Washington
Cougars are classified as big game in the state of Washington. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, populations in the western portions of the state are stable, while populations in the east are declining. In 2008, WDFW estimated that there were between 2,000 and 2,500 cougars in the state.
On March 13, 2008, Washington House Bill 2438 was signed allowing a cougar pursuit/kill season with dogs to continue for 3 additional years, for a total of 7 years as part of a continuing pilot program. Currently, hounds are prohibited statewide except for management removals conducted by the Department.
In 2010, researchers in Washington published an extensive report on outreach and education regarding cougars. This progressive document had a number of significant findings, including:
- the importance of dialogue about coexistence with cougars
- the need for fair, timely, and coordinated response to cougar incidents
- people value cougars and are often misinformed about their ecology and behavior
- people want information about cougars and hold themselves responsible for reducing encounters with the animals
Researchers in Washington continue to investigate topics including population size, survival, and change in predation events. Some of the best available science regarding cougar management (particularly the relationship between sport hunting of predators and livestock conflicts) is coming out of the state.
Current advocacy opportunities:
Check our Policy Watch page for updates.
Past advocacy opportunities:
https://www.cougarfund.org/washington-comments-needed-by-21815/
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Senators
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Maria Cantwell (D)
311 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-3441
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Patty Murray (D)
154 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-2621
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Congressmen
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Adam Smith (D)
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Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R)
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Dave Reichert (R)
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Denny Heck (D)
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Derek Kilmer (D)
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Cougars may be pursued from September 1 through March 31. Hounds are prohibited.
In 2013-2014, hunters killed 139 cats, 78 of which were female.
For the 2014-2015 season, a statewide quota of 277 has been set. In recent years, quotas have continued to increase even though hunter harvest remains fairly low.
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Woman encounters (and safely reacts to) cougar on trail near Spokane
• The Cougar FundA woman who encountered a cougar at close distance on a Spokane area trail - and reacted extremely appropriately - recalls the event.
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Support Grand Teton National Park’s Preferred Alternative for Moose-Wilson
• The Cougar Fund -
Urge Governor Inslee to reverse the undemocratic and arbitrary cougar-quota decision
• The Cougar Fund -
Cougar sighting in Snohomish, WA
• The Cougar Fund -
Washington hound hunting bill dies in Senate
• The Cougar Fund -
Biologists In Washington State really care about wildlife.
• The Cougar Fund -
Working WITH nature to protect it.
• The Cougar Fund -
Comments on WDFW Rule change to extend cougar season and double black bear hunting quotas
• The Cougar FundThe Cougar Fund submitted comments on a proposed WDFW Rule change that would have grave implications for cougars and black bears
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Washington – Comments Needed by 2/18/15
• The Cougar Fund -
More common sense and SCIENCE from University of Washington
• The Cougar Fund"In predator-human conflicts, the thing we have to fear most is fear itself"
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Let’s hope the new Director leaves Idaho’s record on wolves behind him
• The Cougar FundWashington officials have documented at least 52 wolves in the state, and believe the population is on the rise
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As the new Director of Washington Department of Fish and WIldlife, Unsworth has an opportunity to be visionary, but will he bring Idaho’s miserable record with him?
• The Cougar FundWashington State's decision to hire the former deputy director of Idaho Fish & Game has raised some eyebrows given Idaho's track record on wolves.
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This from a livestock grower! “My opinion is that I want to coexist with the wolves, I want to believe there is room for all of us out there,” Kayser said.
• The Cougar FundSome Washington state ranchers, in coordination with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, are learning to coexist with gray wolves.
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Comment on Washington SB 6287
• The Cougar FundThe Cougar Fund wrote to Washington state senators requesting that they reject SB 6287, a bill that would have liberalized the use of hounds in response to "depredations."
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It is always encouraging when decision makers respond positively to our appeals.
• The Cougar Fund Thank you Governor Inslee for listening to the plea of a loose coalition of advocates. You have made a decision that inspires respect for you, and in turn, respect for the process of the great state your represent. We hope that future season setting will be based upon the sound science that flows from your Academic Institutions and from you very own Biological Field Staff. -
Proceedings of the 11th Mountain Lion Workshop
• The Cougar FundProceedings of the 11th Mountain Lion Workshop
Integrating Scientific Findings into Management
Hunter Conference Center, Southern Utah University
Cedar City, Utah
May 12‐15, 2014 -
Effects of Remedial Sport Hunting on Cougar Complaints and Livestock Depredations
• The Cougar FundPeebles et al. (2013)
Abstract: "Remedial sport hunting of predators is often used to reduce predator populations and associated complaints and livestock depredations. We assessed the effects of remedial sport hunting on reducing cougar complaints and livestock depredations in Washington from 2005 to 2010 (6 years). The number of complaints, livestock depredations, cougars harvested, estimated cougar populations, human population and livestock populations were calculated for all 39 counties and 136 GMUs (game management units) in Washington. The data was then analyzed using a negative binomial generalized linear model to test for the expected negative relationship between the number of complaints and depredations in the current year with the number of cougars harvested the previous year. As expected, we found that complaints and depredations were positively associated with human population, livestock population, and cougar population. However, contrary to expectations we found that complaints and depredations were most strongly associated with cougars harvested the previous year. The odds of increased complaints and livestock depredations increased dramatically (36 to 240%) with increased cougar harvest. We suggest that increased young male immigration, social disruption of cougar populations, and associated changes in space use by cougars - caused by increased hunting resulted in the increased complaints and livestock depredations. Widespread indiscriminate hunting does not appear to be an effective preventative and remedial method for reducing predator complaints and livestock depredations."
