It's "alternative methods" deer season in Missouri, and this cougar knows claws count.
A video posted to X by a Morgan County man shows a mountain lion chasing a buck through a creek. The time stamp indicates the video was shot earlier this week.
This isn't good for the local deer population! Watch to the end. This is in central Missouri. https://t.co/UM6pU4giiN
— Mervin Shirk (@ShirkMervin) November 6, 2026
The man, Mervin Shirk, says the video is from a property about 10 miles down the road from where he lives in Morgan County, near the Moniteau County line.
The Missouri Department of Conservation acknowledges the presence of mountain lions in the state, even saying some females have been confirmed. The MDC says the presence of females increases the chances of a breeding population, but no definitive evidence of a breeding population has yet been confirmed.
MDC noted it has not ever stocked mountain lions in Missouri, and it has no plans to do so; that's in reference to the department's efforts to restore some formerly-present species to the state, such as elk (2011) and river otters (1982).
