Cougar Town Hall Meeting July 8 Hollister

[Peter Meyer]

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors is holding a town hall meeting to discuss the cougar problem. The meeting is July 8, 1:30 p.m. at the Board of Supervisors Chambers 481 4th St. Hollister. In attendance will be Senator Denham, Assemblywoman Caballero, DFG, California Deer Assoc., USDA Wildlife Services, and ME! Hopefully you!
The Board recently sent DFG a letter requesting a state wide cougar count. These people are on our side and we should have the home field advantage. After what I went through at the commission meeting the other day it will be nice to put them in their place only with a little more class. There is a a good chance that the Mountain Lion Foundation will show up to protest the board's actions. Boys, I wouldn't want to miss this one! -Pete Meyer

[livetohunt]

Wish I could make it to that one sounds like a good one to be at. Does anyone know if the CHC will be there?

[Shorty]

Good luck to ya'll, wish I could come as well. Let us know how it goes. The big horn sheep, elk and deer hunters should be there with their complaints too. I know the populations are all down out there. I might have to come visit my home country if you get something done. LOL!!! Me and everyone else I guess huh. Anyhow good luck!

[livetohunt]

Pete, One good tool to have and tell there would be the cost to have the Lions kept in check now, VS the money made when we could buy tags. With the state the way they are right now with money it might help. I have hear lots of numbers about Lions here but none are facts.

[wyatte]

Just the numbers that F&G est. that there are 4,000 to 6,000 lions in the state and that they est. that each will kill 1 to 2 dear per week with a est. number of 390,000 deer per year (5000 lions X 1.5 deer x 52 weeks = 390,000 PER YEAR ) should be enough to open there eyes just a little bit.

[livetohunt]

Thats 7500 Deer per week and 390,00 per year but we know what you ment....

[livetohunt]

I was talking more about the cost to have the state fund Lion control VS money made if we could buy tags. With the state as bad off as they are they are trying to find ways to make money now.

[Plott Proud]

There's NO DOUBT guys, that every one of us would love to be able to run the long tails here in CA.
Bottom line is by losing the hunting of said animal by the means of a State-wide Ballot Initiative as was done, THE ONLY WAY to get it back is by getting the 4/5 of the vote on another state-wide ballot iniative to overturn it.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ODDS OF THAT HAPPENING ARE?????

[wyatte]

Irv your write,
but the more people we have that understand that wild life needs to be managed the better off we will be, so what would it hurt to leased try and inform anybody that will listen to the facts.

Is anybody from CHC going to attend?

[wyatte]

Hey Pete how did it go?

Dale

[BlueJohn]

What's needed in CA and every other state is a state constitutional amendment declaring that wildlife management is the business of the fish and game professionals, and is not subject to ballot initiatives. That's the only way this stuff is going to get stopped, and if written properly it would roll back the current statutes by giving the game management departments the authority to do so. But it has to be a state constitutional amendment.