The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Mountain lions, Cougars, Panthers, Pumas, oh my!

zjeepgozweeln · November 23, 2008, 11:27 PM

All the same animal.. but

Whats the deal in Kalifornia?! Some of our deranged citizens voted to make it a protected species back in 1990. As I get more into hunting, I'm learning that this was one huge mistake and now it is threatening other prey species. We now have to pay DFG people to radio collar Sierra Nevada bighorn-sheep and the cougars in their area to monitor populations and then pay the DFG people to kill the cougars, instead of letting hunters PAY to take them. That is just one example. My friend has seen one in his back yard in here orange county.

I'm no mountain lion hunter or wildlife management expert, but it seems a little stupid to me. If there's nothing to keep the top predator in check it will proliferate and spread out as long as food can be found. Their main staple is wild deer, but farm raised animals, pets, and people seem to be acceptable to their palate. They hunt until they eat. If there are no deer... well what's next? Move and find some new food.

November 23, 2008, 11:27 PM	#1
zjeepgozweeln Junior Member Join Date: September 26, 2008 Posts: 13	Mountain lions, Cougars, Panthers, Pumas, oh my! All the same animal.. but Whats the deal in Kalifornia?! Some of our deranged citizens voted to make it a protected species back in 1990. As I get more into hunting, I'm learning that this was one huge mistake and now it is threatening other prey species. We now have to pay DFG people to radio collar Sierra Nevada bighorn-sheep and the cougars in their area to monitor populations and then pay the DFG people to kill the cougars, instead of letting hunters PAY to take them. That is just one example. My friend has seen one in his back yard in here orange county. I'm no mountain lion hunter or wildlife management expert, but it seems a little stupid to me. If there's nothing to keep the top predator in check it will proliferate and spread out as long as food can be found. Their main staple is wild deer, but farm raised animals, pets, and people seem to be acceptable to their palate. They hunt until they eat. If there are no deer... well what's next? Move and find some new food.