First recorded picture of a cougar in Nebraska pursuing a white tail deer..........Location is the Niobrara Valley region in North-Central Nebraska, the 2nd most prolific area of the State where a breeding population exists

A trail camera mounted on a wooden fence post in north-central Nebraska captured a rare image of a mountain lion in hot pursuit of a white-tailed deer.

Valentine businessman Kirk Sharp's digital photograph shows a whitetail darting into athick stand of ponderosa pine trees on a canyon ridge line. The mountain lion is steps behind its prey.

"I don't how long the lion stalked the deer and I don't know where the chase began or whereit ended, but it went by my camera," Sharp said Tuesday. "They were moving fast."

Sam Wilson, theNebraska Game and Parks Commission's mountain lion authority, said that it was the first photo he has seen of a cougar chase in Nebraska."It's an awesome picture," said Wilson, who is meeting this week with other western states wildlife biologists in Gering, Neb.

Sharp said he has16 trail cameras posted around his ranch a half-mile north of Rocky Ford on theNiobrara River. The cameras are automatically triggered by motion sensors.Hunters use them to spot wildlife, determine game trails and select sites to hunt. Sharp said he never had seen a cougar in the 16 years he has owned the property. One of his first trail cameras snapped a photo of a mountain lion on the ranch in 2004. About 12 years ago, his son watched one sit on its haunches and stare at turkey decoys before ambling away.

Wilson said thatthe Niobrara valley around Valentine is the state's second-largest block of prime mountain lion habitat. The Pine Ridge in northwest Nebraska is No. 1. The Wildcat Hills near Scottsbluff ranks third. "We've had confirmed sightings of roaming males in the Niobrara valley for years,"Wilson said.