COCHISE COUNTY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Jason Miller has been setting up trail cameras deep in the southern Arizona wilderness for about five years.

He has captured amazing videos of everything from bighorn sheep to bears, mountain lions, ocelots, and even a javelina giving birth.

Previous coverage: The man behind impressive trail camera footage in southern Arizona

But he says his latest discovery is the pinnacle. This is a trail camera taken in the Huachuca Mountains in late December. caught a jaguar.

“I was over the moon to get the Jaguar,” Mildo told KGUN 9. “But it's amazing that this was a brand new Jaguar that no one had ever seen on camera in Arizona before,” he said.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) confirmed that this is the first time a photo has reportedly been taken in the United States.

“I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it…It's like a needle in a haystack…It's the holy grail for me.”

It's a moment Miller has been chasing for years.

“Well, I think my interest in trail cameras started a few years later when I was at El Jefe in Santa Ritas. Who wouldn't want to photograph a jaguar?”

Miller named the jaguar “Cochise.”

This is the eighth unique jaguar found in the United States since the 1990s, and the first since 2016, said Mark Hart, a spokesperson for AZGFD. This exotic big cat is known to migrate between Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. In 2022, El Jefe was sighted in Sonora for the first time in several years.

“You can't do anything about endangered species,” he said. “Obviously, you can't hunt them, kill them, or harass them in any way. You can't really track them. That's why trail camera technology is so valuable. They're in their natural environment. You can see them moving around normally.

Trooper Hart explains that when an endangered animal like a jaguar is discovered, AZGFD suspends research in the area to avoid impacting the endangered species.

“Congratulations to Jason Miller. He worked really hard to get that image. And he gave us the information we needed to protect it.” said.

Miller has been sharing his footage online with a growing Facebook group. YouTube channel “Jason Miller Outdoors” took place long before this milestone.

“My wife and daughter are looking forward to what I'll get when I get home,” Miller explained. “There are people out there who smile like I do when they check the cameras…especially people who can’t go out and do that.”

In addition to the jaguar, Miller's camera also recently captured an ocelot, which he spotted last summer. Miller has no plans to slow down.

“It's actually more than a full-time job,” he admitted. “But it's a passion and I love it. I can't get enough of it…Now that I've got a Jaguar, I want another one.”

Officer Hart warned that it was illegal to use attractants to lure endangered animals, adding that jaguars were “almost as dangerous as grizzly bears.”

Trail camera operators are required to report similar findings to AZGFD without disclosing the exact location where the animal was sighted.

If you encounter a jaguar, try to scare it away by making loud noises and throwing objects. Please call AZGF at 623-236-7201. To report suspected crimes against wildlife, call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-352-0700.