Mt Lion killed in Jackson county

[john skarie]

I would imagine the CO wouldn't do anything unless the cat was causing trouble.

What do you think they do with Grizzlies? Shoot them all on site?

Have them all moved whenever they see one?

I guess some of you have become so civilized that you can't comprehend what it's like to live among animals that aren't domesticated anymore.

JS

[swamptiger]

Minnesota Conservation Volunteer HSOforum:

Quote:

On May 30, a Bloomington policeman shot a 90-pound cougar that crouched near a popular walking path and wouldn’t flee, even after police kicked dirt and shined lights toward it. Cougars are protected, but officers have wide latitude to kill threatening animals.

Here's an example of an actual incident - can you give me an example of where any other action has been taken?

[brian6715]

So, what would've happened if they trapped the lion in the culvert and called the DNR? Would the CO come out and try to take it alive, or would've he have shot it???

Seriously?! Why would you call a CO because you have a cougar "trapped" in a culvert? Why on earth would a CO try to "take" it, dead or alive? The things people rely on the government for are ridiculous, it's such a waste of taxpayer money.

I am pretty sure the DNR's reaction would be, "Cool, you saw a cougar. It wasn't harming anyone, and we are guessing if you back away from the culvert and go home, the animal will move on"

Why in the heck do we have to kill these things? Have we yet to have ANY substantial problem here in Minnesota with them? You anti-cougar people do not have much of an argument in this state.

Anyone who thinks cougars are a problem in MN needs to get out more.

[Musky Buck]

Isn't fear factor coming back to NBC ? There you go, send someone through lion country. My relatives lost all their hounds to a cougar in the 80's out west, very spendy cougar to get.

[eyedawg]

Seems like there are a lot of cougar sightings all across mn,yet there is no breeding population. Do you really think the dnr is guna say there is. The way I see it we don't need more predators we already have enough timberwolves and yotes. Why would some of you want the dam things around anyways? Oh let's get a breeding population here so the deer numbers will fall even more. The dnr can't even manage deer or anything else, so let's bring another predator in. Look out west what wolves and cougars have done to the elk population.

[LightningBG]

Seriously?! Why would you call a CO because you have a cougar "trapped" in a culvert? Why on earth would a CO try to "take" it, dead or alive? The things people rely on the government for are ridiculous, it's such a waste of taxpayer money.

I wouldn't, I'd shoooooot it. Then bury it. Then go back to my chores.

I am pretty sure the DNR's reaction would be, "Cool, you saw a cougar. It wasn't harming anyone, and we are guessing if you back away from the culvert and go home, the animal will move on"

But do they know that it will move on? What if it just decides its so nice in your yard that it wants to spend a few months there. How would you like to have to keep your kids and pets inside because there is a frickin lion living in your yard?

Why in the heck do we have to kill these things? Have we yet to have ANY substantial problem here in Minnesota with them? You anti-cougar people do not have much of an argument in this state.

Why wait for something to happen? What if your child is the first? If something live near you, it doesn't have to growl at you to be a threat. It's a threat just being present.

Anyone who thinks cougars are a problem in MN needs to get out more.

If there are no breeding pair, what are we really losing by "removing" it? One cat? It's not going to affect the overall population of the country more than that single one. I wont lose any sleep over it. If the DNR was called in, they would have just shot it too. Too dangerous to relocate them. And if they wouldn't have shot it, they are crazy and its only right for a citizen to act in the interest of their own safety.

[LightningBG]

I would imagine the CO wouldn't do anything unless the cat was causing trouble.

What do you think they do with Grizzlies? Shoot them all on site?

Have them all moved whenever they see one?

I guess some of you have become so civilized that you can't comprehend what it's like to live among animals that aren't domesticated anymore.

JS

So....What IF a grizzly was to wander through MN. Should we leave it?

[TonkaBass]

I think its pretty messed up that if I see a mt lion killing my dog I cant shoot it! The chances are pretty slime, but if it ever happened, I would gladly give up my gun, pay a fine, and tell the judge what I thought to save a Dog who is a member of the family... Unreal. I DON'T support poachers, and I honestly am pretty surprised some people would actually shoot the cat instead of calling if it wasn't doing anything. But the fact that it is illegal to shoot them if they ARE doing something like killing your dog or you livestock is about as comical as the yuppies were voted into office!

[honker23]

Put me in the camp of "shoot it" tell the DNR it was a threat to my property and most importantly my family. If that makes me a poacher, so be it. Many people act differently in real life situations than they do in cyberlife....just saying.

And I also agree the comparison to DWI is absurd.

[LightningBG]

And I also agree the comparison to DWI is absurd.

About the only fair comparison to a DWI in this situation is if your were going to say that driving drunk is fine until you actually kill someone, then the police should be able to haul you in.

The drunk driver wasn't hurting anyone, right? (up until the point where they do hurt someone)

[TonkaBass]

About the only fair comparison to a DWI in this situation is if your were going to say that driving drunk is fine until you actually kill someone, then the police should be able to haul you in.

The drunk driver wasn't hurting anyone, right? (up until the point where they do hurt someone)

[upnorth]

I think its pretty messed up that if I see a mt lion killing my dog I cant shoot it! The chances are pretty slime, but if it ever happened, I would gladly give up my gun, pay a fine, and tell the judge what I thought to save a Dog who is a member of the family... Unreal. I DON'T support poachers, and I honestly am pretty surprised some people would actually shoot the cat instead of calling if it wasn't doing anything. But the fact that it is illegal to shoot them if they ARE doing something like killing your dog or you livestock is about as comical as the yuppies were voted into office!

