The DNR also says there are no resident Mountain Lions too.
I know people love to jump all over the DNR for this mountain lion thing and portray it as the DNR lying and/or denying the sightings and photo/video evidence. The DNR does NOT deny (nor have they ever denied) that there are (at times) mountain lions in MN.
They are following an established definition of “resident” that defines a resident as having established a breeding territory and reproducing population within the state.
From the DNR’s website:
“The cougar – sometimes referred to as a mountain lion or puma – was found throughout most of Minnesota prior to European settlement, though never in large numbers. Today, they are rarely seen but occasionally do appear.
While evidence might suggest the animal’s prevalence is increasing, the number of verified cougar observations indicate that cougar occurrence in Minnesota is a result of transient animals from the Western Dakotas.
In addition, DNR annual scent-post and winter tracking surveys have recorded no evidence to suggest the possibility of a resident breeding population of cougars in Minnesota.”
As far as the draft wolf management plan goes, the range estimate is probably essentially accurate from what I’ve encountered. Again, I don’t seen anywhere in the report where they say wolves NEVER cross the territory line, but rather the range is the area in which packs are known to CONSISTENTLY occupy.
I have no idea whether the population estimate is accurate or not, but I will say their overall population estimates over time track almost exactly with the years where we had peak wolf activity on trail cams on my farm near Hinckley. I’m sure part of the issue is that it is damn difficult to get wolves to sit still in the middle of a field or a frozen lake so they can all be counted.
What I want is for the DNR to have the full right without Federal court interference, to manage wolves to the best plan that can be established as the DNR does with EVERY other species in MN right down to sparrows and crows.
