Proceedings of the Seventh Mountain Lion Workshop

148
PUMA MANAGEMENT IN WESTERN NORTH AMERICA: A 100-YEAR
RETROSPECTIVE
STEVEN TORRES, California Department of Fish and Game, 1416 Ninth Street, Room 1342A,
Sacramento, CA 95814, USA, email: storres@dfg.ca.gov
HEATHER KEOUGH, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
DEANNA DAWN, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
Abstract: Puma (Puma concolor) populations have had a diverse and long history of
management in western North America. For the most part of the last century, pumas were a
bountied predator. By the early 1970s, they had transitioned to game mammal status. In the
period since bounties ended, most states and provinces have reported increased puma activity
that has been simultaneous with increased human populations and land conversion. We will
present an analysis of the political and biological effects influencing puma populations during
this period to provide perspective on the potential effects of bounty removals as they may relate
to hypothesized increased populations in the latter part of the last century. This presentation will
also explore the changing philosophy of predator management and the importance of maintaining
predator-prey systems and redefining puma management to include their beneficial role in
defining large blocks of habitat and movement corridors.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH MOUNTAIN LION WORKSHOP