Are you sure it is illegal to shoot them if they are attacking pets or livestock? Passing through or being sighted is a far cry from actually attacking.

[brian6715]

I've lived in Alaska, where I assure you there are more dangers than this... and let me tell you, AK people would be laughing their arses off over how fearful you guys are of these "predators"

Now that the rapture came and went some people just need something to be paranoid over... cougars are the scape goat (poor ruthless cougars)

And to argue that they hurt the deer population... well, the only argument you have is that it wrecks your hobby and hurts an industry financially... which seems like a pretty selfish argument.

At least I know a few guys I can borrow some tinfoil hats from when the alien invasion comes

[swamptiger]

Quote:

Are you sure it is illegal to shoot them if they are attacking pets or livestock? Passing through or being sighted is a far cry from actually attacking.

Not only can you not protect your pets or livestock, you can't protect yourself or some other person either, according to this..

MN DNR HSOforum:

Quote:

What should I do if I encounter a cougar?

An encounter would be extremely rare in Minnesota. Cougars hunt by stalking and attacking from ambush and, if encountered should be, faced directly. Recommended actions include making yourself appear large by holding your arms above your head, waving a hat or jacket, talking loudly and firmly and throwing rocks or sticks at the animal to chase it away.

If actually attacked, hit the animal in the face and head with anything handy. Don't run, crouch or lay down. Try and stay above the animal and give the animal a clear escape route. More tips are available from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Can I shoot a problem animal?

No. Cougars are protected by state law. Only public safety officials are authorized to kill a cougar that proves to be an imminent threat to humans.

If there is a proven public safety concern, DNR or other licensed peace officers can take a cougar to protect public safety. State law does not allow killing a cougar to protect livestock or pets.

Should you become concerned with a cougar in your vicinity, contact a DNR conservation officer or local law enforcement authorities to evaluate the situation. Local law enforcement has the responsibility for public safety. DNR enforcement and wildlife personnel will work with local law enforcement to quickly evaluate and resolve problems.

Will the DNR remove a cougar?

Relocating problem animals usually is impractical because the same problems could occur at new release sites. Due to the transient nature of cougars in Minnesota, it is extremely difficult to capture a cougar based on an individual incident.

Deporting them to western states, where cougar populations already exist, is often prohibitively expensive and can also result in territorial struggles and the death of the released animal.

Apparently, some tree hugger decided somewhere along the line that a cougar's life is more important than a human's...

[TonkaBass]

Thank You Swamptiger.

[Big Dave2]

quote=nofishfisherman

Do you want the DNR to take action and spend money facilitating some sort of program based on what another state may be seeing ?

It seems to work for the QDM crowd.

[Big Dave2]

I would imagine the CO wouldn't do anything unless the cat was causing trouble.

What do you think they do with Grizzlies? Shoot them all on site?

Have them all moved whenever they see one?

I guess some of you have become so civilized that you can't comprehend what it's like to live among animals that aren't domesticated anymore.

JS

I'm pretty sure that if a Grizzly was spotted in a populated area of Minnesota it would be shot.

There has never been a time in history when man lived among undomesticated animals in peace. Why do you think that wolves and cougars were so rare for so long? People shot almost every last one of them in an effort to make the area safe.

[mainbutter]

So....What IF a grizzly was to wander through MN. Should we leave it?

Yup. And they ARE in MN.. Met a hiker on the superior hiking trail two summers ago who had two separate pics of grizzlies she spotted while taking a week to do a huge segment of it. They weren't very big though.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

Yup. And they ARE in MN.. Met a hiker on the superior hiking trail two summers ago who had two separate pics of grizzlies she spotted while taking a week to do a huge segment of it. They weren't very big though.

lol! I bet they had a rendezvous with sasquatch, too!

[JeffB]

Although I aplaud the state making it clear you can't kill a cougar even when in imminent danger I still think their stance is a little harsh towards the animal. I can see talking loudly and firmly to the animal, but the part about stiking the animal in the face and throwing rocks and sticks just sounds cruel and barbaric.

I had a cougar pass through my yard about 20 years ago and thought it was cool to have one pass through, but if it decided to stay and I saw it or evidence of it being around several times over a period or of time I would be talking to it loudly and firmly to it.

[pulleye16]

I think if you searched, you'll find that ANYONE can protect themselves from a life and death scenerio...including mt. lions. There are laws above the DNR's.

Though shooting one in a colvert hardly justifies that.

[upnorth]

Somehow I think there would be a bit of leniency if someone was actually be attacked. I tend to think they word things the way they do so that there is less ability to argue whether it is legal for anyone on the street to shoot them. Too easy for someone to say well he was going to attack and try to justify the shoot.

[upnorth]

Quote:

There has never been a time in history when man lived among undomesticated animals in peace. Why do you think that wolves and cougars were so rare for so long? People shot almost every last one of them in an effort to make the area safe.

There are people out there that concern me more than any wolf or cougar!

[jay83196]

Hello 911, I have a cougar knawing on my leg please help me I'm at.....lmao, yeah right! I'm sure it would be rare and never happen but if it was a threat to my family or me in anyway a bullet a shovel and it would be over... What a joke I can kill a human being in self defense but not a cougar, leave it to our DNR.

[RBuker]

There was a cougar shot on a guy's porch near McGregor Mn back in, I think, 2001. I don't believe there were ever charges pressed but in that case, the cougar wasn't to be frightened away and came back to the guy's porch a couple of different times. I don't recall if this was ever determined to be a wild cat or one that was released. Anyone recall the situation?

Randy