Reintroduce Mountain Lions in the Northeast?

[Trr15]

Having been born and raised in the heart of PA whitetail country, I am not a fan of this proposal...
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/08/10/got-deer-cougars-could-help-control-herds-study-says.html

 

[elkbowkevin]

Yup, sure they will! They helped out deer numbers so much here in oregon after the voters outlawed hounding and bear baiting in 96 that we now have the lowest deer populations in alot of eastern oregon deer herds. They are even hitting on the bighorn sheep in some units. Documented cat killed sheep in several units out east.
cougar numbers have gone up over 100% since then according to the "ODFW population models". They realy dont know how many there are, only a guess.
We can now hunt them year round, 2 tags a year. Still not putting a dent in the numbers.

 

[HOT ROD]

I think they are all ready there. Before I moved to Wy. I heard reports of people see in them. I called bull shit. A relative saw one. I was like come on. He says no bull. He is a straight shooter. Long time family friend saw one. I believe him to. All the other reports were a friend of a friend.

 

[elkyinzer]

They won't introduce them here, it would never fly. Different kind of libs out here than the nature lovers of CA, WA and OR that think they are all god's gift to biology. Too close to home where their beloved rescue dogs could get snatched up, better to keep that stuff out in the wild western frontier, as liberals think of the mountain states.

Now, the mountain lions will eventually make their way here again naturally, which I am ok with. Could be 20 years or 200, but it will happen as they spread across the great lake into Ontario, then South into the Adirondacks.

 

[camping1601]

The only places in PA they can't control the deer numbers are the suburban corners of the state where there's so many house so close together no one can hunt there. The rest of the state numbers are easily controlled by tag allocation.

But then there's the problem of hunters complaining there's not enough deer and that reducing tag allocation. so??

 

[Brendan]

I think they should reintroduce them to Boston Common and Central Park. Survival of the fittest...

I personally know people who have spotted them in PA and NH. And, hunters who know the difference between a Mountain Lion and a bobcat... Probably isolated wanderers, but they do show up.

 

[Trr15]

The only places in PA they can't control the deer numbers are the suburban corners of the state where there's so many house so close together no one can hunt there. The rest of the state numbers are easily controlled by tag allocation.

But then there's the problem of hunters complaining there's not enough deer and that reducing tag allocation. so??

I agree. Hunter management is an incredibly effective way to manage the deer herd in 80% of the state. Just look at the change to antler restrictions that took place 10 or so years ago. The entire composition of the deer herd and buck to doe ratio is totally different than it was when I was a kid. The quality of the bucks has improved dramatically as well (at least from my perspective). Unfortunately, in many circles, hunter management is seen as an inhumane way to manage the herd and doesn't get the credit it deserves. Ridiculous...

 

[elkbowkevin]

Trr15, Yup there is a HUGE difference in liberal wildlife mgmt theory, and actual wildlife biology.

 

[jspradley]

Humans need a predator....I'm OK with it.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Murdy]

We've had 3 or 4 confirmed mountain lion kills in Illinois in the last 10 years or so--vehicle accidents mostly, I think, but one was shot by police in a Chicago suburb--and quite a few unconfirmed sightings. When they get a carcass, they DNA test it and it inevitably shows they dispersed from the Black Hill area.

(2 or 3 confirmed wolves too)

 

[mrgreen]

I've read a local article addressing this. I noticed some interesting points (read strange). Laura Prugh, an author of the study seems to advocate introducing cougars even into NJ. Despite her own estimate that only 2% of the densely crowded state could support them.

Both the NJ Sierra Club and the NJ DEP seem strongly against the idea.

"To put a cougar into those residential areas ... makes absolutely no sense," said Larry Hajna, a spokesperson for the state's Department for Environmental Protection."

"Can you imagine the backlash if we were to say by the way we want to introduce a predator that hasn't been in New Jersey for a couple hundred years into your backyard?" said Hajna. "How do you feel about that?"

-Because deer are often near residential areas, Tittel (Jeff Tittel president of NJ Sierra Club) said that's where cougars would need to be too. If brought in, they'd be at the top of the food chain.

"They're predators and mediators, and they might also go after a fluffier labradoodle, so that's a concern as well," he said.

If other states have the same reaction, it makes me wonder, Who's bright idea was this study? Is Fed grant research money that easy to get?

 

[mfolch]

I hunt in some pretty remote areas of the Adirondacks in NY and they're already here. The rangers claim that they're not, but every year we find scat and prints, and my hunting partner had a run-in with one early one morning. I've read reports of male mountain lions migrating east to find new territory. Perhaps that's what's been leaving the sign everywhere. But I wonder how long before a more robust population takes hold.

 

[mrgreen]

In June of 2011 a mountain lion was found dead (road kill, I believe) in Connecticut. State biologist determined it was wild, 3 year old male. Traveled from S. Dakota. There have been more claimed sightings since, I wouldn't doubt there are some in the Adirondacks

 

[Curvebow]

I live in NYS and hunt both the Southern zone (lots of agriculture) and the Northern zone (Adirondacks). I am not in favor of reintroducing mountain lions. There is even talk now & then of wolf reintroduction.

The Southern zone is much more populated and has much higher deer densities that the Adirondacks proper. There is a loot of room for conflict with both rural & urban folks with lions or wolves.

The Adirondacks, being about a 50/50 mix of public & private;and, is also mostly forested. The State owned tracts are not logged at all, thus having some "new-old growth" as the ADKs were largely all logged of during the early 1900's. Deer density here is low, at 1 - 2 deer/square mile. Winter here can wreak havoc with the herd and controls the population much more than hunter harvest. There is not much extra in terms of herd numbers to feed lions or wolves. Also, reintroducing gray wolves would be a misstatement as they were never natural to NYS. Rather, the red wolf, as present in Canadian provinces North of NYS were once here.