Here kitty, kitty: Grand Rapids hunter asks, did trail cam catch a mountain lion or bobcat?

Cory Olsen | By Cory Olsen |
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on October 12, 2012 at 8:00 AM, updated October 12, 2012 at 9:27 AM
Is it a mountain lion or a bobcat.jpgView full sizeGrand Rapids hunter Jeff Bruxvoort is sure what appeared on his trail camera is a mountain lion, left, and not a bobcat, right. (Photo illustration of AP and MLive file photos | Cory Olsen)


What he found was something he never expected to see.

"There were about a hundred photos on there but mostly of squirrels and things like that," Bruxvoort said. "Then I saw that one and I was like 'Whoa!'"

What he saw was a fuzzy image of a long, sleek-looking cat -- but it couldn't be, could it?

"To me, it looked like a mountain lion but I just couldn't get it through my head," Bruxvoort said. "I went home that night and downloaded it onto my computer."

Mountain lions, also known as cougars, are the largest wildcat in North America, reaching a length of up to five and a half feet and weighing up to 180 pounds.

Jeff Bruxvoort mountain lion.jpgView full sizeJeff Bruxvoort's trail camera photo of what he believes is a mountain lion, taken at 12:41 a.m. on October 5, 2012 just north of Lowell.
They're known to travel large distances to hunt for food, but this far into the Lower Peninsula?

Bruxvoort got on the Michigan Department of Natural Resources website to report his "sighting" and waited.

He said the DNR got back to him quickly and requested a photo of something else from the trail cam so they could compare the size of the animal. Bruxvoort sent them a photo of an 8-point whitetail buck from the same angle.

RELATED: Counting cougars: More evidence of the wild cats confirmed in Michigan's U.P.

The DNR told him in was a bobcat, Bruxvoort said in disbelief. "I emailed them back and said 'If that's a bobcat, then there's a problem with the DNR.'"

Bruxvoort has had permission to hunt this private 20-acre plot of land near Lincoln Lake Avenue and M-44 and north of Lowell for about 10 years, he said, and has never seen evidence of a big cat before, but he's taken a number of whitetail from there.

"I've done pretty well over the years," Bruxvoort said. "I usually get a buck out of there every year."

He just can't believe the DNR is denying what he sees as clear evidence.

"I'll hand that picture to someone and say 'Tell me what it is' and everyone says it's a mountain lion," Bruxvoort said. "There's a lot of sightings in the Lower Peninsula but the DNR hasn't confirmed them. They claim there are no mountain lions down here."

Looking at photos of both species of cat makes it pretty clear, Bruxvoort said.

"That's a mountain lion," he said.

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