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Unless you live in the Upper Pennisula, more than likely have never seen a Cougar in Michigan. Even if you live in the Upper Pennisula, you still probably haven't seen a cougar because they are pretty rare.

The Michigan DNR says there were 12 confirmed sightings this year in the Upper Peninsula. That's actually a lot, the most confirmed sightings since back in 2008. In the past 12 years, there's been a total of 61 confirmed cougar sightings in Michigan with only one in the Lower Penninsula.

According to WDIV, sightings are rare in Michigan but have been on the rise in recent years. The DNR said last year that sightings could be increasing because more people are using trail cameras and reports, in general, are more frequent.

With so many people having trail cameras in the woods this time of year, catching an animal on camera is more likely. So, it is likely that we are just having more people turn in their photos. Every so often we have numerous verifications due to a similar situation.

Here's a 2020 list of where cougars were spotted:

  • Chippewa -1
  • Delta - 3
  • Luce - 3
  • Mackinac - 3
  • Ontonagon - 1
  • Schoolcraft - 1

Michigan is home to three wild cat species. They are the North American Cougar, the Canadian Lynx, and the Bobcat. They're rare but they are out there.

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