Michigan Has Already Confirmed 13 Cougar Sightings in 2026

The thought of cougars roaming around Michigan might make some people feel a little uneasy, especially since sightings are on the rise.

That doesn’t necessarily mean cougars are suddenly everywhere, though.

According to WXYZ, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says 13 cougar sightings have already been confirmed in 2026, and it’s only June.

See Also: 125 Living Cats, 80 Dead Cats Found Inside Lapeer County Home

Where Are Michigan Cougars Being Seen?

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Before you start boarding up your windows, every single confirmed sighting this year happened in the Upper Peninsula.

So no, there isn’t a mountain lion casually wandering around Meijer in Burton. Could it happen? I mean, technically, sure, but it would be extremely unlikely.

The sightings happened on 12 different days between January and May, with proof coming from trail cam photos, videos, and tracks. One sighting in February was especially interesting because it appears to have involved two separate adult cougars.

Michigan Cougar Population Still Remains Small

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The number sounds high, especially considering there were 31 confirmed sightings in all of 2025, the most Michigan has seen since 2008.

But there’s an important detail here: the DNR now has more than 1,300 trail cameras in the U.P. alone, which means they’re spotting more than they used to. That’s not the same as saying cougars are taking over the U.P. Not even close.

What’s really crazy is that researchers confirmed cougar cubs in Michigan last year for the first time in more than 100 years. That’s a huge deal because it could mean cougars are actually breeding in Michigan again.

So while cougar sightings are still very rare, they’re definitely becoming harder to ignore.