e-mail KOMO TV
01-03-2003, 12:23 PM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Nicholasville, KY
Posts: 655
e-mail KOMO TV
I don't know how many of you watched the 11:00pm broadcast(may have been on earlier too) about Jane Goodall getting involved to save the cougars before they are extinct. I felt the need to write them about reporting misinformation/false information concerning cougars in Washington. First, cougars are no where near extinct. The WDFW "estimates" there is over 2,500 cougars in the state, and climbing thanks to I-655. Total harvest for 2001-2002 was only 220 cats.
They also gave hunters a negative spin because cougars are the only big game species in the state that are hunted during/after the berthing period. This makes us barbaric somehow when it is already illegal to shoot cats that have cubs. While I'm sure it happens occasionally, I don't think the WDFW would allow the season to be so late if it was adversely affecting the population. This point was made at the same time a cat was shown being shot out of a tree. I don't know and they didn't say if it was being tranquilized or killed, but you could tell the angle they wanted to put on it.
This whole thing falls in line with the proposal for the creation of cougar and bear preserves here in Washington. It also follows the same line of reporting as the "Gun Show Loophole" story KIRO did a few weeks back that was riddled with half-truths and false insinuations to stir the public. I felt compelled to tell KOMO TV how I felt, and I encourage all of you to do the same. You can e-mail them at [email protected] If you are going to report something to the public via a news broadcast, get your facts straight. They owe us that much.
>>--->Shannon
Hunt hard, live right, and tell your kids you love 'em!
They also gave hunters a negative spin because cougars are the only big game species in the state that are hunted during/after the berthing period. This makes us barbaric somehow when it is already illegal to shoot cats that have cubs. While I'm sure it happens occasionally, I don't think the WDFW would allow the season to be so late if it was adversely affecting the population. This point was made at the same time a cat was shown being shot out of a tree. I don't know and they didn't say if it was being tranquilized or killed, but you could tell the angle they wanted to put on it.
This whole thing falls in line with the proposal for the creation of cougar and bear preserves here in Washington. It also follows the same line of reporting as the "Gun Show Loophole" story KIRO did a few weeks back that was riddled with half-truths and false insinuations to stir the public. I felt compelled to tell KOMO TV how I felt, and I encourage all of you to do the same. You can e-mail them at [email protected] If you are going to report something to the public via a news broadcast, get your facts straight. They owe us that much.
>>--->Shannon
Hunt hard, live right, and tell your kids you love 'em!
01-03-2003, 05:49 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NWWA
Posts: 68
RE: e-mail KOMO TV
I wished I saw that piece.
its funny they were estimating over 2500 cougars in 1995 and it sounds like they are still estimating them at 2500. Sounds stable to me!
Everyone knows that those numbers are actually climbing if one would go off of cougar encounters. I have numbers of pre-655 and then numbers from a few years ago, major increase.
Will post some numbers when I get a chance.
its funny they were estimating over 2500 cougars in 1995 and it sounds like they are still estimating them at 2500. Sounds stable to me!
Everyone knows that those numbers are actually climbing if one would go off of cougar encounters. I have numbers of pre-655 and then numbers from a few years ago, major increase.
Will post some numbers when I get a chance.
01-03-2003, 08:10 PM
#3
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Tacoma WA USA
Posts: 131
RE: e-mail KOMO TV
I will respond to KOMO, but I didn't see the segment and would like some more info.
Were they directing their comments to cougar in Washington State only, or somewhere else, or cougar populations in general?
If they are trying to call the cougars in Washington anywhere near "endangered"... WHAT A JOKE!
I think the people at KOMO need a flood of replies to encourage them to get their facts straight!
Were they directing their comments to cougar in Washington State only, or somewhere else, or cougar populations in general?
If they are trying to call the cougars in Washington anywhere near "endangered"... WHAT A JOKE!
I think the people at KOMO need a flood of replies to encourage them to get their facts straight!
01-03-2003, 08:33 PM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Mill Creek WA USA
Posts: 40
RE: e-mail KOMO TV
Dont forget to email ABC National as well since the piece and article (Below) came from them. It was broadcast nationally.
Btw, the current information from WDFW says that lion pops are now declining in WA because boot hunters take so many females. Which is another reason that hounds are a better, more selective way to manage these large, dangerous (even if beautiful) critters.
From ABCnews.com
Colorado Cougar Cause
Wildlife Enthusiasts Join to Save Endangered Cougars
By Bill Redeker
F O R T C O L L I N S, Colo., Jan. 2
— Cougars, or mountain lions, once prowled across all 48 states in the continental United States. But their threat to livestock made them targets for ranchers and hunters.
Today, the big cats are extinct in the East and survive in only a dozen Western states. They may soon become endangered here, too, where it is legal to hunt the animals.
Rick Kahn, wildlife supervisor of Colorado's Division of Wildlife, says the number of mountain lions killed by hunters has doubled in the last 20 years.
