Few days back was talking to a guy who believes he has lost 3 or 4 high value newborn calves to a mountain lion. One was spotted in the same area, and pattern of kills suggests big cat. Among other things, one calf was cached up in a tree.

What are his options? SSS not a good option if cat has a tracking collar as some do. Not wanting to get into any imperial entanglements, just wants the killing to stop.

Put the tracking collar on a long haul tractor trailer?

Float the collar down a slow moving river..

show pictures. skin out the neck on those calves. lions usually cover what they don't eat like bobcats do.

The next time he loses a calf need to check the neck, to see if there is a broken neck and look for any open wounds from the back of neck. That is where to check if you think it is a cat.

I don't believe I ever seen a cat kill without that glaring indication.

Could a bobcat pull a newborn calf into a tree?

My first question is any with experience with lions seen the cache there kills in trees. Next I'd do as others have suggested and skin calf to see teeth pattern. Seems pretty easy to verify killer this way. Here in KS you have a right to protect your livestock against any predation. Also no regulations on lions to you wouldn't be breaking any laws I believe.

i hunted lions some when I was younger in CO. Never seen anything pulled into a tree.

You put a small magnet on the collar to turn it off. It’s that simple
I’ve been around a lot of cats the past 20 years and never seen anything up a tree

HayDay, what part of the state are you in? I'm in the NW part and my neighbors have seen them. I don't have any on camera yet.

Turn the collar off and whoever is tracking the cat will come looking at the last known location. Not what you want if you want to stay anonymous. I think Gary had the right answer, send it downstream at a lazy pace.

Not all tracking is done with collars.....

How big of a tracking device is in your phone?

Reckon one can be put under the skin....???

Careful there.....

With pictures, shooting a livestock killer would not get anyone a ticket.

Probably an unwanted gift from SD ours seem to go to other places. They might not even be protected I’d do some research before I got to far ahead of myself.

Mtn Lions protected in Mo - link


In Missouri, mountain lions are protected under the state's Wildlife Code. The rules allow someone to kill a mountain lion only if they are “attacking or killing livestock or domestic animals, or if they are threatening human safety.”

The state also requires documenting such cases by contacting a conservation agent and surrendering an intact carcass and pelt within 24 hours.

Contact the Conservation Enforcement Agent for that county, and get a depradation permit, they will instruct you on what to do with the carcass, I seriously doubt you will be allowed to dispose of it on your own or keep it.

"Threatening human safety." seems pretty broad and open to interpretation to me. Is it still yet breathing? Y'all know what to do.

There you are you are cleared to shoot the cat.

It's the same in Oklahoma. Document the missing calves with the wildlife department and clean them up when you see one. Or hire some dog guys to run that thing into a tree and then have the wildlife department come get him