Posted on 03/02/2012 7:30:19 AM PST by SmithL
A collective gulp was almost detectable this week when California Fish and Game Commission President Daniel Richards defiantly declared to outraged legislators that he not only gunned down a mountain lion and held the carcass like a trophy, but he then ate big cat for dinner.
The revelation that Richards complied with the backcountry rule that you eat what you shoot didn't do much to quiet calls in the Capitol for his head, but the perfectly legal shooting and consumption of puma meat certainly raised questions about his diet.
As odd and unappetizing as the dish may sound, it isn't unusual for hunters to consume cougar meat, according to hunting groups.
"Eating them is common. We serve it to our guests," said Joseph Peterson, the manager of the Flying B Ranch in Idaho, where Richards paid $6,800 for an all-inclusive, seven-day hunting expedition that resulted in the notorious photograph of him grinning and hugging the lion carcass.
"We save most of the lions we shoot," said Peterson, adding that catamount cutlets are milder and tastier than bear and horse meat, which he has also tried.
Richards, appointed to the commission in 2008 by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, expounded on the subject Thursday, declaring filet of puma a culinary delight.
"It doesn't taste like chicken," he told conservative talk radio hosts John and Ken in Los Angeles. "The closest thing is pork loin. It's a white meat. It's really good, and actually in frontier times it was a delicacy because it's tough to bag one of them."
The photo of Richards first appeared in a Western Outdoor News blog after his January excursion - along with his quote, "I'm glad it's legal in Idaho"
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
She looks 40-ish now.
I know someone else who said he ate a cougar.....
Who would want to eat a cat?
My cat is fat, so now I’ll dine
And gobble up this cat of mine.
—Bernard Kliban
Tastes just like Chinese food.
If you will eat Racoon or Possum what’s a little cougar?
LOL!
LOL! Coffee on the keyboard. But, is she old enough to qualify for cougar status? I guess I don’t know the parameters for that classification.
Any way, serve it with some Manatee bites and some Eagle hot wings with a little Narwhal puree. Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmmm! Yummy
Here is what all this is about.
“Escalating a battle between hunters and animal welfare groups — a conflict that could result in major changes to California’s endangered species and hunting policies — 40 Democratic state Assembly members Friday sent a letter to Dan Richards, president of the California Fish and Game Commission, demanding that he resign.”
(snip)
The controversy has prompted an outpouring of support for Richards from hunting and fishing groups, many of which see Richards as the most reliable vote for their issues.
(snip)
The stakes are high. The five-member commission not only decides which species to list as endangered, it also sets policies on everything from hunting to California’s new system of “marine protected areas,” which ban fishing in areas off the coast.
If Richards, who was appointed to the five-member commission by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, resigns or is removed from the panel, his replacement would be named by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown. And that’s a move that for the first time could give the commission a majority of members who tend to support the priorities of environmental groups.
(snip)
“There’s a lot at stake,” said Jennifer Fearing, state director of the Humane Society of the United States.
Gaines, the hunting advocate, agreed.
“We’re very well aware that this is a key seat, as are the animal rights groups,” he said. “There’s only five votes, so if you get three, you win.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_20041625?source=pkg
LOL!! Aye yi yi
This Georgetown slore (slut + whore), for ~30 years old, isn't aging well at all (see Lindsay Lohan for another example). The chosen lifestyle of a sperm dumpster does take a toll.
Typically “Cougar” is reserved for a woman of 40+ years of age, but again, since this slore is giving a standard prune a run for it's money in terms of appearance, she can get fastracked to “Cougar” status.
I like your endangered buffet choices...although, if caught with those creatures, would lead to more jail time than Charles Manson.
In the wild no, and especially bobcats and mountain lions.
“Wildlife official says he ate cougar that he shot”
So what...
I was walking along a trail in the woods when I saw a mountain lion on a branch that was hanging over the trail.
“Are you going to pounce on me if I walk under that branch?” I asked him.
“Nope”, he replied, “Just looking for walnuts.”
Mountain lions are such liars. It was a ponderosa pine tree. 300 stitches.
This version of the story seems to have hit every possible pejorative.
“Gunned down” indeed.
It is also clearly biased despite it’s token “Balance”.
The professor cited is an ass, he clearly selectively chose his studies.
Not that long ago a local sheepherder lost over sixty penned sheep overnight.
A Cougar killed them but did not eat them, only lapping at the blood.
Game department figures it was an old cat, no longer capable of bringing down deer.
Lots of domestic pets fall prey to the old cats (and occasionally a young one), they are easy to kill since they do not know the cat is dangerous.
The depredation continues until the cat is killed, they have no natural enemy to control their number except man and old age.
When a young cat gets into the habit of taking domestic animals the toll may last for a decade or more.
Hounds are the traditional method to hunt the big cats, without them virtually no one would be successful, they are too fast and stealthy.
Hounds live to hunt cats and bears, it’s what they were bred for.
Beagles are also hounds, but primarily used to hunt rabbits.
I guess only Bloodhounds are acceptable to the Eco-Nazis, since they are also used to hunt men.
Too bad the cougar didn’t eat him. Hunting is only a sport when the hunter and hunted are equals and have the same weapons and skills.
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