Absolutely bears monitoring…………We just reported to the state ranger, around Thanksgiving that we had a cougar and her baby in our front yard. We live at Lake Texoma, 1/4 mile from the Old Texoma Lodge. For years people have reported that there are mountain lions or cougars in this area, yet the Game Rangers just sort of laugh it off and say that it is probably a bob cat. NOW WITH THE PICTURE, NO DOUBT THAT OKLAHOMA IS INHABITED BY COUGARS OR MOUNTAIN LIONS. (Picture in the Oklahoman.) They are seen in our area very frequently, yet the state chooses, in my opinion, to dismiss their existence. Word of caution, small animals, and small children are at risk.
Watch your children if they you live in a wooded, country setting.

Please don’t judge the Wildlife Dept. too harshly, if you had any idea of the number of calls they get that are so off the wall, you too would be sceptical. This new picture is great, you should try to get some of your own local cat. It would be dream come true for me to get some pics of a big cat here. Ongoing family argument ya know….

I remember when the largest acknowledged predator in Oklahoma were coyotes.

I live between Byng and Ada Oklahoma and I could have sworn I seen a mountain lion or atleast something as big, it looked like the same figure in the dark last night in my back yard. It was very close to my puppy on its chain. My dog was barking very strangley and it was at the end of its chain stretched out as far as it could go.. I looked out the door and it was very quite and both animals were so still and then I told it to get and it looked up at me and didnt flinch. I then grabbed a nearby chair and hit it on the wood of my balcony very hard and it sort of scared it and it started to turn away and then it ran off.. It was scary…I am scared to go out at night now.. I wish someone could investigate my area and the woods around my house.

We have had a rash of landowner sightings here in the Panhandle. As of late, many cattle have been taken down and eaten, livestock is missing, and I know of at least six different sightings including mother and cubs. We are trying to get photographic evidence, but haven’t been able. I will post more info as discovered.

my son was scouting the cottonwood creek off broadway between edmond and guthrie and spotted tracks that he said were as broad as his hand (a lion?) the tracks when the animal climbed a bank, had 6 claw marks……has anyone spotted lion activity between edmond and guthrie?

My family and I live along the side of hwy. 3 near Atoka and uncomfortably close to where that photo was taken at the top of this site. MY wife , son and myself have all witnessed this beautiful beast leaving a perch about sixty feet from my back door. I have five children and thats TOO CLOSE!!!

My wife kids and I live in welling about 10 miles east of thalequah .On april 9th at about 9:30pm I was in my back yard enjoying a bonfire with my wife and kids.We were watching the rabbits run around the back yard for about an half hour then my wife and kids decided to go in because it was getting late.I sat out there for 10 minuts or so when I realized it was dead silint, there were no rabbits around, so I shined my flash light into the tree line and about 35 foot away straight in front of me was a mountain lion.I keep my flash light on him, bent down and began to throw rocks at it,about 7 of them, it didnt budge….I knew I was in harms way so I backed up slowly and entered my house through the back door.This was my first sighting of it at home,but I have heard him scream a few times in the past few weeks and my dog has been acting funny also. This concerns me!!!!!!!!

I was driving down britton road today almost to Jones and the biggest cat I’ve ever seen in the wild ran across the road right in front of me..

I was driving home to Louisiana on the Indian Nation Parkway July 2 and some big cat caused me to swerve to avoid it. It turned around and ran off into the brush. It was close in resemblence to the pictures I have seen of the mountain lions, however, it didn’t look so “fluffy”. Same coloring, small head, lanky legs, dark rusty brown, about 2 1/2 feet fall. This was about 10:30 in the morning. Could it possibly have been a mountain lion?

Last year I was driving down highway 9 quite a ways west of Tecumseh about 1:00 am when a large tawny cat leaped across the highway headed south. It was definitely a mountain lion. It got across the highway in two bounds and had a tail about as long as my arm and rounded ears.

On July 2, 2010 I spotted a huge cat sitting on the side of Interstate 44. Was just watching the traffic. I could have been on the Turner Turnpike at the time but not positive. Anyhow, when I later viewed photos of Mt. Lions that is exactly what I saw. I searched for other reports of this siteing with no luck.

I lived in Kinta 36-37 years ago and use to hear the blood curdling screams of ‘panther’, that’s what my grandparents called it, most likely a cougar. My cousin and I were driving from a hi school basketball game that was in McCurtain, OK and we were going back to Kinta. It was a full moon and no cars to be seen so she turned out her headlights and walking down the shoulder on my side of car, was a full grown bear!
I have good friends who live NW of Skiatook and they’ve seen a cougar several times but they never can get a shot at it!! EEEEKKKSSS!!!!

