BigGameHoundsmen.com

Hey all you Idaho lion hunters! I had an idea that might be a good one, but I need some input. I tend to believe all my ideas are good, so give me some constructive criticism here. Theres been lots of talk on this forum about quota's, seasons, population objectives, ect. I think most of us feel that the female quota's in Idaho are too high in most areas. I thought that maybe instead of bitching about it we could take some ideas to the Fish and Game to challenge their comfort level with the current quota's. If they feel that the zones and units can withstand the female harvest that is set forth to us in the regulations, then why not leave the season open until the quota has been filled? Instead of starting in late November and running to March 31st (in most areas), it could be a 12-month rolling season that started January 1st and ran till the quota is filled. Could end in February or might go all year. If we continued our tradition of mostly pusuit and very little harvest this would not only lengthen the season, but also give us the opportunity to run lions on dry ground. I realize that there are many, many potential pitfalls within this idea, but I want to know what everyone thinks. I know I'd love to someday brag about my Idaho "dry ground" lion dogs(s), so let me know what your thoughts are.

bay em up
I have talked till i am blue in the face with the fish and game. Until they complete there mule deer initiative program they will not evan think about managing moutain lions. The biologists know what they need to do but its not them you need to talk to its the commissioners that make the final decisions.

That's exactly why I think the idea might get some attention with the commissioners. They won't have to change quota's, rules. ect. Just change some language in the reg's. From what I've heard, the mule deer initiative seeks to improve habitat and reduce predator poulations to achieve an end goal of stronger muley populations. Some of the ranchers in my area have been instrumental in helping with the mule deer initiative, and those men let me hunt lions on their ranches as much as I like. I don't want to badmouth the initiative because i think it's well intentioned, it's just taking longer than anyone planned. Having a healthy mule deer poulation is going to directly affect our lions in a good way. I don't know that an idea like this has ever been proposed to the F&G since the lions were taken off the predator list.The only thing that scares me is that we do have a certain percentage of our houndsmen that kill anything that climbs (like every other state) and this idea could lead to overharvest. I've treed more than 100 lions in Idaho and surrounding states and have never killed one. If my mutts do tree a huge one (180-200lbs) I would think long and hard before letting it go, but those opportunities are rare. I just want the chance to do dry ground. I think the quality of the hounds avialible locally would get better if we could chase most of the year.

bay emup
I know exactly what your saying. i would like nothing more than to go out and try the dry ground hunting technique, but the question of the day is do we dare rely on other houndsmen to take it upon themselves to manage the population? meaning not killing everything they put up. After what i have seen over 15 years of hunting with hounds i would dare say HELL NO!!!!!! there are way to many trigger happy guys out there to even think of doing this. Just so you know over that time i have been on one lion kill,140 pound tom. Thats my two cents.

Final step- thanks for your input. After some thought I agree 100% with you. Most lion hunters that I have encountered over the years are way too trigger happy. I had one gentlemen tell me in explanation for shooting a 60lb female that "if it climbs it dies." SAD. What about a year round pursuit season? A year-round pursuit season would eliminate the over-harvest issue, yet still allow us to try catching lions under less-than-favorable circumstances. I've run dry ground lions in Utah and Arizona, and it is fun as hell. Riding horses for miles and miles, sometimes for days, until you catch a lion is much more rewarding than finding a track on a snowmachine, turning out, treeing in a few hours and being home for a late breakfast. Not to say that other people don't enjoy snow hunting, but I think more than a few of us seasoned Idaho lion hunters would wecome the chance to try something new and challenging. If you're from the southeast part of Idaho you would probably enjoy a summer pursuit season just because you wouldn't have to deal with the crowds once the hunting got tough when the snow is gone.

you do realize cougar season opens Aug. 30 in Idaho dont you? I start hunting then and it dont close till the rifle deer or elk season opens in your area. then it reopens after the deer or elk closes some time in nov. or dec. depending where in the state you are.

In talking with the head of enforcement for Idaho Fish and Game, dogs are prohibited until the regulation denotes that the dogs are allowed i.e- Nov. 15th to Dec. 1st in most areas, some a bit earlier. The August 30th opener is for spot-and-stalk or incidental sightings- not for hounds. Check the regs for your area or call your local F&G office and they will be more than happy to clarify, just don't tell them what you told everyone on this site.

bay'emup wrote:In talking with the head of enforcement for Idaho Fish and Game, dogs are prohibited until the regulation denotes that the dogs are allowed i.e- Nov. 15th to Dec. 1st in most areas, some a bit earlier. The August 30th opener is for spot-and-stalk or incidental sightings- not for hounds. Check the regs for your area or call your local F&G office and they will be more than happy to clarify, just don't tell them what you told everyone on this site.

never take the word of anybody including the head of enforcement for fifh and game , read your regulations and that is what you go by period. Also cary them with you because you may have to prove it to the enforcement. There are way more units that you can run dogs in early on than not. I can tell you this because I have the regulations in front of me. However some of the units that you cant run dogs on right now are the ones that I think would be more interesting to give dry ground a try.

good hunting!!