So, this guy was caught on my trail cam at my hunting land in northern Wisconsin. I wish the camera were aimed a tad lower to make this a definitive ID, but I think I know what it is. It's there a way to remove the "tasco" footer and get that little extra picture showing all important details ( tail length, markings on lower body and face etc) So, what's your take, and why?
I thought bobcats and cougars were the same thing.... and the chupecabre has been proven to be mangy dogs...
A cougar is another name for a mountain lion. A bobcat is a small wild cat, much smaller generally 15-20 lbs max about 40 lbs, and not really capable of killing a full grown person. Cougars ( aka mountain lion or puma) have been known to kill even adult humans and go typically 100-140 lbs, but have been known to get to 220 lbs.
The funny thing is only a few years ago, our DNR finally admitted that cougars are here in Wisconsin. There were a coupke trail cam pics, one right in my same county as my hunting land, another lived in an abandoned barn between Milwaukee and Madison, that was tracked to a Chicago suburb and killed. I've personally seen one run across the road only about an hour north of where I live, and one chased me and my wife and 3 dogs inside our cabin a little over 10 yes ago. A neighbor ended up shooting presumably that same cat a few weeks later.
Yes, there always some spots or stripes on a bobcat. And there's no tufts on the ears. Odds would be of a wild cat were around in Wisconsin, that it'd be a bobcat, but this picture seems to buck that trend.
Looks like a cougar to me, & if it ever chased me in to my cabin, I'd have it mounted to go along with the bobcats!
I've sent the picture off to a relative that works for the DNR. Our local friend that does odd jobs for the parents said it's a 80-100 lb cougar. If we could get the tasco footer off, the tail would be a dead giveaway. Until then we have to look for coat color/ markings ( all light colored, no real markings), ears (rounded and short, no tufts), and whether the fur is short all around or has longer tufts ( looks all short to me).
Yeah, a few of those. All red squirrels. Plus I saw numerous grouse. Ravens and chickadees too. We did have turkeys walk through as well, on fresh snow, but they didn't go last my stand or in view. I saw porcupine evidence on a pine, but no sight of the tree murderer.
That cat would be like 300 lbs from all the forest critters. Then I'd have to carry my pistol while rifle hunting, for that close encounter counter measure. There's this squirrel that I saw today... SLO-MO SQUIRREL
That's about the only cat I'd have, a biiiiig kitty. But no, the camera is off the trail a good 10 feet, and the trail is the width of a truck.
big kitty cat there. i picture a cougar a bit bigger, but i'm no expert. i saw a cougar in 1989 out west at a nat'l park. it was sprinting across the road a few feet in front of our car. it only touched the road one time from my memory and then was gone as quickly as it appeared. impressive animal.
I've seen cougars in Colorado, they were much longer and skinnier, neck was narrower and longer. Maybe this is a fat happy WI cougar?
