Cougars killed in Cypress Hills

Just heard about this. Does anyone know any detail?

there waz three mom and 2 kits they were snared

Thats a shame....a lot of people dont think they exist in there...but I've talked with people that have seen them and even one guy that has seen a wolf in there.....

Turkeys also....

Jamie

Oh ya...TONS of turkeys.....all over the place in there....

Wolves and cougars used to be a common site. But I have been told they were hunted outta there. Most campers dont think they are in there. Everyone I talk to say they love to camp there because it is like being in the mountains without having to worry about predetors.

HI:

I had a elk draw in Cypress Hills this year and we saw couger crap and tracks on the northside of the park.

Hoopi

Is there a news release about this or somthing? Park staff have been trying to confirm cougar precesnce for several years. Shame if they were killed. I'm curious about the circumstances.

www.medicinehatnews.com/article_4529.php
I know the fellow that snared the three cougars, he had just started to attempt to trap / snare coyotes this year. I don't think he ever dreamt of snaring a cougar let alone 3 at one time. He was just trying to thin out the "yote" population around his place......:hat

I talked to a guy in the southeast part of the province on the weekend and a cougar has been spoted by snowmobilers twice now about 30 miles northeast of Weyburn. Apparently they have pictures of the tracks and one guy saw it when he was with his kids, otherwise he would have followed it to get a picture. I'll let you know if I get the pictures.

Al,
Thanks for the link....good to see that it was out of the park...I kinda figured it would be a coyote snare that just went wrong.....good to read the facts at least...

Cypress Hills is such a unique place but I never would have imagined there would be cougars there. For anyone that has not been there it is like an oasis in the middle of the prairies. The terrain and countryside of CH would make it easy to believe they would be there, but that fact it is smack dab in the middle of the prairies makes it hard to imagine.

Duk Dog there used to be an established population there. They see them along the Milk River Ridge, out by Warner somtimes and we even had one down here at the park in Taber for a year or 2.

They do seem to be showing up everywwhere. There was several sightings of a lone cougar between Lethbridge and Coaldale this summer. My friendsused to ranch on the Ridge and saw one or two occasionally. No one wanted to admit there hanging out in the Cypress Hills, that would mean there likely in Saskatchewan and maybe even further east. Not sure how many of you have followed the stories but theres talk they may be re-establishing themselves in Northern Ontario and Quebec as well. I hope they can get a better foothold in the Cypress countries, something needs to eat those tame mulies, they'll come up and lick you.

Last fall while hunting deer on inlaws place north of Cypress Hills, I run across a old fellow hunting. He told me that the weekend prior he shot a whitetail buck, and walked back to truck, then proceeded to drive into creek bottom to get the deer. Claims that there was a cougar watching his deer from above creek when he showed up. My wifes dads cousin had a horse a few years back that was attacked by a cougar, outside of the park. Fish & Wildlife conformed it was a cougar attack. Then about 2 weeks ago on the north side of the park I was out on the qaud looking for sheds, and I come across a dead mule deer. It was fresh within probally 12 hours. Backstraps & neck were ate out of it, and i could see drag marks for appoximatly 50 feet were deer was dragged. Dont know what killed it, as there was no snow at the time to find tracks, but I wonder if a coyote or 2 could drag a deer. Or if it was a cat kill. Also wifes uncle was telling me last week, he woke up one morning and part of his corral was knocked down, and his calves were very spooked, like he could not get near them. Something spooked them fiercly. That would be about 1 mile from where the old guy seen a cat. Hope to see on out there, as im spend alot of time in the area. Have seen a Bobcat there, but no Cougars yet.

SouthAltaHunter