Should You Keep An Eye Out For Mountain Lions At Palo Duro Canyon?

Someone asked me recently if I knew that there were mountain lions in Palo Duro Canyon. I honestly had never thought about it. Since I've never seen one at the canyon, I decided to do some digging.

Apparently It Is Really Tough To Track Mountain Lions

Mountain lions are not the world's easiest animal to keep track of. They don't necessarily stay in one place. In fact, some sources I read state that a mountain lion's territory can get up to 200 square miles.

That's a lot of ground to cover.

In light of this fact, I knew it was going to be hard to come up with a definitive yes or no. Nothing is ever as simple as we wish it was.

There Have Been Instances That Are Confirmed

There was one instance where a mountain lion was captured on video around 2016. This happened outside of the state park.

There have been other sightings in the Texas panhandle, but not much in the way of in the canyon.

Another Obstacle In Finding Mountain Lions, Is They Don't Want To Be Found

Like a lot of wild animals, mountain lions prefer to not be found if they can help it. Still, you hear reports from areas that are under severe drought conditions of wild animals inching closer to cities, towns, and places where people reside.

Presumably, it's to find food and water. It's probably not because you're looking like a meal.

So when it comes to whether or not mountain lions habitually live in Palo Duro Canyon, it's tough to say. I wouldn't worry too much about it, and maybe keep an eye out for a rare sighting of one.

By the way, it is possible that a lot of people are seeing bobcats or big dogs. There's plenty of those in the canyon.