I live in jay, ok my husband and I was going out of chickens about 4 wks ago and was sitting on the front porch about 5:45 AM and was looking out in the field and there it was a mountain lion walking around in the field it was about 400 ft from our house that was on 7-12-2010. And then this morning 8-11-2010 about 8:15 AM we where checking chickens and looked out the field and there was other mountain lion this one was much longer then the first one we saw so we stopped and watched him/her for about 10 mins. It would walk away stop and then looked at use.

On Sept 1 2010,last night at about 9:30 or so my mother in law saw a cougar on their place in Tuskahoma. The place is on Dry Creek East of Four Star Ranch about 7 miles. She was returning home from church and as she pulled behind the huose she noticed a pair of eyes. It turned out to be the Cougar and she said it was not a bit afraid!! She has seen it before down close to the creek. I have a game camera up near where she saw it last night. Hoping for pics!!

ALso during the 2008 deer season my wife and I surprised a bear just north of the house as we slipped through the woods. The bear was a cub most likely and could not have weighed more than 100 pounds. OUr neighbor has had numerous feeders torn down by bear and he saw one in his pond to the south of our place 1/4 of a mile.

Randlett, Oklahoma-(south of Lawton,Ok).
Went horseback riding after work Monday 9/27/2010.
I was on OUR 10 acre tract enjoying myself…as I came around the backside curve of the dam to the pond I surprised something good sized and brown with NO spots.
It had just devoured a red-tailed hawk. It did not seem as tall as our over 100 pound Golden retreiver. It happened so fast I did not think to look for a tail. The horses did not seem perturbed, as they normally would be with a strange animal or person on the premises. Our outside cat
was begging to be let “in” though. Rare.
Our kids usually walk/play around the backyard, and occasionally the pasture, not now.
Could this be a juvenile mountain lion?

Also, we have been told by land-owners that “black panthers and cougers” have been turned loose near the Red river, just 4 miles south of us to help control deer population.

Rich Collins

Possible. I’m not sure how long juvenile mountain lions stay with their mothers. But if it was anything near adulthood, it would have been as big or bigger than your dog.

We just received a picture of a mountain lion that was taken 3 days ago at 5 am in the backyard of a neighbor. This is in Choctaw, OK.

Would love to see that photo!

On the afternoon of October 4th, 2010 my husband and I were headed back to Clayton State Park from Talihina, OK. One mile before reaching the park we saw a beautiful rusty colored mountain lion. He was very large in stature, and not afraid of the traffic. We slowed down to almost a stop as he crossed over the road (271). We watched him closely as we drove closer and closer, and he watched us. Reaching around 10 yards distance he swiftly ran off the road,into a low lying area with high grass and under a fence into a pasture. Homes were very close by, as well as livestock. This was an amazing sight for us to see, considering we were on vacation from Texas.

About 8:30 PM on Saturday October 23 I spotted a mountain lion along Oklahoma 74 about halfway between the Highway 51 intersection and Crescent. I believe it was two to three miles north of the Crow Creek bridge. The lion was about 2/3 the size of an adult. It was just prowling along the west shoulder between the roadway and the fence. I’ve been in several states where mountain lions are plentiful but this is the first time I’ve ever seen one in the wild.

Saw a Mountian Lion just last week at Texoma near Hagerman. Just a tick north of Russwood. This is on the Texas side. Up and down the shores, beaches and surrounding cliffs.

Boy you Okies scare easy. I grew up near Tulsa, but now live in Colorado. We’re surrounded by Mountain Lion and Bear, and have no problems besides the occasional knocked over trash can. Stay away from them, and they’ll stay away from you.

I agree that their population needs to be assessed, and a hunting season granted if necessary. But, you should expect these things if you live in the country.

I think some of that might be the fact that mountain lions are so rare here, and usually when we hear of them (in other states) it’s often because of an attack on a person or a pet. It definitely bears watching for other reasons, most notably for ranchers, pet owners and people who spend time where mountain lions have been spotted. We’ve had them for some time in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, but they are small in number. However, it would appear that the animals are expanding their range to other parts of the state. Just based on the anecdotal reports on this post, it sure looks like they may be spreading to the wooded areas of eastern and southern Oklahoma. Keep in mind, if these reports are confirmed and mountain lions take root here, they instantly become the biggest predators living in Oklahoma aside from black bears. And we all know that the big difference between black bears and mountain lions is the latter are exclusively meat eaters.

