Post by: Skyvalhunter on May 01, 2024, 12:53:44 PM
Post by: HikerHunter on May 01, 2024, 01:11:32 PM
Post by: Barodir393 on May 01, 2024, 01:32:57 PM
Post by: MADMAX on May 01, 2024, 03:05:25 PM
Post by: BreezyBear on May 01, 2024, 03:31:35 PM
Post by: Ironhead on May 01, 2024, 03:45:42 PM
Post by: ghosthunter on May 01, 2024, 04:19:42 PM
Post by: ducks4days on May 01, 2024, 04:59:38 PM
Post by: NOCK NOCK on May 01, 2024, 05:43:06 PM
Post by: CJ1962 on May 01, 2024, 06:38:02 PM
done, but do you actually believe anyone will read these?The department does and tabulates them for the commission. So the more comments we can have against this the better.
Post by: hunt6226 on May 01, 2024, 07:34:22 PM
Post by: BNAElkhntr on May 01, 2024, 07:54:03 PM
https://publicinput.com/2024cougarseasonsetting (https://publicinput.com/2024cougarseasonsetting)\
Thanks Done
Post by: Weatherby92 on May 01, 2024, 08:43:02 PM
Post by: Wanttohuntmore on May 01, 2024, 08:54:46 PM
Post by: Irish_hunter93 on May 01, 2024, 11:13:03 PM
Post by: Scruffy on May 02, 2024, 03:22:34 AM
1. Only harvested independent-aged cougars shall count towards the total cougar mortality cap.
2. The cougar hunting season will begin September 1 and end August 31.
3.The cap will be based on the best available estimates of cougar density and growth rate; currently those parameters are estimated at 2.3 cougars per 100 km2 and 1.13 intrinsic growth.
4.Human-related cougar mortality (cougars killed to resolve conflicts, and any other form of human-caused cougar mortality) shall NOT be counted toward the total cougar mortality cap.
5.Agree
6.PMU will close once the harvest quota is obtained from hunting only. All human-related cougar mortality shall not be counted towards harvest quotas
Post by: Rainier10 on May 02, 2024, 07:16:12 AM
https://publicinput.com/2024cougarseasonsettingJust commented again today and will continue to comment.
Also bringing this link to the top of the page.
Post by: hunter399 on May 02, 2024, 08:20:16 AM
Post by: Mtnwalker on May 02, 2024, 08:25:50 AM
done, but do you actually believe anyone will read these?The department does and tabulates them for the commission. So the more comments we can have against this the better.
I'd encourage everybody to make your stance clear right off the bat as well (Against, do not support, etc) Some of the comments are pretty long and convoluted, they're not going to take the time to decipher every opinion these should be yes or no. Comments like below are likely to be added to the "support" tally if they're flying through these things trying to count the yays and nays :twocents:
Post by: elkrack on May 02, 2024, 10:13:31 AM
Post by: nwwanderer on May 02, 2024, 11:27:05 AM
Post by: pianoman9701 on May 02, 2024, 01:29:38 PM
Post by: bearpaw on May 02, 2024, 01:56:59 PM
I guarantee you these comments are falling on deaf ears but commented anyways :beatdeadhorse:
Exactly right, but if people don't comment they can say there was no opposition!
Post by: harveymarv on May 02, 2024, 02:54:02 PM
Post by: bigmacc on May 06, 2024, 02:02:01 PM
👍👍 bearpaw.I guarantee you these comments are falling on deaf ears but commented anyways :beatdeadhorse:
Exactly right, but if people don't comment they can say there was no opposition!
Post by: Rainier10 on May 06, 2024, 02:24:57 PM
Night hunting with thermals should be allowed too.
Post by: Dan-o on May 06, 2024, 05:52:48 PM
Thanks.
Post by: Threewolves on May 08, 2024, 02:09:07 PM
So, what if you agree. Will the only comments on file be those that disagree?
