Critically endangered species, such as the Mexican gray wolf, have also been killed and injured in traps, including two wolves caught in traps in New Mexico in the past six months.. Please consider using the form below to submit a comment calling for higher prioritization of the Sandia-Jemez Mountains Bernalillo Corridor, a corridor that is critical for New Mexicos mountain lions. As soon as the chain was released, the dog bolted forward with his nose working furiously. The 65-pound (30-kilogram) mountain lion attacked the boy while he was playing near his house Thursday in Calabasas and "dragged him about 45 yards" across the front lawn, said Capt. Wolfe, who played eight seasons for the Broncos before one year with the Ravens in an NFL career that wrapped up in 2020, wrote on Instagram that he was enlisted to hunt the beast after it was. But its more than medals and plaques that makes a hunt unforgettable. Be sure to use the name cougar to accomplish your searches. He was beginning to tire. If an area is short on deer, you can be sure the lion hunting will be poor. New Mexico state's big game hunting records as listed by Boone and Crockett, and Safari Club International. Then he swapped ends, looking directly at me, hissing, and swatting the air. Size and weight of cougars vary. 77 overnight last weekend, the fourth confirmed lion found in the Valley in the past 15 years. or redistributed. Annual trophy kills: New Mexico has high annual hunt quotas which has remained at 580 mountain lions over the last few years. As soon as I took the wires off the skull, they would spring back together, giving me a smaller reading. A third or subsequent conviction is punishable by imprisonment between 90 and 364 days as well as a fine depending on the nature of the offense: illegally taking, attempting to take, killing, capturing or possessing a mountain lion in a closed season results in a $1,200 fine; hunting mountain lions without a valid license results in a $1,000 fine; exceeding the bag limit results in a $1,200 fine; attempting to exceed the bag limit is punished by a $1,000 fine. Branch was pointing when the rest of us caught up to him. The antlers were officially scored as American typical elk with a final score of 338 0/8. In 1999, NMDGF implemented a mountain lion harvest quota system based on Game Management Unit (GMU). Legal Statement. Rarely considered among the masses is the tragedy of those whose life is perceived an endless, empty social wasteland, constantly dealing with their very own private newscasts, that of a constantly replayed and most painful story, burdened by the accumulation of adverse years that always long for inclusion, for laughter, for loving, and for the emotional abundance that is constantly observed, but escaping their experience. A 30-minute 4-wheel-drive ride over a creek bottom brought us to the head of a wide, rocky canyon with very steep walls and slightly rolling country in between. Bob whispered to me, They dont get any larger than this one.. Within another three quarters of a mile, we found our first lion-killed sheep, but the tracks were not fresh. We later guessed his weight to be between 180 and 190 pounds. A lion known as P-18 was killed near the same exit in 2011, and another, P-61, was killed on the freeway near Sepulveda Boulevard in 2019. The New Mexico Game and Fish Department (NMGFD) opened its cougar hunting regulations for amendments in 2015, which only happens once every four years. "That is one of the biggest lion tracks I've ever seen in all my years of guiding," Bill exclaimed. As he said, he wanted to see this dude try to take a cougar with a bow and arrow. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For hunter taken trophies, 1. A mountain lion attacked and killed a Los Angeles resident's pet chihuahua on an evening walk in the Hollywood Hills, according to KTLA . In management zones in which the commission wishes to increase the mountain lion population, the limit is set at less than or equal to 17% of the areas mountain lion population and no more than 30% of its female population. The skull was sent to Glenn St. Charles of the Pope and Young Club. In 2009, an uncollared male lion was also killed in the area. One night while at the local Target store, seeing that the young high school student who was cashiering my purchases was wearing a soccer jersey, I asked her if she played on a team. He had already killed two of her dogs and was living under her porch, nervous what he might do next. Welcome to the spookiest channel on youtube! Wolfe, an avid hunter, wrote about the hunt on his Instagram account, saying they tracked the lion in the snow after he received a call from an outfitter late Tuesday night to see if he wanted to stalk a lion "who has been wreaking havoc in a rural neighborhood.''. It hit the animal, then sliced through and bounced high into the air. