We should entrust cougar management to biologists, not bureaucrats.<\/p>\n
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) A female mountain lion after being captured by scientists in the Oquirrh Mountains in 2011.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Utah declared open season on cougars<\/a> in an effort to decrease their impact on livestock and increase the number of huntable mule deer in our state. Hunters, nonhunters and conservation organizations objected to the decision and have raised concerns<\/a> about the resulting drop in cougar numbers.<\/p>\n Recently, the state has doubled down, announcing its proposal of \u201cWRI 7707- Predator Management Survey\u201d<\/a> a study which aims to aggressively remove more cougars from several areas of the state.<\/p>\n I\u2019m a sheep producer in southern Utah. Over the past decade, cougars have killed roughly 100 sheep on my farm. Those depredations cost me around $30,000 \u2014 as well as a pile of sleepless nights. <\/p>\n If anyone should be grateful for fewer cougars, it\u2019s me. <\/p>\n I\u2019m not grateful. <\/p>\n A farm has to pay its bills. We pay for fertilizer, seeds, repairs and fuel \u2014 the list goes on. If we want a crop \u2014 and the ability to harvest it \u2014 we must pay those bills. Those inputs are parts of an economic system that a farm can\u2019t function without. If one piece falls, so falls the farm. <\/p>\n I see cougars the same way. They\u2019re part of a living system that includes water, weather, pollinating bugs and other organisms that a farm can\u2019t function without. <\/p>\n I don\u2019t mind paying my cougar bill. <\/p>\n Historically, I experience two to four cougar predation events per year. There were zero in 2024, and one in 2025. There are more deer fawns in the alfalfa than I\u2019ve ever seen. On the surface, that sounds like a good thing, but all is not as it should be. <\/p>\n We\u2019re witnessing the removal of a necessary part of a natural system, and Mother Nature will be handing us the bill. <\/p>\n Without cougars, coyotes \u2014 who move carefully in cougar country \u2014 would increase in number and fill the holes dead cougars leave behind. I know how to deal with cougars. I\u2019ve had to kill depredating cougars who refused to be dissuaded. But the majority who take sheep on my farm end up leaving alive, thanks to hazing techniques I\u2019ve developed over the years. That\u2019s something to be proud of. <\/p>\n It wouldn\u2019t be the case with coyotes. We\u2019d suffer just as many losses, and it would take more killing to keep lambs at their mother\u2019s sides. <\/p>\n The deer herd would grow quickly. That\u2019s good news to deer hunters, myself included. But the deer \u2014 who ought to move from place to place, evading the cougars who haunt them \u2014 would likely become complacent and gladly stay in one place longer. <\/p>\n That would cause oak and aspen shoots to suffer. Seeds and berries would be in shorter supply. Turkeys would find less to eat and grouse would have less cover. Squirrels would have less luck storing for winter and the critters who rely on their forgotten caches would struggle to adapt. All of their numbers would decline, along with the cougars\u2019. <\/p>\n Farmers like me would lose more forage and hay to the deer\u2019s consumption and trampling<\/a>. DWR would have to issue extra doe permits, and a lot more deer could end up shot to protect feed for livestock.<\/p>\n Chronic Wasting Disease<\/a> could significantly impact bigger, more condensed herds of mule deer. That\u2019s a lesson other states have already learned<\/a>, managing for larger than normal ungulate populations. <\/p>\n Thousands of deer would still be killed by vehicles<\/a>. Thousands would still starve in winter<\/a>, where homes dot hillsides on their winter range. There are more than twice as many people in Utah<\/a> as there were when I was born here. We built a world that\u2019s hard on mule deer<\/a>. <\/p>\n Getting rid of cougars is a classic example of seeing every problem before you as a nail, when all you\u2019ve got to work with is a hammer. There are other tools worth using, but implementing them will require creativity and a scientific approach. That\u2019s not easy, nor is it cheap. <\/p>\n We say \u201cfreedom isn\u2019t free\u201d because we accept the reality that our blessings come with a price. I feel most blessed when I accept my position in the living system. For me, that\u2019s the root of freedom. <\/p>\n It\u2019s not too late to correct our course. Cougar numbers can rebound if we restore their status as a valuable big game species and entrust their management to biologists, not bureaucrats. If we fail to make a change, we\u2019re at risk of losing cougars for generations. <\/p>\n They\u2019ll become unknowable in their rarity, but there will always be cougars in Utah. Proponents of deregulation and extermination will tout those isolated big cats\u2019 presence and say, \u201cAll is well.\u201d Our eyes and our ears and our hearts will know that something\u2019s missing. So will our kids. What a terrible price to pay. <\/p>\n I\u2019m contacting my state representative and DWR\u2019s Wildlife Board to respectfully encourage them to reconsider. Please consider respectfully speaking up with me<\/a>.<\/p>\n (Andy Rice) Andy Rice is a full-time farmer in Boulder, Utah.<\/p>\n Andy Rice is a husband and father. He is a dedicated naturalist and a full-time farmer in Boulder, Utah.<\/p>\n The Salt Lake Tribune is committed to creating a space where Utahns can share ideas, perspectives and solutions that move our state forward. We rely on your insight to do this. Find out how to share your opinion here<\/a>, and email us at voices@sltrib.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We should entrust cougar management to biologists, not bureaucrats. 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