The number of cougars and bobcats taken during Utah’s upcoming hunting and trapping seasons should be similar to the number taken this past season.
Starting July 22, all of the Division of Wildlife Resources’ cougar and furbearer recommendations should be available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings.
DWR biologists will also present the recommendations at an upcoming series of public Regional Advisory Council meetings.
Learn more, share your ideas
After you’ve reviewed the ideas at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings, you can let your Regional Advisory Council members know your thoughts by attending your upcoming RAC meeting or by sending an email to them.
RAC chairmen will share the input they receive with members of the Utah Wildlife Board. The board will meet in Salt Lake City on Aug. 27 to approve rules for Utah’s 2015 – 2016 cougar and furbearer hunting and trapping seasons.
Dates, times and locations for the RAC meetings are as follows:
Northern Region
July 28
6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24. N. 300 W.
Brigham City
Central Region
July 29
6:30 p.m.
Springville Civic Center
110 S. Main St.
Springville
Southern Region
Aug. 4
7 p.m.
Beaver High School
195 E. Center St.
Beaver
Southeastern Region
Aug. 5
6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E. Main St.
Green River
Northeastern Region
Aug. 6
6:30 p.m.
DWR Northeastern Region Office
318 N. Vernal Ave.
Vernal
You can also provide your comments to your RAC via email. Email addresses for your RAC members are available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings.
The group each RAC member represents (sportsman, non-consumptive, etc.) is listed under each person’s email address. You should direct your email to the people on the RAC who represent your interest.
Cougar and bobcat proposals
Based on data collected from hunters and trappers, it looks like cougars and bobcats are doing well in Utah. Because the populations are doing well, DWR biologists are recommending hunting and trapping rules that are similar to last season.
Leslie McFarlane, game mammals coordinator for the DWR, said hunters took 330 cougars during the state’s 2014 – 2015 season. For the 2015 – 2016 season, biologists are recommending a slight decrease in the number of permits offered for limited-entry cougar units. They’re also proposing a slight increase in the number of cougars to be taken on harvest-objective units. “If our proposals are approved, the number of cougars taken should be very similar to the number taken this past season,” she explained.
The bobcat rules biologists are recommending are identical to last season. Each trapper and hunter would be limited to not more than six permits. Utah’s bobcat hunting and trapping season would run from Nov. 18, 2015 to Feb. 7, 2016.
During the 2014 – 2015 season, trappers and hunters took a total of 2,919 bobcats in Utah.