It's not that they are in places they haven't been before...it's that they're returning to areas previously inhabited. And folks are moving into the cougars' habitiat which brings about more meetings between the two. Add to the mix reduced hunting pressure during the past decades and drought-induced movement by the animals and we end up with an increased population and an expanded range leading to more encounters.

Still, the cats are probably the least seen of the predators. We have/had one in the neighborhood this Fall. It took down three deer, one about 200 yards from my living room window, but all anyone has seen is tracks. About ten years ago, one was seen every Spring, just 'passing through' the yard of one of my neighbors but I have yet to spot my first lion.

The point being...some precautions are wise...e.g., no loose running pets...but, for the most part, the cougars exist unnoticed and unseen. Still, there are always stories. A few years ago, a cougar and her kittens were found under a flatbed in a trailer rental lot just blocks from the center of Missoula.

FB
_________________________
"...inalienable rights...include the right to a clean and healthful environment..." Montana Constitution