General Information on the Cougar and Habitat

The number of cougar in North America today is only a fraction of what if was a hundred years ago. They were once in many more states then they are now. Hunters have drove this big game animal farther to the western part of the United States, but it can still be found in other countries like Canada and Mexico. The cougar is from five to seven feet long and weighs from 70 to 280 pounds. Its fur is a tawny yellow above and white with a buff overlay below. The long tail is tipped with black, and the rather small head is tipped with rounded, small ears. Vocalizations include hisses, grunts and a hair-raising mating call.

Except at mating time, cougars are solitary. They carry out hunts for its prey in a variety of habitats, including mountains, forested hills, and swamps, semi-arid, subtropical and tropical areas. While most cats are mainly nocturnal, the cougar, although it prefers to hunt at night, is active at any time of day. They are excellent climbers and can jump more than twenty feet and can fun as fast as a deer for short distances. These traits only increase the skills needed by a cougar hunting guided or outfitter to provide a great trip or guided hunt to their clients.

This big game animal may travel miles in a single night in search of game. Their preferred preys are larger mammals such as deer. It will, however, take whatever is available including beaver, porcupines and other rodents, rabbits, raccoons, birds and insects. Some outfitters or guides will leave food out over a period of several days to lour this big game to the same location. This increases the chances that hunters will bad a kill while on a hunting trip. Cougars usually take prey by advancing on it slowly to a distance from which they can pounce or run it down. They will also lie in wait for other animals in tree branches and usually leap on the victim’s back, biting into the neck.

The female cougar comes into heat at any time of the year. Pairs form when a female is in heat and during the breeding period of about two weeks the pair will hunt and sleep together, mating frequently. After a gestation period of about 90 days, the female seeks out a protected place such as a cave, thicket or crevice where she gives birth to one to six kittens. Young lions may stay with the adults for as long as two years before they become independent.