Of course, the reality is that they aren’t too “phantom” anymore.

Author Brad Steiger passes along the news that “two more cougars were confirmed in Illinois. That makes four in different areas in the last month.”

Here’s a montage of the trailcam images:

“All four of Illinois’ confirmed cougar sightings this fall: Clockwise from top left: Jo Daviess County, Morgan County, Pike County and Calhoun County. Photos courtesy of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Brett Charlton and Mark Cobb.” Source.

Cobb’s photograph is one that has received a good deal of press. The date stamp is 10/28/2012, and the photo was taken in the woods of west central Illinois, 30 miles west of Springfield near Jacksonville.

This cougar was captured by a trail camera in northern Calhoun County. Ironically, the photo was taken on a road named Wildcat Hollow, not far from Panther Creek. Photo courtesy of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Eureka High School teacher and coach Brett Charlton captured this picture of a cougar on a trail camera he uses to monitor wildlife on hunting property he owns in Pike County. Photo courtesy of Brett Charlton.