Utah lions

[Bigman58]

If anyone has been paying attention to Utah this year our governor just passed a bill that will make lions open to hunting year round. But it will open some new doors for the states trappers as well because trapping lions will be an option now. I personally am thrilled to have the opportunity to try and trap a mountain lion but I know that this will cause much more of a rift between the hounds men of the state and all the other hunters and trappers. The fighting between the hounds men and trappers is as old as the question of the chicken and the egg but I think this will take it to a whole new level.

 

[TheGrayRider]

…and to think you cannot even own a mountain lion taxidermy mount in California, without a government permit, beauracratic approval, and a lengthy application process.

Good for you Utah for actually basing laws and regulations off of research and science and not pandering and emotion.

Happy hunting, TheGrayRider.

 

[elkantlers]

I've been paying attention and I don't think it's a good thing in the long run. HB 469 was a good bill and provided a million dollars for land and water acquisition program. The trail camera and lion portion were snuck in at the last minute and was ultimately passed without any public discussion. Very back handed and not what I like to see. Trappers already have a target on their backs. This is just going to make the target bigger with the anti's. I am a trapper and have trapped for over 30 years. While trapping for Bobcat's, I've caught several lions and will definitely take the next one I catch. Ultimately the lion numbers are determined by the Houndsman. Spot and stalk, drive bys and trapping of cougars will be a very, very small percentage of the harvest, probably < 5% if I had to guess. The Houndsman that are griping about low cougar numbers have no one to blame but themselves.