This article was posted by me today, and will be in the oregonian and a few other paper's also. Suprisingly enough the local peta weirdos and others are agreeing with me, they are even thanking me for speaking up to protect pet's. Anything to get the foot in the door help's
Dear Reader
Iam writting in regards to the increasing number of cougar in Oregon and their arrival into our cities and towns. In the words of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (O.D.F.W.) "Cougar are now considered an increasing threat to humans, pets and livestock", a little scary huh? In 2006 The O.D.F.W. Implamented a plan known as the Oregon Revised Cougar Management Plan, a plan that while having an impact on the population is just not capable of handling the astounding number of big cats in our great state. I and many others are beginning to think that maybe it's time to turn back to what was once considered an "American Tradition" the sport of hunting with dogs. Fish and Wildlife themselves have stated "hunting with dogs is the most selective way of controling our cat population. Before you start saying "Oh how horrable" you need to understand the truth behind the statement made by the O.D.F.W. and the other forms of harvest now in use for these big cats.
One of the most commonly used methods is that of trapping. While I myself am not opposed to trapping I do believe the use of dogs is a much more humane method. Please don't say "no" yet, I say that because most likely the only thing you know about Hound Hunting is what you have heard from the media and crazed animal rights activists, who themselves don't really know a thing about the sport or how it is inacted. The standard rule of trapping is to set a trap and check it every 48-72 hours, can you imagine being held by your arm or leg for 2 days, scared out of your mind. You would be unable to search for food or water and be at the mercy of whatever creature might happen upon you, not pleasent. Trapping cougar, which is generally not employed by the general public, does not garauntee you will catch a cougar, other animals can and will be caught in traps. Traps can endanger the public while hiking or strolling through the woods and pets who happen to step on them. The traps now in use are much more humane then the ones used 30 years ago and sure you can get yourself out, but your dog or a small child can't.
The most common form of harvest employed by the general public in use today is the "Spot and Stock" method. The term "Spot and Stock" means to see an animal, in this case a cougar and then stock it until a shot can be taken. This is a dangerous method. In most if not all cases if you can see a cougar it has already seen you and is most likely stocking you, I know this from personal experience. Most of the cats harvested from this method are from nothing more then shear luck, although there are men and women out there who are quite good at this method I still say hunting with the aid of dogs is a much safer alternative.
Now I am going to explain the sport of hunting with dogs. The word dog used in the term "hunting with the aid of dog's" usually refures to the breeds known as scent or coon hound. There are many different breeds of coonhounds, such as the Walker coonhound, The Black and tan Coonhound and the Bluetick coonhound. These iconic droopy eared dogs are trained to trail (follow the scent) of the animal they are persueing while loudly announcing their presence with short loud barks known as chops or long mournful bawls. The Game animal , generally being racoon, bobcat, bear or cougar will follow it's instincts to climb the nearest tree, high above the reach of the hounds below. At this point the dogs will locate the tree the animal is perched in and begin to "Tree": The term "Tree" means the dog stands with it's front feet on or below the tree and barks in a loud and excited fashion to inform the hunter that the quarry is detained. Now the houndsmen can safely come into the tree to evaluate the animal by the standards set forth by the O.D.F.W. . Most houndsmen upon arriving at a bear or cougar tree will leash his dogs and teather them to a nearby tree to avoid the possability of damage to the dogs or game animal in the event the big predator decides to jump and run.The game animals are evaluated for age, sex and general health and condition. If the animal is deamed fit for taking the hunter can then take his time in placing an accurate clean kill shot as opposed to the limitted shots available to those who use the spot and stock method. If the animal is too young or of the wrong sex with young, the houndsmen can take his dogs and leave the area, allowing the animal to calm him/herself and go about it's day. This method is very helpful in the elimination of the sick and injured animals or the very old that pose the most threat to the public because houndsmen have the opportunity to closely view the animal and determine it's condition.
Now you probably have seen the propaganda posted by activists that make hounds and houndsmen sound like blood thirsty animals. NOT TRUE! Infact here's an example that may help you put things in context, when your husband, brother, sister or wife goes hunting and bags that buck or bull of a lifetime does he/she come home and smash the antlers with a hammer? No they want to preserve that trophy for a lifetime and it's the same with houndsmen. They want to preserve that animal to look back on for the rest of their life, so why allow a hound to destroy and deface the animal they have spent years training their dogs to hunt in order to harvest it? Doesn't make much scense does it?
