SD lions as varmints bill

[Emily]

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/article ... 656046.txt

Wandering mountain lions could be killed
By Joe Kafka, The Associated Press Tuesday, February 05, 2008
62 comment(s)

Marauding mountain lions may be designated as predators in South Dakota, allowing people with varmint licenses to shoot them.
Legislation sent to the House floor on an 11-1 vote Tuesday would classify the big cats as varmints if they wander outside of the Black Hills Fire Protection District.

It is just a matter of time before someone is mauled or killed by a lion in South Dakota, said Rep. Betty Olson, R-Prairie City. She told the House Agriculture Committee that the cats have been spotted all across the state in recent years.

Olson told of an evening last summer when she and a young granddaughter were walking about a mile from the family's ranch house and came across a freshly killed deer. It was getting dark, and she sensed that a mountain lion was lurking in the shadows.

"That was the longest mile I've ever walked," Olson said.

"Before somebody is killed out here, I would like the right to shoot one if I see one," she said.

Lions can be hunted statewide by licensed hunters during the fall season established by the Game, Fish & Parks Department, but most of those killed are found in the Black Hills.

Tony Leif, state wildlife director, opposed the bill. He said the department willingly gives permits to shoot the big cats out of season if someone encounters them or livestock are at risk. If someone is being threatened by a mountain lion and kills it, they will not be prosecuted, Leif said.

"We don't want to second guess how an individual feels when he encounters a mountain lion," Leif said.

The department uses biological data to manage mountain lions in the Black Hills but not in the rest of the state, he said. The Black Hills area has an estimated lion population of 200 to 250, Leif said.

Some lions leave the Black Hills in the quest for mates or to look for new territory, he said. Those animals are a "unique and fascinating resource" and should not be classified as varmints, Leif said.

Rep. Thomas Brunner, R-Nisland, said he believes there are many more mountain lions than the GF&P estimate, and their population in the rest of the state is exploding. Those animals pose a risk to both people and livestock, he said.

Olson said two of her neighbors were stalked by mountain lions, and something must be done because they are spreading across the state.

"It makes me just a tad nervous," she said. "They are very large, very dangerous predators."

HB1171 would let both residents and nonresidents hunt lions outside of the Black Hills Fire Protection District at any time. Hunters who shoot those lions would have to promptly report their kills to the Game, Fish & Parks Department.

The fall hunting season has been limited to South Dakota residents.

[Sammy]

I think its a great idea, that way maybe we can run them with hounds.

[uncle Brisco]

yea i hope so,but i wont hold my breath

[Sammy]

a guy can always hope...