COCHISE COUNTY, Ariz. (KGUN) — For about five years, Jason Miller has been setting up trail cameras deep in the Southern Arizona wilderness.
He has captured incredible wildlife videos: everything from bighorn sheep to bears, mountain lions, ocelots and even javelina giving birth.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: The man behind Southern Arizona's impressive trail camera footage
But he says his latest find is the pinnacle: in late December, his trail camera in the Huachuca Mountains captured a jaguar.
“I was just over the moon about getting a jaguar,” Milled told KGUN 9. “But for it to be a brand new one, that no one has ever gotten on camera before in Arizona, that’s mind-blowing."
The Arizona Game & Fish Department (AZGFD) confirms this is the first time ever one was reportedly photographed in the United States.
“I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it... It’s a needle in a haystack… It's the Holy Grail for me.”
It’s a moment Miller has chased for years.
“Well when I got into trail cameras it was a few years after, I think it was ‘El Jefe,’ was in the Santa Ritas. Who wouldn’t want to try to get a jaguar on camera?”
Miller named this jaguar “Cochise.”
AZGFD Public Information Officer Mark Hart says it’s only the eighth unique jaguar spotted in the U.S. since the 1990s, and the first since 2016. The exotic big cats are known to move between Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. In 2022, ‘El Jefe’ was spotted in Sonora for the first time in several years.
“You can’t do anything to an endangered species,” he shared. “You can’t hunt it, obviously, kill it, or harass it in any way. You really can’t track it. And that’s why the trail camera technology is so valuable. They’re being seen in their natural environment, moving about normally.
Officer Hart explains once an endangered animal like a jaguar is located, the AZGFD suspends research in the area to avoid impacting the endangered animal.
“Congratulations to Jason Miller. He worked really hard to get that, those images. And he’s provided us with the information we need to protect it,” he said.
Miller has shared his footage online with a growing Facebook group, and his YouTube channel 'Jason Miller Outdoors,' long before this milestone.
“My wife and my daughter can’t wait to see what I get when I come home,” explained Miller. “There’s people that get that smile on their face like I do when I check my cameras… Especially, you know, people that can’t go out there and do it.”
And if the jaguar wasn’t enough, Miller’s cameras also recently caught an ocelot he spotted last summer. Miller has no plans to slow down.
“I actually do it more than my full-time job,” he admitted. “But it’s a passion and I love it. I can’t get enough of it… And now that I got a jaguar, I want another one.”
Officer Hart warns using an attractant to lure an endangered animal is illegal, adding jaguars are “almost as dangerous as a grizzly bear.”
Trail camera operators should report similar finds to the AZGFD, without publicly disclosing the exact location of where the animal is spotted.
If you encounter a jaguar, make yourself big, make loud noises and throw objects to scare it away. People should call AZGF 623-236-7201. To report suspected crimes against wildlife, call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-352-0700.
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Ryan Fish is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9 and comes to the Sonoran Desert from California’s Central Coast after working as a reporter, sports anchor and weather forecaster in Santa Barbara. Ryan grew up in the Chicago suburbs, frequently visiting family in Tucson. Share your story ideas and important issues with Ryan by emailing ryan.fish@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
