WDFW Cougar Season Updates

[JimmyHoffa]

This year WDFW is trying a new cougar season approach.  A general followed by the late season.  The late season closes on March 31 or when harvest objective is met--whichever is first.  (Supposedly there aren't enough cougars or they are being overharvested.. )
Here's the linky:  http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/cougar/
They will update weekly, and so far it looks like every GMU is still open.

[Jingles]

Don't know how often they are going to update this but according to the 2012 - 2013 hunting regs there is a number you can call in whenever you get ready to go hunting and see if any of the areas have been Closed. I understand there have already been 2 taken in the 218 GMU, hopefully a 3rd by the end of the coming weekend

[Rainier10]

Sweet, does anyone know if you can hunt cougars over bait?  Say a deer rib cage and leg bones that are left after butchering.  Typically we hunt coyotes near an area that locals dump there game bones.  I was thinking it might work to bait in a cougar in an area I have seen tracks before.

[JimmyHoffa]

Sweet, does anyone know if you can hunt cougars over bait?  Say a deer rib cage and leg bones that are left after butchering.  Typically we hunt coyotes near an area that locals dump there game bones.  I was thinking it might work to bait in a cougar in an area I have seen tracks before.

Yes, legal to bait cougars.

[bearpaw]

Sweet, does anyone know if you can hunt cougars over bait?  Say a deer rib cage and leg bones that are left after butchering.  Typically we hunt coyotes near an area that locals dump there game bones.  I was thinking it might work to bait in a cougar in an area I have seen tracks before.

Yes, legal to bait cougars.

Yes it's legal to bait, but don't move any roadkill wildllife, that's not legal. Just trying to be helpful!

[400out]

I think I would just rather call,  baiting could make for a long wait 

[bearpaw]

I think I would just rather call,  baiting could make for a long wait 

Just check your bait every couple days and when it gets visited then start hunting it.

[Rainier10]

I was thinking of working the area around the bait of all predators, coyotes, bobcat and cougar.  Mainly coyotes but if a cougar came in I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to be in hot water.

Thanks for the info.

[bearpaw]

you are golden as long as your bait is legal

[BOWHUNTER45]

The Dept. has spun out of control    11 TO 15 in the area I live ...good luck trying to kill 11 to 15 ...But the good thing about it is , it will stay open the  whole hunting season ...

[adamR]

It's to bad they don't have a column for current harvest... It would be ncie to know how many have been killed in a specific gmu so far

[flysar]

Thank you for the link... I called the number about 2 hours ago and the current recording stated the season was open until Dec 31st.

Good luck to all!

[deaner]

wow, this link just completely changed my plans.   said 121 is open, harvest guideline of 5.   im certain the regs pamphlet said harvest guideline 2.   thought for sure unit would be closed as i have heard of 3 that have been taken there.        looks like its time go go buy some snowshoes!

[fair-chase]

Several areas are being closed on January 15th. Only 4 days left for many of the Eastern Washington GMU's.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/jan1113a/

[bearpaw]

The HO numbers were so ridiculously low it's no wonder they are closing early. 

[fair-chase]

I would like to see their numbers. I know there were a couple of units that had exceptionally low forcasts, but for the most part it would have taken an unprecedented harvest, the likes of which we have not seen since the hound ban, to close most of these areas. I'm not buying that this many units have reached or exceeded the quota. I will be making an inquiry into this come Monday.

[deaner]

yes the numbers are low.  i saw a cougar in unit 121 during the last few days of the general firearm deer season ( was oct 21-15, somewhere in there) and immediately went and looked at its tracks in the snow, within about two minutes of seeing it standing there.  the next day got a bit more fresh snow and saw fresh tracks from 3 more cats, im guessing a mother and kittens... that makes 4... then on my way down to the timber edge i was hunting came across a significantly larger set of cat tracks than either of the other 4.. that makes 5... all within one small area, maybe square quarter mile.  if densities are that high how is the limit to cancel the season 5?

[gramps]

This update thing is strange in that on 9 Jan 13 the recorded message said that the Blue Mt area and most all of E Wa was closed as of 9 Jan.  Last night the WDFW e-mail says it is still open until 15 Jan.  Someone is confused besides me.

[bigbeamhunter]

ThAnks for the link
I called this morning and pushed #2 and I think it said updating it wasn't the same as last week we have been trying to get one over here have shot a couple coyotes but no cat this morning we called for and hour nothing came in we got up to leave while picking up our gear we looked down the road to see what we were after was standing there watching us it was t there when hit the road but I just happened to look up he was there and was gone . So I guess I'll wait till next week and try again .
At least I know they are there

[Limhangerslayer]

There were two shot in the blues last sat.  One guy shot one bird hunting, I guess he jumped it went back got his rifle and went and killed it.  It had a deer in the brush.  Don't know the story on the other cat.

