[jazusamo]

The agency also is weighing the research that suggests heavy hunting may aggravate cougar problems but is waiting for more solid evidence, Martorello says.

Thankfully the DFW is going to wait for more solid evidence since the study was conducted by or people sympathetic to anti hunting nuts and animal rights activists.

For these people to say that killing the animals adds to the chance of cougar-people encounters is a stretch of the imagination, IMO.

[Inyo-Mono]

[JennysCool]

They’re the same people who say you don’t fight terrorism because you might make the terrorists mad.

[jazusamo]

Evidence suggests cougars under two years of age, just learning to live on their own, account for the majority of run-ins with people and domestic animals

I believe that's been established in many studies in the past but it's due to the younger cougars being forced into more populated areas by mature cougars. It happens when cougar numbers increase and more people move into rural areas.

Cougar numbers are increasing according to WA DFW in latest numbers I found (August, 1999).

Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, are native to Washington state. About 2,500 live in this state, double the populations of the early 1980s, and their numbers are growing.

Fact Sheet - Cougars

[Perdogg]

I hunt cougars every Saturday night. Or better yet, they hunt me. ;)

[mysterio]

I thought by definition it was the cougars who were doing the hunting. I see that a lot when I go out to the bars.

[cherry]

this is such BS....large numbers of cougars are not being killed and I can't see any hunter looking only for "trophy" cougars...its rare enough to see a cougar let alone get a shot let alone get a large animal....

"trophy" cougars....never heard of such a thing...

btw ...cougars and bears have for years been desimating elk herds in southeastern Washington....they attack the fawns.....

wolves will probably take over the killing of the elk fawns as their population increases....

wild predators need to be afraid of humans and human activity....when they are fearful, they stay away, far away, and can live their lives as the wild animals they are supposed to be....

[JKeehner]

Actually, I am one of the researchers (graduate student at WSU) on this project. I am a lifelong hunter (30+ years of hunting in Washington) I absolutely do not support any anti-hunting groups. I believe if you re-read the article, Dr. Wielgus and WDFW agree hound hunting is the best method for managing sustainable populations of cougars. The Seattle Times article did a poor job of clarifying the results. The problem is “boot hunting”— not hunting in general. I would have preferred if the headline read “Hunting method is causing chaos” and then went on to blame I-655 (which outlawed hound hunting) is to blame for the problem.

I only speak for myself of the members in our research lab but I am a firm supporter of managing cougars in a sustainable fashion— which I believe hound hunting is the best way. I do not want them extirpated but I don’t subscribe to the whole tree/bunny hugger theory either. I fully plan to hunt cougar when I get the time. I regularly hunt coyote and bobcats, the purpose of my posting is to hopefully change the tenor of the discussion about our results and to keep anti-hunting groups like the HSUS or Big Wildlife from twisting these results around and also to encourage hunters who support sustainable management to thoroughly llok at the results and the article and see that we support hunting — just not the “boot hunting” as it is done now. Fishing and Hunting News actually did a better characterization of the research than the seattle Times did.

Thanks for your time!

Jkeehner Jkeehner@wsu.edu