\u201cThis was an eradication bill. And it was completely against the North American Model.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
DeBloois believes the number of cougars killed are stabilizing in large part because of access issues. Even lion hunters with dogs can only hunt in so many places; they\u2019re often limited in the winter by deep snowfall and private land boundaries. Adult cougar population estimates hovered just under 2,000 in 2004, slowly climbed to just below 3,000 between 2014 and 2018, and dropped back to around 2,500 recently, according to a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources datasheet.<\/p>\n
Houndsmen opposed the effort in Utah, too, DeBloois says, adding the department\u2019s hands were tied by the legislature\u2019s mandate to manage deer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were very, very concerned going into it,\u201d he says about houndsmen. If the regulations had been proposed by the Utah DWR and gone out for public opinion, he\u2019s not sure they would have passed.<\/p>\n
Multiple Utah houndsmen declined to comment on the current state of lion hunting there for this article, some citing the delicate nature of the issue.<\/p>\n
Wyoming\u2019s bill would have gone even further than Utah\u2019s by allowing people to kill lions any hour of the day \u2014 including by spotlight at night. As in Utah, it would have also allowed trappers to target lions with snares and would not have required hunters carry specific mountain lion tags. Wyoming doesn\u2019t have lion population estimates but monitor populations based on trends, says Dan Thompson, the state\u2019s large carnivore section supervisor.<\/p>\n The arguments made about deregulating lion hunting to save deer fall flat, Worthington says. Some Wyoming hunt areas have already liberalized lion seasons and have yet to see results. One region in the southern end of Wyoming\u2019s Bighorn Mountains went to unlimited lion hunting in 2010. And in 2021-2022, the agency recorded the highest number of lions ever harvested.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still not seeing a change in mule deer populations,\u201d Dan Smith, Wyoming\u2019s chief game warden, told the Wyoming House committee on February 4.<\/p>\n The verdict is still out in Utah about the impact on deer as agency biologists study the impact of unlimited harvest.<\/p>\n But as Utah moved away from actively managing lions, and Wyoming considered a similar path, Texas took a baby step toward more protections for the carnivores. The state has long handled mountain lions as most states handle coyotes, skunks, or badgers, with no rules governing take of any kind.<\/p>\n Then in June, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission voted to implement trapping standards, now requiring trappers check traps at least every 36 hours. The commission also voted unanimously to ban canned hunts, which allowed people to capture lions and release them later for someone to pursure with hounds.<\/p>\n \u201cThe passage of these regulations is an important step toward better management of mountain lions in the state,\u201d said Richard Heilbrun, wildlife diversity program director in a Parks and Wildlife Commission news release. \u201cThe regulations support ethical hunting and trapping practices while continuing to provide flexibility for landowners to manage mountain lions.\u201d<\/p>\n Colorado, meanwhile, made news last year for a similar attempt to overhaul mountain lion hunting in the state. That ballot initiative sought to ban mountain lion hunting, but the principle was the same: It tried to wrest lion management from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.<\/p>\n While Worthington\u2019s biggest concern about the bill was a massive reduction in mountain lion numbers, others in the state worried about the precedent this kind of bill sets.<\/p>\n \u201cWildlife management is better left in the hands of wildlife managers,\u201d Lee Livingston, president of the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association told the House committee. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to see our seasons set by legislators.\u201d<\/p>\n Many other speakers echoed his concerns. Wyoming\u2019s Game and Fish Commission, like many in the country, establish hunting seasons based on information and recommendations from biologists and input from the public. If legislatures make laws governing how wildlife should be managed, the public no longer has a say.<\/p>\n This is what happened in Utah and is currently unfolding in Montana as the state\u2019s lawmakers consider bills to dramatically change how people hunt wolves. The bill would trigger unlimited wolf hunting by any means including bait, artificial light, and night scopes when the state\u2019s wolf population exceeds 550 wolves. Right now about 1,100 wolves live in Montana.<\/p>\n Wyoming lawmakers also considered a bill to give every licensed elk hunter a black or grizzly bear tag, even though grizzly bears are still federally protected. The measure failed.<\/p>\n Worthington breathed a brief sigh of relief when the lion bill didn\u2019t make it out of committee. But he\u2019s bracing for more in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be something we will be fighting for the rest of our lives. It\u2019s a war on lions. No one can figure out how to manage deer, so they\u2019re blaming large carnivores,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty spooky.\u201d<\/p>\n This article<\/a> by Christine Peterson was first published by Outdoor Life on 13 February 2025. Lead Image: A lion tries to drag a dead deer into cover. Photo by Design Pics\/ Adobe Stock. Help to protect wildlife by making a monthly donation of as little as $1.<\/p>\n Your donation will support vital conservation projects<\/a>.<\/p>\nFears for All Wildlife Management<\/h2>\n
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