South Dakota’s mountain lion hunting season has come to a close about a month early with the killing of a 70th cat, the state Game, Fish and Parks Department said Thursday.
The 7-year-old, 86-pound lion killed about 3 miles south of Hayward on Thursday was the 44th female killed this year, said State Wildlife Director Tony Leif.
The season began Jan. 1 and was scheduled to end March 31, or when 50 females or 70 total lions were killed. Wildlife commissioners let hunters shoot more cougars in 2012 to help increase the Black Hills populations of elk and deer.
Leif said the goal is to find a balance between the populations of mountain lions and their primary prey, deer and elk. He said it’s too early to tell if the quota increase helped meet that management objective.
Read more via: Yankton