This large solitary hunter lives in much of the western United States and has expanded his range to the east as his prey animals have become more numerous.  He is sometimes called a Cougar or Puma, and in some isolated communities, a Catamount.  This powerful, stealthy hunter, as much as seven or eight feet from nose to the end of his tail and weighing 150 to 300 pounds, has a preference for deer, but can survive on much smaller game.  His territory can range up to a radius of 50 miles of the most remote wilderness.  I know a few mountaineers who will swear they have spotted a mountain lion in the backwoods of West Virginia.