Mountain Lion Alert
2023 Cougar Management alerts:
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But they plan with further review again at September Commission meeting and if any changes are added in Sept then a finalization (public hearing and vote) in October. I.e. – no changes to season were proposed in July, but that might be reconsidered in Sept. after staff reviews the impact of hound hunting in the Black Hills on their season structure and rules. They moved forward a petition from hound hunters of lions towards a finalization hearing in October.
South Dakota GFP Commission SDGFP presented a proposal for the 2024-25 mountain lion hunting season at the July 20th, meeting. They deferred the decision (finalization) till the Oct 5-6th 2023 meeting, with plans to discuss it some more at the Sept 7th-8th Commission meeting. Two petitioners presented petitions for rule making to increase hound hunting for lions in the greater Black Hills, outside Custer State Park (it is allowed already in CSP) The Commission moved one of these forward to finalization vote in October and did not move the other one forward. For more information see our alerts: /
https://phas-wsd.org/event/sd-game-fish-and-parks-commission-meeting-for-july/,
https://phas-wsd.org/event/sd-game-fish-and-parks-commission-sept-2023-meeting/
https://phas-wsd.org/event/sd-game-fish-and-parks-commission-october-meeting/
WYOMING GAME & FISH – WGFC Plans to make some changes to cougar hunting rules in the September with proposal offered for public
comment in July 2023.
Wyoming Game & Fish Commission 2023- is reviewing a proposed increase by 50% of lion hunting limits in 4 of its units on its’ western edge (not in the Black Hills) . There were public meetings happening in towns in July. Deadline for written comments is received at 5 pm MT on Friday August 4th. Commission hearing is in Gillette on September 12-13th. Other public meetings were in June & July, in various towns in Wyoming, by Department on rule changes proposed by WG&F Depart. You can submit short comments online (8,000 word limit), but for a long formal letter , you must mail by post. .Link for details:– https://phas-wsd.org/event/comments-due-increase-cougar-harvest-limits-western-wyoming/
NORTH DAKOTA GAME & FISH- ND will be revising its season this year. You may send comments to Stephanie Tucker (staff) by early or mid July when she submits a plan to the Governor for his approval. Her e-mail: satucker@nd.gov, phone: (701) 220-1871
NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION – NGPC revisited its’ season this year (June) and decided to add hunting in the Niobrara Unit, to the already hunted Pine Ridge Unit.
Deadline for Nebraska GP Commission 2023 written comments on lion & otters was midday CT June 7th, 2023 – The hearing was June 9th, The Commission approved the mountain lion season proposals. View alert at this link: Link for details: https://phas-wsd.org/event/deadline-for-written-comments-to-ne-game-and-parks-commission-on-cougar-and-otter-seasons/ https://phas-wsd.org/event/nebraska-game-and-parks-commission-meeting-cougar-hunting-season/
MONTANA FISH WILDLIFE AND PARKS – Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks decided to increase hunting by 40%:
Montana FW&P May 11th- (PAST) & June 8th, 2023. View alerts at these links. The Commission approved a high increase in the harvest limit:
Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) has a hunting season of 20 lions of either sex and 10 female harvest limit. In May, 2023 9 had been killed – We are not yet sure if that was in 2022 or 2023 thus far. They allow tribal and non-tribal hunting and hunting with hounds as long as the guide is a tribal member.
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) may have had resident lions along the rivers, but no conclusive proof of breeding, unless it is recently changed. They did not used to have a hunting season, we have not checked in 2023 yet.
Three Affiliated Tribes in ND have breeding lions and a 5 lion harvest limit.
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We need to contact other tribes in ND, Montana and Wyoming and Canada.
