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Where Do Muskellunges Actually Live in the US?

Muskellunges live in 17 US states and are confirmed absent from 15 more, based on 7,593 verified iNaturalist and GBIF records. This page covers every state at once instead of one near-identical page per state.

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By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.

The states with the strongest confirmed populations are Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan and Minnesota, and 11 more. These are real, verified iNaturalist and GBIF occurrence records, not modeled range estimates.

Muskellunges have zero confirmed wild sightings in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada and Oklahoma, or 5 other states, despite tens of thousands of nationwide observation records for the species. That is a real, checked absence, not a missing page.

Confirmed states (17)

Not found (15)

  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Kansas
  • Mississippi
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Rhode Island
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Wyoming

Frequently asked questions

What states do muskellunges live in?+

Muskellunges have confirmed wild populations in 17 US states: Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Where are muskellunges not found in the US?+

Muskellunges have no confirmed wild sightings in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Full muskellunges guides by state