In the past 20 years since the ban of pursuet with dogs, the cougar population has boomed and with it the native deer and elk have drastically declined. Hunters everywhere are saying the same things, "There aren't nearly the deer I've seen in the past in the woods these days". Infact one hunter posted on the internet through craigslist in the portland metro area that not only had he not seen a deer worth taking,but while hunting he had himself encountered 3 mountain lion (cougar) and was looking to see if others had had the same experience, I can imagine his inbox was full. According to O.D.F.W. statistics the average female cougar comes into her first heat at 2 years of age and the gestation period for the young is 36 weeks, she will come back into heat in 12-24 months with an average litter size of 2.8 young. The average Cougar will kill and consume 1 deer or elk every 5-7 days and a mother with young will kill even more often. In 2003 we had an estimated 5101 cougar in Oregon, keep in mind these estimates are based on radio collared cats and reproductive rates and keep in mind that cougar are very elusive and hard to capture. So If you think about it how many cats do you think didn't get collared and aren't recorded? Yep my thoughts exactly. Now also take into consideration that a female cougar will claim a 50-200 square mile territory and a male cougar will claim a 200 plus square mile territory and neither allows for other feline intruders, so how many cats are trully in oregon and which one claims your backyard in it's territory? Oh you say you live in the city? It doesn't affect you right? Wrong, check online and see if you can find big cat sightings and reports in your local area, you will be surprised. Just because your local big cat doesn't walk up and shake your hand and say " Hey there, just wanted to let you know food is getting thin around here, thought I'd eat your cocker spaniel for dinner" doesn't mean that isn't the plan. It's a harsh truth, but it's time to wake up and adress the issue's this state is facing. What is that cougar gonna start eating when Fido is gone? Start checking your local paper and online for all the unexplained missing pets. Sure alot of it is coyote but alot of it sure as heck could be a cat. every new cat a female cougar produces has to eventually stake it's own territory and with as many cats as we have you can be garaunteed one is living real close to you. And the cats who do have claimed territory don't really have the option of a move with the lack of available land unless they disperse the current resident and then that cat will have to move so it's the same situation again.
Things have gotten so bad that the big cats have started turning to cannabalism. Yeah seriously look it up! it is printed in Black and White right there in the Oregon Revised Cougar Management Plan. Infact they say it is becomming a common occurance. Now that's scary. The other side no one has considered is the revenue. Oregon lost a lot of money when we closed our hound season's for cougar and bear, why not re-open the season and bring that stray money back in while allowing houndsmen to give us a hand managing our populations? Just a thought, as it is now our Oregon houndsmen are paying hundreds to go to states like montana and idaho where they still allow houndsmen to assist in keeping their cat populations healthy and managable. It's something to think about. If this letter helps to sway one opinion or change one mind well then I have done my job and thats more then enough for me. I appreciate your time and thanks for reading this.
Rebecca Thies
DONT BELIEVE ME READ BELOW, DIRECT FROM FISH AND GAME!!!
Young cougar killed in residential area near La Grande
Date:
November 10, 2008
Contact:
Mary Hoverson (541) 910-3751 or Michelle Dennehy (503) 931-2748
Fax: (541) 963-6670
LA GRANDE, Ore. - A cougar considered a public safety threat because it was killing domestic cats in a rural residential area was shot at 10:30 p.m. Sunday night (Nov. 9) by an ODFW employee just outside of La Grande.
“The cougar stayed within a populated area and was actively hunting house pets, signs that indicate a threat to human safety,” said Union District Biologist Leonard Erickson. “The cougar was also operating in very close proximity to a popular city park.”
The cougar was a 56-pound young female estimated to be less than two years of age.
ODFW worked closely with local law enforcement and a houndsman to track the cougar. Erickson credited residents in the area for their assistance and cooperation while the cougar was being pursued. “Residents permitted access to their property and provided us with valuable information, which led to a successful resolution of the problem,” he said.
More information about cougars in Oregon is available at the following Web site:
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/liv ... ougars.asp
