Local houndsmen petition for state "hound hunter" permit; committee recommends referral to wildlife commission

Cody Knight, a petitioner and longtime houndsman, asked the county advisory committee to forward a proposal to the state commission to create a hound-hunter permit and related restrictions on nonresident pursuit with dogs.

Knight told the committee the permit would create “non resident zones,” require anyone handling dogs while pursuing mountain lion, bear or bobcat to hold a permit, and include harvest and pursuit reporting so biologists would have better data. He proposed mirroring Idaho’s timing for the permit and season, and suggested an over-the-counter resident permit fee of about $30 along with limits on nonresident access; he said the group initially discussed issuing about 40 nonresident permits and estimates that would generate roughly $20,000 in permit revenue.

The proposal drew multiple supporters from the…