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Kindness, Loyalty, Be Brave. Annual Cougar Mortality by Zone 2012-2021, Annual Cougar Mortality Statewide 2001-2021, Cougar Management Strategy for Hunting Seasons 2020-2024 (Updated 08-21-2020), See alsoPublications Hunting Rules & Information, Predator (Living with Large Predators in NM), Cougars Of San Andres Mtns New Mexico, Logan et al. 1. Citizen reported mountain lion tracks near the Current River, an investigation confirmed the track photos and other sign at the site. Lane Ferguson. (Photograph courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club), New Mexicos #2 typical mule deer, taken by Joseph A. Garcia in Rio Arriba County, 1965. However, in the summer of 1967, I began reading everything I could find concerning this extremely shy animal that few hunters ever have the opportunity to see in the field. The arrow caught the cat through the lungs. Cougars are easily distinguished from bobcats (except when kittens). This wide range has brought it many common . It was pretty eerie looking into the eyes of an ultimate predator, he said. On average, it may kill a larger animal once a week. Derek Wolfe, a former NFL defensive lineman and Super Bowl champion, slayed a massive mountain lion in Colorado. I flipped another shaft onto the string and released at no more than 10 yards. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Apparently the lion had only been resting, for he suddenly jumped to the ground and dashed away with the hounds right at his heels. Our destination was a place called Coal Canyon, between Grand Junction and Dove Creek along the Colorado-Utah border. LOS ANGELES (AP) The life of Los Angeles' most famous mountain lion followed a path known only to the biggest of Hollywood stars: Discovered on-camera in 2012, the cougar adopted a stage name and enjoyed a decade of celebrity status before his tragic death late last year.. An original score chart signed and dated by an official B&C measurer. On August 27, 2015 the NMGFD Commission adopted a proposal to allow the use of snares and traps to kill lions, as well as making it easier for deer and elk hunters to kill any lions they randomly come across. After aligning a perfect shot, he dropped the cat. My first lion scored 14 12/16 inches. It sounded like a cat was treed. "Attacks by wildlife may become more frequent as our growing population expands into the urban-wildland interface," Winslow said. Bill Wallace, of Collbran, Colorado, was my guide for this trip, as he had been a year before when wed teamed up for a lion hunt in Utah. To conserve, regulate, propagate and protect the wildlife and fish within the state of New Mexico using a flexible management system that ensures sustainable use for public food supply, recreation and safety; and to provide for off-highway motor vehicle recreation (Read more), Phone: (505) 476-8000 | Toll-free (888) 248-6866, Copyright 2016 New Mexico Department of Game & Fish | All Rights Reserved, (505) 476-8000 | Toll-free (888) 248-6866. Last Monday afternoon, while crouched in a crawl space beneath a house in the posh Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz, a home-security technician came face to face with a . MLF can only assume that NMDGFs use of the new 2010 lion population density model is based more on political concerns rather than biological evidence, for the express purpose of justifying the increased mountain lion hunting quotas since 2010. Depredation law in New Mexicois monitored by the StatesDepartment of Game and Fish. But an image captured by one family's security camera last weekend certainly shows what looks to be a mountain lion. New Mexico has two long-term programs which attempt to protect other species by lethally removing mountain lions from specific geographic locations. The score exceeded the world record taken 10 years before by Dr. James Smith in Arizona. Thanks for contacting us. The Boone and Crockett record book published in 1964 shows no larger mountain lions having ever been taken in Colorado, with the exception of the famous giant world record cat shot by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1901. B&C trophy entry requirements: To me the pad mark looked so large it appeared to have melted out and increased in size. The second came in June when he got a gold medal at the Boone and Crockett Clubs Big Game Awards in Reno. They do however occur in these areas in conjunction with pockets of mule deer and areas of topographic diversity.. The female mountain lion was wearing a radio collar, and . Although the lion was 200 yards away, shifting from limb to limb, he looked very large. 