A preliminary necropsy on the mountain lion killed by a bowhunter north of Grassy Butte on Sunday showed that the female had excellent body fat and appeared to be healthy.

Also, she didn't appear to have had a litter.

"That fits with her being under 21/2," Jacquie Ermer, a state Game and Fish Department furbearer biologist in Riverdale, said Wednesday.

The stomach contents contained deer hair, and Ermer said she will do a closer examination of the contents when she has more time.

She also collected muscle tissue for DNA testing.

"We'll compare it with other states that are doing DNA work on lions," she said, "and we'll see what we find out."

The lion's skin will be tanned, then turned over to a taxidermist for mounting. The mount will go on display, probably in the Williston office.

"It will be a very good educational tool," Ermer said.

Convinced the mountain lion was stalking him, Delavan, Wis., bowhunter Mike Cummings arrowed the cat Sunday morning. He said it was crouched about 7 yards away from him and appeared ready to pounce. He was archery hunting for mule deer at the time.

Although mountain lions are protected in North Dakota, an investigation by NDGFD called Cummings' action appropriate.

Where the big cat came from and whether it was passing through or planning to stick around also are mysteries.

North Dakota is not believed to hold a resident population of mountain lions.

"But we don't have anything to document it one way or the other," Ermer said. A resident population of lions would have established home ranges and raised their young here.

"Until we do a study, we have to rely on the public and verify and confirm what we can," Ermer said.

"We haven't been able to confirm a mother with kittens at this point."

(Reach reporter Richard Hinton at 250-8256 or outdoors@bismarcktribune.net.)