More cougar sightings in western Iowa’s Carroll County could spur a cougar hunt. Carroll County Conservation Board Director Dave Olson says he saw a cougar near Breda Sunday, and believes the same one was spotted a day later.A jogger spotted the cougar about sixty feet away in the conservation department’s park south of Carroll. Olson says the mountain lions generally take off when they see humans.He says they had over a dozen sightings of cougars in western Iowa over recent weeks. Olson says the animals, also known as mountain lions, have a range of about 100 miles. He believes the cougars are moving in from Nebraska to hunt the plentiful deer in Iowa. While the animals tend to run when sighted, Olson says he’ll have to take some sort of action if the spottings continue in the popular park.Olson says the quickest and easiest option right now is to hunt the cougar down and shoot it.He says if he hears of someone who wants to bring in a trap and take the cougar alive, he’d be willing to do that. Olson says he’s told joggers to stay out of the area or be alert for cougars around dusk when the animals are on the hunt.
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