Report: Mountain Lion Spotted Just East of Farmington, Iowa

If you're planning to drive through the wooded highway area east of Farmington, Iowa, you might be interested to know that a mountain lion has just been spotted in that area.

Kelly Peck shared this somewhat startling report in the I grew up in Iowa! Group on Facebook tonight. Note: you'll need to join the group to see Kelly's original post:

I just saw a Mountain Lion cross Hey 2, 4 miles east of Farmington! No doubt in my mind! It was doing that slinky crouching crawl/run cats do, but it was about the size of a German shepherd and had that super long tail they have with a black tip. I have a neighbor about 6 miles away, as the crow flies, who had cougar tracks along his fence row, but I never dreamed I'd ever see one for myself! Kinda makes me leary to take the dog out at night😬

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That part to the east of Farmington that Kelly is referring to is approximately here:

My wife who grew up in Iowa told me she has driven through that area many times and it didn't surprise her at all that a mountain lion could potentially be lurking there. It sounds like Kelly is certain of what she saw and I don't doubt her. Have you ever had any experiences with big cats in southeast Iowa?

Most mountain lions are not aggressive unless they're cornered and avoid people whenever possible. However, I really don't want to test that theory myself.