Pilot Cougar Control Program: 2008 Legislative Report

Substitute Senate Bill (SSB) 6118 authorized a 3-year pilot program to pursue or kill cougar with the aid of dogs in five counties of northeastern Washington (i.e., Chelan, Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, and Pend O’reille counties). The primary goals of the pilot program were three fold: 1) to enhance public safety, 2) to enhance protection of livestock and pets, and 3) to assess cougar populations. In response to the legislation, the Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted WAC 232-28-285 â€" Pilot cougar hunting seasons with the aid of dogs.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) administered the pilot cougar program for three years: from the 2004-05 winter through the 2006-07 winter. During the three years, 241 cougars were killed, of which about 64% were killed with the aid of dogs. During the same period, the number of human-cougar complaints (including pet and livestock depredation) declined from 119 to 89 over the five counties, whereas the number of complaints increased from 203 to 286 in the remaining portion of the state. However, from a statewide perspective, complaints have declined dramatically (~60%) since 2000. Two research teams from WDFW and Washington State University (WSU) investigated the population impacts of cougar hunting. Research findings suggest cougar populations in the five counties have been heavily hunted and harvested and now occur at relatively low densities. However, we were not able to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between cougar population reductions and reduced human-cougar conflict.

The pilot program provided evidence that the use of dogs to hunt cougar can be an effective and flexible tool for addressing management objectives like limiting female harvest, total harvest, and reducing population size. Given the results of the pilot program, the Department believes the use of dogs is critical for an effective cougar management program and recommends that the use of dogs be allowed in specific geographic areas as identified by rule of the Fish and Wildlife Commission.