Proof: Skanee, Michigan

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has confirmed another cougar. This one photographed in Baraga County in the Upper Peninsula. Fred Nault took the photo near Skanee on Saturday, May 5, 2012!

Interestingly this Michigan confirmation in 2012, and the first verified photo of a cougar taken in person and not by a remote camera usually set out by deer hunters.

Fred Nault saw the cougar as it crossed a road near Skanee. Fred had a camera handy and was able to take this picture before the cougar disappeard into the woods.

Cougar confirmations are a new phenomenon in Michigan. Prior to the recent flurry of confirmation you have to go all the way back to 1906 to find a confirmation.

Cougars are classified as an endangered species in Michigan so it is unlawful to kill, harass or otherwise harm a cougar except in the immediate defense of human life. To learn more about cougars and how to identify their tracks, go to Track Identification Page!