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Washington has similiar laws as Oregon - no hunting with hounds and no baiting. However the 'explosion' of cougars has not occured.
Several weeks ago a cougar killed and partially ate my pet goat (actually my son's goat). According to a research scientist from the Univ. of Wa who visited my place (8 acres 22 miles east of downtown Seattle) to view the kill, just the opposite is occuring. Initially there was a significant increase in the cougar population for the first few years. Then the population became infected with a transmittable version of feline leukemia - always fatal. This luekemia, according to the scientist, originated in domestic cats that later fell prey to cougars. The initial explosion in local cougar population (in the vicinity of urban areas) created a climate of pet predation and then the easy transmission of the disease to other cougars. It is expected to get worse.
By 'saving' the cougars from hunting the state has condemned them to an even worse fate.
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