Cougar Hunts

[huntnphool]

So who, how, where, when do you go to for a cougar hunt. I would like to go on one but since there are no hound hunts here I have no idea what to do. Any help would be appreciated.

[Machias]

Well I start chasing them next Sat with my dogs in NE WA.  You can call, set up on a kill or try and track one down.  You can hunt till March.  Good luck and let us know how you do.  Find the deer or elk and the lions won't be too far away.

[YellowDog]

Hey Machias,

Sory for the thread hijack but I was up elk hunting and there was a guy driving around the Little Naches area in a truck with at least two hounds in the back and another truck with two bow hunters following him.  Was just curious if there there is a pursuit season or something in the area that you might know about?  I don't know hounds but they had what appeared to be tats on their ears.

[Cougeyes]

There is no pursuit only or any hound hunting open in the Little Naches.  Once the quota is reached in the NE then there it turns to pursuit only.  Who knows what they were doing, mayne just taking the dogs for a ride.

[jdb]

those guys in the little naches may have been coon hunters. we coon hunt that area alot and see guys with hounds quite often JB

[huntnphool]

So Machias, are you telling me there are places in the state where you can hunt with hounds? I was under the impression that was no longer legall.

[YellowDog]

Never really thoguht about the possiblility of them being coon hunting.  I definatley thought that they may just be taking the dogs for a ride.  Only problem with that is that they appeared to also be elk/deer hunting.  I guess I didn't think all that much of it since they were on a pretty heavily traveled road so if they would have been doing anything wrong they couldn't have been too bright.  I was actually kind of surprised and  glad to see that the guy driving the truck with the hounds looked to be in his early to mid 20's so I thought it was good to see a younger guy that might be running hounds.

[Machias]

Yes, this is the fourth year of lion hunting with hounds in the NE part of the state.  It was a three study, and they extended it another year.  The complaints, I believe are down quite a bit in the areas open to hounds since the study began.

Those guys in the Little Naches could have been coon hunters or may have been Native Americans, I know several who run hounds and they do not have the same restrictions as the rest of us.  They have never stopped running bobcats, bears and lions in this state.

[MHWASH]

One thing I don't understand is the WDFW restrickted some of the "boot" hunting for cougar in the areas allowing hound hunts. You cant tell me the few people out there trying to call or track a loin can hurt the chances of the hound hunters.

[Cougeyes]

What are the restrictions for those boot hunters?  I did hear something about the boot hunting season open only until like November then hound season is open after that?  Is that correct?  If so, I think the reason is to just give the hound hunters who put in for the permit to harvest an animal and put their hounds to use.  I know boot hunters take quite a few a year in those areas that allow permit hound hunting. 

[billythekidrock]

One thing I don't understand is the WDFW restrickted some of the "boot" hunting for cougar in the areas allowing hound hunts. You cant tell me the few people out there trying to call or track a loin can hurt the chances of the hound hunters.

I agree..

[nwhoundhunter]

Boot hunters have already closed the Chelan unit up even before the hound hunters got in there, so Yes it can happen.  This just happens to be a slim chance, but it's already happened this year.

[Cougeyes]

Yeah that sucks, especially if the game department is trying to manage better in those areas through hound hunting, i mean boot hunting is a chance by chance basis and they would most likely shoot any cat, whereas hound hunters would be more selective, I think in the next year or two you may see a change in cougar hunting in Washington.

[Machias]

Cougeyes normally I would agree with you, about houndsmen being selective, but with the female quota and guys being antsy, they are shooting the first thing the tree, so they get "their" cat before the harvest closes.  I wish they would shut down and not allow any females to be taken period.  Last year in Stevens/Pend Oreille they still had something like 22 lions avaible when the female quota was reached and the harvest was closed.  That was 22 lions still roaming around that could have been thinned out. 

I don't feel too bad for the boot hunters, you guys still have the rest of the state to chase lions till Mar, plenty of lions + tracking snow in the Blues and other parts of the state.

[Cougeyes]

Ok, that makes sense now that you clarified it.  Well, from what I heard they're reallly trying to reinstate hound hunting state wide.