Official notice that lion changes are on the table for 2020

[Bango skank]

Without being able to use hounds this discussion is pointless. Oregon has done a decent job tracking numbers and doing studies. The only answer they've found that works is hiring houndsmen to kill lions in areas where deer populations risk collapse. Yeah Oregon isn't Washington, but they're not all that different.

If cougar trapping were allowed we could put the hurt on them. They readily go into a cage trap. The beauty of the idea is unlike hound hunting this can be done without going through the Legislature. All the Commission would need to do is change cougars status to  dual Big Game/ Furbearer.
Who wouldn't want to catch a cougar? I might turn the lot of you into trappers.

Id do it in a heartbeat.  Wouldnt even have to leave my property with the trap.

[Humptulips]

Unfortunately, my guess would be that we should be arguing to keep what we have as this smells of a reduction rather than WDFW looking to increase opportunity.

I'm afraid that assuming the increase in interactions with people and livestock leading to actively managing the cats down is going to lead to disappointment when we see what is really going on behind the scenes.

I think we have allies in the Commission and the Director. Why we need to speak up.

[bearpaw]

1) conflict is certainly a concern, although I don't know the yearly averages for conflict.   Even during hound seasons way back when, there were still human/lion conflicts.   
    I would want numbers on historic conflict vs later trends before I crafted a letter using this source.   I'm sure its out there and maybe even easy to find I just don't have it right now.

2) decline in ungulates, again it would be nice to have some statistics and some are available but in many areas there isn't any counts on some/all ungulate species. 

3) ineffectiveness of boot hunting and clearly articulating that the only reason boot hunters are having success is due to gross overpopulation of mt lions. 

4) current hunting rule set currently based on a fraudulent study that was highly manipulated by Wielgus.  Cougars had no trouble thriving in WA before Wielgus came along and restricted
     Mt. Lion hunting by implementing the ludicrous quota system.   It didn't need to be implemented then, and doesn't need to be here now.

5) I think current lion quotas are somewhat based on prior years harvest statistics. A major problem with basing current quotas on historic harvest data is that historic harvest data occurred when cougar populations were much lower and cougar were not as widely distributed. When a population becomes three times larger it is certainly arguable that the harvest quota needs to be increased to three times as many to prevent continued population growth!

[Bango skank]

 

Emails, the more the merrier.

Commission@dfw.wa.gov
Director@dfw.wa.gov
Wildthing@dfw.wa.gov

 

[Wsucoug]

Any updates on this?

[Skyvalhunter]

Boy I hate to be optimistic after the last WDFW proposal was brought to the governor and he shot it down

[Bango skank]

Any updates on this?

"In addition, the commission will seek public comment as they consider changes during a public hearing on proposed rules in March prior to making a decision in April 2020. "

Official public comment period is still a few months away.  I posted this to get people to start badgering them early, to make it clear to them that more aggressive cougar management is needed before they begin working on the new proposal.  We will all have to throw our 2 cents in when they open up the public comment period. 

[Bango skank]

Came in my email.  Waiting to hear the specifics of the proposal still.

[hhack]

Can we still send emails? Whom are we address email to? Looks burry on my phone.  Eric Gardner? Wildthing@dfw.wa.gov

[Bango skank]

Can we still send emails? Whom are we address email to? Looks burry on my phone.  Eric Gardner? Wildthing@dfw.wa.gov

Yeah, sorry its blurry, had to resize to post.  You csn still send emails.  The official public comment period is still "to be announced," but it doesnt hurt to send emails anyway, let them know what we want before the proposed changes are finalized and announced.  In addition to the general season going later with greatly increased quotas, i really want to see lion season open august 1st with bear season.

Wildthing@dfw.wa.gov
Commission@dfw.wa.gov
Director@dfw.wa.gov

[Bango skank]

Ill try again to post full resolution image

[gramps]

The powers that be in Olympia are using Weilgus' cougar plan for the upcoming cougar management plan as per a WDFW employee.
As we remember, the last recommended harvest increase was vetoed by Inslee

[Bango skank]

The powers that be in Olympia are using Weilgus' cougar plan for the upcoming cougar management plan as per a WDFW employee.
As we remember, the last recommended harvest increase was vetoed by Inslee

Weilgus was disavowed by his own university for being full of *censored* about the cattle / wolf den thing, and hes currently working with hsus to outlaw all lion hunting in colorado.  He is clearly exposed as an anti hunting predator advocate, not an unbiased scientist.  How wdfw can even consider any management plan based off of his work as valid is beyond me. everything he has touched should be tossed in the trash where it, and he belongs.  I hope he gets ass cancer and dies a slow painful death.  Ill dance on his grave.

https://news.wsu.edu/2016/08/31/wsu-issues-statement-clarifying-comments-profanity-peak-wolf-pack/

[Bango skank]

Hey, look at this, a good thread to discuss wdfws cougar management policies.

[hunter399]

After reading the five pages on this topic.I'm not gonna jump the gun on my email.Untill I see what the changes really are.
With WDFW you might gain ground get some changes,then few studies later your two step backward .I will wait and see .