Cougar hunting seasons to close Dec 31, 2013 in several areas of the state

[mulehunter]

FYI...   


WDFW WILDLIFE PROGRAM
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
wildthing@dfw.wa.gov
Dear cougar license holder:

Cougar hunts in several areas of the state will close at dusk on December 31, 2013 after harvest guidelines for the animals were reached in those areas.

Eight of the 49 cougar hunt areas will close, which include Game Management Units (GMUs) 105, 117, 149, 154, 157, 162, 163, 328, 329, 335, 336, 340, 342, 346, 382, 388, 560, 574, and 578.

This season's cougar hunts have been managed for the second year under a new management plan, approved by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission in 2012.

The new plan establishes harvest guidelines for specific areas of the state, based on cougar populations in those areas. Under the plan, WDFW can close areas where cougar harvest meets or exceeds guidelines, while continuing to allow for hunting opportunities elsewhere.

Last year, in the first season under the new plan, statewide cougar harvest was 156 animals, up from 145 in 2011 and 108 in 2010.  The new season structure is designed to curb hunter harvest only in those few areas where harvest levels have not been sustainable.

Hunters are reminded that during the late-season cougar hunt - Jan. 1 through March 31 - other areas of the state could close early. Before going afield, hunters should check WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/cougar/ or call the cougar hunting hotline (1-866-364-4868) to check which areas of the state remain open.

Any additional closures will be posted on the website and hotline, both of which will be updated weekly

[D-Rock425]

Just got the same email from wdfw

[KFhunter]

man this crap pizzes me off


105 is loaded with cats, it's asinine to close it.

[Boss .300 winmag]

I count 19 GMUs . 

[PlateauNDN]

It looks like I only have a few more days to find the sheep killer on clemans or I will have to wait for him to cross the highway.

Too many cats in the 342 and 346.

sounds like you need a friend........

[mulehunter]

man this crap pizzes me off


105 is loaded with cats, it's asinine to close it.

   I am also pissed bec I BET Warden has always give out permits to their favor Houndmen to go and kill few with out share fair to all another Houndmen/Boot in Wa. Whatever..  WA Sucks!

[Rainier10]

I will be out until the 31st trying to take one out of 328, neighbor sent me a game came photo of one during the day.  I hope I will have my photos to follow before the end of the year.

[lokidog]

I count 19 GMUs . 

There are multiple GMUs in each Cougar Hunting Area.

[Jonathan_S]

man this crap pizzes me off


105 is loaded with cats, it's asinine to close it.

  and what's the harvest guideline?  like 2?

That area is so big and has so many deer.  Just as ridiculous as saying the guideline for 101 should be 7-9 

imagine 101 and 105 flattened out and all that space there is in there and they only want 9-11 cougars killed  

[bobcat]

The best time to have a chance at a cougar is when there is snow on the ground. So they close the season now? This new cougar management plan is ridiculous. It's like the biologists are living in some kind of fantasy land. 

[Jonathan_S]

The best time to have a chance at a cougar is when there is snow on the ground. So they close the season now? This new cougar management plan is ridiculous. It's like the biologists are living in some kind of fantasy land. 

  if there is such thing as effective cougar hunting without hounds, that's when it is.  January would be the best possible time to hunt cougars and the premier cougar units are shutting down.  Also right before the cougars really start putting the hurt on the deer herds.

"WDFW Predator Management Plan"
 

[ELKBURGER]

Too many bunny huggers, tree huggers, wolf huggers and cougar huggers!!!!!

[Jonathan_S]

Well tree huggers  never get hurt unless there is a windstorm, bunny huggers never get more than a scratch...I don't imagine there are any experienced wolf/cougar huggers any more than there are experienced sewercide bombers 

[Jingles]

This is about the same as happened last year so what's the big NEW news?

[BOWHUNTER45]

they think they know how many cougars roam our state but they do not know sheet !! Maybe all you guys getting photos on your trail cams could shed some light on how stupid they really are  But then again they will find a way to use that against us too 

[KFhunter]

This is about the same as happened last year so what's the big NEW news?

I was pissed about it last year too, what's your point?

Do something stupid two years in a row makes it acceptable? 

Quite the opposite in this case, the longer they do this the dumber it gets as the predator population continues to grow while the deer numbers decline.

[splitshot]

why not have them year round.  no season is needed.    mike w

[Special T]

The decisions made by the WDFW and the States appointees protect predators PERIOD! IMO we can talk till we are blue in the face but change has to start at the top.

[bobcat]

This idea of killing LESS cougars with the idea that a higher cat population will kill less deer and elk is incredibly stupid! Please correct me if I"m wrong, but isn't this basically what the WDFW said when they tried justifying the shorter cougar season and the limited harvest quotas?

[martin1]

this is ridiculous......... we have two trail cams in 329 about a mile apart and have atleast 3 different adult cats and then one female with cubs we havent had enough snow to even think about tracking them.....but what do you do........

[Curly]

This idea of killing LESS cougars with the idea that a higher cat population will kill less deer and elk is incredibly stupid! Please correct me if I"m wrong, but isn't this basically what the WDFW said when they tried justifying the shorter cougar season and the limited harvest quotas?

That is the way I heard it.  Their cougar plan is based off the study that the guy from WSU did and he concluded a bunch of that nonsense.

[danderson]

335 and 336 are loaded with cats also, problem is we wont be able to harvest any this year after December 31,  I only been hunting for 40 years and have yet to kill a cougar, so I guess it doesn't make much difference to me, except that there taking away my opportunity, everyone that purchased a tag should get a refund !     

[Jingles]

Don't get me wrong I am NOT in favor of the way WDFW is scheduling the cougar seasons but you have to admit it is better than it was 3 or 4 years ago when it shut down mid NOVEMBER But if you are a good ole boy with friends in the WDFW and own any kind of a hound hunt the year away and get called to kill even more when you have filled your tag

[bobcat]

Don't get me wrong I am NOT in favor of the way WDFW is scheduling the cougar seasons but you have to admit it is better than it was 3 or 4 years ago when it shut down mid NOVEMBER But if you are a good ole boy with friends in the WDFW and own any kind of a hound hunt the year away and get called to kill even more when you have filled your tag

Yes you are right. It is an improvement over the way they had it for a short while. They got enought complaints at that time that they changed it for the better. Then a couple years goes by and they use this bogus study to justify cutting the season and the harvest back again. What a joke.