UTAH BILL REMOVES COUGAR PROTECTIONS

Utah’s cougar plan specifies detailed management objectives, benchmarks, and strategies to achieve them. So why did the legislature essentially pull management out of biologists hands?

This winter the Utah legislature passed, and the governor signed into law, HB0469, which eliminates regulatory protection for cougars throughout the state. This means no closed season, no harvest limits and no license required to hunt or trap for mountain lions in Utah.

The move comes as a result of concerns that cougars are impacting deer populations via predation, as well as having negative impacts on livestock. The bill, which also addresses regulations on game cameras and air rifles, passed with virtually no debate. Conservationists as well as some hunters spoke out against the bill, as they believe it undermines the current approach of wildlife management in the state.

So what do the wildlife managers say? Initially, the spokesperson for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources stated that they were “a little surprised” by the cougar hunting amendment in the bill. I read that to say “We were completely blindsided by this unbelievable move, but it would be politically dangerous for me not to pretend otherwise”. She later stated that the department would “work to make sure cougar populations aren’t impacted”.

Since wildlife managers weren’t given the opportunity to provide input on this bill, let’s take a look at their position on cougar management here. Volume 3 of the Utah Cougar Management Plan, 20152025, was developed by the DWR in conjunction with the Utah Cougar Advisory Group, a collection of stakeholders, including agriculture, university and hunting interests.

The plan’s stated goal is to: Maintain a healthy cougar population within their current distribution while considering human safety, economic concerns, other wildlife species, and maintaining hunting traditions through 2025.

Cougars were considered vermin in Utah prior to 1967, when they became a protected species. On a very broad level, the DWR estimates there are around 3,000 cougars in the state. They have issued about 1,000 harvest permits annually, and the harvest mortality is around 400-500 animals. Permits issued and harvest levels have been on the increase in recent years, with around 750 being harvested in 2021-22.

Utah’s cougar plan specifies detailed management objectives, benchmarks and strategies to achieve them. So why did the legislature essentially pull management out of the biologists hands with a bill that wipes clean all of their research, discussions, agreements and work? Maybe the DWR didn’t act aggressively enough for legislators who wanted fewer cougars around. Maybe the balanced approach of wildlife management isn’t what the state’s elected representatives has in mind for the future. But at the very least, they could have asked the experts to weigh in on this one.

So what does this mean for trappers? I’m not sure, really. The bill allows year- round trapping of cougars with no permit requirement. That could provide a unique opportunity for a pretty special experience. But this could come at a cost. Is it worth subverting the established public process that was in place to manage the species? What are the risks? The cougar population isn’t going to go away as a result of this bill. Cougars are difficult to hunt and there’s lots of wild country in Utah for them to escape hunting and trapping pressure. But if harvest gets too high, the population could indeed decline, and impact the ability for all sportsmen to pursue this stealthy predator. And that would be quite the black eye for everyone involved.

Thanks to Utah resident C.J. for the tip on this story and thoughtful insight.