why hunt cougar?

[police women of America]

I'm just wondering what is a reason to hunt cougar? I'm not against it or anything I hope someday I can hunt one myself.
The meat isn't edible is it? so do you just hunt it for a trophy or for predator control?

[wheels]

havent ate myself   but seen a hunting show they cooked and  predator control helps to

[bobcat]

They eat a lot of deer and there are too many cats. Most people don't really hunt cougars though. We just carry a cougar tag in our pocket while hunting other things.

[dreamunelk]

Meat is edible and actually very good.  As for hunting.  Why not?  Most that are harvested is by chance.  There are a few who wait for first snow and then get on tracks.  Hard work that occasionally pays off.  It is managed and the population is very healthy.  So why not a little compensatory harvest?
For those that harvest one and think they are doing the world a favor.  Simply not true.  Some people just need to think nature needs them.

[tinsleystyle]

I ate mine. Wasn't hunting it, and never planned or plan to. By circumstance I shot one with my bow in a nervous situation and since I eat what I kill... made a damn cool full body mount as well.

[coachcw]

Simple they eat what I like to eat !   

[police women of America]

thanks for the reply's! I never thought it would be edible 

[police women of America]

I ate mine. Wasn't hunting it, and never planned or plan to. By circumstance I shot one with my bow in a nervous situation and since I eat what I kill... made a damn cool full body mount as well.

did you at least get a license and tag?!?

[sled]

The meat is absolutley one of the best game meats I have had.  Shot one last September.
Family loves the meat.

[police women of America]

The meat is absolutley one of the best game meats I have had.  Shot one last September.
Family loves the meat.

wow. I guess ill be doing some cougar hunting someday.

[Machias]

HANDS down the best meat I have ever eaten, better than elk and deer.

[ghosthunter]

Meat I thought was a lot like chicken.
Every once in awhile someone brings cougar meat to elk or deer camp.

[bowhunterforever]

Simple they eat what I like to eat !

And there's to many

[dscubame]

And why not?

[teanawayslayer]

 This is why you hunt cougar. Life time of memory

[police women of America]

This is why you hunt cougar. Life time of memory

wow! really cool!

[teanawayslayer]

Tastes a lot like pork, but a little sweeter. IMO

[buckcanyonlodge]

Way too many cougar. Although my area -Unit 121- had restricted deer harvest the last 3 years our deer are disappearing fast.  Neighbors have had  sheep killed and another neighbor and his dog were stalked  and attacked in their back yard. Dog and owner were successful at driving the cat away. This has all happened in the last two months. The sheep owner did not report the attack (she had 15 sheep killed by cougars two years ago). Had a very bad experience with WDFW on that one. The owner of the dog did not report their incident either. I had cougar tracks close to my home all winter and have a trail cam pic from April with a big cat 400 yds from home. Two cats killed a deer 40 feet from my back door two years ago. I could go on and on but something has got to be done.  Limited hound hunting and vastly increasing the yearly quota would be a start at getting these apex predators back under control. The last pic is a cat chasing deer? in front of the camera.

[SemperFidelis97]

If you shoot one I think you will have no issues with getting someone to take the meat, anyone who has had it will tell you it is excellent table fare.  I have never killed one, but I have had some killed by friends who were generous with the meat.  I just wish we could get it a little easier.

[grundy53]

The meat is delicious and they are deer killing machines!

[kentrek]

Same reason you'd hunt anything else, which is completely up to you.....only you know why you hunt something....is it the meat ? The trophy ? The challenge? The management?

I can assure you that with out dogs there are few things more challenging then stalking a cat....pluss the meat is excellent !! Never been a fan of the trophy for what ever reason tho

Awesome animals that most will never get the opportunity to see in there lifetime

[dreamunelk]

When you buy the package the cougar tag is cheap.  Does not mean you have to shoot one if you see it.  I have passed on several small cats and seen many while working same with bears.  One of these days I am going to see the one I want.  Be a bummer if I did not have a tag.

