Court of Appeals hears challenge to HB 469 that loosened limits on cougar hunting

Appellants the Mountain Lion Foundation and Western Wildlife Conservancy argued before a Utah Court of Appeals panel that 2023’s House Bill 469 (HB 469) unconstitutionally removed regulatory protections for cougars by stripping references to the species from the wildlife code and prompting the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to repeal related rules.

Jessica Bloom, counsel for the appellants, told the court the 2020 Utah constitutional amendment creating a right to hunt and fish (Article I, Section 30) imposes conservation and wildlife-management obligations on the state. “In 2020, voters amended the Utah Constitution to establish a right to hunt and fish for present and future generations,” Bloom said, arguing that subsection 2 requires laws and rules affecting the right to “promote wildlife conservation and management” and “preserve the future of hunting and fishing.” She asked the court to…