Mountain lion released after climbing power pole

April started in a wild way. 

In the nearly 21 years CSKT NPR Wildlife Biologist Stacy Courville has worked on the Flathead Indian Reservation, it was the very first time he’s actually seen a mountain lion in Polson.

Spotted by a passerby on the way to work April 6, Courville said he was alerted to the young female mountain lion that was chased up a power pole by a neighborhood dog.

“Over the years we got quite a few mountain lion reports in Polson, but none were validated before,” Courville said.

Authorities knew just how to handle the situation that took place near mile marker 2 on Kerr Dam Road.

Once Courville and his crew responded to the scene, he called Mission Valley Power to shut down electricity to the lines and provide a mechanical “bucket” he used to approach the wild animal.

According to Courville, the young female mountain lion, known as a yearling, is about 18 months old and was shot with a tranquilizer as well as an anesthetic.

When she dropped from the pole, the mountain lion’s paw brushed against the pole repositioning her fall from her buttocks first to paws first, which enabled the young cat to land without injury, Courville said. 

Crews placed an identification tag on the mountain lion’s ear, then released her into the wild at the northwest corner of the Flathead Indian Reservation April 7.

Courville surmised that the mountain lion might have wandered into Polson while following potential prey on a heavily-traveled deer trail in the area.      

The 7 a.m. incident took place while a collection of children waited down the street for a Polson School District bus to transport them to school.

Courville said his team waited to approach the mountain lion until everyone was safely away from the area. Mountain lions are common on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

Days before, Courville and his team paired with Montana Wild in Helena to release six yearling bears orphaned last year and held at the Helena rescue center over the winter, Courville said.

The bears were released into the Salish Range, he said. 

A grizzly bear was spotted in east Ronan, Courville said. 

“It’s that time of year,” Courville said. “I want to remind people to bring in their bird feeders.”

Courville said that this time of year, bears are looking for anything to eat.