Are there mountain lions in oklahoma

Mountain Lion Reporting Page. Claw marks generally absent. If present, they will be sharp and narrow. Four tear-drop shaped toes, grouped asymmetrically.

Trapezoidal-shaped heel pad. Three-lobed heel pad with two indentations along rear margin. Toenail prints generally present will be broad and blunt. Four, round-shaped toes, grouped symmetrically. Triangular-shaped heel pad. Heel pad lacks distinct indentations and three-lobed appearance. Mountain Lions Although rare, Mt. Lions are a transient species in the state. Confirmed Sightings. Report Sighting. Once there were lions Although mountain lions, sometimes called cougars, pumas, panthers, painters, or catamounts, were common in Oklahoma and elsewhere in the Plains prior to European settlement, they were eradicated during the 19th century.

Many Cases of Mistaken Identity What about the hundreds of others? Tracking Their Status Missing from Oklahoma is the physical evidence that is left by a viable, breeding population of mountain lions. Is that what I think it is?

Safety and reporting The prospect of increasing mountain lion populations in Oklahoma causes a feeling of alarm for some folks. Dog Tracks Mountain Lion Track 1. Dog Track 1. Follow Us:. Google Translate. Jump to navigation. The Wildlife Department maintains a list of confirmed sightings. Field Guide Discover the diverse species of Oklahoma.

All Species. The mountain lion can be identified by several distinguishing characteristics. Its tail is more than half the length of the body, it has black tips on the tail and ears, and is primarily tan in color. Mountain lions prefer dense cover or rocky, rugged terrain, generally in areas of low human habitation, or regions of dense swamps.

The size of the home range is typically 50 to 75 square miles for females and 90 to several hundred square miles for males. Life Cycle:. Mountain lions are generally nocturnal and are active near dawn and dusk.

They feed on deer and other medium-sized and large mammals. On average, a typical adult lion kills and consumes about one deer per week. The size of these animals varies by sex. Males average seven feet long from nose to the tip of its tail and weigh around pounds, while females average six feet in length with a body weight around 95 pounds.

Conservation Status:. If you can avoid confrontation, avoid it. If confrontation is unavoidable, don't run, don't turn your back. They are a predator. So, what you want to do is you want to make yourself look as big as you possibly can and back away slowly. If you can, find a stick or rocks or something to throw, but be loud, be big. Make it seem like you're competition and not prey.

They don't look at us like they look at a white-tailed deer. They automatically know that's prey, that is a something I need to chase. There has to be a credible report, and that can be a trail cam photo, trail cam video. We've even had a couple of door bell cameras that have caught some video which has been kind of neat.

But we will also use tracks or scat collections and do some analysis with that to confirm. Any of those things we will use to confirm a sighting. Is it true there is a population of mountain lions that travel between the Wichita and Arbuckle mountains?

South-central Oklahoma is one of those areas where we haven't really confirmed any mountain lions. It's not impossible for somebody to see a large black cat in Oklahoma. What is impossible, or has not been documented in any setting in any region of North America, is a black mountain lion. A few other bills include SB, which relates to the surrender of certain licenses to the Department of Wildlife upon conviction of certain crimes and by court order; SB would require state agencies with jurisdiction over parcels of land containing 80 or more acres to provide permanent fencing for such land; and SB which would prohibit game wardens from placing or using game and wildlife cameras on private property without permission from the property owner or a valid warrant issued by a judge.

There are about 35 total wildlife-related bills that were introduced for the session. All of the bills can be followed at legiscan.