The Department of Wildlife, DOW, has a long history of successful game management in the State of Colorado. One of the species long protected from total extinction is the cougar or mountain lion. Many different sub-species of these occur across the United States but the largest numbers live in the West.

I have personally seen about two cougars a year just fishing and riding in the truck to lakes and events and being in that the animals are highly secretive and sensitive to humans, that's pretty remarkable.