ACKSON, Minn. (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a southwest Minnesota man for allegedly shooting a cougar last November.
Twenty-six-year-old Daniel Hamman of rural Jackson County was charged by citation Friday with shooting a protected animal, a misdemeanor.
Hamman allegedly shot the cougar after being contacted by a neighbor, who saw the cat run into a culvert. The 125-pound male cougar was shot was it was flushed from the culvert.
There is no open season for cougars in Minnesota. The cougar was estimated to be one to three years old and showed no signs of captivity.
DNR spokesman Chris Niskanen says it’s apparently the first time a citizen has shot a cougar in modern history in Minnesota.
A phone number for Hamman could not be found. It’s unknown if he has an attorney.
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