The News Outside

A buddy of mine told me yesterday about 2 weeks ago while on a train 4 people witnessed a Cougar in a crouching posistion stalking deer on the edge of a field. At first one of them said hey look at that Bobcat, then the rest of them said, thats to big for a Bobcat and look at the long tail! Time of day was around 10am and cloudy. My buddy said he knows for sure it was a Cougar/Mountain Lion. They sighting was around a 1 mile south of the town of Ellis in Vermilion county. I have heard of sighting in past in Bismarck/Potomac area which is close to this location. This area is close to the Middle Fork river too. Anybody else seen or heard anything from this area?
Thanks

Never heard of one that far east.  Interested to hear what turns up.

I find it odd that one would be out midday and not be deterred by the train. I know animals get used to trains, cars and such but for it to be out and not go into hiding at the sound of a train that is close enough for people to identify it from seems strange. If this is truly the case then it will not last long in the area before a coyote hunter shoots it.

WhitetailCrazy - 18 January 2012 12:04 PM

I find it odd that one would be out midday and not be deterred by the train. I know animals get used to trains, cars and such but for it to be out and not go into hiding at the sound of a train that is close enough for people to identify it from seems strange. If this is truly the case then that when will not last long in the area before a coyote hunter shoots it.

I will have to ask him if it seemed spooked by the train. Then again we go by deer all the time on the train, and in fact they dont seem spooked at all? Maybe his hunger had him preoccupied?

Talked to another coworker and he said in the same area within last 6 months, he to saw what he claimed to be a mountain lion run across the tracks at night in front of train. He said he has seen bobcats before and this was no bobcat. Same thing, long tail.

I live in Bellevue, just outside Peoria.  Last weekend my adult daughter and I saw a big cat running across the road about 7am.  It was the color of a mountain lion, light brown, long tail.  I have seen big cats (Jaguars) in the wild in southern Mexico and Belize, so it wasn’t my first sighting.  It was running and leaped across into the woods.  This is right near Kickapoo Creek, lots of deer, etc.  anyone else see any near Peoria.
    A guy at work says there is a Youtube video of some being released in central IL for deer population control but I haven’t seen it.