Lynx were common in northern MN through the early 1980s, though their population fluctuated in cycles that appeared to follow the population of the snowshoe hares. Thousands of lynx were legally trapped in MN through the 1970's until their population crashed and didn't rebound.
MN ended lynx trapping in 1984 and the federal government, forced by court orders, added lynx to the threatened species list in 2000. As recenlty as 2000, DNR biologists said no lynx lived in the state and that any seen here were migrants from Canada. DNA tests now confirm that more than 60 lynx inhabit the state, with at least 3 times as many belived to be here. Scientists are trying to determine whether they will remain even if the hare numbers decline.
This lynx photo was taken by Bill and Dawn Amen. They were painting their cabin and the lynx was just watching from the tree above them. The lynx we have seen are remarkable calm and not threatened at all by humans. We see a lynx periodically on the back of our property. According to the DNR, they have a route they use for food and probably pass by us about once every two weeks.
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