Sent from my SM-A426U using Tapatalk
Post by: Threewolves on May 08, 2024, 02:14:49 PM
Sent from my SM-A426U using Tapatalk
Post by: Tbar on May 11, 2024, 02:07:43 PM
https://events.eventgroove.com/event/A-Conversation-About-Cougars-89957?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR37XZSMXsg5a27aFG6oodmYq30avXwwT6XenamsPzGG2IqwUpx4F4kdPT8_aem_Ab10jRiTMAxfkZ7tt9rcq-ooo_0WCopKne07oOSATroyIg5azJpv2IzY6xW4B2imazKoQZYiGxsXPRA7uMjc9bCw
Post by: ducks4days on May 16, 2024, 04:56:52 PM
For all of the lurkers here, if you want to support predator management, you can click the link, type "disagree", hit enter, then close the tab. It will take 5-10 seconds depending on internet speeds and typing ability.
https://publicinput.com/2024cougarseasonsetting
Post by: MADMAX on May 16, 2024, 05:12:59 PM
Post by: The Gobble-stopper on May 16, 2024, 06:55:29 PM
Post by: muleyslayer on May 16, 2024, 07:23:21 PM
Post by: Scruffy on May 17, 2024, 03:13:20 AM
Post by: chukar58 on May 17, 2024, 09:43:37 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on June 05, 2024, 05:53:12 AM
Post by: bugs n bones on June 05, 2024, 06:30:51 AM
Post by: James on June 05, 2024, 07:49:08 AM
Post by: bearpaw on June 05, 2024, 08:06:38 AM
Post by: raydog on June 05, 2024, 09:02:27 AM
Post by: Cougartail on June 09, 2024, 08:07:09 PM
Post by: HillHound on June 09, 2024, 08:10:28 PM
Post by: MADMAX on June 10, 2024, 06:47:57 AM
I noticed on the howl site that goal is 2400 and still need a couple hundred to reach that goal
Let’s go !
Post by: Rainier10 on June 10, 2024, 06:56:39 AM
https://www.howlforwildlife.org/wacougarjune24?utm_campaign=washington_cougar_gohunt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=howlforwildlife
Post by: trophyhunt on June 10, 2024, 07:03:04 AM
Post by: MADMAX on June 10, 2024, 08:36:10 AM
That’s odd. I went to the site and got a much lower goal and total.
https://www.howlforwildlife.org/wacougarjune24?utm_campaign=washington_cougar_gohunt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=howlforwildlife
Beats me ?
Here’s the link they sent me on email
https://www.howlforwildlife.org/lionbearseason#newmode-embed-43508-64543
Post by: KNOPHISH on June 10, 2024, 08:37:22 AM
Post by: pianoman9701 on June 10, 2024, 12:37:18 PM
https://local.newsbreak.com/clark-county-wa/3469075465541-7-recent-cougar-sightings-in-clark-county-3-livestock-killed?s=dmg_local_email_bucket_6.web2_fromweb"
Post by: elksnout on June 11, 2024, 08:26:38 AM
elksnout
Post by: RC on June 20, 2024, 10:58:37 AM
Proposed WA cougar-hunting regulations are good science; support them
South of Sequim on May 8, 2021, we caught a 2-year-old female cougar as part of the Olympic Cougar Project and fitted her with a GPS collar. We used her data to determine where cougars are most likely to cross highways and to contribute to Washington’s Statewide Habitat Connectivity Strategy.
Yoko, as we called her, lived on the outskirts of town, navigating rural properties and recreation areas. She gave birth to two litters, the first of them just 200 yards from a popular parking spot for hikers and mountain bikers on Burnt Hill.
In documenting 100 of her kills, we learned that while weaving among the people, pets and livestock of southern Sequim, Yoko mostly fed on deer, along with coyote, raccoon, snowshoe hare and one domestic cat that ventured onto public land.
