I' m posting this as it appears on another forum. It would be nice if the moderator didn' t lock this as soon as it appears, assuming this will become an argument. I think most on here will keep there comments civil (hopefully). So please let this thread be until such time as proven otherwise. I' ll post the original webpage to which this came from but I' ll cut and paste the remarks here.........." Hello. My name is Robert Everitt and I am the Regional director for the Washington Fish and Game Commission. I was forwarded the information regarding this cougar and was asked if I would care to respond to it on this forum. As far as the photograph being altered as some have claimed, I myself have no opinion regarding that. I am only basing my opinion on the information that has been made available to me though various news groups and the information listed on the Boone and Crockett web site, where rumors of large animals taken are posted (sometimes along with pictures). First off a little background. Our cougar season runs from August 1 to March 15 with a 2 cougar limit. Although thousands of licenses are issued every year, very few individuals are successful with hunter success rate the past few years varying between 3-5%. Usually less than 250 cougars are harvested each year statewide. The information supplied on the B&C rumors page states that the large cat was taken around the Bellevue area, which is just east of Seattle, and located in region 4. The article goes on to say that the cat was called in by Jim Hackewitz and shot by Ron Hislar, from Duval, Wa. It is mandatory that cougar hunters (successful) submit a Hunter Report form. The Washington Fish and Game commission has not only never received a hunter report form from either of the two individuals mentioned, but no cougar license has been issued to anyone by those names in the past 5 years. Due to this major discrepancy, the fact that we have no record whatsoever of either hunter taking this cat, it stands to reason that the validity of the rest of the story has no merit. It should also be noted that succesful cougar hunters must fill out the mandatory cougar hunter report form in person at one of the WDFW offices. Please call the WDFW Wildlife Program at 360-902-2515 or email them at [email protected] for more information on cougar reporting. I hope this clears things up somewhat." http://www.bowsite.com/BOWSITE/TF/th...es=57&forum=16