Friday, November 16, 2012

A deer hunter using a remote trail camera to scout for deer in Stafford County received quite a surprise last month when he found the camera had captured the image of a mountain lion.

The photograph -- similar to the file image shown with this article -- left no doubt about the identification of the animal and a wildlife biologist from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism visited the site Friday, confirming the photo's validity. The use of motion-triggered cameras by deer hunters has become common in recent years. The cameras have been responsible for five of nine Kansas mountain lion confirmations since 2007

The mountain lion in Stafford county is the first confirmed since January when tracks of a mountain lion were found in Washington County. KDWP says there is no evidence of a resident population of mountain lions in Kansas.

Mountain lions mostly eat medium-sized animals such as raccoons, raptors, coyotes and turkeys, according to KDWP. They also occasionally feed on deer.

KDWP did not make the picture of the Stafford County lion available Friday.