2010. After the required 60-day drying period, Hatfield officially measured the skull at 15 14/16 inches. Using this same lion population density model, MLF estimates that New Mexico currently has approximately 2,550 mountain lions distributed accordingly: Apparently, officials at NMDGF felt that the population estimates derived from the 2008 model were too low. Cougars are much larger than bobcats, and have long tails that measure approximately one-third of the overall body length. He then signed a one year deal with the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, and announced his retirement from professional football in July 2022. Since we had to pick up some gear in Moab, Utah, we headed south through Moab and Monticello, and east into Colorado. . TheNew Mexico State Game Commissionsets the regulations found in theNatural Resources and Wildlifesection of theNew Mexico Administrative Code the states collection of department regulations. Finally the long anticipated day of the lion hunt arrived, and with it came one of the worst snowstorms of the winter. I sprinted as fast as I could but was losing ground with every stride. Larry Bamford Surprisingly . New Mexico is divided into 69 GMUs, each with its own lion population estimates and hunting quotas. Recently it has been increased to 13. However, it now fit my hand perfectly, and I quickly developed confidence in the new bow. Hahaha use hundos on fishing line too lure those cougars in for the kill. The first conviction is punishable by imprisonment for up to 6 months and a fine depending on the specific offense: illegally taking, attempting to take, killing, capturing or possessing a mountain lion during a closed season results in a fine of $400 per animal; hunting mountain lions without a valid license results in a $100 fine; exceeding the bag limit results in a $400 fine; attempting to exceed the bag limit is punished by a $200 fine. The 3-year-old mountain lion's ear tag told Montana biologists it had been born in Nebraska. (Photograph courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club), Chris Robb and guide with #2 New Mexico nontypical elk, taken in Catron County, 1998. The Plan identifies several high-priority areas for constructing wildlife crossings in the future. Robert Webster. As recently as 2011 there was one young male mountain lion that cruised all the way from the black hills of South Dakota, up over the Great Lakes, down through New Yorkgetting spotted all. He was killed in 1936 in South Africa. There was no scheduling the hunt. The cougar is also commonly known as mountain lion, puma, mountain cat, catamount, or panther. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 3. But the average age of deer, especially bucks, depends a lot on the choices hunters make. man killed a young mountain lion with his hands. As we shook hands, he said, I was out to check on the sheep kill. According to the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish (NMDGF), mountain lionsgenerally inhabit the rougher country in New Mexico avoiding the low elevation desert areas and eastern plains. At the time, the minimum score recognized as a trophy cougar by the Pope and Young archery records was 12 inches. His head was very large, with flashing teeth and a scarred face. The hunters signature must be witnessed by a B&C Official Measurer or a notary public. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game reported in a news release that the lion ventured into a home's . All rights reserved. That lion had scored 15 4/16 inches, and Dr. Smiths record had never been challenged in the last decade. The cougar suddenly moved to a lower limb. But, just how are these scores derived? The Bradleys scrambled to gather their gear and get on the road. The cold wind caused my eyes to water, blurring my vision as I strained to see. Bob Ward, assistant guide to Bill Wallace, met me inside a local cafe where we had a cup of coffee to warm up while we talked over plans for the hunt. Since our summary below may not be completely up to date, you should be sure to review the most current law for the New Mexico. Location. Breathe deep, make your case, be valiant on the Heros Journey., Your email address will not be published. Eric M. Rominger, PhD, Bighorn Sheep Biologist is an official Boone and Crockett Club Measurer. I finally had to stop. According to a story at KHOU.Com a Graford High School student was driving home from basketball practice when he hit the giant cat while it was crossing the road. Weve got some catching up to do, Bill informed me. Two human encounters in Larimer County drew national attention in recent years. The date was December 12, 1967. Wolfe said he hiked up 2,500 feet and down the other side of a. A trail of DNA evidence collected over the years shows this particular mountain lion had traveled through New York, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. I learned that cougar seldom range above 8,000 feet, their favored domain apparently being the lower foothills. P-22 stares at a remote camera positioned in the Santa Monica Mountains in 2015. Since the lion characteristically eats only what it itself has killed, the animal cannot be baited like the black bear. Visit our. P-81, who was 4 years old, is one of nine mountain lions fatally struck by vehicles since March of last . No obvious signs indicating it was a captive animal. LAS CRUCES, N.M. Of all the troubling video made public over a year of crisis at New