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2022 Cougar Management alerts:
Wyoming July 2022 Alert
https://phas-wsd.org/event/cougar-and-wolf-alert-wyoming-comment-deadline-wgf-6-3-22/
Nebraska lion Alert June 2022
ND Mt Lion Alert 2022
2021 Cougar Management alerts
======= 2021 ALERTS/UPDATES – 2021 WAS THE LAST YEAR SOUTH DAKOTA CHANGED IT’S COUGAR HUNTING RULE
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Here is a video of 2021 PHAS meeting on this topic:
Future action to protect mountain lions in SD will be to contact federal and state land management agencies and ask them to prohibit hound hunting of mountain lions on their properties. Also to contact tribes
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UPDATE – RESULTS OF THE 2021 SEPTEMBER COMMISSION MEETING
Update, in Sept 2021, the SDGFP Commission passed both proposed rules on mountain lions with no changes from proposals. The Commission passed the rule on spring turkey with no changes from proposal. The only rule to which there was a change, was on blow guns used for fishing; they decided not to allow blow guns for fishing. (There is another petition for rule making on blow guns for consideration 5/4/23)Future action to protect mountain lions will be to contact federal and state land management agencies and ask them to prohibit hound hunting of mountain lions on their properties. Please watch for updates on that future campaign
SD MOUNTAIN LION ALERT SD Fall 2021 – OLD (you can see our objections to 2021 season)
Wednesday September 1st (afternoon) 2021 – Thursday September 2nd (morning) was a past SD Game, Fish & Parks Commission Meeting in Rapid City at Outdoor Campus West with virtual & teleconference options
As the proposed rule was adopted, you need to go to SD Administrative Rules list for mountain lions to see the rule as amended in 2021: https://sdlegislature.gov/Rules/Administrative/29319
2021 Alert On Mountain Lion Seasons Rule Changes (these rules were adopted)
Here is a link to the letter that Prairie Hills Audubon Society submitted to SD GFP:
https://www.scribd.com/document/522625630/Mountain-Lion-Comment-LetterF?secret_password=EUwQZb1IK9yVyf3B5FY5
If you go to these two links you can see what other individuals and NGOs – such as HSUS, MLF, Cougar Fund, SD-FACT wrote. The long formal letters are at the end of the PDF files, the shorter letters at the beginning. :
In 2021, we suggested folks oppose both proposed rules changes for mountain lion hunting. But they passed.
SD Mt. lion hunting is divided into the Black Hills Fire Protection District and every where else (Prairie unit). In the Prairie Unit there is 365 day hunting with no harvest limit and hound hunting was allowed on private land (with land owner/lessor permission) and moving from private land to BLM and State School Lands. Hound hunting was allowed in Custer State Park in two week time segments alternating with two weeks of “boot hunting” (boot = no hounds used). The first two week session was given to hound hunting and thus for many years the boot hunters are out-competed and have not gotten any lions.The hunting season on the Black Hills Unit is too aggressive and will result in decreasing populations, perhaps dropping below the population below the population goals that SDGFP wants. We suggest at least lowering the female lion harvest limit in the Black Hills unit.
We suggested people object to hound hunting of lions, which occurs on Custer State Park (a sub-set of Black Hills unit) and in the Prairie unit. You could have objected due to 1. animal cruelty to both dogs and lions, 2. not fair chase, 3. provides huge advantage of success for hound hunters vs boot hunters 4. creates trespass risk, 5. disturbs non-target wildlife, livestock and other human users. However they made a specific change to increase hound hunting..by increasing the area of public land in the Prairie Unit where hound hunters can travel from private land to hunt on public land, to include all of public lands unless public land manager specifically objects. Previously public land hound hunting in the Prairie unit was limited to expanding onto BLM and State School lands. . You could have objected specifically to that proposed increase in hound hunting area on the Prairie Unit.
We suggested allowing the boot hunters the first two week session in Custer State Park, for sake of boot hunters, lions & dogs.
Written comments (2021) were to be submitted at https://gfp.sd.gov/forms/positions/ or at https://rules.sd.gov/Comments.aspx?Id=669
The rule change to allow hound hunting on the prairie unit on public land unless the land management agency specifically objects passed the Commission. We thus need to contact public land managers and ask them to object to hound hunting of lions on their property.
UPDATE ON LIONS – This bill was killed in committee (dead). 2022 SD Legislature had HB 1296 – would have treated cougars (which by statute are a big game species in SD ) as if they were a “predator/varmint” in the prairie unit and allow hunting without a license 365 days of a year. This would have taken away from the GFP Commission the option to reduce the days in the hunting season for the prairie. Cougar advocates wanting to reduce prairie unit hunting from year round would have to go lobby the legislature. Folks would not pay the license fee, which is $28 dollars .
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HOW TO COMMENT TO SD GFP Commission
You can testify orally at the Commission meetings, during the hearing or open forum. Meetings are hybrid, thus remote testifying allowed.