Mountain Lions Spotted in Northeast Missouri? Yes, 6 Years Ago

It's not as rare as you think. Have mountain lions ever been spotted in northeast Missouri? Absolutely. There have been 3 confirmed sightings I have found including 2 that happened only a few years ago.

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The Missouri Department of Conservation says that mountain lions are not native to the state, but they do take reported sightings seriously. While the more recent big cat reports have been in the western and southern parts of Missouri, there are some that have been confirmed in northeast Missouri over the years.

If you look at the Missouri Department of Conservation's mountain lion sightings map, you'll see numerous in northern Missouri. The 3 in the northeast corner happened in Lewis County back in 2001 and the others were during January and March of 2017 in both Ralls and Pike County, Missouri.

Both sightings were confirmed by Missouri officials thanks to game cameras. In Ralls County, Missouri, there was video of a mountain lion and in Pike it was a picture. It's important to note that the Missouri Department of Conservation doesn't consider a mountain lion report confirmed until they can follow up with an investigation. These are not anecdotal big cat reports. They were examined and confirmed by the state.

No, it doesn't happen often, but know that mountain lions are not only a real possibility, but they've been proven to have happened in the past. If you think you've seen one, make sure to report it to the state of Missouri so they can see if what you saw was real.