10 Mountain Lion Sightings in Illinois-1 Struck by a Train

I have heard stories from many in Illinois that claim they've spotted mountain lions in the more heavily-wooded rural areas, but the state has only confirmed a handful of those reports. I've tracked down the 10 most recent mountain lion sightings that the state of Illinois is officially willing to admit including one struck by a train.

For the record, I'm not accusing Illinois officials of hiding the presence of mountain lions. They have a portion of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources dedicated to these big cats. It may just be an inaccurate perception that I have, but it seems like state officials are apprehensive about admitting mountain lions are a more frequent part of the state's wildlife ecosystem than many of us believe they really are. Here are the 10 most recent Illinois mountain lion sightings in Illinois that have been confirmed:

April 2025 - Mountain lion reported in Pike County, Illinois. It was photographed on April 9, 2025 on private land and also photographed a few days later making its way down the Illinois River. Site investigation by the state on April 16 confirmed the sightings. On April 20, the animal was spotted in Calhoun County, but the Illinois Dept of Natural Resources said they would continue to monitor movement through trail cameras.

October 2023 - Big cat spotted in Schuyler, Scott, and Morgan counties in western Illinois. Trail cameras confirmed the mountain lion's presence on October 19 & 20, 2023. They believe the same animal was spotted the next month along the Greene/Jersey county line.

October 2022 - Another mountain lion sighting in western Illinois. The animal had a GPS collar which revealed it was heading towards Springfield so it was located and sedated by Illinois officials and moved to the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, Indiana.

September 2022 - On September 28, 2022, a mountain lion was spotted in Whiteside County. Illinois officials believe this was the mountain lion struck and killed by a vehicle in DeKalb County on I-88 on October 16, 2022.

November 2014 - A mountain lion was seen on trail camera photos in Sangamon and Effingham counties in Illinois. Illinois officials believed that all of the images were of the same mountain lion traveling.

2013 - Illinois Conservation officials shot and killed a mountain lion in Whiteside County on a farm.

September 2012 - Mountain Lion reported in Jo Daviess County in September 2012 and in Morgan, Pike, and Calhoun counties in October and November 2012 later confirmed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

April 2008 - Mountain lion shot and killed in Roscoe Village neighborhood in Chicago.

2004 - Bow hunter killed a mountain lion in Mercer County.

2002 - Mountain lion struck and killed by a train in Randolph County, Illinois.

You can see even more backstories and details of mountain lions in the state on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website.