Hunter shoots cougar under house
By Joyce Campbell
A young female cougar lay dead on a tailgate in Twisp on Thursday
(Jan. 17), drawing the attention of more than a few passersby.
"It had scary teeth and big ol’ paws," said Marissa Schucker of
Twisp, who along with her companions cautiously reached out to touch
the motionless cat.
This cat was number 10 of a quota of 11 female cougars allowed in
this year’s pilot hound-hunting cougar season in Okanogan County. By
Tuesday (Jan. 22) the quota was reached and the pursuit-or-kill
season was over, but not the hunt.
Hunters and their dogs may continue to pursue cougars until March
31 in five northeast counties, where the pilot program is intended
to reduce the number of cats and their encounters with people and
livestock.
This season’s quota of 27 adult cougars in Okanogan County
included 11 females, according to WDFW officer Cal Treser.
Two Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officers were on
hand Thursday to examine the hunter’s permit, the radio-collared
cougar, scratches on the hounds and to tag the raw pelt.
The hunter could face a trespassing charge.
"It was under somebody’s house," said the hunter, Michael Terry
of Bothell. He told wildlife agents that his four redbone hounds
chased it under an unoccupied house, and he shot it when it attacked
his dogs. "Nobody was at the house," he said.
"This person had the belief, if the dogs are unleashed in a
public area, he could follow them," said Dan Christensen, WDFW
officer. Christensen said he informed the hunter that only a search
warrant allows someone to trespass on private property.
"You’re required to know where you are at all times," said
Christensen.
A mid-morning call to the sheriff’s 911 dispatch reported hound
hunters trespassing on her private property on Poorman Creek Road.
She called back to say the hunter had left her neighbor’s land and
left blood on the road.
The property was posted no hunting/no trespassing, according to
Christensen. He said he would search county records to locate and
contact the landowner.
"As of now, no charges will be pressed," said Christensen. The
original caller who reported the trespass declined to press charges,
according to Christensen.
The caller, who spoke to the Methow Valley News on the condition
of anonymity, said it was the neighborly thing to do, and now it’s
up to the neighbors and the game department.
Misdemeanor trespassing carries a $500 fine and potential jail
time, according to Christensen, who said prosecutors are reluctant
to press trespass charges when homeowners don’t come to court to
witness the case.
It was the end of the trail for the cat, but not the end of her
tale. The WDFW had been monitoring the cat’s trail since last
August. The then-seven-month old cat had killed a goat at Ed and
Vicky Welch’s Sunny Pine Farm on the Twisp River.
"I’m sorry it met its end," said Vicky. "It was a magnificent
animal, but if it was headed back here, we’re probably glad." She
said the cat got over their orchard fence and killed the most
vulnerable animal on the farm, one of two young goats that were
quarantined because they were new to the herd of certified organic
dairy goats.
After the goat incident, the Welches bought three guard llamas,
which are bigger than the goats and help protect the herd. The dairy
owners are also considering getting a guard dog.
She said there are lots more cougars since the law was changed to
prevent hound hunting. "They’re here, and they get hungry."
The dead goat was used to bait a live trap and capture the young
cougar. WDFW cougar and bear expert Rich Beausoleil tranquilized,
weighed, measured and radio collared the cat and released her up
Benson Creek.
She was tracked by satellite coming back around McClure Mountain,
over Poorman Creek and back up the Twisp River Valley, according to
Treser. He said there were no recent cougar complaints from that
area.
"It looks like after an early offense, the cat probably had some
aversion to trapping and collaring," said Christensen. He said
tranquilizing is a traumatic experience for a cat. It can’t move,
but is aware of what’s going on around it.
The pilot hunting program has been successful, according to
Christensen. The three-year program was extended to its fourth year
this year. The project seeks to monitor the cougar population and
manage hunting quotas to maintain a sustainable population.
Hounds are one of the few effective ways to track cougar he said.
The hound hunters have policed themselves very well, turning in
unethical houndsmen, and they are a resource to call on when a
cougar threatens humans or livestock, he said.
Hunter Michael Terry has bagged his limit of two cougar. He shot
a 161-pound tom on Wolf Creek on the third day of the season.
"I ate the last one, " said Terry. He said he plans to eat this
one, too. He said the backstrap tastes like tender pork chops and
the burger is like turkey.
Terry said he likes hearing the dogs and seeing a pup that he’s
put time and effort into catch a bear, cat or raccoon. "That’s
really rewarding."
This season’s pilot hunt with pursuit dogs began on Dec. 1 in
Okanogan, Chelan, Ferry, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties. The
state legislature initiated the special hunt after the cougar
population and complaints about cougar encounters with people and
livestock increased following the 1996 statewide ban on the use of
pursuit dogs.
"We’re really looking for the legislature to initiate a regular
season, " said Okanogan County Commissioner Bud Hover. "Part of
their natural migration is to move down into these areas where the
deer winter.
"We’ve got to do the best we can to co-exist and maintain a
healthy but limited population," said Hover.
