New Year, New Cougar Sighting in Oklahoma

With the turn of every New Year comes the obligatory self-improvement resolutions.

Most people aim to eat better, exercise, save money, and every other improvement there along the way but we could be seeing something new from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

After decades of denying cougars roamed the Sooner State, they seem to be making a turn toward transparency to embrace the long-rumored existence of Oklahoma's big cat.

@okwildlifedept Even while we’re away, the wild world is constantly moving around us. Thanks so much for sharing these awesome pics of outdoor Oklahoma with us, Chris! #oklahoma #wildlife #conservation #animals #trend #trailcamera #trend ♬ original sound - Gareth

Mountain lions have roamed Oklahoma for thousands of years, but authorities are just now coming around to admit it.

The running joke around the fish and game crowd has always been the game warden will tell you you're crazy for suggesting it, that cougars don't come to Oklahoma, and follow it up with "...but if you kill one, call us first."

While the ODWC maintains its stance that being first on the scene of a cougar death is all about due diligence and the scientific method--collecting DNA, measurements, etc...--hunters have long believed the state agency worked even harder to keep cougars a secret from the public for one reason or another.

The only interaction I've had with a game warden concerning a mountain lion we spotted one year while hunting deer went like this...

"Kill it, bury it, don't tell anyone about it, especially me."

-Game Warden

Once a deeply hidden taboo, now the department is embracing it and letting the big cat out of the bag.

Oklahoma had 27 officially recognized mountain lion sightings up through 2017...

The state has had 50 in the five years since then.

Why is the number of sightings rising so sharply?

When the State of Oklahoma first started to officially recognize mountain lion sightings way back in--checks calendar--2002, it was only because of the strides in technology we had made.

Up to that point, it was mostly word of mouth and rumors to spread about these big cats. Around the turn of the century, things like digital game cameras were made readily available to the public. Logic would suggest as the technology got better, so did the photographic evidence.

Before, it was all about paw prints and old-school tracking skills... but since tracks were easy enough to erase with a well-swiped foot, officials could no longer dismiss photographic proof. All the same, they still try to steer people toward believing ODWC opinions rather than their own eyes.

What about the legendary Oklahoma black panther?

This is the hottest topic in Oklahoma outdoors right now. The black panther has become the new mountain lion, and following history, the ODWC swears they're just a myth built on tall tales.

All the same, there are quite literally hundreds of black panther spottings all across Oklahoma... Still, "They don't officially come to Oklahoma."

Also, while it has nothing to do with the content here, I found this photo while looking for cougar pics... How could I not share this? It's comedic gold how stupid it looks. If anything, it's a good reminder that cheap taxidermy isn't good, and good taxidermy isn't cheap.