I hate WDFG

[stumprat]

Yep,
From the early eighties to 1996 Cougars were a drawing hunt.

[billythekidrock]

Speaking of population control, that's the reason they came up with that wonkie bio-Logic concerning the mature cats being killed (Suppoosedly by boot hunters but where are these "increased" harvest numbers?) then the young cats not having the instruction and guidance of the mature cats, thereby causing the problems. Interpret: It's not an overpopulation causing young cats to expand into neighborhoods and cause problems, it's a lack of Motherly Cougar education! (Which is the stupidest thing I've ever heard put forward by supposedly educated biologists.) One only needs to look at the payroll of WDFW next to the "biologist" titles to find a large concentration of "environmental wackydoos!"

Interesting. I have never heard that the lack of "motherly eductation" was the problem. I wonder who came up with that?

Everything I heard from F&G was that the older/larger toms were running the young out of the larger territories. Killing the larger toms would allow two or three younger cats to share or have their own area. 

[WDFW-SUX]

bump

[Special T]

I would love to see a boycott work, However boycotts rarely work in ANY cases... I think it may work in ID because ID hunters choose to hunt somewhere else, AND they pay a huge amount of $$$ compared to Joe 6 pack... i think as hunters we need t look a the WDFW income side of the budget and see where we can have the most influence/attack...  According to a USFS study wildlife "viewing" has a greater impact on the economy than hunting. Remember their mentality is always "we don't have enough money" that was the enforcement officers responce... They want your $$$ more than anythin else!

[drysideshooter]

I recently talked with a WDFW guy that was doing a study on Golden Eagles.  He said that whenever an Elk collar stops moving for some time they assume the animal is dead and they send someone to find it.  He told me that in many areas they are seeing evidence of Elk having been killed by a cougar jumping on them from above, with quite a bit of tearing and damage on the back of the neck area. He said this typcially indicates a "toothy" or old cougar that is missing quite a few of it's teeth, and is old and not able to hunt like a younger cat.  He said they become very opportunistic and will climb trees and ambush an animal as it passes below.  I pulled out my maps and he showed me a couple of areas where they had seen quite a bit of this activity. I figure that such a cat may be lured by the sound of an easy meal.  I plan to spend a bit of time trying this winter. I'll post my results, good or bad.  He indicated that in some areas, the cougar population is up.