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Integrating Values and Ethics into Wildlife Policy and Management—Lessons from North America
• The Cougar FundFox and Bekoff (2011)
Abstract: Few animals provoke as wide a range of emotions as wolves. Some see wolves as icons of a lost wilderness; others see them as intruders. As the battle continues between wolf proponents and opponents, finding solutions that resolve conflicts while supporting the integrity of nature is challenging. In this essay we argue that we need to make room for wolves and other native carnivores who are re-colonizing areas from which they were extirpated. Strategies that foster coexistence are necessary and wildlife agencies must consider all stakeholders and invest adequate resources to inform the public about how to mitigate conflicts between people/domestic animals, and predators. Values and ethics must be woven into wildlife policy and management and we must be willing to ask difficult ethical questions and learn from past mistakes.
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Cougar Prey Selection in a White-Tailed Deer and Mule Deer Community
• The Cougar FundCooley at al. (2010)
Widespread mule deer (Odocoilus hemionous) declines coupled with white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) increases prompted us to investigate the role of cougar (Puma concolor) predation in a white-tailed deer, mule deer, and cougar community in northeast Washington, USA. We hypothesized that cougars select for and disproportionately prey on mule deer in such multiple-prey communities. We estimated relative annual and seasonal prey abundance (prey availability) and documented 60 cougar kills (prey usage) from 2002 to 2004. White-tailed deer and mule deer comprised 72% and 28% of the total large prey population and 60% and 40% of the total large prey killed, respectively. Cougars selected for mule deer on an annual basis (amd 1⁄4 0.63 vs. awt 1⁄4 0.37; P 1⁄4 0.066). We also detected strong seasonal selection for mule deer with cougars killing more mule deer in summer (amd 1⁄4 0.64) but not in winter (amd 1⁄4 0.53). Cougars showed no seasonal selection for white-tailed deer despite their higher relative abundance. The mean annual kill interval of 6.68 days between kills varied little by season (winter 1⁄4 7.0 days/kill, summer 1⁄4 6.6 days/kill; P 1⁄4 0.78) or prey species (white-tailed deer 1⁄4 7.0 days/kill, mule deer 1⁄4 6.1 days/kill; P 1⁄4 0.58). Kill locations for both prey species occurred at higher elevations during summer months (summer 1⁄4 1,090 m, winter 1⁄4 908 m; P 1⁄4 0.066). We suspect that cougars are primarily subsisting on abundant white-tailed deer during winter but following these deer to higher elevations as they migrate to their summer ranges, resulting in a greater spatial overlap between cougars and mule deer and disproportionate predation on mule deer.
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Sink Populations in Carnivore Management: Cougar Demography and Immigration in a Hunted Population
• The Cougar FundRobinson et al. (2008)
Abstract: Carnivores are widely hunted for both sport and population control, especially where they conflict with human interests. It is widely believed that sport hunting is effective in reducing carnivore populations and related human–carnivore conflicts, while maintaining viable populations. However, the way in which carnivore populations respond to harvest can vary greatly depending on their social structure, reproductive strategies, and dispersal patterns. For example, hunted cougar (Puma concolor) populations have shown a great degree of resiliency. Although hunting cougars on a broad geographic scale (.2000 km2) has reduced densities, hunting of smaller areas (i.e., game management units, ,1000 km2), could conceivably fail because of increased immigration from adjacent source areas. We monitored a heavily hunted population from 2001 to 2006 to test for the effects of hunting at a small scale (,1000 km2) and to gauge whether population control was achieved...
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Cougar Population Dynamics and Viability in the Pacific Northwest
• The Cougar FundLambert et al. (2006)
Abstract: Increasing reports of human/cougar conflicts may suggest that cougars are increasing in the Pacific Northwest. We determined minimum relative densities and average fecundity, survival, and growth rate of an apparently increasing cougar population in northeastern Washington, USA; northern Idaho, USA; and southern British Columbia, Canada, from 1998 to 2003. Minimum relative densities declined from 1.47 cougars/ 100 km2 to 0.85 cougars/100 km2. We estimated average litter size at 2.53 kittens, interbirth interval at 18 months, proportion of reproductively successful females at 75%, and age at first parturition at 18 months for a maternity rate of 1.27 kittens/adult female/yr. Average survival rate for all radiocollared cougars was 59%: 77% for adult females, 33% for adult males, 34% for yearlings, and 57% for kittens. Hunting accounted for 92% of mortalities of radiocollared cougars. The annual stochastic growth rate of this population was k 1⁄4 0.80 (95% CI 1⁄4 0.11). Contrary to accepted belief, our findings suggest that cougars in the Pacific Northwest are currently declining. Increased conflicts between cougars and humans in this area could be the result of the 1) very young age structure of the population caused by heavy hunting, 2) increased human intrusion into cougar habitat, 3) low level of social acceptance of cougars in the area, or 4) habituation of cougars to humans. To help preserve this population, we recommend reduced levels of exploitation, particularly for adult females, continuous monitoring, and collaborative efforts of managers from adjacent states and provinces.