Mexico State - from the brawl involving basketball players to the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old, allegedly . The hounds were so excited that we had to exert all the strength we could muster just to hold them back. Forin depthhunting and license information, reference theNM Hunting Rules & Info. The handle neck was so small that I began to wonder if it would hold together under all conditions. During the 2021-22 season, hunters in Colorado killed 482 lions 284 males and 198 females according to the agency's mountain lion reporting site. While the bill was eventually tabled for lack of information, it did cause NMDGF to produce a detailed report on lions in New Mexico (Evans 1983). Huge mountain lion taken without dogs on elk kill Fred Eichler 44.2K subscribers 158K views 5 years ago Michele Eichler takes a huge mountain lion with her single shot Rossi. Considering Wolfe is listed at 6-foot-5, this mountain lion could easily have been over seven feet long. The State Game Commission sets New Mexicos mortality limit. Mountain Lion Killed by Colorado Runner With Bare Hands Was a 'Kitten' Three to Four Months Old. Gaynor, 2008, Reuters, U.S. man attacked, eaten by mountain lion, Goldman, 1998, Defenders of Wildlife, Mountain Lion Complaint Filed, Hill, 2008, Sun-News, Pinos Altos Lion Killed, Hill, 2008, Sun-News, Big cat blamed in mans death, Hummels, 2000, The New Mexican, NM Senate committee rejects proposal to stall cougar killings, Ibanga, 2008, , Father Saves Son From Wildcat Mauling, Kalvelage, 2012, Ruidoso News, Mountain lion roaming Alto Lakes again, KDBC 4 News Staff, 2008, KDBC 4 News, Mountain Lion Attacks, Kills Poodle in Las Cruces, Macalady, 1999, High Country News, A bighorn dilemma, Mardis, 2008, , Parents say NM boy mauled by mountain lion, Matlock, 2007, The New Mexican, Officials say cougar sightings on the rise, Medina, 2008, Sun-News, Mountain lion preys on pet poodle in Las Cruces, Medina, 2008, Sun-News, Mountain lion that killed poodle not yet captured, Montoya Bryan, 2008, Associated Press, New Mexico looks at its hunting rules, Montoya Bryan, N/A, Associated Press, New Mexico considers downlisting endangered sheep, Neary, 1999, The New Mexican, NM Game department wants to kill cougars to help bighorn sheep, Neary, 2000, The New Mexican, NM state to kill 34 mountain lions to protect bighorn sheep, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, 2007, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Meetings Scheduled Statewide to Discuss Bear, Cougar Management, Richards, 2005, Wyoming Outdoor Industry, Mule vs Mountain Lion, Smalling, 2000, The New Mexican, New Mexico cougar policy is based on flawed logic, Summar, 2007, Albuquerque Journal, More Cougar Sightings Reported, Taos News, 2008, Taos News, Man attacked by mountain lion at Taos Ski Valley, Thompson, 2000, Albuquerque Journal, Judge Halts Federal Cougar Kills in New Mexico- No change in state hunting plans, Unknown, 1999, Animal Protection of New Mexico, Inc., Department Promotes Flawed Cougar Killing Policy in Attempt to Protect Desert Bighorn Sheep. Looking at the enormous head, I discovered the cat was very old. Mountain lion P-97 killed on 405 Freeway one day before groundbreaking on wildlife crossing The latest death of a big cat a nearly 2-year-old male known as P-97, according to Ana Cholo of. The internet celebrity, who is a member of Officials say that increasing the moose harvest is Sign up for the Field & Stream newsletter and get the latest intelligence straight to your inbox. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Particularly problematic highways . (Photograph courtesy of the Boone and Crockett Club), New Mexico record nontypical mule deer, taken by Joseph A. Garcia in Rio Arriba County, 1963. Prospective hunters must apply for a lion license and pass a certification course that is an extra requirement for lionsbefore purchasing a license. Branch asked if he could come along with us. They determined a large mountain lion had entered a pen through a wire mesh fence, most likely earlier Saturday morning. On Jan. 19, a mountain lion killed a dog as it returned from a walk with its owner. Official Measurers work on a volunteer basis for the Boone and Crockett Club and measure trophies according to their schedules. Everyone was running as the barking became higher pitched. These conditions are just right for tracking the elusive puma. He took about three quick bounds and slumped into the snow. Ranger was having trouble untangling the maze of tracks around the sheep, so Bill took the dogs collar and led him in a wide circle away from the kill. The Mountain Lion Foundation is a tax-deductible non-profit organization, tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code (Federal I.D. Wallace moved out ahead as the chase warmed up, announcing, Im going to turn o Ranger loose. Wolfe said he hiked up 2,500 feet and down the other side of a mountain, then back up again, back down and finally, back up another 