Is cougar hunting breeding chaos? (Bogus study?)

The Seattle Times ^ | March 16, 2007 | Sandi Doughton

[jazusamo]

Now, the predator powerful enough to take down a bull elk is lying helpless under a tent of fir trees while Maletzke replaces the batteries in her radio collar, checks her teeth and measures her girth.

Jane is part of a healthy cougar population that lives in relative harmony with its human neighbors in the rapidly growing communities just east of Snoqualmie Pass.

In the past six years, Jane has killed deer less than 50 paces from homes — yet residents don't even realize she's there. She has never harmed pets or livestock, nor have any of her offspring.

The story is different in northeastern Washington, where the state has stepped up hunting in response to soaring numbers of complaints about cougars, including two attacks on toddlers. A bill signed by Gov. Christine Gregoire last week could expand the cougar killing.

But startling results from studies such as Maletzke's question this traditional approach to cougar management.

Instead of reducing conflicts between cougars and humans, heavy hunting seems to make the problems worse, says Robert Wielgus, Maletzke's graduate adviser and director of Washington State University's Large Carnivore Conservation Laboratory.

"It goes against the grain of what we've been doing for decades," Wielgus says.

Killing large numbers of cougars creates social chaos, Wielgus and his students found. Trophy hunters often target adult males, which act as a stabilizing force in cougar populations. The adults police large territories and kill or drive out young males. With the grown-ups gone, the "young hooligans" run wild, Wielgus says.

"Every time you kill a dominant male, about three of these young guys come for the funeral."

Evidence suggests cougars under two years of age, just learning to live on their own, account for the majority of run-ins with people and domestic animals...

[jazusamo]

You’re exactly right! I’ve been a hunter all my life, since 12 anyway, and I’ve never seen a cougar in the wild. That includes hunting in prime cougar country in UT, CA and mostly Eastern OR.

I have a cousin who hunted and ran cougars with dogs in So OR until the referendum was passed to prohibit it and never heard him say once anything about “trophy” cougars.

These people doing this supposed study are full of it, period.

You’re correct, animals that have a fear of man will stay away from them, especially away from housing and business tracts.

[Inyo-Mono]

Exactly. Predators, like mountain lions, are not used to being hunted. There is no way one can track a “Trophy” lion and shoot it. I have only seen two lions in the wild in over 40 years in the wilderness, and it was only for a fleeting moment (though I have been stalked by them, as prey).

[jazusamo]

I had an acquaintance on an RMEF committee that was bow hunting in ID and was stalked by a cougar. He turned and there it was, close. He had a handgun and fired it scaring the cat away. He said it scared the pee water out of him. lol

[rickomatic]

You are absolutely right.
We have had several generations now of both cougar and bear who have not been hunted with dogs. THAT is why there are more reported sightings. They have lost their fear of humans and the human environment. That along with expanding population area ensures more contact.
I am a WA state hunter, and only know of one friend who’s taken a cougar. That one was an incidental kill on a chance sighting while deer hunting. That is how most cougar now are taken here. “Trophy” cougar hunting, or any kind of “Trophy” hunting in WA state is a joke. Our wildlife populations are on a sustainable management level. Certainly not a trophy level. If anyone here bags a “trophy”, it is purely by chance, not by design.

[JKeehner]

Actually, I am one of the researchers (graduate student at WSU) on this project. I am a lifelong hunter (30+ years of hunting in Washington) I absolutely do not support any anti-hunting groups. I believe if you re-read the article, Dr. Wielgus and WDFW agree hound hunting is the best method for managing sustainable populations of cougars. The Seattle Times article did a poor job of clarifying the results. The problem is “boot hunting”— not hunting in general. I would have preferred if the headline read “Hunting method is causing chaos” and then went on to blame I-655 (which outlawed hound hunting) is to blame for the problem.

I only speak for myself of the members in our research lab but I am a firm supporter of managing cougars in a sustainable fashion— which I believe hound hunting is the best way. I do not want them extirpated but I don’t subscribe to the whole tree/bunny hugger theory either. I fully plan to hunt cougar when I get the time. I regularly hunt coyote and bobcats, the purpose of my posting is to hopefully change the tenor of the discussion about our results and to keep anti-hunting groups like the HSUS or Big Wildlife from twisting these results around and also to encourage hunters who support sustainable management to thoroughly llok at the results and the article and see that we support hunting — just not the “boot hunting” as it is done now. Fishing and Hunting News actually did a better characterization of the research than the seattle Times did.

Thanks for your time!

Jkeehner Jkeehner@wsu.edu