article

Two cougar cubs were spotted in Michigan for the first time in 100 years. Photo courtesy: DNR

(FOX 2) – Cougar sightings are up in Michigan and could reach their highest in years if they continue to come in.

Wildlife managers have already recorded more than 20 cougar sightings in 2025, according to data from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The majority of the reports have been confirmed from photographs taken and sent to the DNR, though videos have also been helpful this year. The most high profile sighting arrived in March when two cougar cubs were spotted — the first time in a century.

Cougar sightings in Michigan

Figures reported on the DNR’s online tracking tool note there have been 22 confirmed sightings of cougars in Michigan in 2025. About half of the reports happened between January and March, but sightings were also reported throughout the year.

Every sighting in 2025 was in the Upper Peninsula with a heat map showing a concentration in the southwest corner of the Keweenaw Peninsula. 

Timeline:

Last year was the biggest year for cougar sightings in a while, with five more confirmed visuals than in 2023.  

It would only take one more photograph to tie 2024’s record.

While it’s not clear how many cougars reside in the state, there are indications the population is beginning to grow based on the trend line from the DNR. In 2018, there was only one sighting. 

Numbers jumped to 11 in 2019 and then 15 in 2020. 

A graph of confirmed cougar sightings in Michigan going back to 2008. Figures via DNR.

Dig deeper:

While trail cameras catching moments of cougars prowling around the Upper Peninsula don’t happen often, excitement around the species hit new heights in March when state biologists confirmed the existence of two cubs. 

Believed to be 7–9 weeks old at the time, both were found in Ontonagon County. They were spotted on private land by a local resident. 

It was the first time cubs had been spotted since the early 1900s when they were extirpated. According to the DNR, the cubs were spotted without their mother.

Other photos of cougar sightings that have been posted by the DNR can be found here. 

Other Cougar Sightings

Another trail camera caught the moment a cougar wrestled a deer to the ground. The wild video was recorded in 2024. 

It was observed deep in the wilderness by a Houghton resident who had set up a camera for a potential bow-hunting spot. This case was in Toivola, located off the M-26 Highway in the Keweenaw Peninsula. 

“I was looking through the frames and saw that it was a video and thought ‘oh my god’,” he told FOX at the time. “I played it and I didn’t believe it.”

Trail camera films cougar hunting deer

The Source: Previous reporting and DNR figures were cited for this story. 

Michigan Department of Natural ResourcesWild NatureAround Michigan