[gramps]

OK, that would make 15 taken in the Blues so far.  Was 13 last time I talked to the biologist.

[fair-chase]

There were two shot in the blues last sat.  One guy shot one bird hunting, I guess he jumped it went back got his rifle and went and killed it.  It had a deer in the brush.  Don't know the story on the other cat.

Herd of one that was taken near Pomeroy down in the ag lands not too far from town. Might have been the other one they were referring to.

[Alan K]

I'm very curious as to how they come up with their population numbers.  I'm sure their quotas are based off of that.  With how rare sightings are in general, how do they come up with any answer other than nearly a shot in the dark?  I'm not knocking them necessarily if it turns out they do have a highly accurate way of determining the populations but I just can't imagine how they'd do it. 

[JCKILLSHOT]

I heard that it is mainly just a shot in the dark on population numbers and numbers are lower then what are actually out there, but who knows??

[bobcat]

One of the WDFW meetings I went to, the biologist pretty much said they have no clue what the cougar population is in this state.

[fair-chase]

I'm very curious as to how they come up with their population numbers.  I'm sure their quotas are based off of that.  With how rare sightings are in general, how do they come up with any answer other than nearly a shot in the dark?  I'm not knocking them necessarily if it turns out they do have a highly accurate way of determining the populations but I just can't imagine how they'd do it. 

This should muddy the waters for you. 

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,92819.msg1186653.html#msg1186653

[gramps]

For several years in the Blues there has been a houndsman working the Tucannon River Valley..or I should say, a portion of the valley...treeing and putting collars on cougars.  From what I have been told, this data is used to "estimate" how many cougar are in all of the blues.  At the time (3 yrs ago) they said they don't have funds to conduct a population study for the whole area. I know they were working the tucannon valley again this winter, but do not know if that is still the only area.
I have not seen the data, but before I retired I had some experience with this type of "estimating" and it was a garbage in....garbage out type of an excercise.

[Limhangerslayer]

There were two shot in the blues last sat.  One guy shot one bird hunting, I guess he jumped it went back got his rifle and went and killed it.  It had a deer in the brush.  Don't know the story on the other cat.

Herd of one that was taken near Pomeroy down in the ag lands not too far from town. Might have been the other one they were referring to.

The Pomeroy one is the pic I have.

[Mr Mykiss]

Really??!! All 4-6 of them in the Blues were harvested? Oregon has a quota of a billion (rough estimate) in the Blues. Wait a minute I'll stop my complaining. There are probably more wolves than cougars in the Blues now...

[Landowner]

This year WDFW is trying a new cougar season approach.  A general followed by the late season.  The late season closes on March 31 or when harvest objective is met--whichever is first.......

That's strange.  Season's open on my place Jan. 1 to December 31.  Every year.   

[cougarbart]

the wdfw really has no idea what the populations are!  They did a 5yr dna project in unit 101 and 204 and from what i gathered they ended up scraping the study because it completely went killed all their theories!lol They;t also had wsu guy doing a study on the wedge and i don't think his study turned out any better, it basically opened more unanswered questions than closed!

[KFhunter]

Pisses me off they closed 105


Guess I'll be in 101 

[BOWHUNTER45]

All I know is if I had not of killed a cougar in my hunting career by now I would make it a point to get it done ! It is a matter of time before they put an end to cougar hunting in Washington ...it is definately coming    The more I read about Washington the sicker I become 

[WAcoyotehunter]

The cougar season is a disaster in WA.  Too many young cats and females getting killed- probably a pile of young cats being orphaned and trophy cats dying of old age...     Washington's predator managment is a problem.

[bearbaito6]

The cougar season is a disaster in WA.  Too many young cats and females getting killed- probably a pile of young cats being orphaned and trophy cats dying of old age...     Washington's predator managment is a problem.

I agree, the population was just fine before the hound ban.

[mulehunter]

The cougar season is a disaster in WA.  Too many young cats and females getting killed- probably a pile of young cats being orphaned and trophy cats dying of old age...     Washington's predator managment is a problem.

I agree, the population was just fine before the hound ban.

AGREED!

[JLS]

The cougar season is a disaster in WA.  Too many young cats and females getting killed- probably a pile of young cats being orphaned and trophy cats dying of old age...     Washington's predator managment is a problem.

I agree, the population was just fine before the hound ban.

AGREED!

Actually, if your goal is to keep lion populations on the lower end of the scale, the best thing you can do is kill the females and leave the old toms.  The toms will kill young lions that encroach into their territory.