15 states where mountain lion sightings are increasingly reported

Across the United States, mountain lions are quietly reclaiming ground. Trail cameras, social media posts, and state data all point the same way: sightings are climbing in more places, and people are bumping into big cats in country that felt “lion free” a generation ago. Here are 15 states where those reports are stacking up, and what that means if you hunt, hike, or live in lion country.

1. Michigan

Michigan has gone from rumor mill to hard numbers. Wildlife biologists with the Michigan DNR say confirmed Cougar reports in the Upper Peninsula have doubled in recent years, reaching 27 sightings in a single year as documented in the Upper Peninsula. Separate reporting from MARQUETTE, Mich backs that up, noting Michigan wildlife scientists have logged three straight years of record-setting confirmations.

Those records matter because Michigan was long considered outside the big cat’s core range. Now, state-level references to Michigan increasingly include cougars, and a second dataset on Michigan reinforces that the state is now part of the species’ modern footprint. For hunters and landowners, that means more attention to carcass disposal, livestock protection, and keeping trail cameras honest about what is roaming the back forty.

2. Missouri

Missouri has quietly become a crossroads for wandering cats. State conservation staff have confirmed that mountain lion sightings have been on the rise in Missouri since 2005, a trend highlighted in community alerts that cite earlier reporting from the Associated Press and warn newcomers that Mountain lion encounters are no longer rare. One local post flatly states that “Mountain lion sightings have been on the rise in Missouri since 2005,” tying the increase to expanding populations in the region.

Recent coverage of a confirmed cat near St. Joseph notes that Fatal mountain lion attacks nationwide have averaged one every seven years since 1980, underscoring that risk to people is still low even as sightings climb. Broader regional posts describe how Confirmed cats in Missouri and neighboring Kansas trace back to the Midwest source populations in the Black Hills and Badlands and other western strongholds. State-level references to Missouri and a second entry for Missouri now sit alongside discussions of big cats, a shift that would have surprised many deer hunters a few decades ago.

3. Nebraska

Nebraska has moved beyond the occasional transient cat. Wildlife managers report that Nebraska has breeding populations, or at least one instance of reproduction, in four areas, with the largest in the Pine Ridge region, according to the state’s own Pine Ridge management plan. That document notes that some cats are leaving the area over time, feeding the broader Great Plains expansion.

Conservation advocates add that “Mountain lions in Nebraska are part of a larger regional population where animals are continually mixing,” arguing in a separate Mountain analysis that hunting quotas should stay conservative while the species is still reestablishing. The state’s own references to Nebraska now sit alongside expanded seasons and new regulations, and a second mapping entry for Nebraska reflects how firmly lions have taken hold.

4. Kansas

Kansas used to treat mountain lions as campfire stories. That has changed as more carcasses, trail cam photos, and roadkills stack up. Local reporting notes that mountain lion sightings in Kansas may be increasing, with biologists tying many of those cats to source populations in the Black Hills and Badlands to the northwest. A regional roundup of Confirmed sightings across Missouri and Kansas describes how Midwest lions are filtering in from those western strongholds.

State-level references to Kansas now routinely mention cougars, and a second mapping entry for Kansas reflects that shift. For ranchers and deer hunters on the High Plains, that means more attention to calving pastures, more game cameras on fence crossings, and a growing expectation that a “mystery predator” might actually be a lion.

5. Utah

Utah has long been lion country, but encounters are ticking up. Recent guidance for hikers notes that Cougars, also known as pumas, inhabit foothill and canyon areas throughout Utah and occasionally venture into valleys during winter, as detailed in a safety-focused Cougars briefing. That same piece notes that Utah’s mountain lion population continues to grow, which tracks with more reports near trailheads and subdivisions.

Mapping tools that highlight Utah as core lion habitat, along with a second entry for Utah, show the state squarely inside the species’ western stronghold. For backcountry hunters, that means treating every elk carcass as a potential lion magnet and keeping kids and dogs close in the canyons ringing Salt Lake City and other growing metro areas.

6. California

California holds one of the country’s most established mountain lion populations, and sightings are increasingly brushing up against suburbia. Biologists note that Mountain lion populations have been increasing in California since 1990, when the species was given state-wide protection from hunting, a trend documented in research centered on Redwood National and. That protection allowed numbers to rebound, especially in coastal and foothill habitats.

At the same time, According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, sightings have increased in recent years partly because of the expansion of urban areas into natural habitats, as summarized in a national look at California Department of data. Mapping tools that highlight California, along with a second entry for California, now sit alongside estimates that the United States holds roughly 30,000 cats overall, as outlined in a national overview titled Here’s Where the 30,000 U.S. Mountain Lions Are Hanging Out.

7. Washington

Washington’s west-side suburbs are feeling the presence of big cats more often. Transportation officials flagged the first cougar sighting of 2025 when a cat was spotted heading south to north at 4:45 a.m. on May 28 via the Unnamed Creek MP 60.9 bridge, a detail shared in a public Unnamed Creek MP update. That kind of documentation shows how often lions are crossing major highways.

Farther north, local coverage from Whatcom County reports More frequent sightings in Sudden Valley, where residents have been posting cougar photos and videos from the greenbelts around their homes, as detailed in a More community briefing. State-level mapping entries for Washington and a second listing for Washington now sit alongside those reports, underscoring that the state’s forested foothills remain prime lion habitat.

