Living with cougars

Tips for avoiding problems

Cougars currently occupy most of the available cougar habitat in the state and are expanding into lower quality habitats that include human habitation. At the same time, urban areas are expanding into cougar habitat due to population growth and development. Follow these tips to stay safe in cougar country.

Oregon is home to more than 6,000 cougars, or mountain lions—a count that includes juveniles and adults. Secretive and reclusive by nature, cougars usually avoid people. A cougar might see you, but you’ll rarely see a cougar.

Cougars are an Oregon conservation success story. Once classified as predators and bounty-hunted, only an estimated 200 remained in the 1960s. Cougars were then reclassified as game mammals and protected under Oregon wildlife laws. The population has since rebounded.

As cougar populations have continued to grow, the chances of cougar/human interactions have been increasing as humans move into cougar territory and cougars move into human territory.

More people are recreating in cougars’ traditional habitats – fishing, hunting, hike and camping in forests and other wild areas.
At the same time, cougar numbers are growing. These animals are territorial, and as the population grows young cougars can be pushed into unsuitable urban fringes as they try to establish a home range.

Here are some tips for staying safe when you encounter a cougar.

If you see a cougar in the wild

While it’s unlikely a cougar will approach you while you’re hiking, foraging, hunting or otherwise recreating in the wild, you can take a few precautions to further reduce the chances:

Hike in groups and make some noise as you go.
Stay alert.
Keep dogs on a leash.
Carry bear spray or an air horn.

If a cougar does approach,

Stay calm, and slowly back away.
Don’t run. A cougar could mistake you for prey and give chase.
Make eye contact.
Make yourself bigger. Raise your arms, hold small children, don’t bend down.
Make noise. Shout, wave your arms, throw things at the animal. But don’t scream.

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Cougar attacks are rare but they have happened. Some have been fatal, such as a 2018 incident on Mt. Hood when a hiker was killed by a cougar.

If you see a cougar kitten

Don’t assume a cougar kitten alone in the wild (or any young animal) has been orphaned! Cougars and other animals will leave their young alone for periods of time to feed elsewhere. You should never assume an animal is orphaned unless you saw its parent die. Leave the young animal alone and leave the area.

Picking up a cougar or any young animal and removing it from the wild is against the law due to the bad outcomes it usually leads to for both wildlife and people (ORS 497.308). Learn more.

If you are certain a cougar kitten is orphaned or injured because you saw its parent die, call ODFW, OSP or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for advice and assistance; don’t try to pick it up yourself.

If you see a cougar in your yard or neighborhood

If you see a cougar in your yard or in town, especially during the daytime, call your local ODFW office or 911. A cougar is displaying dangerous behavior* when it’s:
^{*Behaviors are defined in Oregon statute 498.166.}

Seen repeatedly during daylight hours near homes or other permanent structures.
Charging, false charging, growling, teeth popping, snarling or stalking.
Attacking pets or domestic animals.

ODFW may work with local law enforcement or other partners to monitor the situation and/or try to remove the cougar.

To avoid attracting cougars to your home and yard:

Keep pets and livestock inside, especially at night.
Don’t feed other wildlife near you home.
Feed your pets inside.

If you suspect a cougar killed or threatened your livestock, call your local ODFW office to report it. Biologists can provide advice on how to keep your animals safe and what your legal options are to prevent future problems.

Landowners or their agent may kill a cougar damaging livestock without a permit from ODFW*. (However, other laws may apply, such as those prohibiting discharging a firearm within city limits.) The incident must be reported to a local ODFW office and the cougar carcass turned in for sampling within 10 days. (ODFW determines sex, age and other information from each cougar turned in, data needed for its population model.)
^{*Per Oregon statute 498.012}

What happens to problem cougars - FAQs

What does ODFW do when a cougar creates a public safety issue?

Why can’t you just relocate the cougar?

Can’t the cougar be put in a zoo?

Cougar biology

Historically, cougars had the broadest distribution of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere. In Oregon’s early history, cougars were abundant or common throughout most of the forested parts of the state.

Today, cougars are once again widely distributed throughout Oregon. The best habitat and highest densities of cougars are found in forested areas, canyons and rugged mountainous terrain in northeast and southwest Oregon. Deer are their primary prey followed by elk, but they will also prey on raccoons, bighorn sheep, other mammals and birds.

Cougars currently occupy most of the available cougar habitat in the state and are expanding into lower quality habitats that include human habitation. At the same time, urban areas are expanding into cougar habitat due to population growth and development.

Cougars can reproduce throughout the year, though most births occur during the warmer months from May through October. Gestation periods are about 90 days with females producing an average of two to three kittens per litter. Typically, females breed for the first time at 17 to 24 months.

While cougars are solitary animals, offspring will remain with their mother for several months before becoming independent at 9 to 21 months of age and dispersing for new territory. (When you see images of several cougars together, it is a mother and her offspring.) Male cougars disperse at higher rates and farther distances than females.

For management purposes, Oregon is divided into six cougar management zones that were drawn to include similar habitats, human demographics, land use patterns, prey base and cougar density. See map of cougar zones.

Identifying cougars and tracks

Coyotes, bobcats, large house cats and dogs are often mistaken for cougars. You can tell it’s a cougar by its:

Large size, adult cougars weigh 80 pounds (females) to 140 pound (males)—making them much larger than bobcats or coyotes.
Cat-like appearance.
Even tan or tawny body color.
Long tail. An adult cougar's tail is nearly three feet long and a third to a half of its total length.

Cougar track

Doesn't include claw marks because cougars have retractable claws.
Has three distinct lobes at the base of the heel pad, forming an “M” shape.

Dog track

Includes claw marks.
Rear pad is more rounded.

Cougar Management Plan and statutes

Cougar management in Oregon is guided by the Cougar Management Plan, last updated in 2017.

Cougars may be hunted statewide year-round by hunters with a valid hunting tag until the zone’s quota is reached. However, a statewide ballot measure passed in the mid-1990s made it illegal to hunt cougars with dogs or bait. More about ballot measure.

ODFW, law enforcement and certified agents may use dogs or bait for official management actions such as responding to livestock damage and public safety issues.

Over the years, the Oregon State Legislature has adopted the following cougar management statutes. ODFW management policies are based on these statutes.