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There is no sport-hunting season for Cougars in the state of California. In 1990 cougars were legally classified as a "specially protected mammal" by the passage of a voter initiative (Proposition 117). Prior to that initiative, from 1987-1990, cougars were classified as "game mammals," although no hunting season was conducted during that time.

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While more than 90,000 square miles of cougar habitat seems sufficient in California, an increasing number of the state's large suitable habitat is fragmented by the frenzied pace of development. As a result, public attitudes regarding cougars continue to shift depending on how local news organizations portray this wide-ranging, secretive carnivore.

Cougars may only be killed if a depredation permit is issued after sight verification and with a request from the landowner. The number of depredation permits had dropped off, but increased again in 2007. The number of public safety threats posed by cougars was very low and incidents have fallen. Officials state that an informed public was the most effective solution to combating the fear of a cougar encounter.