Cougars Are Back In Michigan With 13 Sightings This Year

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has reported that there have been 13 cougar sightings so far in Michigan for 2026. Michigan is known to have a vast wildlife community, with everything from foxes, cougars, bears, moose, and many other wild animals, but running into a cougar is one of the last things you’d probably want to do.

WXYZ reported that more trail cameras are starting to be implemented in monitoring their numbers, so the sightings for these cougars will be going up:

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31 Confirmed Cougar Sightings So Far In Michigan In 2026

Last year, there were 31 confirmed cougar sightings, which was the largest number since 2008. However, the number of trail cameras has also increased, and the DNR operates more than 1,300 trail cameras in the Upper Peninsula alone. The DNR also said that some cougar sightings may be of the same animal by different people who are nearby to one another.

Here are the sightings that have been confirmed this year alone:

• Jan. 2 via photograph
• Feb. 6 via video
• Feb. 9 via tracks (two cougars)
• Feb. 17 via photograph
• Feb. 21 via photograph
• March 8 via photograph
• March 28 via video
• April 15 via photograph
• April 21 via video
• April 24 via photograph
• April 21 via photograph
• May 1 via photograph

What To Do If You Encounter A Cougar

Usually, mountain lions like cougars are calm, quiet, and elusive, but if you ever encounter a cougar in real life, make sure that you stay calm, hold your ground or back away slowly, and make sure to face the cougar and stand upright.

You never want to approach it, nor do you want to run away from it. Also, the National Park Service suggests you never crouch down or bend over, as they don’t recognize standing humans as prey.

There are more tips that you can follow here if you ever encounter one of these creatures.