South Dakota Mountain Lion Public Opinion Poll

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Mountain Lion Management in South Dakota Appendix C Larry M. Gigliotti Comments from Public Meetings 71. If the population needs to come down – depredation tags are a good idea. Don’t agree with hunting season. Should not be unlimited tags. Suggest if needed targeted hunts with people who know how to sex cats. You need more substantial facts and figures. Maybe you need to look at Montana’s program. 72. Nonresidents should not be able to hunt. Do need a limited dog hunt. Why not statewide. The price is too low. This would bring too many hunting, just try to kill and not hunt. 73. We do need a hunting season to run in conjunction with Wyoming’s season. I hope it would be a lottery system for South Dakota resident hunters only – same as elk! Whether some people like it or not, there is only so much habitat. Where they are hunted in Wyoming, they need to be managed for a good healthy population and to instill some fear of man in them or respect of man. Thank you for this meeting! 74. I don’t mind lion season. However, I want a healthy lion population to remain in the Black Hills. If the state does decide to use dogs, then there should be a limit to the number of licenses given out. I would hope that the hunting season is not a yearly thing, but only used when needed because of the high numbers. Half hounds, half not sounds good or no hounds. 75. Since we have an abundance of mountain lions in South Dakota, has anyone researched the possibility of relocating the excess number of cats to another area? Perhaps another state or even Canada/Mexico would want to raise a declining population or reintroduce the cats into an area where they once lived, but no longer exist. Since you are already trapping cats to put a tracking collar on them, then relocate them. Having a hunting season on the cats with a limit of 20 kills isn't acceptable for the following reasons: • Relying on the hunter’s honesty in reporting kills and checking daily to see how many have been taken. There are too many hunters who aren’t that honest. • Cats aren’t encroaching on people’s territory’ rather people have encroached into the cat’s territory. If people aren’t prepared to adapt to living with the cats, they shouldn’t move into the cat’s territory. • Hunters aren’t going to eat the cats like hunters eat deer, elk, turkeys, etc. The only thing they’re going to do is throw them away or mount them for a trophy. To us that’s NOT being a sportsman. If you’re not going to eat what you hunt, such as a beautiful animal like the mountain ion, then DON”T hunt it! 40
Mountain Lion Management in South Dakota Appendix C Larry M. Gigliotti Comments from Public Meetings • As a firm believer in preserving our wildlife, we don’t believe in killing animals or destroying their habitat because they are a “problem” for a few people. 76. I believe the increase in lion sightings is due to humans invading the lion habitat. A season, to me, would not necessarily help the problems. We are diminishing their habitat. If you live in lion country, then be prepared to deal with it. Be cautious with your pets and livestock. It should be a selective hunt if you have a season. 77. I think that we should have a split lion season in the Black Hills – 10 tags for hunting with dogs ($100), and 10 tags in general ($10). I also think that outside the Black Hills that landowners should have the right to shoot lions that are around livestock and/or buildings. No license needed – no fines. We should have trapping season for lions on the prairie with no limit. 78. I believe that lions should stay around because they have a purpose just like you and me. When they are gone, they are gone, but that is not up to us to decide when they are gone. Let these magnificent animals stay where God put them. We are the ones that have invaded on their territory. If anything else, they are the ones who own this land and we do not have the right to terminate these animals. 79. Legislate to fine people who continue to feed wildlife after a sighting in their area. Since we don’t know what impact a hunting season will have, we should start with a smaller quota. Although, personally I feel we should only be killing problem cats. This issue should be studied further before we go at hunting to this extent. When females are killed we create more young “problem” cats that haven’t been thoroughly trained to hunt naturally. Sounds like a vicious cycle. We also need to be stressing education by starting with grade school children on how to live safely with and appreciate our wildlife. 80. Dispersal is key to the management plan, in and out of the Black Hills. This includes the increase of mountain lion and human populations. A trial hunting season may be useful, with or without dogs. Given the results analyzed, trapping may be more selective. (Need a pursuit season ultimately). First and foremost, the management plan’s mission is to maintain the ecosystem. 81. Please – no mountain lion season! • You are, or should be, aware of the scientific reasons a lion hunting season should not take place: the difficulty of being able to differentiate between the males and females of the species, the length of time the kittens need to be with their mother, no proof of the exact number of lions in the Black 41
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South Dakota Mountain Lion Public Opinion Poll

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