- SAM WILSON Lee Newspapers
- Jun 10, 2023
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission on Thursday voted to dramatically increase hunting quotas for mountain lions across the state, aiming to reduce their populations by up to 40% in the next six years in the hopes of boosting the numbers of sheep, mule deer and moose.
The change in hunting quotas is specific to hunting districts, with some aiming for a less drastic reduction in lion numbers. For those districts targeted for a 40% reduction, hunters would need to kill 86% more mountain lions per year to reach that target, according to estimates provided by Brian Wakeling, the game management bureau chief for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
“We don’t have real-time population estimates in every single lion unit, or even eco-region, but we do have a pretty sound understanding of the dynamics that are going on there, based on harvest demographics, things of that nature, that confirm to us that our populations are robust,” Wakeling told the commission.
Conservation groups and some sportsmen groups vocally opposed the motion, arguing the changes are too drastic and, at least in some places, may fail to address the real factors driving those population declines. Several members of the Montana State Houndsmen Association spoke against the proposal.
“I’ve hunted Montana most of my adult life and the ungulate population has waxed and waned every five to 10 years,” said Nathan Wolf of Livingston, one of the group’s board members. “And to put the focus on lions, when there are so many other factors there, doesn’t seem like an appropriate decision to make such an aggressive move.”
Several other groups supported the motion, including the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association and Safari Club International.
Jeff Darrah, with Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, said his organization had hoped the commission would target a 30% reduction in spots “where ungulates are being severely impacted” and a 10% reduction elsewhere. He said the commission’s ultimate proposal was close enough to what they wanted that he supported it.
“Our group is generally a predator management-based association; we strongly believe that if there’s a predator problem, they need to be managed,” Darrah said.
The motion, brought by vice chairman Patrick Tabor, was unanimously approved by the commission following several region-specific amendments and a contentious public hearing. Tabor, who represents the northwest part of the state, said the proposal takes aim at the lagging population numbers for ungulate game animals — especially moose, sheep and mule deer.
“It’s not about trying to eliminate (lions) off the landscape,” Tabor said. “What it’s about is our statutory obligation of trying to create balance in terms of the alarming patterns that are occurring in the ungulate arena.”
During the public comment, Marc Cooke, president of Wolves of the Rockies, accused Tabor of bringing a self-serving motion that would benefit him as an outfitter who charges clients thousands of dollars per mountain lion hunt. The conservation group opposed the increased quotas.
Tabor responded afterward that his motivations are to “perpetuate populations for future generations” and noted that as acting chair during the meeting, he would not vote unless in the event of a tiebreaker.
Tabor also indicated there may be other similar proposals in the works.
“Right now we’re just talking about lions,” he said. “Who knows what we’ll be talking about next, prescriptively, to tackle the overall problem.”