Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Cougar killed bh bowhunter in Western Wisconsin

Exciting hunt for this fellow. Another article I read said he was in a tree stand, killed it with his bow when it advanced on him.



"A cougar was killed by a bowhunter in Buffalo County last weekend, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

It was likely the first time a cougar was killed by a hunter in the state in about 115 years, said Randy Johnson, a large carnivore specialist with the DNR.

Johnson said the man was hunting deer with a bow from a tree stand on Saturday when he saw movement.

"The last thing I think he was expecting was a cougar," Johnson said.

When he realized what he was seeing, and that the animal was at a relatively close distance, the hunter told investigators he made motions at the cougar, but it did not retreat.

"Somewhere in that sequence, he felt his safety was threatened and made the decision to shoot it," Johnson said.

After killing the cougar, the man "commendably" reported the incident to the DNR, Johnson said. Game wardens and conservation biologists conducted an investigation and turned their findings over to the Buffalo County District Attorney.

"After careful review and consideration, no charges will be filed," according to a statement from the DNR.

Johnson said the cougar was a male that weighed 128 pounds and was approximately 2 years old. He said its body is in the possession of the DNR, and a necropsy is planned. He hopes DNA testing will establish the breeding population where it originated.

Cougars are a protected species in Wisconsin. They are native to the state, but the entire population was killed off by the early 1900s. Although rare, sightings have increased over the last two decades. The DNR confirms there are now an average of 15 to 20 sightings a year.

Johnson said a cougar was spotted on a trail camera in Buffalo County just days before the recent killing. He said it was almost certainly the same animal. Johnson said it was the 25th verified sighting this year.

But he said that doesn't mean there are dozens of the animals wandering the state.

"That's not 25 cougars — that's a handful of cougars observed multiple times," he said.

Johnson said there's no evidence there's a breeding population of the animals in Wisconsin.

"We have never documented a female, we have never documented kittens," he said.

There's never been confirmation that a cougar has established a territory in the state.

"Nonetheless, the trend of these verified observations is increasing and has been for a few years, and I expect that trend will continue," he said.

When biologists have been able to get DNA information about the cougars in the state either through testing scat or blood left at the site of deer kills, they have determined the animals were young males who have left the Black Hills of South Dakota, the closest area with a breeding population of cougars. Johnson said it is typical for young males to disperse looking for new territory.

"At that point, they seem to keep wandering," Johnson said. "When they enter Wisconsin, they don't stay still, they keep wandering. If they don't find a mate, they don't stop."

According to the DNR, young males have been recorded traveling up to 1,600 miles.

Johnson said Wisconsin has habitat to support a breeding population of cougars, and it is possible that some will settle here.

"I guess time will tell, but I certainly don't expect it in the next few years," he said."

https://www.wpr.org/bowhunter-kills-cougar-buffalo-county

Now that would be exciting!

I wonder where/what the threats were?
The cat was curious, as are almost any animal I am aware of.

He’s coming right for us!

My Son had 3 Cougars under his treestand several years ago now. He called me on the radio and was wondering what to do, a pant wetting moment, but from the safety of my position I advised him to just observe, he did so.

They were there for more than half an hour, rolling around making a variety of whistling noises lol, just one of the many benefits of spending time in the woods hunting.

Curiosity killed the cat

With 25 sightings of cougar this year. My bet is over 250 + is more likely. Where cougar are heavily populated, sightings are rare! Once well established the deer herds will plummet. Most already know this, SSS is the only way to control them. My two cents! YMMV.

Some years back, maybe 15, my cousin had one circling his stand in Southern Maryland, making a bunch of really scary noises, not whistling for certain. Later, not that season, he heard it again in the undergrowth around the old dry hand-dug well they used to toss deer carcasses in, so it clearly was a resident of sorts.

They’re present here, Jefferson County, WV and the surrounding areas. Both my ex and my son have seen one along the road or crossing it. One reason I like to poke around the winter woods is so I can look for critter tracks in the snow and along the Shenandoah, but have yet to find anything out of the ordinary, but I live in hope…

Was wondering the same thing, and how aggressive it was acting toward the hunter.

I also found it interesting that the DNR referred it to the District Attorney for review, seems like if it was clear cut they could have just documented it and taken no further action. The DA in Buffalo County is someone appointed by a Republican Governor in 2018, so is likely a Republican. Who knows if a more liberal DA would have tried to pursue it.

That is alot of sightings, I have never seen more than 3-4 per year, which to me is alot.

I would just say......if there is that many Cougars then that is the job of Tom's to lower the population the way they have since forever, this is what happens when only Tom's are killed, same with Bears, if you only kill Males, that just makes it worse imo.

The only way he could have been endangered is if the cat started climbing the tree; otherwise, there's no threat.

But then again, I've never shot an arrow straight down from a tree stand.

SSS

Exactly.

After having shot one, the story becomes an imperative.

“It was threatening me”. My story and I’m sticking to it.

Only way to report such. Possum cops otherwise may not come to the right conclusion.

Pleading self defense beats pleading ignorance.

DF

Dead cougars tell no tales.

Lucky bugger.

If that cat actually came up the tree I would expect it could be on him quicker than he could draw and aim.

My wife's 15lb cat terrifies the shìt out of me. I can't imagine something like that fugger at 128lbs. Jeebus

Laffin'....