Don't have access to article. Care to share some of the notes?

Try this one. Has mainly to do with trapping, but Texas is not really a "trapping" state really. Does it exist? Yes, but nothing like it used to. There's no fur market like there used to be, so I'm not sure what problem is here. Other than a government hunter or two, I don't know of anyone that purposefully traps for Mt. Lions.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department seeking public comment on proposed mountain lion regulations (msn.com)

Wow! Are people actually doing canned lion hunts?

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Wow! Are people actually doing canned lion hunts?

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I legit thought that was already illegal. I would have lost that bet.

But yes, I know of one for sure that happened.

O.G. said:

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ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Wow! Are people actually doing canned lion hunts?

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I legit thought that was already illegal. I would have lost that bet.

But yes, I know of one for sure that happened.

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We are way behind most other states in how we study and manage Mt Lions. TPWD has been forbidden from collecting data and studying them until fairly recently and the little bit of data we do have still has huge holes in it. Trapping for them is not widespread as far as we know, but it does happen quite a bit in areas that they are known to be most prevalent.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Wow! Are people actually doing canned lion hunts?

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No. The canned hunt proposal is something that the city folks (pro regulation) and country folks (little or no regulation) who served on the task force agreed upon.

Essentially, it is window dressing.

DargelSkout said:

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Forbidden by who?

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TPWD is forbidden by old legislation from regulating Mountain Lion harvest, and as they interpret that legislation, forbidden from even requiring mandatory reporting of any kills. So any research they try to conduct about the health (or lack thereof) of mt. lion populations is hindered by the fact that they don't have any good way to estimate annual take of lions and are left to rely on notoriously inaccurate visual sighting reports to estimate populations. As such, without those two key pieces of info, TPWD is able to do very little significant research into what is happening with the species in Texas. In the past, any efforts to change that have been heavily challenged by livestock ranchers. It is a complex issue for sure, but until we have the ability to collect basic info on the populations and how many are killed, it is difficult to know if anything needs to change.

O.G. said:

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Not that kind, the other kind.

https://www.expressnews.com/hill-country/article/mountain-lions-hunting-trapping-rules-texas-19416114.php

I'm going to try to make it to this meeting. It's in Austin at the TPWD HQ. Interesting to see what gets said. I made it to one in NM last year and it was farily even handed, at least by the New Mexico DNR. Actual science was being used, not feelings. I hope it goes that way with this as well.

I've known maybe a dozen or so legit Mt. Lion hunters in my life and none of them do the stuff that is described in these talking points.

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I'm old enough to not have to worry about being devoured by cougars.

Thanks for the summary. I didn't know anything about that. It's a shame they can't get a decent idea of the actual population.

Solution in search or a problem.

The "lion's share" of lions killed in Texas are done with dogs because it's the most efficient way.

96ags said:

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Solution in search or a problem.

The "lion's share" of lions killed in Texas are done with dogs because it's the most efficient way.

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I have to agree.

I reached out to several people that I know that have hunted Mt. Lions.

The only ones that I was able to find that know of anyone catching a Mt. Lion/Cougar in a leg hold trap was done in the Rocky Mt. States. I could not find one that had either done it themselves or knew of anyone that had done it in Texas.

The only exception to that is Government hunters who are either employees of the Dept. of the Interior, or USDA or whomever is paying the bills at the time.

Of the ones that I have heard of that have trapped Mt. Lions in Texas, they all used huge live traps (think hog traps or the have-a-heart trap for those following along from the city). They would bait them with a live goat or some such and situate it in a way that the entrance to the trap was the only way to the bait.

All other persons that I know that have caught Mt. Lions in Texas, and I have known a fair number, have all used hounds. Not one ever used a leg hold trap.

This is a solution in search of a problem.

I hunted with a guy that trapped a really big female in a hog trap contraption and had it on video. She was super pissed and they seem a lot scarier than I imagined that close. He had some strong feelings about CPW and their policies on big cats and I'll just leave it at that.

Thanks, I have always appreciated your input

Always love your input - thank you!

If you do t mind elaborating, what are the two breeding populations you're referring too? I presume one in far West Texas and maybe parts of hill country and then another closer to the valley and into Mexico?

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Always love your input - thank you!

If you do t mind elaborating, what are the two breeding populations you're referring too? I presume one in far West Texas and maybe parts of hill country and then another closer to the valley and into Mexico?

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Yes, the western portion of South Texas.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Always love your input - thank you!

If you do t mind elaborating, what are the two breeding populations you're referring too? I presume one in far West Texas and maybe parts of hill country and then another closer to the valley and into Mexico?

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Interesting... this means our cat(s) have been on the far northern and eastern range. I was curious which subgroup our cat was a part of in Uvalde County