Most states with a healthy cougar population have provisions to hunt cougars legally; except CA I guess.
The nature of the beast makes them verrrry tough to outsmart without dogs. I read an article once in one of the popular hunting rags that gave some interesting findings from cougar studies at that time.- this was in the 90's - They said that about 7% of avid outdoorsmen ever see a cougar in their lifetime. It also said that the cats seemed to prefer killing a mature buck deer when given the choice. - so much for the sick and weak theory- I believe they made a kll every three days or so, and I'll quit here before I start making things up.
I'd enjoy being corrected on these figures if anyone has more recent and accurate info.
These cats, as a trophy, would rank as top of the list for challenge and proof of skill. They also aren't bad to eat. We all oughta do what we can to reduce the population. jd