While he admitted there was no way of knowing the exact number of cougars in Colorado, he estimated about 4,000 of the cats live in the Rocky Mountain range.
"I think we're harvesting in the range of 300 to 400 animals a year," he said. "We have a quota system and we try to manage our mountain lion population."
Population maintenance is important because as suburban sprawl encroaches upon the cougars' once expansive territory, the introduction of people to the wild animals can have fatal consequences.
According to a New York Times report, human attacks on people average about four a year. Since 1890, mountain lions have killed 17 people, 11 of them children, in the United States and Canada.
In Arizona, the cougars' purported role in the decline of a reintroduced bighorn sheep population prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to grant the Arizona Game and Fish Department permission to proceed with the killing of up to 36 cougars over the next three years.
In many Western states, the fear of livestock losses due to prowling mountain lions is a major concern. Ranchers fear financial shortfalls if mountain lions hunt in the areas where their livestock graze.
Goodall to the Rescue
Nevertheless, wildlife champion Jane Goodall, best known for her pioneering work with African chimpanzees, has just taken up the cougar conservation cause. She says it doesn't matter how many cougars are believed to be in the wild, they should all be protected as they are in California.
"It was only recently that I realized that mountain lions were being shot. I naively thought that, like in California, they were protected and to hear that they were shot by hunters with dogs, I just find this completely terrible."
Hunting the elusive animals is not all that sporting. Professional trackers use dogs to stalk and trap the cats in trees. Hunters, sometimes days later, simply show up, take aim, and fire.
Colorado issues about 700 cougar hunting permits a year. Some trackers earn thousands of dollars for their services.
It is also perfectly legal to kill a mother cougar while she is raising her young. That has incensed wildlife enthusiasts, especially renowned photographer Thomas Mangelson. "We don't shoot elk in the spring that have calves, we don't shoot moose that have calves, we don't shoot deer that have fawns, we don't shoot anything except cougars."
Mangelson, whose spectacular photographs capture animals in the wild, spent 42 days staking out a mother cougar and her offspring near Jackson, Wyo., two years ago.
"It was the first time I'd ever seen one of these magnificent cats," he said. "They are extremely reclusive and incredibly protective of their offspring."
But once word got out that a family of cougars was in the area, the state of Wyoming proposed doubling the cougar quota.
That incident so incensed Mangelson that he recruited Goodall and created The Cougar Fund to educate the public.
"I really hope before it's too late in this country that the mountain lions will be protected," said Goodall. "This is supposed to be the land of the free and it should be free for the beautiful mountain lions as well."
Btw, the current information from WDFW says that lion pops are now declining in WA because boot hunters take so many females. Which is another reason that hounds are a better, more selective way to manage these large, dangerous (even if beautiful) critters.
From ABCnews.com
Colorado Cougar Cause
Wildlife Enthusiasts Join to Save Endangered Cougars
By Bill Redeker
F O R T C O L L I N S, Colo., Jan. 2
— Cougars, or mountain lions, once prowled across all 48 states in the continental United States. But their threat to livestock made them targets for ranchers and hunters.
Today, the big cats are extinct in the East and survive in only a dozen Western states. They may soon become endangered here, too, where it is legal to hunt the animals.
Rick Kahn, wildlife supervisor of Colorado's Division of Wildlife, says the number of mountain lions killed by hunters has doubled in the last 20 years.
While he admitted there was no way of knowing the exact number of cougars in Colorado, he estimated about 4,000 of the cats live in the Rocky Mountain range.
"I think we're harvesting in the range of 300 to 400 animals a year," he said. "We have a quota system and we try to manage our mountain lion population."
Population maintenance is important because as suburban sprawl encroaches upon the cougars' once expansive territory, the introduction of people to the wild animals can have fatal consequences.
According to a New York Times report, human attacks on people average about four a year. Since 1890, mountain lions have killed 17 people, 11 of them children, in the United States and Canada.
In Arizona, the cougars' purported role in the decline of a reintroduced bighorn sheep population prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to grant the Arizona Game and Fish Department permission to proceed with the killing of up to 36 cougars over the next three years.
In many Western states, the fear of livestock losses due to prowling mountain lions is a major concern. Ranchers fear financial shortfalls if mountain lions hunt in the areas where their livestock graze.
Goodall to the Rescue
Nevertheless, wildlife champion Jane Goodall, best known for her pioneering work with African chimpanzees, has just taken up the cougar conservation cause. She says it doesn't matter how many cougars are believed to be in the wild, they should all be protected as they are in California.
"It was only recently that I realized that mountain lions were being shot. I naively thought that, like in California, they were protected and to hear that they were shot by hunters with dogs, I just find this completely terrible."
Hunting the elusive animals is not all that sporting. Professional trackers use dogs to stalk and trap the cats in trees. Hunters, sometimes days later, simply show up, take aim, and fire.
