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mountain lions

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pfiddler

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I hunt in the Loess Hills near Pisgah. Recently a mountain lion was killed nearby by a car, the first in 100 years in the state they said. My Dad swears he saw one run across the road. Has anybody else witnessed a mountain lion? Any venture on how many there could be? I read an adult will kill on average 2 deer a week, and even in areas where they are thick, a seasoned hunter may go his whole life and never witness one. I for one don't want them around...they prey on deer and livestock, and have been known to even go after people, usually children. Any thoughts? Am I overly concerned? I know in the Loess Hills there are plenty of places for them to hide. I don't think you could get rid of them in today's society - not as many gun carrying/trapping/dog hunting folks around like there were 100 years ago. Plus they are protected, I think, so it would be illegal to shoot one even if you saw it.
 
to my understanding mountain lions and black bears have no current laws on shooting them. But i believe the DNR is in the process of changing this because of the recent, so-called, migration into iowa. Im not sure i would recommend shooting one, and if I remember right I think there is an article on the DNR homepage about this topic.
 
Actually right now you can legally shoot a bear or a mountain lion. There are no laws at the present time in iowa for hunting lions and bears. You will find this information on the DNR website. Thanks
 
i talked to a buddy of mine who works for the DNR and he said there are 27 known mountain lions within the state. he also said that the DNR is welcoming this because they invite an additional species into the state.
 
All I know is that I wouldn't want one of those big cats sneeking up on me when I am deer hunting....or turkey hunting! At least when I am deer hunting I am up in a tree.....I always have those big cats in the back of my mind when I hunt turkeys on our property down in Missouri.......
 
I actually read an article in "outdoor life" about a mountain lion climbing a tree to attack a hunter. I can't imagine fending for my life 20 feet above ground, or on a stand the size of my toilet. Then again that's why I carry my .40 cal pistol on my hip when hunting. Some people claim that carrying a sidearm while bowhunting is a mistake but as long as your on your own land, I don't see the problem with it.
 
I don't who thegeneral talked to within the DNR but there is no way to know the exact number of mt lions that have somehow made their way into Iowa.

As far as carrying a handgun if you are bowhunting deer it is illegal to carry one (whether you're on your own property or not).

Doug Clayton
 
i only know what i was told. i don't know if they're unique enough to be identified, or if they're tagged.
 
Not to get completely off the subject of mountain lions, but there has been a confirmed wolf kill in either Mercer or Grundy county in north-central Missouri. It had a Michigan DNR ear-tag. A farmer shot it thinking it was a "big coyote" trying to kill one of his sheep. The St. Joseph News Press had an article on it a week or two back.
 
In a recent BowHunter Education course I took the Polk County Game Warden said it is illegal to carry a handgun while bowhunting period. Personally I have not read the laws on this particular issue, however I do know for some of them there is a lot of room for interpretation at the disgression of the game warden. I have no doubt that in Polk County you would get a tickeT
 
i called a state conservation officer and asked him what he knows about mountain lions. he said that there are 2 main causes for the lions comming into the state that he is aware of. one is that parts of the missouri river freeze during hard winters (such as last year) and the lions cross into the state that way. the other is people that raise them as pets have them escape. pet owners are reluctant to admit if one escapes because they do not want to be liable for any destruction that a mountain lion can cause. (i have know idea who would want one for a pet!?) he added that it is likely that there are many within the state and the DNR does in fact have reliable numbers from their field personel, although most eyewitness accounts from citizens are unreliable.
 
Coming into the state from some another area and escaping/being released by someone who owned one are the two ways for a mt lion to get into Iowa. Most lions that are "pets" have been defanged and declawed. The one killed (car) in Harlan and the one that attacked a horse around the Underwood area (north of Council Bluffs) both had fangs and claws. I covered the Underwood attack, took pictures of the wounded horse and the perfect prints in a snow swept terrace.

I don't know about public sightings being less reliable than by DNR personnel, but the DNR has no way of knowing the number of mt lions in the state. Their range (out west a tom's range is over 100 sq. miles), lack of verified sightings (either pictures, documented tracks, cached deer, etc.) can only lead to speculation on the number. Repeated sightings over a large area could be several animals or just one covering a lot of ground, which they do in the normal course of a day/week.

Doug Clayton

State Conservation Officer
 
One of the earlier posts mentioned a mt. lion would take 2 deer a week. The Ozarks has some lions and we are more inclined to think that number is more like 2 deer a month, since they also feed on small animals.

It was also mentioned in an earlier post it would be legal to shoot a mt. lion or bear in Iowa. I'd like to know if Iowa's game laws are written as permissive or restictive. They used to be written as restrictive - in other words - if the law did not specifically say you CAN do something, then you can't. (I remember a guy near Creston shooting an elk a few years ago during deer season & getting a big fine - the law, at that time, did not say he could not shoot an elk but it still wasn't legal because it did not say he could)
 
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