It’s unclear what changed on April 12, 2024. Perhaps the play of moonlight on white fur caught her attention. That night, Yoko killed an alpaca unprotected by adequate fencing or a night enclosure — an animal she had passed many times in previous years. The angry livestock owner demanded retribution, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife removed not just Yoko, but her two 1-year old kittens as well when they were caught in a trap at the scene.
Right now, WDFW hunting regulations do not account for their deaths, because only adult cougars legally killed by hunters count toward regional hunting quotas. Yoko didn’t count because she was killed by WDFW, and her kittens didn’t count either, because they were young.
This month, the Fish and Wildlife Commission is attempting to close these loopholes, and others, through much-needed changes to Washington’s cougar hunting regulations. Washingtonians who wish to preserve wildlife and wild places, and see greater science-based management and conservation of our state’s natural resources, should support these proposed rules.
Time is of the essence: Express support for proposed changes as the WDFW Commission discusses public comment during their June 21-22 meeting, and will vote July 19. (To comment, go to st.news/cougar)
A glaring hiccup in the current quota structure is that it fosters an environment prone to overharvesting cougars, which impacts their abundance and social organization. In fact, the Olympic Cougar Project has found that 50% of local cougar mortality remains unaccounted for in management decisions because these animals are killed by the state, illegally poached or die from vehicle strikes.
If the new rules are adopted, all independent cougars (18+ months old) and all cougars killed by humans, whether they be legal hunters or state wildlife officials, will contribute to Washington’s regional hunting quotas. The new rules would also utilize cougar density estimates determined by WDFW to set regional hunting limits, specifically capping local mortality at 13% of independent animals in each population. In regions that reach the 13% cap before the start of the cougar hunting season — say, due to conflict removal by state agents — the cap would increase to 20% of the population for that season to provide local hunting opportunity.
These changes would also make Washington home to the most scientific and progressive cougar harvest regulations nationwide, and a model for states like Texas, which after decades of resistance has finally made headlines in granting mountain lions, or cougars, their first-ever protections.
The deaths of Yoko and her two kittens didn’t “count” toward Washington’s hunting quota this year. But if the proposed rules succeed, WDFW might and should pause — so as not to jeopardize hunting opportunity — before killing the next Yoko and her kittens.
Mark Elbroch is the Puma Program director for Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organization.
Post by: hunter399 on June 20, 2024, 11:42:00 AM
Saw this article in the Seattle Times, so just another reminder to get those comments in:
Proposed WA cougar-hunting regulations are good science; support them
South of Sequim on May 8, 2021, we caught a 2-year-old female cougar as part of the Olympic Cougar Project and fitted her with a GPS collar. We used her data to determine where cougars are most likely to cross highways and to contribute to Washington’s Statewide Habitat Connectivity Strategy.
Yoko, as we called her, lived on the outskirts of town, navigating rural properties and recreation areas. She gave birth to two litters, the first of them just 200 yards from a popular parking spot for hikers and mountain bikers on Burnt Hill.
In documenting 100 of her kills, we learned that while weaving among the people, pets and livestock of southern Sequim, Yoko mostly fed on deer, along with coyote, raccoon, snowshoe hare and one domestic cat that ventured onto public land.
It’s unclear what changed on April 12, 2024. Perhaps the play of moonlight on white fur caught her attention. That night, Yoko killed an alpaca unprotected by adequate fencing or a night enclosure — an animal she had passed many times in previous years. The angry livestock owner demanded retribution, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife removed not just Yoko, but her two 1-year old kittens as well when they were caught in a trap at the scene.
Right now, WDFW hunting regulations do not account for their deaths, because only adult cougars legally killed by hunters count toward regional hunting quotas. Yoko didn’t count because she was killed by WDFW, and her kittens didn’t count either, because they were young.
This month, the Fish and Wildlife Commission is attempting to close these loopholes, and others, through much-needed changes to Washington’s cougar hunting regulations. Washingtonians who wish to preserve wildlife and wild places, and see greater science-based management and conservation of our state’s natural resources, should support these proposed rules.
