MICHIGAN CITIZENS for COUGAR RECOGNITION
KENT County Sightings



1972Woods East of Cedar Springs
1988M-57
06/19/99Rockford Courtland Drive, Running after deer
2002Byron Center
2002Byron Center, Kent Trails
2002B/w Ivanreset and Wilson
02/28/03Algoma and 22 Mile Road
04/04/03Intersection of 4 Mile and Fruit Ridge Roads
05/04/03Intersection of 4 Mile and Fruit Ridge Roads
06/12/03Kroft Orchards on 4 mile b/w Lincoln Lake and ByrneBLACK
06/04Two miles NE of Ada
06/19/043 Mile Road b/w Egypt Valley and Honey Creek, Ada near State game area
07/09/04Off Wolverine Drive on Courtland Drive S of Rockford, Seen for 5 years and has numerous carcass deer kills
09/16/04Pine Island near Pine Bay Drive
09/26/04Walker
02/20/051/4 mile S of Northland Drive/M-57, Photo of Cat
03/27/05Backayrd
03/28/05Wilson Avenue/Fennessey, Previously saw black bear and cubs in area twice
07/09/05Trailer Park
07/29/05Across from houseBLACK
10/10/05Breton Avenue, S of Burton to Saginaw Drive to Village Drive Apartment Complex
12/24/05Suburban neighborhood just outside Grand Rapids City limits, Attacked house cat, Track photos
2006 Byron Center
03/04/06Patterson Avenue 1/4 mile S of 76th Street SW of Grand Rapids
05/20/06Backyard, Saw three times, Killed a rabbit
Summer, 2006North of Grand Rapids between Sparta and Ravenna
07/03/06Cedar Springs b/w 20th and 21st
07/12/06NE of Sparta and Stauffer Road on Camp Lake, W of Lymburner, S of Hull, No of Broman
07/16/06Lowell
07/22/06 ½ mile N of M-21 and 1/4 mile W of Cumberland in Eastgate Subdivision, Miniature horse attacked in area
07/27/06T07NR11W
08/02/063 miles N of 96 on Alden Nas, Ate chickens
03/01/071321 Millwood, Belmont in backyard; Observed by Sean N.PAIR
Early 05/07Grandville; Crossing road around midnight
07/01/07Cedar Springs; Bailey Road about 1 mile before town on Coral - Crossed in front of car
10/05/07Crossing M-5 approximately at Mile Marker 13
10/07Fresca Lake, Rockford. Bowhunter has strange things happen/sounds two nights in a row. Finally sees the cougar on the second evening from ten yards away where it entered the woods
04/18/08Leonard Street dead ends just east of Forest hills Northern High School in field. Chsing prey - possibly rabbits - Jumping up and down and moving around quickly in the field for about 5 minutes and then disappeared into the woods. Second time observed in this area
06/17/08Nelson Township. Crouched down drinking water out of a pond
09/14/08Carmen and husband observe 6' cougar crossing road at 10 p.m. on Wilson Avenue just north of M6 - about 3 miles from Jamestown near Kent/Ottawa County lines
Fall, 2008Howard B and Wife observed a very large feline with very long tail, low to the ground while walking through Kenoshea Park, just south of 28th Street near Kalamazoo Avenue
10/10/08Labrador Retriever chasing cougar
10/29/08While bowhunting, observed cougar for 20 minutes about 40-50 yards away in Rockford, Cannon Township
11/21/08Watched cougar turn broadside along the road at about 70-80 yards at 3 miles north of Lowell just off Bailey drive in Vergennes Township
Early December, 2008Observed slinking away and observed huge cat tracks in driveway
12/08/08Watched cougar drink from Barkley Creek and move around for 7-8 minutes about 25-30 yards while watching through basement patio windows in Cannon Township on Courtland Drive one mile south 10 Mile Road
12/12/08Christian S saw cougar standing in median at 12:48 a.m. along US 131 southbond past Post Drive in Belmont. Moon and snow magnified it greatly.
11/27/09Tony H observes a cougar at 12:15 p.m. about 20-30 yards away. Viewed for a minute or more with sun shining on it's blondish coat - 100% sure it was a cougar
UnknownBailey Street
UnknownBelmont
UnknownCaledonia ½ mile from Elementary
UnknownI-96 West of Walker Avenue, Observed by Dean B.
UnknownOutside Lowell in Keene Township
Unknown44th Street


Using information compiled by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, it was determined that approximately 50% of anecdotal reports (as listed below), can be classified as probable or verified.
Reports by the public, when carefully screened for reliability, and used in conjunction with other information and evidence, can aid in assessing population status.
Thank you to the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Retired DNR Forester Mike Zuidema, and the media for this valuable research information.




DENISE N. MASSEY