Lawton's Mountain Lion May Still Be Lurking in Oklahoma

Last summer a mountain lion sighting in Lawton made headlines across the state. During a deep drought, it was spotted lounging next to a creek in the middle of town.

The pictures may now be gone from social media but we sent them off to dozens of wildlife professionals in the state looking for confirmation, not only out of curiosity but also because the State of Oklahoma tends to downplay cougar activity within our border.

Of the five biologists that responded to our requests for identification, they all separately and independently agreed it was a mountain lion.

I also emailed the same pictures and verbiage to several contacts at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to which they all replied with identical word-for-word statements insisting it was a big bobcat.

Shenanigans were afoot.

The contradictions were more of the same from the state agency. They have a long history of denying cougars roam the Sooner State even though occasionally the evidence is so overwhelming, they have no choice but to confirm they visit Oklahoma, even as recent as January 3, 2023.

Recently the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge placed a small blurb on its Facebook page about the storied past of cougars roaming the wilds of Oklahoma, specifically the refuge.

With cataloged and documented mountain lion sightings as far back as 1852, there's no reason to believe they're as rare a sight in this state as the ODWC insists they are.

The Real Wild West Outlaws of Oklahoma

In the years before Oklahoma gained statehood, there was a major shift happening trying to convert the wilds of Indian Territory into a mild-mannered turn-of-the-century metropolitan place. It's amazing how many of America's famed outlaws made headlines in our state.

11 Illegal Things to Throw Away in Oklahoma

We live in a period of time where it's far easier to do almost everything than ever before. This includes disposing of things in the house, it's amazing how much things have changed.

While burning trash in a backyard pit and reusing old motor oil to heat the shop was common, even in my lifetime, here are the few things that are illegal to throw away in Oklahoma.

Top 10 safest towns & cities in Oklahoma

These 10 Oklahoma towns and cities have been ranked and named as the safest in the entire Sooner State. If you're looking for someplace to move, retire or visit and are worried about crime, these are the safest places. They have some of the lowest crime rates in the state, some have the lowest in the Nation according to FBI crime statistics and the most recent survey report from safewise.com. Most of the cities and towns that made the top 10 safest places this year are located in the southwest central portion of the state. One town made it to the very top of the list at #1 for its 4th consecutive year, that's quite an accomplishment!