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Utah DWR outlines controlled cougar-reduction study; public raises safety and process concerns
Summary
At an informational meeting in Vernal, DWR staff described a BYU-partnered study that will reduce cougar numbers on selected units to test effects on mule deer survival; the proposal drew strong public concern about snares, hounds, pelts and lack of prior public design input.
Darren Du Bois of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources told the Northeast Regional Advisory Council onstage in Vernal that the division will run a controlled, paired-unit study to test whether prescribed reductions in cougar numbers can improve mule deer survival. The three-year field phase will rely on GPS-collared deer and cause-specific mortality investigation, followed by two years of analysis.
The division chose units where adult-doe mortality attributed to cougars already appears high — DWR staff said the working threshold was roughly 7% adult-doe mortality in affected units — and will pair treatment units with…
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