Blairmore Fish and Wildlife responded to a cougar kill last week, after a Bellevue resident called to report a deer carcass near his home on Dairy Road on the morning of Wednesday,
February 15th.
Fish and Wildlife Officer Andrew Gustavson responded to the call and through examining the scene, he determined the deer had been killed by a cougar as evidenced by the markings on the carcass and tracks in the snow.
With the aid of the resident, Gustavson loaded the carcass into the back of his truck in order to dispose of it.
Later that evening, at approximately 9 p.m., the cougar returned to look for its kill, leaving briefly before returning to look for it again.
After digging and pacing around the area for a short time, the cougar left and had yet to return by the time this article was published.
Gustavson said it is unlikely that the cat will return again now that it knows its kill is no longer there.
“It was good that (the resident) phoned so we know that the cat was there, but we have removed the attractant and I would be surprised if the cougar came back,” he said.
He said if the cougar did return, Fish and Wildlife would take other measures before making the decision to kill the animal.
“We prefer not to interfere as long as he’s doing his natural cougar thing,” said Gustavson.
“If he were to begin displaying more predatory behaviour like attacking pets or if he was in danger of becoming a threat to the people in the area, then we would take action.”
He said Fish and Wildlife have a “matrix” for both cougars and bears which outlines recommended courses of action when dealing with the animals.
“We use that matrix to assess the cougar’s behaviour and the appropriate action to take.”