Mountain lion sighting reported in northern Boone County
BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Missouri Department of Conservation team on Tuesday was expected to be in Boone County to investigate a mountain lion sighting.
The sighting was reported in northern Boone County near Sturgeon. A department spokeswoman said the department's Large Carnivore Response Team was working Tuesday to confirm the sighting.
The department will use things like video, pictures and hair as evidence to confirm a possible sighting.
A YouTube account under the name "BrokenMonkey" posted a video last week of the mountain lion he caught walking in the woods on a game camera.
The most-recent confirmed mountain lion sighting in Missouri was on May 28, 2022, in Shannon County, according to MDC, when an adult elk was killed by a mountain lion. The sighting was confirmed by photos and other evidence.
In Mid-Missouri, the most-recent sighting was Dec. 4, 2021 in Callaway County. The MDC confirmed the sighting captured on a game camera.
There have been 99 confirmed mountain lion sightings in Missouri since 1994, according to MDC online records.
If you do encounter a mountain lion stay 100 yards away, the Missouri Department of Conservation says. Remain calm, do not approach the lion, avoid rapid movements or running, make your presence known then slowly back away and leave the area.
Experts say, mountain lions tend to migrate to Missouri from western states.
Mountain lions can get up to to 5-to-8-and-a-half feet, according to MDC.
Males can weight up to 265 pounds, while females can weigh up to 141 pounds.
The MDC says it has confirmed numerous mountain lions in Missouri since it began keeping records but there is no evidence of mountain lions establishing a breeding population in the state.
