WATCH: Mountain Lion Lurks In Neighborhood; Idaho Sightings Up

Sightings of wild animals are on the rise in city neighborhoods throughout the Gem State as the heavy winter and early spring snow that fell isn't showing signs of melting off anytime soon. Wildlife officials are warning Idahoans to be alert when carrying on with daily routines such as warming up the car in the morning and jogging after sunset.

We had a visitor to our neighborhood in the early morning hours of May 6. It wandered the driveway of our neighbor's home on multiple occasions between 2 AM and 4 AM. Our WYZE camera above our garage captured a few seconds of a mountain lion that a short time later approached our neighbor as she was warming up her car.

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"It hissed at her," said my neighbor Jeremy after he called me to tell me about the experience his wife had. "She booked it up the stairs and then it disappeared."

Our camera caught the wild animal the first time it lurked near the driveway across the street from our home. In the video, you can see the motion light come on and a large, fast-moving animal enter the shot at five seconds in. Later, just after 4 AM as our neighbor was warming her car up, she found herself just a few feet from the animal, which our camera was unable to record.

Bear and mountain lion sightings have been on the rise over the past eight weeks as the heavy snowpack has displaced many of these animals, and they are wandering at lower elevations searching for food.

Be careful in the early morning hours in particular in southern Idaho. It's at these hours when these wild animals are most active.