My Family owns a ranch about 10 miles south of lake Eufaula. It’s very wooded and fun to camp. Anyways, I saw a Medium sized mountain lion about 6 years ago snooping around my aunts house that was being built. I sensed something was near as I walked on the gravel round nearing the wooded area. So I got laud and stomped the ground and kicked chushed rocks while I walked down the hill, then I saw a scared looking or skidish looking mountain lion run off or rather trying to sneak off from around the house.
I picked up a handful of crushed stone and scatter pelted the rocks into the woods like rain as it ran off.

My Family owns a ranch about 10 miles south of lake Eufaula. It’s very wooded and fun to camp. Anyways, I saw a Medium sized mountain lion about 6 years ago snooping around my aunts house that was being built. I sensed something was near as I walked on the gravel round nearing the wooded area. So I got laud and stomped the ground and kicked crushed rocks while I walked down the hill, then I saw a scared looking or skidish looking mountain lion run off or rather trying to sneak off from around the house.
I picked up a handful of crushed stone and scatter pelted the rocks into the woods like rain as it ran off.

I have seen lions 4 times in Washington Co., OK in the last 20 years–and found over 86 deer kills from them. Their kills are very different than dogs, coyotes, or bobcats. First, lions chew up the ribs and breaks major bones. Then there is the large pile of brush over the kills–often marked by large feces. As a trapper and rancher, I know the difference between a lion and large bobcat. Three of the sitings were in October and November, 2010. One siting at 20 feet in daylight.

I saw a large cougar in broad daylight about 4 years ago just off Hwy 51 between Muskogee and Broken Arrow walking against traffic along the fence line.

Wildlife authorities are not to be trusted because it is not human life they are interested in protecting but wild animals. They suck. I would, if confronted by one of those beasts, lock and load and shoot and shovel. I would! They are too numerous. If they tell you 5,000, you can bet there are at least twice that many. Check out UN Agenda 21

I saw a baby mountain lion yesterday north of Ada. It’s tail was 2 ft long. It was sitting at the edge of my parents yard playing. At first appearance it appeared to be a bobcat but the tail was crazy long. It was grayish in color and was playing chasing something down the alley. It jumped straighted up and side ways. Very powerful jump for a small dog creature in size. It also had a few white spots. The animal did not run from me but did move on. It was familiar with the neighborbood and very relaxed walking in the area.

My husband hunts out near Whitefield,ok. I went with him in Nov. for rifle season and I could of sworn I heard a bear. Though we never did see it. Has anyone had any sightings of bear or mountain lions in this area?

This morning my dog was going crazy out in his kennel, I looked out the window and there was a mountain lion staring him down! I started banging on the glass and it walked down to the water, had a drink…I then stepped outside to get a quick pic and it ran off. I live out off of Indian Meridian on SE Oklahoma City…this is getting to close for comfort!

I think this bears some sort of an update. So many of you have commented on mountain lion sightings on this post, and people keep looking it up and reading it, even though it was posted some time ago. Perhaps I need to talk to some wildlife folks about it and see what is going on. Would anyone here who has read this want to pass along their phone numbers so I can talk to you for a story? Drop me a line at bdoucette@opubco.com. I’m especially interested if anyone has photos or video of a mountain lion in Oklahoma.

People, if you can whip out your phone and send a text in .5 seconds you can surly snap a pic of these supposed cats you are seeing. Send these pics to the paper or news or the wildlife department so that some of these stories can be verified with a pic. Also, don’t believe everything your friends/family tell you. Mom sent me a forward from her friend whose “friend” had a ranch in Ramona w/ a bear attacking a bunch of cattle. pics looked appropriate for the area till i noticed the mountain and aspens in the very back of one pic. found the pics all over online once i googled it.

Thus far we have only one photo of a confirmed mountain lion sighting in Oklahoma. That one was posted on this site and in a story by Ed Godfrey. I would love to see more.

There was two sighting in Kingfisher County, one on 12/20/10 1/4 from house, the other date unknown but was only 1/2 mile from the one no the 20th. I also was one last year in Nov. or Dec. 1/4 mile from my house. Did the wildlife dept releases some more ? The wildlife released some a few years back,but will not admit it. There are mountain lions in Oklahoma or there would not be so many sighting!

About a year and half ago just north of Alex Ok. a large
brown cat came out from the river on to the highway just in
front of me crossed the road and back down along the river.
Two months ago my wife and I spotted another one stalking
cows just west of Pauls Valley. I think they are much more
abundant than most people think.

