Bobcat question

[catwithboost]

Long story short there are duiffrent types of hunters if the are not braking the law who are we to say it is wrong.

[billythekidrock]

Chasing cats with dogs is against the law in the areas I am talking about. When you see bobcat tracks, dog tracks and mobile dog box you tell me what they are doing.

[catwithboost]

Like I said I did not have any idea if it was legal to chase and release.

[billythekidrock]

It would be cool if they could, then I would not b!tch about it and would hopefully have a couple dogs myself.

[catwithboost]

Would make it nice to find where they are. But if it aint legal it aint legal.

[Houndhunter]

well if you think its only eastern washington areas open for pursuit only, you might be wrong. there are plenty of areas open in western washington for lions, however i couldnt find the page that had all the info about cougar saftey removal permits. so i cant say for positive sure if there season is closed, or if its just pursuit only or whatever. but as of what i can recall you can still run hounds on cats in these areas if you have a permit, again im not certin bout it

i know there are houders that run animals illegally, like a few people on the coast i can recall. they got caught for running bear, bobcat, and all sorts of stuff out of season and illegally. i know who they are because i have the same tracking system as they did. things like this i dont think would happen if they never would have shut it down like they did. for one thing is you loose the ethics and morals. by this i mean just bout all hounders had like a code that you'd follow. such as never shooting a female lion or one that was to small, or treeing a sow with cubs. guys never used to do these things because that was how it was but when they shut it down completly you loose that generation that was teaching the younger generations good ethics. and with out good ethics of just a few it puts a bad image on the entire hounding community

[catwithboost]

I remember when all the laws chanced with baiting and running hounds. My dad had hounds and sold them after all that happened. I atleast hope some day they bring back baiting bear. For atleast a permit draw only.

[rainshadow1]

"Quote"

COUGAR HUNTING SEASON WITH THE AID OF DOGS
On October 1, 2004 the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission started a pilot cougar hunting season where dogs are used to hunt cougar. The hunts are in Chelan, Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille counties.

Kill Quotas: The new cougar season uses a kill quota system, where hunters may hunt and kill cougar until the allotted numbers of cougar have been killed from each hunt zone or March 31, 2008, whichever occurs first. Kill quotas start September 1 and include all cougar killed during seasons with and without the aid of dogs, as well as depredation permits, landowner kill permits, and WDFW kills.

Cougar Permit Season: Cougars may be hunted from December 1, 2007 until the female zone quota has been killed, the total zone quota has been killed, or March 31, 2008, whichever occurs first (EXCEPT the season opens January 1, 2008 in GMUs 101 and 204).

Pursuit-Only Season: If either the total cougar zone or the female zone quota is reached prior to March 31, 2008, cougar may be pursued with dogs in all or portions of that zone until March 31, 2008. Hunters selected for a kill permit may participate in a pursuit-only season. If a quota is reached, the Department will also issue pursuit-only permits to hunters drawn at random from the unselected pool of applicants. Hunters may not kill cougar during a pursuit-only season.

"End Quote"

According to the Cougar Page on the F&W website, pursuit only is only allowed by permit holders in the cougar zones spoken above, after the kill quotas have been reached, which only include Chelan, Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille counties.

There are NO pursuit only seasons in Western Washington. Hasn't been since the ban.

It is illegal to track animals with dogs that aren't in your physical control. (On a leash.) I asked a Forest Service Enforcement Officer about it, he said if he saw hounds off a leash, he'd cite for harassing wildlife.

It's not legal from any angle.

[Houndhunter]

ok as i have stated before, they're is a safety removal permit for lots of areas in western washington. they're not the pilot program. i will try and see if i can find the site again. they used to have it on the main page but its not there any more

[WAcoyotehunter]

It is illegal to track animals with dogs that aren't in your physical control. (On a leash.) I asked a Forest Service Enforcement Officer about it, he said if he saw hounds off a leash, he'd cite for harassing wildlife.

It's not legal from any angle.

What about the coon and coyote guys?  Obviously they're not using leashes.  The 20" snow is a pretty good clue that they're not after coons, but maybe yotes?  Maybe enough that they're safe to work thier dogs? 

[catwithboost]

Ok guys this is gtting out of hand. This thread was started as a question about bobcat in western Washington. Not bash hound hunters.

[TheKid#10]

They are absolutely thick in the Hancock property above Kapowsin, we have called out and shot a few and even see them in the day during deer season as well. No dogs up there either. Quite a few cougars too. But silly thick with bobcats.

KID

[rainshadow1]

Again, not bashing hound men, we're objecting to poaching. And if you actively call Bobcats in Western Washington it's very very very VERY much on the point of this Bobcat discussion, as these Poachers constantly destroy opportunity for law abiding predator callers... but I digress...

[Houndhunter]

They are absolutely thick in the Hancock property above Kapowsin, we have called out and shot a few and even see them in the day during deer season as well. No dogs up there either. Quite a few cougars too. But silly thick with bobcats.

KID

its crazy how many bears are up there. i would say if you hunt there just two times you'd have your cahnce at a bear, and thats with no backround info bout the place just striat up goin there. i know of a guy who can get a bear up there almost every time he goes out

they'll either have to lower the price on the gate permits, or start issueing some permits for bear in there for houndsmen

[catwithboost]

Never been in that area maybe some day I will go look.