Page 16 April, 2019
T
he cougar (Puma concolor), also known as the mountain lion, panther, catamount and puma, is one of the most enigmatic of Alberta’s wildlife species.
Cougars are now firmly established in the Cypress Hills and much of the Peace Country. They are also turning up with increasing frequency in the White Zone. Human-caused cougar mortalities (road kills, accidental trapping, self defence, etc.) have increased dramatically. Some rural residents have grown increasingly concerned for their safety, as well as the safety of their livestock and pets. Albertans are reminded that cougars are normally shy and elusive creatures. If they are aware of a human presence they will usually quietly leave the area, having never been seen.
Ghosts of the Forest: Cougars in Alberta Rarely seen, cougars are an extremely capable predator that are often viewed as a symbol of wilderness. While intensive bounty hunting and poisoning campaigns across western North America restricted cougar range to remote, mountainous areas for much of the 20th century, cougars have made a remarkable comeback over the past few decades. Careful management and healthy populations of deer and elk, which make up the bulk of their diet, have allowed cougars to recolonize much of their former range. Reports of wayward individuals in urban areas such as Los Angeles, Vancouver and Chicago have become increasingly common. Transient males have shown up in locations as far east as Connecticut. Once thought to avoid developed areas, recent GPS collar research has confirmed that cougars are capable of living in close proximity to people, using forested areas and the cover of darkness to travel undetected. In Alberta, cougars have been managed with a strict hunting seasons since they were declared a big game animal in 1971. Extensive research on cougars in the Sheep River area in the 1980s led to the development of a management plan in 1992. At that time, the provincial cougar population was estimated to be 640, with the highest densities occurring in the eastern slopes, south of the Bow River. A quota system was implemented to distribute the harvest more evenly across cougar range and to prevent overharvest in localized areas. This management regime, coupled with healthy prey populations, has led to an increase in cougar numbers and an expansion of cougar range over the past two decades.
Cougars are now firmly established in the Cypress Hills and much of the Peace Country. Over the past few years, several changes have been made to cougar hunting regulations to reflect the growing population. Landowners have been allowed to hunt cougars on their own land, year-round, without a licence (the use of dogs is prohibited) since 2007. Starting this year, landowners no longer have to turn the carcasses over to Fish and Wildlife. The traditional winter hunting season has been extended to six new Wildlife Management Units in north eastern Alberta, and a new fall ‘boot’ season (dogs are prohibited), for residents only, has been added across much of the White Zone and boreal forest. The cost of a resident cougar hunting licence has been reduced to help encourage Albertans to take advantage of these new opportunities. Check out the 2011 Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations and MyWildAlberta.com for more information on cougar hunting and a description of the regulation changes. The new hunting regulations will help maintain a healthy population of cougars in Alberta while allowing more intensive management in areas where conflicts with people are most common. People living, working and recreating in cougar country
