarry and Ottawa for the past 20 years. February 10th, 2006 at around 11:00 – 11:30 pm, I came within feet of hitting a cougar crossing the highway along one of the wooded areas near Vars. I’ve ever seen anything move so fast in all my life. Scared the crap out of me. When I mentioned it to people, they thought it must have been a dog but I’ve never seen a dog look or move like that! It was a cougar, no doubt about it.
So to answer the Red Eastern Wolf, there one living right in my backyard in Kemptville. Is it’s not a coyote. I plan on getting some good picture of it.
My wife and I saw one on our back deck just before dark tonight in Wasaga Beach. I have pictures of the tracks but couldn’t get off a picture of him fast enough. He jumped over the railing 12 ft down and disappeared.
Hello Ben, thanks so much for the report!
I have read the articles on recent cougar sighting in and around Wasaga beach; including the Ministry’s position on it. I am also in contact with another Wasaga resident who was curious as to what part of town you’re in..or the nearest street?
Without divulging any personal information, would it be possible to say what part town of town you live in?
Regards,
Outdoorsguy
Ben I too have pictures of tracks, I live on the Natawasaga river, last night when going to get the dog in, I heard a big roar from that of a very large animal, obviously concerned for my pets. I would like to compare my pictures of the paw prints with yours to try and determine if they are the same. My neighbors across the other side of the river had a Lynx at the their back sliding doors and the barking from their dog scared it away.
Hi Jeff, Karen & Ben,
I saw a cougar in mid December crossing the road in front of my truck (about 25m away) from a house on the river side of Woodland Drive into the woods by the water treatment plant. It was about 9:30pm, the cat was orange and much larger than a dog although not as large as a deer. I haven’t seen it since, but haven’t been too keen to put myself in a situation where I might come across it again either! Not reported to the ministry as I didn’t have any tangible proof.
Diane
March 25 I saw a black cougar baby in shanty bay in the corn filed
Spotted a cougar just south of Monkland, ON on the 27th of May at roughly 6AM. Ran quickly across the road and into the bush. Huge tail was the instant giveaway.
On my way to work this morning, around 6 am. In Winchester Springs, I saw with my own eyes what was without a doubt a 4foot long muscular large cat with big old glowing green eyes and a tale that looked as long as it’s body and as big around as my forearm. I am very interested in the comment left by Tom Hayes last November. Winchester springs is about 15 minutes from where he saw one in the morrisburg area. Crazy thing to see for sure, what specimen!!! It made my day
I live in a suburb division in Vars and I think I saw a cougar in my backyard on May 2, 2016. I wasn’t sure at first but the really long thick tail made me Google if there were any other cougar sighting in my area
This morning while eating breakfast in our solarium, a large cat appeared out of a walking trails at the bottom of our lawn, it stood looking around, then scent marker a tree before moving on, a great site, but because I walk in our woods on my own has made me a little nervous of walking alone,
I knew they were slowly moving into this area, and this summer we were often woke by their crystal at night, sounds scary, this is the first summer we have heard them and now actually seen one. A wild Turkey kill yesterday should have told me something big is out there.
I have set up cameras facing the area, so may be I may get a picture,
I found this by searching wolves in North Augusta… Last night we could hear howling. We have coyotes around here and I hear them every night but this was different. Could it be wolves? I’m on jellyby rd.
We just moved to Cornwall a few weeks ago. Our yard is massive and backs on to a forest. In the past few weeks, I have seen deer in my yard, a huge fox, and just this morning, around 6:30am, my husband saw a cougar walking in a clearing by the woods. I am in disbelief. He swears on his life that it was a cougar. We lived in Monkland Ontario for 15 years, and there have been several cougar sightings there over the years (none by us, but we’ve seen fisher, coyotes, foxes and plenty of deer over the years). I am wondering who is should call to report this cougar sighting? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Kelly,
There have been numerous cougar sightings in your region over the years! I interviewed a man in Monkland for Outdoor Canada magazine, who was bitten by a cougar about 12-14 years ago.
I fully believe you did see a cougar and, if I were you, Id have your camera at the ready at all times! Might even think about putting out some game cameras around your property.
Thanks for the info and please let us know if you see more cougar sign.
Outdoorsguy