Cougars are common but elusive residents of Waterton Lakes National Park. Mostly we see their tracks, because they usually hunt and travel at night, or at dawn/dusk. Their common prey animals are mule and white-tailed deer.
They occasionally kill an elk, moose or bighorn sheep, but these animals are generally too large to capture. Being a large, heavy cat they have difficulty moving in deep snow. The main Waterton valley, where there is less snowfall and more wind to blow it away (which also makes it easier for deer and elk to feed) are their most frequent hunting grounds.
This cougar family is hunting throughout the valley, being "captured" on a number of our remote wildlife cameras. Young kittens are usually left at a safe site while the mother goes hunting, but these kittens are probably at least six months old and are now accompanying their mother and learning to hunt.