hunting where cougars are hunting
 

If you knew mountain lions or wolves were to be introduced in your area to control the deer population would you still hunt? would you go to your stand in the dark, or drag your deer out after sunset? If you saw the animal would you shoot it? I'm thinking that the loss of hunters would cause more deer to live than the number of deer these animals would eat. On the other hand maybe these animals would improve the population by selectively eliminating the weakest. How do you feel about this?

RE: hunting where cougars are hunting
 

I live in the same area you do. This is new to me. Is the DEC at it again?

Clint

RE: hunting where cougars are hunting
 

in the area i hunt in n.y. there have been reports of cougars . it seems everybody you talk to about the subject around here has seen one or knows somebody who has . the story goes like this the dec relesed a certain amount of pairs of them to control the deer population

RE: hunting where cougars are hunting
 

I wouldn't find a problem with that. Those animals are more scared of you then you are of them. Well if those animals aren't scared when they first see me then they can't see my 12 gauge with 3" 00 buckshot.;)

RE: hunting where cougars are hunting
 

Well I say instead of releasing dangerous animals, let us take more deer. All in favor say "I"!:)

RE: hunting where cougars are hunting
 

I don't know of any DEC intervention, but a friend who USED to take early morning walks swears she saw a cougar, here in upstate New York.

RE: hunting where cougars are hunting
 

buckstopshere, where in upstate n.y. are you from?

RE: hunting where cougars are hunting
 

mtair I live in Oswego county, near Lake Ontario, between Syracuse and Watertown.

RE: hunting where cougars are hunting
 

I have to put up with lions, wolves, and you can add grizzlies to the list!!!!!!

Do I stay out of the woods? NO!!!! Do I walk around in the dark? YES!!!!

Grizzlies are a real pain, you have all kinds of rules you have to follow in grizzly country.

BTW I just read in the Billings Gazzette that elk in Gardnier MT are at a 30 year low since they introduced wolves.

Saying these predators kill only the sick and the weak is a real joke. They are ALL opertunist and will kill whenever and whatever they can.

RE: hunting where cougars are hunting
 

Buckstopshere

i can tell you from experience they are scared of humans but not as scared as you might think
i hunt, camp, etc with them around every year and in the average year see wolves and bears cougars are a little more secretive but i see there kills etc, so i know they are there
if you can stop them for introducing them, i would suggest it
as wyote said it is a major pain in the a$$ camping in grizzly country if you follow all of the rules

cougars like to eat children and pets over hunters so as a hunter you should be fine

RE: hunting where cougars are hunting
 

We have seen cougar sign for 3 seasons now and just actually got a look at him 2 weeks ago. He stalked a yearling under one of our feeders and got to about 4 feet before our guest took a shot and missed???? Couldn't believe he missed but I bet his heart was thumping pretty good. NET NET. . . .I would worry more about lightning than about a cougar. I wear my .357 side arm JIC and don't let my boys far from the cabin/fire after dark.

If you want to be scared I would worry more about other hunters thinking your a deer and shooting at ya.:)

RE: hunting where cougars are hunting
 

Wolves I don't know about, I'd be pretty cautious and I'd ALWAYS be packing a wheelgun or .45acp pistol-with a mag or two reload!! But, I'd probably still hunt undetered.

As for cougars/Mt. Lions, even if KDWP won't admit that they are fairly common here in Kansas, I do hunt in areas that are inhabited by cougars...we'll often hear them calling while coon hunting, once we even heard one take down a deer-we heard this big crashing in the creekbed-we were walking in the pasture along it at night running dogs-then we heard a deer squealing and then this slow dragging/brush breaking-it stopped about 50yrds ahead of us, we were all pi$$ed because we figured the dogs had taken it down, about then they came running from behind us-we walked up to where the sound stopped and found a steaming deer with it's throat ripped out and some BIG OL'TRACKS!!! Another morning while walking out to a deer stand, we walked in a half mile to the tree line we wanted to hunt, got about 20yrds from the creek and one opened up at us, just a warning call, and we took heed, made our way out of there in a big hurry.

Like I said, I DO hunt these areas that are inhabited by mt. lions, they aren't terribly thick out here, but they are around, we hear them while coon hunting at least once a month during season, and my dad and I see one from time to time in one of our pastures-there are some old rock caves out there that we figure it lives in...I usually always have a revolver with me when I'm rifle hunting, and I usually hide a derringer behind a fanny pack while I'm archery hunting, that way if there is something that I need to worry about, I'm covered.

RE: hunting where cougars are hunting
 

Well I would have no problem with it, it would not stop me from hunting at all. Now if they were talking about grizzlies I would have to think twice about it, but I doubt they would stop me from hunting either. I know they wouldn't stop me gun hunting, bow maybe.