"cougar takes down a doe in Wisconsin". The same thing happens at least a dozen times each year within a mile of my house. Occasionally, one will take an elk. I expect to see fewer kills this year because, thanks to an overly liberal doe season, whitetail numbers are way down. On the other hand, mule deer populations are recovering somewhat. When deer are scarce enough, cougars will often make do with coyotes or, in more developed areas, poodles.
In the past 25 years or so, we have had two years where there was little or no cougar activity. During those years there was a family of wolves which hunted over about a ten mile radius with our place on the eastern edge of their territory. While they were here, the cougars were elsewhere. Most of the pups got shot and the adults moved; now at least one cougar is back.
When there was no cougar, there was a definite increase in snowshoe rabbits. GD