Colorado issues about 700 cougar hunting permits a year. Some trackers earn thousands of dollars for their services.
It is also perfectly legal to kill a mother cougar while she is raising her young. That has incensed wildlife enthusiasts, especially renowned photographer Thomas Mangelson. "We don't shoot elk in the spring that have calves, we don't shoot moose that have calves, we don't shoot deer that have fawns, we don't shoot anything except cougars."
Mangelson, whose spectacular photographs capture animals in the wild, spent 42 days staking out a mother cougar and her offspring near Jackson, Wyo., two years ago.
"It was the first time I'd ever seen one of these magnificent cats," he said. "They are extremely reclusive and incredibly protective of their offspring."
But once word got out that a family of cougars was in the area, the state of Wyoming proposed doubling the cougar quota.
That incident so incensed Mangelson that he recruited Goodall and created The Cougar Fund to educate the public.
"I really hope before it's too late in this country that the mountain lions will be protected," said Goodall. "This is supposed to be the land of the free and it should be free for the beautiful mountain lions as well."
01-03-2003, 09:21 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NWWA
Posts: 68
RE: e-mail KOMO TV
Here are confirmed registerd complaints with the WDFW for cougar that I requested a few years back.
1995 247 confirmed cougar complaints
1998 927 confirmed cougar complaints
During that same time period they still estimated the population to be 2500 animals! Those animals sure got active in a three year period, didnt they. How can they say such a thing with those numbers they supplied me.
Would sure like to see the data you speak of, showing how the populations are now dropping because so many boot hunters are taking females.
I believe the state has no idea as to what the cougar population is doing.
1995 247 confirmed cougar complaints
1998 927 confirmed cougar complaints
During that same time period they still estimated the population to be 2500 animals! Those animals sure got active in a three year period, didnt they. How can they say such a thing with those numbers they supplied me.
Would sure like to see the data you speak of, showing how the populations are now dropping because so many boot hunters are taking females.
I believe the state has no idea as to what the cougar population is doing.
01-04-2003, 11:01 AM
#6
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Lakewood Washington USA
Posts: 44
RE: e-mail KOMO TV
Shannon,
Thanks for the info I emailed KOMO today. Otto & Hunt4Life. Guys you really need to put your PERSONAL DIFFERENCES aside & work together to effect game laws & policy instead of fighting. As I said before Sportsmen spend too much time fighting each other father than the real enemy. W
There is NO such thing as a bad day HUNTING
Good Luck & Good Hunting
Dan
Thanks for the info I emailed KOMO today. Otto & Hunt4Life. Guys you really need to put your PERSONAL DIFFERENCES aside & work together to effect game laws & policy instead of fighting. As I said before Sportsmen spend too much time fighting each other father than the real enemy. W
There is NO such thing as a bad day HUNTING
Good Luck & Good Hunting
Dan
01-07-2003, 11:25 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 1,665
RE: e-mail KOMO TV
Thanks for the e-mail Puget, I took care of matters here by deleting all posts between the two that were directed at one another.
This is not the place to discuss or try and resolve personal issues between one another. If somebody feels threatened like mentioned in the now deleted posts, he should not hesitate to contact the authorities. This type of behavior will not be tolerated on the message boards, the members don't want to see it here, the moderators don't want to have to clean it up, and the admin didn't create constructive message boards for hunters to fight amongst each other.
If any of you have a problem with this, you can e-mail me, other moderatory, or administration. Please take a brief review of the posting rules before doing such.
It would be nice to keep this thread on a constructive path.
ArcticBowMan's Hunting Photo's
This is not the place to discuss or try and resolve personal issues between one another. If somebody feels threatened like mentioned in the now deleted posts, he should not hesitate to contact the authorities. This type of behavior will not be tolerated on the message boards, the members don't want to see it here, the moderators don't want to have to clean it up, and the admin didn't create constructive message boards for hunters to fight amongst each other.
If any of you have a problem with this, you can e-mail me, other moderatory, or administration. Please take a brief review of the posting rules before doing such.
It would be nice to keep this thread on a constructive path.
ArcticBowMan's Hunting Photo's
01-08-2003, 12:58 AM
#8
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Nicholasville, KY
Posts: 655
RE: e-mail KOMO TV
Can anyone explain how they estimate cat populations? Some people are out in the outdoors most of their lives and never see a cat, yet the WDFW feels like they can give an accurate number. Seems more like a guestimate at best. And now they claim there is a slight decline in the population because too many females are being killed. Then how do you explain the increased encounters and complaints? I understand people are moving farther into the wild, but some of these complaints are coming from farms and communities that have been around for decades. They have seen the increase in their area. It just doesn't add up.
And thanks ABM.
Hunt hard, live right, and tell your kids you love 'em!
And thanks ABM.
Hunt hard, live right, and tell your kids you love 'em!
