MARQUETTE, Mich. (WBUP/WJMN) — There have been 21 confirmed cougar sightings in the Upper Peninsula so far this year, according to data from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The DNR records reported cougar sightings on its website, providing insights into the whereabouts of Michigan cougar populations. Sighting evidence is usually a photograph, video, or confirmed cougar tracks. This year, the majority of cougar sightings happened in the western U.P., south of Mass City.
Another sighting took place southeast of Harvey and the sighting furthest to the east took place northeast of McMillan. You can see a heatmap of the sightings here:
The Michigan Department of Natural Resource’s (DNR) heatmap of confirmed cougar sightings for 2025. (Photo courtesy of the DNR)
The DNR noted that these sightings aren’t indicative of the population, with some sightings possibly being the same animal seen by different people.
Since 2020, cougar sightings have been increasing. Only 15 were seen in 2020, the number reaching a high in 2024 at 23 sightings.
The DNR’s data goes back to 2008, with a total of 155 confirmed sightings. All of these sightings took place in the Upper Peninsula, aside from a June 21, 2017, photograph of a Lower Peninsula cougar northeast of Lansing.
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