[...] article about a mountain lion in Atoka sounds like it could generate other sighting reports, perhaps even cryptid reports, so [...]

Boston Terrier killed by mountain lion last Friday night, Jan 7th 2011. Gray in color, long tail, have photo of paw print on phone taken next morning. South of #9 Hwy. on Skagg City Rd. Tecumseh Ok. Seen it along with my son it was horrible!!

We were the first home built in a new addition 5 years ago on a 5 acre wooded lot in Cleveland County. We’d only been in the house about a month when one afternoon as I was out checking the mail I saw a mountain lion cross the road in front of my house. It was definitely a mountain lion. Taller and heavier than my 70 pound lab and had a long tail. This was mid-day and it just sauntered across the road angling toward a large drainage easement that intersects our property. It was heading away from me and never turned in my direction. Crazy! No one believes me but, I know what I saw.

My nephews chickens were killed two weeks ago in Alex, OK. Thought it might be the usual predators at first (coyote, etc.). Then the guy behind them said he saw a large cat with a long tail last week. This week his horse was all clawed up. I didn’t think mountain lions attacked horses. Anyway, if this is the case keep an eye on your kids. You can take a picture of it after it’s shot dead.

Update:
The game warden made a house call to my sisters (and nephews) house, was stopping by to let each residence know that a mountain lion was in the area (Alex, OK). It has been spotted four times already the week of Christmas to New Years.
The horse is a small but not skittish (use to big dogs and coyotes). The horse tried to run directly through a barbwire fence. The vet that came out to treat it didn’t know if the deeper scratches were all from the fence or something else.
Trackers found mountain lion prints at a creek and pond about a 1/10 mile away.

I was driving down the road just north of Concho in Canadian County. I saw something move on the east side of the road and as I slowed my vehicle I down and got a better look, it was a mountian lion going through the field. I would guess it to be about 7-8 foot long a beautiful sight.

About 4:30 p.m. this evening (Jan 16, 2011) I was driving east on Highway 9 Northeast of Wewoka – East of Seminole and a large cat with a brownish coat and a long tail crossed the road about 600 to 700 feet in front of me. Don’t know what it could have been except a mountain lion/cougar.

In 2003, my daughter called me and told me something the color of a deer was stalking our show lambs. When I asked her if it was a deer, she said “no, it’s the height of a big dog, but it’s not a dog.”. She said it had a long tail, and was hiding under an overgrown fruit tree in the abandoned acreage next to ours.
She said it would come out and stalk the sheep along the fence line, and then go back and hide under the tree.
I told her to make a lot of noise, but not go out there.
I searched for it with my 12 gauge, but could find no tracks in the tall grass. I then called the Canadian county sheriff’s office and told them about it. They told me there was nothing they could do, and for me to call the wildlife department the next day. They also told me of a sighting in my area the previous week.
When I called the wildlife department, they flat denied there were any cougars in Oklahoma except in the Antelope Hills. Now they finally have had to admit it.
My wife and I saw a cougar leap across s.w. 29th street, just east of Czech Hall, back about the first of November. Cleared the bar ditch and the barbed wire fence.
Apparently, they are using the South Canadian as a highway.

I have personally seen a mountain lion twice on our property on Lake Eufaula over the last year. Last Saturday one took my poodle from the front yard at 4:00 in the afternoon with two other dogs present. I promise you that the next time I see a cat shooting it will not involve a camera.

I AM OFFERING $300 REWARD to who ever kills the mountain lion that wanders through the creekbed behind my house. So far, it has killed my cat and two of my little dogs –in an ENCLOSED chain link fence. It seems to come up out of the creek ravine, grabs a pet, and sails back over the fence to take it to the ravine. I live 7 miles east of Hagerman Wildlife Refuge and close to Grayson County College, Denison TX, but I am outside the Denison city limits. Hunting here is ok.
Laura (coventree42@gmail.com)

I just recently returned from a combat tour and I now live in Gracemont, OK my family has told me there have been more sightings of a cat around around here especially around our old farm I’ve never seen it but I had a 6 time champion coon dog that wouldn’t hunt out there he would run straight back to the truck scared!!! Does anybody remember a few years back when that woman was attacked in maysville, ok it was on the news and those hunters tried to track it but lost its trail?? And Bob your welcome to call me I’ll take you down there I got dogs that’ll track it (405) 933-6395

Have seen mountain lion twice at Lake Murray while camping.