8. Arkansas

Arkansas sits on the eastern edge of the lion’s modern range, but reports are creeping upward. A national population map notes that Arkansas holds a small but growing population of about 30 mountain lions, with numbers trending higher according to a Jun analysis that pegs Arizona at 2,000 to 3,000 m cats and Arkansas as a minor but rising player, as summarized in a Arizona focused piece.

Local community posts in Arkansas warn newcomers that Mountain lion sightings have been on the rise in Missouri since 2005, according to the Associated Press, and that the same regional forces could push more cats into the Ozarks, as highlighted in a Mountain neighborhood alert. State-level references to Arkansas and a second entry for Arkansas now sit alongside those warnings, signaling that the state is part of the broader comeback story.

9. Arizona

Arizona is one of the West’s lion powerhouses, and that strength shows up in the numbers. A Jun population analysis of state data estimates that Arizona supports between 2,000 and 3,000 m mountain lions in its rocky habitats, a figure that puts it near the top of the national list, as detailed in a analysis of breeding populations.

That same mapping work, echoed in a broader overview of Mountain Lions in the United States, notes that Arizona is one of several western states with active, breeding populations, alongside California, Colorado, Florida, and Nebraska, as summarized in a Mountain Lions state-by-state breakdown. For hunters and hikers, those numbers explain why lion tracks show up so often in the Mogollon Rim snow and why game cameras in desert canyons routinely catch cats shadowing deer and javelina.

10. Colorado

Colorado sits at the heart of western lion country, and encounters have climbed as more people push into the foothills. The same state-by-state overview that highlights Arizona’s numbers lists Colorado among the core western strongholds with established breeding populations, as laid out in the Let survey of 15 states where cats are thriving. That piece frames Colorado alongside California Isn and other big western states as places where lions are “holding strong.”

Those broad assessments match what hunters see on the ground: more cats shadowing wintering elk, more depredation investigations on hobby livestock, and more warning signs at popular trailheads. The same national mapping that pegs the United States at roughly 30,000 cats, summarized in the overview titled Where the Mountain Lions Are Hanging Out, treats Colorado as one of the anchor populations feeding dispersers into the Great Plains and Midwest.

11. South Dakota

South Dakota’s Black Hills have become a launch pad for the species’ eastward push. Regional reporting on Confirmed sightings across Missouri and Kansas notes that Midwest mountain lions come from Black Hills and Badlands and other northwestern source areas, underscoring how important South Dakota is to the recolonization story, as detailed in a Black Hills focused roundup.

National mapping entries for South Dakota and a second listing for South Dakota reflect that the state now holds a stable, hunted population that still produces surplus young. For landowners in the Hills, that means lions are part of everyday life, from tracks in calving pastures to cats slipping through backyard game cameras.

12. North Dakota

North Dakota does not have the same reputation as its southern neighbor, but it is firmly in the path of dispersing cats. National mapping tools that highlight North Dakota and a second entry for North Dakota show the state on the fringe of the species’ current range, with most confirmed animals tied back to the Black Hills population.

That fringe status does not mean people are immune from encounters. As Mountain lions continue expanding into the Great Plains, a trend described in a regional look at the Great Plains that notes Mountain lions have been expanding their range into the Great Plains states for more than 20 years, North Dakota’s badlands and river breaks offer natural travel corridors, as outlined in a Great Plains focused feature. Hunters glassing mule deer in those breaks should not be surprised to find a lion watching the same herds.

13. Minnesota

Minnesota sits at the northern edge of the Midwest expansion, and sightings have been climbing. National mapping entries for Minnesota and a second listing for Minnesota show the state as part of the species’ emerging eastern front, with most confirmed cats traced back to the Dakotas and western source populations.

Those maps line up with what deer hunters and trail camera owners are seeing in the field: occasional but unmistakable photos of long-tailed cats in farm country and the north woods. A broader national overview titled Where the Mountain Lions Are Hanging Out, which pegs the United States at roughly 30,000 animals, treats Minnesota as one of the states where dispersers are testing new ground, raising questions about how far east the species can push.

14. Wisconsin

Wisconsin has logged a steady trickle of confirmed cats over the past decade, and the pattern is starting to look familiar. National mapping entries for Wisconsin and a second listing for Wisconsin place the state on the fringe of the lion’s range, with most animals likely young males dispersing from the Dakotas and Nebraska.

Those dispersers are part of a broader trend that big-cat scientists are watching closely. A recent modeling effort summarized by Media Contact Susie Weller Sheppard notes that Models estimate cougars will struggle to fully recolonize the eastern United States by 2100, in part because of habitat fragmentation, as detailed in a Models focused release that lists contact numbers 347 and 446 for follow-up. Wisconsin’s scattered sightings show how those dispersers are testing the limits of that fragmented landscape.

15. Iowa

Iowa rounds out the list as another Great Plains state where sightings are stacking up. National mapping entries for Iowa and a second listing for Iowa show the state as part of the same expansion zone that includes Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. Many of Iowa’s confirmed cats have been young males, often killed by vehicles or taken under depredation permits.

Those individual cats still matter. Each one represents another step in the species’ slow return to country it once roamed freely, a process tracked in national overviews like Here, Where the Mountain Lions Are Hanging Out, which estimate roughly 30,000 animals across the United States. For Iowa landowners and hunters, that means learning to read lion sign, securing livestock at night, and understanding that the big tawny cat on a trail cam is no longer unthinkable.