Proceedings of the fifth mountain lion workshop: 27

PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN LION WORKSHOP 69
THE STATUS OF MOUNTAIN LIONS IN TEXAS
William B. Russ. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Box 112, Sanderson, Texas 79848
Key words: Texas, Mountain Lion, Puma concolor, Status, Distribution, Population
The mountain lion is legally classified as a nongame
mammal in Texas and is managed within the broad scope of
wildlife regulatory authority delegated to the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department by state statutes. This status has been
unchanged since 1975.
The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club filed a
petition in December, 1991 to place the mountain lion on the
list of threatened nongame wildlife. The Department, in
response to this request, sponsored and conducted a Mountain
Lion Roundtable at Del Rio, Texas in April, 1992 to assess
population status and public interest. A set of goals was
established for future lion management. The Texas Parks and
Wildlife Commission then formally considered the Sierra
Club's request at a public hearing in May 1992, but took no
action to change the status because no biological information
was presented that would support a change in status at that
time.
The history of lion management in Texas has been
one of large scale population control by livestock producers.
Ranchers have attempted to eradicate mountain lions from
livestock production areas through both organized government
control programs and their own opportunistic efforts.
However, since about 1970, there has been a marked change
in land-use patterns in areas where lion populations seem to be
highest. Large tracts of land have been purchased by
individuals and governmental agencies for recreational use.
Mountain lion control efforts have been reduced or have
ceased altogether on many of these tracts. However, livestock
producers continue intensive removal activities.
The Department is currently collecting mortality and
sighting data by ecological region to determine the current
distribution and population status of Texas lions. Data
compiled by Mabie (1983) documented lion sightings into the
early 1980's. This information, based on records of
department personnel and other sources, revealed a large
distribution for the mountain lion. The majority of the
sightings occurred in the Trans-Pecos Region with increasing
reports in the South Texas Plains and the Edwards Plateau.
POPULATION STATUS
Data on lion mortality and sighting reports were
recorded and divided into 10 ecological regions based on
topographic, climatic, and edaphic factors, as well as plant
community similarities (Gould 1969; Figure 1). These regions
include the (1) Pineywoods, (2) Gulf Prairies and Marshes, (3)
Post Oak Savannah, (4) Blackland Prairies, (5) Cross Timbers
and Prairies, (6) South Texas Plains, (7) Edwards Plateau, (8)
Rolling Plains, (9) High Plains, and (10) Trans-Pecos
Mountains and Basins. Each mortality or sighting was plotted
on a Texas county map. Several counties extend into 2 or
more ecological regions; therefore, accurate county locations
are critical in locating the sighting or mortality in the correct
ecological region.
A statewide survey of mountain lion mortalities and
sightings was conducted by Wildlife and Law Enforcement
Division personnel from January 1, 1983 through May 31,
1989 (Russ 1989) and combined with mortality and sighting
reports by ecological regions from June 1989 through
December 1995 (Table 1, Table 2). Many reports were
received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal
Damage Control personnel, landowners, and the general
public in addition to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
personnel. Mortalities were verified and sighting reports were
either validated by field visit or corroborated through contact
with observers before they were accepted as valid by the
Department. Information was collected on time of day the
lion was sighted, descriptions of animal, distance, habitat type,
activity, and other questions related to the observer's
familiarity with wildlife.
A total of 1,726 mountain lion mortalities was
recorded for the 13- year period from 1983 to 1995 in 60
Texas counties and lion mortalities exceeded 100 animals each
year since 1984 (Table 1). Reported mortalities were about
2.5 times more numerous in 1995 than in 1983. The Trans-
Pecos Ecological Region ranked first in mortalities with 73
percent of the total. The Edwards Plateau Ecological Region
was second with 18 percent, and the South Texas Plains
Ecological Region was third with 8 percent of the total. Less
than 2 percent of the total mortalities were reported in the
remaining ecological regions where no mortalities were
reported. This Texas Parks and Wildlife survey reported the
first confirmed lion mortalities for the Pineywoods Ecological
Region.
Mountain lions were taken in only three ecological
regions in 1995 (Table 3). Animal damage control personnel
and private hunters, usually paid by landowners, took 102
lions from across the State with 74 percent from the Trans-
Pecos Ecological Region and 26 percent from the Edwards
Plateau. Lions were also taken by landowners, sport hunters,
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department personnel, and accidents