SAGINAW, MI – Mountain lions were once commonplace in Michigan but were wiped out across the state in the 1900s.
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, mountain lions, once native to Michigan, were nearly wiped out by the early 1900s, with the last legally taken wild cougar in the state being killed near Newberry in 1906.
For decades, the large predator was absent from Michigan’s wilderness. However, in recent years, confirmed cougar sightings have been on the rise across various parts of the state, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Since 2008, multiple sightings of cougars have been verified, with two illegal cougar harvests occurring in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Although sightings are not very common, confirmed sightings have been reported as late as 2022.
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the last recorded sighting of a mountain lion in Michigan was in 2022 in Ontonagon County; the sighting was confirmed via photograph.