DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A teenager has killed a mountain lion on a hunting trip in northwestern Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports that 17-year-old Jacob Altena of Rock Rapids was hunting deer Saturday about a half-mile west of Akron when he encountered the animal. The mountain lion is believed to be the sixth killed in Iowa in recent history. Five previous kills have been reported to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The DNR says there have been three confirmed mountain lion sightings in Iowa in 2017.

Mountain lions generally come from western South Dakota and Nebraska, which both have natural populations. The animals are uncommon in Iowa. They are not listed as a furbearer and have no protected status in Iowa.