The Missouri Department of Conservation has confirmed a mountain lion sighting in Grundy County.
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Mountain lions are rare in Missouri. This is the 29th confirmed sighting since the state began keeping records in 1994. Most are confirmed by DNA samples of hair, tracks, kill sites, or through other means. It is rare to have photographic evidence.
Paul Korn of Tombstone Creek Outfitting based in Harrison, Grundy and Daviess counties discovered a photo of the big cat on one of his trail cameras.
“I’ve been monitoring wildlife on several properties throughout North Central Missouri for nearly a decade,” Korn said. “Once in a while I’m shocked by a big deer I haven’t seen before. But a mountain lion? I never thought I would find a photo like that on my camera.”
Trail cameras take a series of photos after a motion sensor is triggered by an animal moving in front of them. Korn operates over 40 cameras as part of his outfitting operation. He discovered the photo Friday, April 20. The MDC sent biologist Daryl Damron and Grundy County Conservation Agent Jeff Berti to the site on Monday to confirm the authenticity of the sighting.
In 2011, 14 mountain lion sightings were confirmed. More than all previous years combined. This is the first confirmed sighting in Missouri since January of this year and the first ever in Grundy County. Most biologists believe mountain lions in Missouri are younger male cats pushed out of South Dakota by older males.