Time is of the essence: Express support for proposed changes as the WDFW Commission discusses public comment during their June 21-22 meeting, and will vote July 19. (To comment, go to st.news/cougar)
A glaring hiccup in the current quota structure is that it fosters an environment prone to overharvesting cougars, which impacts their abundance and social organization. In fact, the Olympic Cougar Project has found that 50% of local cougar mortality remains unaccounted for in management decisions because these animals are killed by the state, illegally poached or die from vehicle strikes.
If the new rules are adopted, all independent cougars (18+ months old) and all cougars killed by humans, whether they be legal hunters or state wildlife officials, will contribute to Washington’s regional hunting quotas. The new rules would also utilize cougar density estimates determined by WDFW to set regional hunting limits, specifically capping local mortality at 13% of independent animals in each population. In regions that reach the 13% cap before the start of the cougar hunting season — say, due to conflict removal by state agents — the cap would increase to 20% of the population for that season to provide local hunting opportunity.
These changes would also make Washington home to the most scientific and progressive cougar harvest regulations nationwide, and a model for states like Texas, which after decades of resistance has finally made headlines in granting mountain lions, or cougars, their first-ever protections.
The deaths of Yoko and her two kittens didn’t “count” toward Washington’s hunting quota this year. But if the proposed rules succeed, WDFW might and should pause — so as not to jeopardize hunting opportunity — before killing the next Yoko and her kittens.
Mark Elbroch is the Puma Program director for Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organization.
Wow,just wow.
Maybe these conservation organizations should provide livestock enclosures that are cougar proof.
Post by: Bareback on June 20, 2024, 12:28:17 PM
Let’s come up with the definition:
Arm chair biology?
Passion science?
Post by: pianoman9701 on June 20, 2024, 12:44:11 PM
Post by: slowhand on June 20, 2024, 01:31:38 PM
our state is run by morons and the Seattle times is contributing
so frustrating
Post by: MADMAX on June 20, 2024, 01:37:17 PM
that's my 2 cents
Post by: Scruffy on June 21, 2024, 03:28:01 AM
Post by: pianoman9701 on June 21, 2024, 08:47:58 AM
:yike:
our state is run by morons and the Seattle times is contributing
so frustrating
The ST is part off the Dem machine. Expect no better and you'll not be disappointed.
Post by: javman on June 21, 2024, 01:20:32 PM
The antis have submitted a lot of comments...
Post by: ducks4days on June 21, 2024, 01:50:50 PM
These are people who are completely disconnected from life in places not covered in concrete or asphalt, who couldnt tell you how many cougars were harvested last year (198) but have no problem asserting that whatever that number is is FAR too high to be sustainable. They bare false witness without shame, and all it takes is a single opinion piece + the people who do know better to stand aside, and just like that the comments get flooded and reasonable wildlife management is lost forever.
The commission isnt actually reading the responses, they have somebody tally opposition vs approval and report the totals. You dont need to write a story. Simply clicking the link and commenting "oppose" is enough to make a positive difference.
https://publicinput.com/2024cougarseasonsetting
Post by: Rigby416 on June 21, 2024, 04:09:40 PM
Post by: Scruffy on June 22, 2024, 10:46:07 PM
Post by: hunter399 on June 23, 2024, 02:36:42 PM
I was unable to watch any of the meetings. Did anyone watch to see how the cougar issue went?I'm curious as well.
Maybe I'll go look to see if it's been on the agenda.
Hope this doesn't turn into dragging there feet,then no season.
I already bought a tag for a fall season.
I just skimmed through some of the agenda.
Looks like there waiting for the comment period to end.
Cougar season will be a hot topic in July.
Also the anti-hunters are strong in the comments right now.
I just commented again,I would urge everyone to comment or comment again.
Post by: Tbar on June 23, 2024, 03:14:14 PM
Comment period ended Friday.I was unable to watch any of the meetings. Did anyone watch to see how the cougar issue went?I'm curious as well.