As myself and others have said; Why not? 
If you feel like harvesting one go for it.
If you don't want to then that is your choice.
I wouldn't ruin an elk hunt for a small cat or bear and have passed on some large bear during elk season.
If you think you are saving a deer or elk, you are not.
In fact if you harvest a large Tom you many cause and increase in deer or elk mortality or depredation on livestock for the short term.
Key point is you are have very little to no affect over the long term when harvesting a cougar.
So why not?

[JimmyHoffa]

Because they hunt me.....

[Seahawk12]

Because they hunt me.....

LOL
I do wonder how many times I have been stalked by a cougar only to have it decide not to kill me for whatever reason. I've had the hair on my neck stand up more than once out in the middle of nowhere.

[lokidog]

Tastes a lot like pork, but a little sweeter. IMO

 

I would pick cougar to eat over venison most days of the week, backstrap anyways.   

[WAcoyotehunter]

Same reason you'd hunt anything else, which is completely up to you.....only you know why you hunt something....is it the meat ? The trophy ? The challenge? The management?

I can assure you that with out dogs there are few things more challenging then stalking a cat....pluss the meat is excellent !! Never been a fan of the trophy for what ever reason tho

Awesome animals that most will never get the opportunity to see in there lifetime

Good reply. 

I use dogs to chase lions because I like the dog work and I love having a hunting season in the dead of winter.  I respect lions and the remote places they take me on a chase.  We kill very few of them, but when we do the meat is ok. 

[RadSav]

Studies have said a cougar eats about one deer every two weeks.  Those are deer the incoming wolves need to survive.  So if I kill one cougar I'm just being a good wolf lover

I've never killed a cougar but I have eaten a few.  I'm thinking of tagging one in the next few years.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Simple they eat what I like to eat !

 

[luvmystang67]

I've seen one once.  I was hunting grouse with a shotgun with #8 shot.  I turned around and went home.  I buy a tag because I don't want to have to explain myself when I see one, I just want to be able to shoot it, because I promise I'll feel threatened.

I'd try it if I got one, however I like good meat and am somewhat skeptical of the claims, but I too have heard that people like the meat.

I sometimes joke (but I'm not jokin) with my girlfriend, that cougars only let us live.  I'm alive by their choice.  They see me, they've stalked me, they've watched me, and I live because they decided they didn't want to kill me.  I appreciate that often in the woods, including when I got cougar cubs on my trial cam in a dense area of the woods.  I grabbed my gun a little tighter as I was flipping through pictures on my digital camera in there.   

[police women of America]

thanks for the replies! I definitely think I want to go cougar hunting someday now.

[trophyhunt]

Very tough critter to hunt with just boots, I would think calling is your best bet.  I've been hunting since I was 18, now 45, and I've only killed one.  Maybe seen 5 in my hunting life, and I have spent many hours, days in the woods.  I hope you kill as many as you can, they eat a lot of deer. I got lucky when I killed my only cougar, I was in a tree stand hunting deer and it came in and layed down.

[kentrek]

cougars only let us live.  I'm alive by their choice.  They see me, they've stalked me, they've watched me, and I live because they decided they didn't want to kill me

I grew up with rocky Spencers nephews....he once said that for every two days spent I'm the woods at least one cougar has made the decision to not kill you

[stevemiller]

Very good eating.  Make sure is cooked well.  I usually smoke cougar and bear.

[nwwanderer]

Washington has taken the best tool for cougar hunting, dogs.  We could selectively harvest, catch and release, cats with hounds. Now the boot take has thrown several wrenches in the cat machine, no selective harvest skews the population and territories are not as stable as they could be.  Good we can still hunt them since it keeps a little fear in them, it is very unusual to have cougar/human conflict with a hunt in place.  From the number of trail cam pictures I see on this forum I would be very surprised if the WDFW population guess has any merit.  Hunt away, they will be fine.

[jason stevens]

The meat is absolutley one of the best game meats I have had.  Shot one last September.
Family loves the meat.

Absolutley awesome meat.even my kids loved it.