It is very interesting to read all these reports of cougar sightings in Oklahoma. About 13 years ago a cougar ran across the highway in front of me & since that time I had only seen occasional bob cats until recently. I live 2 1/2 miles north of Wellston & on February 22nd around 5:20 p.m. I was stunned to see 3 large cats (cougars)crossing my driveway near a creek. The last one to cross sat down by a tree and looked at me for a minute, then went on. I have a friend who lives north of me and they saw one cross their yard during one of the snowstorms we had last winter. Also, one growled at her husband as he was putting scraps outside one night. She said there have been several sightings in this area. I also have another friend whose neighbor had one basking on a rock in her yard in N.E. OKC. So they are apparently getting very prevalent in the state. Thank you for sharing all these reports.

For those of you that are skeptical of mountain lion sighting in Oklahoma.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110424_11_A11_ULNSaa684654

Back in ’65 I dated a girl from Temple, Okla. Her parents lived about a half mile from Red River at a sand pit just off of highway 70. One night as I was taking her home something ran across the road in front of us. We both got a good look at it. It was brown or black in color and had a long tail. It was bigger and longer than a dog. I told her father what I saw and he turned white. It seems that his son had told him previously about seeing a mountain lion. Both sightings were less than a quarter mile from their house. Given the close proximity of the Wildlife refuge just north of Lawton we guessed it wandered down to the Red River. We never saw it again after that. Being an avid hunter,I know what I saw was a mountain lion.

This will make a believer out of you. Caught in N Tulsa at foothills of Osage hills.

sorry, meant to attach this on previous post.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110424_11_A11_ULNSaa684654&allcom=1

Let the wildlife department deny this one. This is also for the people that don’t think there are Mountain Lion in Oklahoma. They will travel up to a 200 mile radius.
Copy and paste the link below.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110424_11_A11_ULNSaa684654

Why is it so “unbelievable” to others who haven’t seen a panther, mountain lion, or black bear in Oklahoma? They are here my friends. My husband and I moved north of Skiatook, Ok. in 2008. We are in the country on 4 acres and live near a very large canyon. Last Nov. I was outside feeding our cat and kittens, which have all disappeared. I heard the loudest animalistic scream coming from the southwest part of our largely wooded area. I’ve never heard anything like it in my life. We’ve had several more small cats and they’ve all disappeared. Yesterday, May 6, 2011, I was planting shrubs in my back yard. I’m always watching for deer and listening for the rustling of leaves. There was a sneezing/coughing like sound coming from the west side of our house. I got up, turned to look towards the direction of the sound and saw a VERY large black cat looking right at me. It didn’t seem too excited, just curious. It was larger than a rotweiler yet smaller than a great dane. I truly believe it was a panther. The golden green eyes and wide shoulder span. This was definately not your wild tom cat – I’ve seen them too. I called 911, Osage sheriffs came, searched, questioned me, and left. They did say others have reported sightings, but they have never seen one. Like many others, I too am frightened to go outside right now. It has given me a greater respect for the wild!!

On June 2,2011 about 6:00 pm I heard a loud growling,screaming sound that caught my attention quick,I live 9 miles south and 2 miles east of Bristow in Creek county in a rural area. I got my binoculars to search a distant tree line across our pasture. I couldn’t believe what I was looking at, 2 Mountain Lions were staring at each other face to face,flipping there tails up in full view. After a couple of minutes they walked back into the woods. I have heard reports for years but never seen any. I am a believer now.

Have major cat problem. Have lost 8 goats -1 calf to large mountain lion seen it once it can jump 5 foot fence with grown goat in mouth any suggestions on how to get rid of it

nolan

if u have dogs that can track it e-mail me

On July 14th 2011, we had gone to our property in south Latimer Co. in Buffalo Valley area for a few days as a get-a-way. We were looking forward to seeing all of the normal wildlife including a gorgeous bobcat. To our surprise, we found many other tracks much larger on a close-by path. After further research of paw prints, we believe they belong to a mountain lion. The two sets of prints are 3 1/2″ each, with spacing of about 3′ in stride length. The bobcat prints we have found in the past are much smaller, and the stride length is only 2′. We have now set up game cams in area to hopefully verify our beliefs.

Labor Day Wknd Trip to property in Buffalo Valley area to work on property. To our surprise, we found a set of four bear tracks with claw indentations. Tracks were the size of my hand, but wider. Bear was apparently crossing dirt road on our property (South to North) Very interesting. We always find something new on every visit.