Maybe I'll go look to see if it's been on the agenda.
Hope this doesn't turn into dragging there feet,then no season.
I already bought a tag for a fall season.
I just skimmed through some of the agenda.
Looks like there waiting for the comment period to end.
Cougar season will be a hot topic in July.
Also the anti-hunters are strong in the comments right now.
I just commented again,I would urge everyone to comment or comment again.
Post by: hunter399 on June 23, 2024, 03:26:31 PM
I just commented like 34 minutes ago.Comment period ended Friday.I was unable to watch any of the meetings. Did anyone watch to see how the cougar issue went?I'm curious as well.
Maybe I'll go look to see if it's been on the agenda.
Hope this doesn't turn into dragging there feet,then no season.
I already bought a tag for a fall season.
I just skimmed through some of the agenda.
Looks like there waiting for the comment period to end.
Cougar season will be a hot topic in July.
Also the anti-hunters are strong in the comments right now.
I just commented again,I would urge everyone to comment or comment again.
It posted my comment,so is this a scam .
Where the anti-hunters get a whole weekend to run the comments up.
Here's a link ,where I commented.
https://publicinput.com/2024cougarseasonsetting
Post by: javman on June 23, 2024, 03:43:37 PM
The recording of the Friday meeting is available at https://tvw.org/video/washington-fish-and-wildlife-commission-2024061250/?eventID=2024061250 (https://tvw.org/video/washington-fish-and-wildlife-commission-2024061250/?eventID=2024061250).
The discussion on cougar seasons starts around 2 hrs 47 minutes into the video, when the timestamp at the bottom right is at 4:16 PM.
I just started watching it. At the beginning they say they are extending the comment period only for 52 people who were signed up to give in-person comments but there was not time for them. But it isn't open for anyone else now.
Post by: hunter399 on June 23, 2024, 04:22:03 PM
The commission met on Friday and Saturday. Looks like cougar seasons were discussed on Friday afternoon.Well I never signed up to speak .
The recording of the Friday meeting is available at https://tvw.org/video/washington-fish-and-wildlife-commission-2024061250/?eventID=2024061250 (https://tvw.org/video/washington-fish-and-wildlife-commission-2024061250/?eventID=2024061250).
The discussion on cougar seasons starts around 2 hrs 47 minutes into the video, when the timestamp at the bottom right is at 4:16 PM.
I just started watching it. At the beginning they say they are extending the comment period only for 52 people who were signed up to give in-person comments but there was not time for them. But it isn't open for anyone else now.
I can leave comments still strange I guess.
Post by: slowhand on July 02, 2024, 01:41:32 PM
Post by: avidnwoutdoorsman on July 03, 2024, 11:41:18 AM
I was at this one in Vancouver. As its a meeting near where I live. The cougar section was on Friday late afternoon. Now I know its during work hours etc etc but I'm telling you we need to start taking the half days of work off to show up if that's what is necessary. I fortunately could excuse myself early from work and what I can tell you is that when I showed up the room was not half full. Aka we missed an opportunity to take over a room and we didnt. Its great if you are in the room all day but you can show up just for your comment period. So the commitment with travel is a half day tops. We have enough hunters and fisherman here in Vancouver alone to have had that room filled past standing room only.
We ask them to bring our meetings closer to us so we dont have to go all the way to Olympia and the least we could do is show up.
I'm sorry that my girls got stage fright, that was even tough for me. They could say there part with confidence at home but got a bit timid in that room. After watching the pro cougar folks bring their kids I felt we should bring a couple of our kids along too. I'm mighty proud of them. Plus its the first lesson in teaching them exactly what I am saying above. If we are passionate about something and we want change we need to perform our civic duty. Show up to the meetings, overwhelm their inbox's, and fill their voicemails.
They tally our comments online. The commission and really everyone since its recorded and on the WWW have to hear us when we show up. Its not just a check box for or against summarized in one slide.