You are here

Do Cougars Roam Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore?

Share

Cougar sightings have been reported throughout Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in recent years, as this chart shows. NPS graphic.

Visit Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan and you might expect to see a variety of ducks, belted kingfishers, some deer, raccoons, and perhaps catch the laugh of a loon.

But cougars?

Although these tawny cats have been documented in Great Plains and Midwestern states in recent years, they are not typically associated with the national parks of the Midwest. But dozens of folks -- including the park's law enforcement chief and a volunteer -- claim to have spotted cougars in the lakeshore in recent years. Is it wishful thinking, or misidentification?

"Over about the last almost five years now we've been averaging around 15 pretty good sightings a year," Ken Hyde, the lakeshore's wildlife biologist, tells me. "We've never been able to verify any of those."

Not only have there been numerous sightings, but many were close at hand or involved someone who knows the difference between a bobcat, which does live in the lakeshore, and a much larger cougar. In one instance, the lakeshore's law enforcement chief spotted what he thought was a cougar while driving home one night. Another case involved a park volunteer who came within several feet of what she believed was a cougar on a hiking trail.

"I've had two or three others who have seen a cougar laying down or run across a trail, but probably a majority of (the reports) are a cougar running across a road," says Ranger Hyde. "Then, of course, the (state) Department of Natural Resources and everyone else says, 'Well, if they're running across a road, eventually one of them should have been hit. Why have we gone several years without any of them being hit?'"

Almost every time a sighting is reported, rain falls before Ranger Hyde can reach the site, making it impossible to spot any tracks. When he hears of a deer kill, coyotes manage to clean it up before he can arrive to determine what killed the animal.

A few winters ago, from November 2004 through April 2005, lakeshore biologists conducted a winter survey for cougars. More than 850 "camera nights" failed to turn up an image of one of the felines (although they captured a representative array of just about all of the lakeshore's known predators), and nearly 500 kilometers of track surveys failed to turn up a cougar paw print, scat, hair, or kill site.

The biologists' conclusion? There is no evidence that cougars roam Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

We investigated four cougar reports and one report of cougar tracks during February and April 2005. In each instance, we determined the specific location of the observation based on a detailed description by the observer or by the observer taking us to the actual location. Locations were searched within 24 hours of reporting; inclement weather (e.g. rain, snow) did not occur between the observations and our investigation, the biologists reported. No evidence of cougars was found at any of the five locations. Of the reported cougar observations, we found bobcat tracks at one location, coyote tracks at one location, and bobcat and coyote tracks at two locations. The reported cougar tracks, shown to us by the individual that made the report, were made by a domestic dog.

And yet the reported sightings persist. And they're not localized in one section of the lakeshore, but rather all over it, says Ranger Hyde. "We'll get maybe two or three sightings in a general area, and then they're gone," he says. "And then we have them show up somewhere else."

So for now the mystery continues. This summer the wildlife biologist hopes to conduct a survey for the cats, but that won't be easy.

"During the summer the leaves are on these northern hardwood areas, and it's a jungle back in there," says Ranger Hyde.

Comments

I've seen cougar footprints in the Everglades in '86 and the north unit of Teddy Roosevelt NP in '99 -- and that was exciting enough!

As an aside -- we had a strange unidentified creature caught on film in Baltimore a few years back -- it was dubbed the "Hyote". Turns out it was a fox that had lost most of its hair. Talk about embarassing...


Without a doubt there are cougars in the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. I saw one crossing M-22 this past summer (August 2008) 1/2 mile south of the Platte River bridge and campground.. It was 5 - 6 feet long and very dark in color.


My wife and I vacation in this general area (Watervale, on Lower Herring Lake) and have frequently driven that section of M-22 en route to Sleeping Bear or the Leelenau Peninsula. We've also canoed the Platte. I always keep a sharp eye out for wildlife, and while I've seen plenty of deer, I haven't yet been privileged to see a cougar there or anywhere else in Michigan. Several years ago, a friend of ours who is a very experienced hiker saw a cougar near her driveway in a densely wooded area on the south side of Crystal Lake near Frankfort. I find this interesting because there are houses galore in the area.


Patsy and I were driving to Boone Docks for an early Sunday evening Burger on August 23, 2020.  About 500 yards West of Frederickson Road and M72 a young Chocolate Brown Cougar slowly and calmly galloped from South to North about 50 feet in front of our Yukon.  5:20 P.M. on a clear and sunny afternoon.  Cat head, about 60 to 75 pounds, about 28 inches tall, no fat and not chubby with long legs and big paws, long tail sticking straight out like a wind rudder !  Tipped in black.  I was driving slow as I was looking for Frederickson Road to make a turn.  She never even looked at our car.  She knew the road. We had about 5 to 7 seconds and plenty of time to make the identification and then POOF she was into the woods and gone just as fast as she showed up.  Not fast enough with the cell phone camera.   5 minutes later on Frederickson road we jokingly commented that "this is about where she should come out "!     


My family has lived in the Empire/Glen lake area for almost sixty years....In that time, I have only seen one black bear in the lower peninsula....My mother has seen two....I've always been interested in the prospect of seeing a cougar, as I know locals who have seen them...Yesterday afternoon, I saw a strange cat while riding my bicycle in Empire....He was sitting in the middle of a dirt road, looking up at the side of a hill...I surprised him, and he crouched down...He got up and slowly walked towards South Bat Lake...The animal wasn't a bobcat, as it was reddish brown in color and had a long tail....When he was sitting still, I couldn't make out his ears....Was an amazing looking animal of which I have never seen in my life....My first encounter with a young cougar....


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.