Gentlemen,

While browsing the local newspaper from back home online..The Register-Guard or more appropriately "Red Guard"...I came across this article. When even the Red Guard is discussing the impact of cougars on hunters, you know it's a problem..

Here is a link to the article
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/10/27/b2.cr.elkhunt.1027.html

"Cougars have killed so many Rocky Mountain elk in Wallowa County that only 360 tags for antlerless elk are being offered to hunters, down from 4,140 in 1995."

Wow! That's worse than even I thought....and I LIVE in Oregon.

Some folks memories are awful short- Elk season ``used to be the thing that got me through the winters,'' he said. ``The (state) game commission is raising predators instead of game animals.''-as stated at the end of the article,banning hound hunting was a statewide ballot issue,and the kneejerk vote carried the day. And our bleeding heart gov recently vetoed a bill to re-allow it.It needs to be placed on the ballot again for a re-vote.I can picture the ad campaign now,maybe some extremely graphic videos of calves,fawns,and bunny rabbits being taken and "et" by big cats? And even better, someone has to have some home videos of household pets being snatched out of backyards,as I hear thats happening quite a bit in S Oregon?
I read a similar article in the Oregonian,but it also stated that its possible that cat,elk and deer pops will stabilize,but considering the loss of habitats,disease and other factors,I think its doubtful.

As a resident of Oregon, It is actually stimulating to hear other people talk about all the damage that the cougars are doing to the game in this state.

I hear all too often from non hunters, that it is all in our heads....The Elk, and even worse, the deer population is down a lot in Oregon. I feel the deer population is down 80 % plus. I base this not on now seeing any deer, but not even seeing any deer fecees in the woods at all.

The deer I do see, are those that exist on private land, and are almost pets to the land owners. They have no reason to roam at all.

It is a sad thing, but it is mind boggling that even some of the "Liberals" in Eugene are a finally realizing another one of their " save the environment" programs is not only not working, but backfiring in spades!

Here in Idaho, the mountain lions, wolves, and bears are really hammering the big game herds.

At least, we can still hunt the mountain lions and bears.

I and my buds always carry mountain lion and bear tags, while hunting elk and deer. We've killed bears, but not yet mountain lions. Maybe this later fall, when the snow flies??

L.W.