A ? for Washington about hounds

[Idaho_Smiley]

I have read somewhere that several counties are allowing hounds to run lion , my question is what are the limitations , is it a special permit or whatand which counties are allowing it if it is the case .
Thank you .

 

[yoteler]

NEWS RELEASE
WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091

September 24, 2004
Contact: Donny Martorello, (360) 902-2521


Commission to consider NE Washington pilot cougar
hunting seasons at Oct. 1-2 Olympia workshop
OLYMPIA - The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is expected to act on a proposed pilot program for cougar hunting in five northeastern Washington counties during an Oct. 1-2 workshop in Olympia.

The outgrowth of state legislation passed earlier this year in response to public safety and livestock depredation concerns, the three-year pilot program would allow hounds to be used during cougar-hunting seasons in Chelan, Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties.

The proposed program is designed to reduce the number of cougar in those counties by 22 percent over its three-year lifespan, said Donny Martorello, carnivore/special species section manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The program was developed cooperatively WDFW and county representatives.

Hunting cougar with hounds was banned statewide by public initiative in 1996. However, recent legislation allows hounds to be used during specific seasons in the five counties for the next three years under the proposed program. WDFW and the counties would be required to submit a report on the program to the Washington State Legislature at the end of the three-year period.

The commission will take public input on the proposal during its workshop, which will be in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. S.E., in Olympia. The proposal is expected to be presented to the commission in the early afternoon of Oct. 1.

Under the proposed pilot program, the new cougar-hunting season with the aid of dogs would run from Dec. 1 to March 31 in most game management units (GMUs) within the five counties. A general cougar season without the use of dogs would run from Oct. 16-Nov. 19.

Martorello said the proposed program would establish a harvest quota of 102 cougar and a sub-quota of 40 female cats for the five-county area. Hunting with hounds would be closed if either quota is met prior to the end of the seasons, and hunters would be able only to pursue cougar until March 31.

The new program would also:

Create a mandatory training program for permit holders prior to participation in the season;

Be limited to Washington residents who own dogs capable of tracking and treeing a cougar;

Create a toll-free cougar quota phone hotline that hound hunters would be required to call within 24 hours before going hunting for updated season information. Successful hunters would be required to report their harvest to WDFW within 24 hours; and

Replace the current public safety cougar removal program in the five counties. The proposed pilot program is expected to achieve the same goals.
The commission, a nine-member citizens panel that sets policy for WDFW, is also expected to hear a number of briefings and reports on issues related to fish and wildlife management at the Oct. 1-2 workshop. The complete meeting agenda is available online on the Internet.

Return to WDFW Home Page

 

[yoteler]

Washington State Restores Hunting of Cougars With Dogs
By Brian Carnell
Monday, October 25, 2004
Washington state is instituting its first cougar hunting season with hounds since 1996. Hunters if five counties in the eastern part of the state will be allowed to hunt cougars using dogs from December 1st through March 31.

The new hunting season is an effort to control cougar numbers and replaces a previous cougar control plan that offered limited permits to selected hunters to kill problem cougars with hounds.

The quota for the hunt using hounds will be 102 cougars with a sub-quota of 40 female cougars. If either quota is met before March 31, the hunting season will end immediately (although hunters will be allowed to continue to pursue cougars without killing them through March 31 even if the hunt ends early).

Source:

Commission OKs hound hunting pilot program. MacLeod Pappidas, Methow Valley News, October 2004.

 

[Idaho_Smiley]

Thank you guys very much for your answers , I kinda figured it would be for residents onlyseeing it was a limited hunt.
Anybody want to buy a dog so I can come run.

.