9,600 feet. Your trophy may qualify for the Boone and Crockett Clubs Records program. If he stayed in this area and killed again, weve got a good chance of taking him, Bill observed. State officials confirmed the presence of a mountain lion near the Quabbin Reservoir in the late 1990s. Manolito Sanchez's 9-year-old yellow lab Charlie was attacked by a. Typically, the mountain lion caches its larger kills, secreting them in secluded spots and covering them with leaves and branches. For bears and cats, we need clearly focused, close-up photographs of the top, left side, right side, and top of the clean, dried skull. Palestinians Independent Militants. A copy of the hunting license and/or tag for this trophy. Mountain Lion Foundation The hounds had the cat, a huge male, treed and holding. The hunt was my second for Felis concolor, better known by one of his many nicknames: mountain lion, puma, cougar, painter, panther, or catamount. A rash of recent mountain lion attacks have resulted in the deaths of at least one dog and 15 cats, and Grand County residents remain on edge because lions are still in this area. A second conviction is punishable by up to 364 days of imprisonment and a fine based on the offense: illegally taking, attempting to take, killing, capturing or possessing a mountain lion during a closed season results in a $600 per animal; hunting mountain lions without a valid license results in a $400 fine; exceeding the bag limit results in a $600 fine; attempting to exceed the bag limit is punished by a $600 fine. Since 1971, when they became a protected species in New Mexico, at least 6,630 mountain lions have been reported killed by humans. , N/A, Cougar/bighorn interactions and sustainable ecosystem management in New Mexico, Menke 2008 REPORT Locating Potential Cougar Puma concolor Corridors in New Mexico Using a Least Cost Path Corridor GIS Analysis, Rominger et al 2004 The Influence of Mountain Lion Predation on Bighorn Sheep Tranlocations JWM, Rominger et al 2006 Bighorn Sheep Mountain Lions and Ethics of Conservation, Ruth 1998 Evaluating Cougar Translocation in New Mexico, Sawyer 2002 A Review of the Predation on Bighorn Sheep, Shultz Howard 1937 Fauna of Burnet Cave Guadalupe Mountains, Stiner et al 2012 Carcass Damage and Digested Bone from Mountain Lions, Sweanor et al 2000 Cougar Dispersal Patterns Metapopulations Dynamics and Conservation, Sweanor Logan Hornocker 2005 Puma Responses to Close Approaches by Researchers, Welch, Donaldson, 1975, Mountain lion management: A new game, Wheeler 1875 Report Upon the Ornithological Collection, Young 2010 Survival and Mortality of Cougars in the TransPecos Region, Bell, Robertson, 1988, Status of the Mountain Lion in New Mexico, Goldstein, Rominger, 2009, Fra Cristobal Mountains: Evaluation of an 8-year mountain lion removal management action on endangered desert bighorn sheep recovery, Menke, 2008, Locating Potential Cougar (Puma concolor) Corridors in New Mexico Using a Least-Cost Path Corridor GIS Analysis, Morrison, 1984, 2nd Mountain Lion Workshop: Status Report: New Mexico, New Mexico Game and Fish, N/A, Living with Large Predators in New Mexico, Rominger, Goldstein, 2007, Evaluation of an 8-year mountain lion removal management action on endangered desert bighorn sheep recovery, Rominger, Goldstein, 2004, Synopsis of a 5 year lion control management action on endangered desert bighorn sheep recovery, Wildlife Management Division, 2004, Draft: Long Range Plan for the Management of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in New Mexico, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, 2012, Proposed Amendments to the Bear and Cougar and Habitat Protection Rules, Alba, 2007, Warm weather rouses more wildlife, Animal Protection of New Mexico, Inc., 2004, Animal Protection of New Mexico, Inc., ADCs Cougar Killing Violates Federal Law, Associated Press, 2004, Pet-killing cougar shot near Ramah, Associated Press, 2007, More cougars spotted in northern New Mexico; bad weather blamed, Associated Press, 2008, Animal attacks boy, 5, in New Mexico mountains, Associated Press, 2008, Authorities kill mountain lion that might have attacked Pinos Altos man, Associated Press, 2008, Boy attacked by large animal on Sandias, Associated Press, 2008, Mountain lion sought after mans body found, Associated Press, 2008, New Mexico Man Torn Apart by Mountain Lion, Associated Press, 2008, Officers kill mountain lion that might have attacked Pinos Altos man, Associated Press, 2008, Second mountain lion killed near Pinos Altos, Associated Press, 2007, Mountain lion tracks spotted near Winsor Trail, Baeza, 2008, The Independent, Mountain lion kills New Mexico man, Bailey, 2003, Animal Protection of New Mexico, Inc., Vanishing Wildlife of New Mexico- A Legacy of Neglect, Carter, 2007, New Mexico Daily Lobo, Human impact destroys vital ecosystems annually, Cooley, 2002, Animal Protection of New Mexico, Inc., State game commission approval of reckless and dangerous cougar regulations is illegal.