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Division says cougar population trending down, outlines 3-year experimental predator removals in six units
Summary
Division staff told the Central Region RAC the statewide cougar population is trending downward, driven in part by a >40% female harvest rate; staff described a proposed three-year experiment to reduce cougars in six units to test whether predator removal helps deer recover.
Chad Wilson, a division presenter, told the Central Region Regional Advisory Council that cougar population trend analysis shows a recent decline and that sustained female-heavy harvests (above about 40%) are consistent with a contracting population. He cautioned that cougars are difficult to count precisely and that the division relies on population reconstruction methods and trends rather than single-year totals.
During question-and-answer, RAC members pressed for estimated population size,…
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