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Show JULY raises serious bi 1995 ogi and ethical questions By Christopher Smart Some people call it wildlife management. Some say it is sport. Others say it is shameful and cowardly. One thing is certain, in Utah 791 mountain lion hunting permits were issued for the 1995 cougar season. Fully 51 percent, 403 cougars, were shot at close range after being chased up trees or otherwise cornered by packs of trained hunting dogs. State officials say the success rate of the cougar hunt is 51 percent. It’s difficult to estimate, but a significant number of Utah’s mountain lions also are killed by poachers and the federally-funded Animal Control Program that eliminates bothersome predators for livestock interests. Wildlife activists believe those kills could number in the hundreds and may, in fact, be similar to the number of cougars killed legally. The State Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) says its “Mammal Program” is based on science. But critics argue that Utah’s predator program operates in the dark and at the whim of hunters and ranchers and a lay Wildlife Board, which sets the number of hunting permits. The fact is, no one knows what the cougar population in this state really looks like. There is very little data on how many exist and how their population breaks down in terms of sex or age. Cougars are difficult to study because they avoid humans and western states have not been willing to fund such studies. Boyd Blackwell, the Mammals Program director for DWR, says the cougar population statewide is somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 cats. That number comes from a generalized formula that is based on the size of a mountain lion’s territory multiplied by the total land in the state where cougars may reside. “We estimate total cougar habitat and we estimate potential population .. . Then we come out with what we think will keep a healthy population and allow a recreational harvest,” Blackwell said in a Wasatch Mountain Times interview. “We try to keep the (hunting) tags to 20 percent (of the total population).” hunting permits increased arbitrarily What Blackwell did not explain, is that DWR’s recommendation for cougar hunting permits this year was increased about one-fifth by the Wildlife Board, for reasons that appear to be other than scientific. That is about 150 more cougar licenses than were issued last year. Based on its own formula, that means the state is issuing hunting permits for anywhere from 25-to-40 percent of what it believes to be the total mountain lion population. And there is plenty of opportunity for permitees to kill a cat. The cougar hunt takes place annually from mid-December until the first week of June — a period of almost six months. Critics claim the sanctioned “harvest” is outrageous. But moreover say that if the state’s estimate of mountain lion population is wrong, it may be licensing mountain lion deaths far greater than one-fourth of the cougar population. “You really start having a potentially huge impact on the cougar population .. . But they don’t even know how many cougars there are to begin with . . . It’s just real seat of the pants biology they’re using,” said George Nickas, assistant director, Utah Wilderness Association. Nickas argues that mountain lion hunting is not based on biological analysis put is purely a “social” decision. Utah Cougar hunt. A cornered cougar is about to be killed. “The so-called ‘management’ of cougars is nothing more than a euphemism for going out and killing cougars for trophies. The DWR has no biological evidence that shows that killing cougars is necessary for management. There is absolutely no relationship between livestock deaths and cougar deaths.” Beyond the fact that the mountain lion population may be ravaged, Nickas said the popular mode of hunting the big cats is not sporting, at all. “They’ve got to stop this unethical practice of dogging cougars . . . They'll tree the cougar . . . and at point-blank range, they'll blast it out of the tree,” Nickas said. This year, the state also issued 500 “pursuit” permits, which allow hunters to chase cougars with dog teams without killing the cats at the end of the hunt. Critics call the practice cruel and say it, too, could have a negative impact on the cougar population. But DWR’s Blackwell says hunting is necessary to keep cougars away from the human population and endeavors like sheep ranching. “Everybody is entitled to their opinion,” Blackwell said. “This is a tool we use to manage population. Unfortunately, man has become part of the equation . We have to consider that we are taking over (cougar) habitat in record number . . . And this is the best way we can provide a recreational opportunity for those who want to hunt.” As to the criticisms of hunting mountain lions with dogs, Blackwell explained that hounding is necessary. “It is the only way you can take a cougar. They are very secretive in nature ... You can’t draw them in with food .. . the only way you’re going to get them is with trained hounds.” Added to that advantage is that radio telemetry can now be used for the convenience of hunters. Many cougar hunters use electronic dog collars that allow them to wait in their vehicles until the dogs have a mountain lion cornered. It keeps the hunters from having to follow along after the dogs during the chase. |