I can't speak as far as big cats and bears, but as far as coyotes, fox, bobcat, etc, (which are all predators as well), they are at the top of their food chain, and have no real "enemies" to keep their numbers in check. Some degree of hunting helps to keep their numbers "healthy" while providing some protection for livestock and lesser game animals as well. For example, turkeys made a comeback around here some years ago, but recently their numbers seem to have fallen off. Bobcat, coyote, fox and coon are known turkey predators. Bring their numbers down and you increase the turkeys' chances for survival.
The Anti/I don't get Hunting Thread
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I can't speak as far as big cats and bears, but as far as coyotes, fox, bobcat, etc, (which are all predators as well), they are at the top of their food chain, and have no real "enemies" to keep their numbers in check. Some degree of hunting helps to keep their numbers "healthy" while providing some protection for livestock and lesser game animals as well. For example, turkeys made a comeback around here some years ago, but recently their numbers seem to have fallen off. Bobcat, coyote, fox and coon are known turkey predators. Bring their numbers down and you increase the turkeys' chances for survival.
pete mctree
Treehouser
Is this control of species monitored, or done in a scientific manner - or is it just a positive from the hunting ?
vharrison
Island Girl
Lordy, I am glad John takes me when we hunt fish and lobster. hahaha
sotc
Dormant hero!!
Of course its monitored, the state owns the wildlife. In Oregon we have over 6000 cougars now, each averaging roughly a deer a week is over 300,000 deer sized critters a year. We definitely have room to thin them down. Not to mention how tasty they are
HolmenTree
Banned
Wild game meat is a good choice lately. Here in Canada we're going through a devastating e-coli beef epidemic at our largest meat processing plant at the XL plant in Brooks Alberta.
Alberta beef has always being touted as some of the best in the world. Now the plant is adding steaks and roasts to the recall list, it's not just hamburger.
I was listening to a micro biologist from Saskatchewan yesterday and he says it's no longer safe to eat "blue" rare steak anymore. Meat processors are now tenderizing steaks with a special needle pointed machine that shows no sign of tenderizing to the customer.
What the needles do is they transfer the natural e-coli on the surface of the steak into the middle of the meat. We all know by quickly cooking the surface of a rare cooked steak the e-coli is destroyed and the middle is free of e-coli, or the cow would have been very sick and the meat would not have been processed to begin with .
But with this needle tender processing we are no longer safe from e-coli.
Alberta beef has always being touted as some of the best in the world. Now the plant is adding steaks and roasts to the recall list, it's not just hamburger.
I was listening to a micro biologist from Saskatchewan yesterday and he says it's no longer safe to eat "blue" rare steak anymore. Meat processors are now tenderizing steaks with a special needle pointed machine that shows no sign of tenderizing to the customer.
What the needles do is they transfer the natural e-coli on the surface of the steak into the middle of the meat. We all know by quickly cooking the surface of a rare cooked steak the e-coli is destroyed and the middle is free of e-coli, or the cow would have been very sick and the meat would not have been processed to begin with .
But with this needle tender processing we are no longer safe from e-coli.
Of course its monitored, the state owns the wildlife. In Oregon we have over 6000 cougars now, each averaging roughly a deer a week is over 300,000 deer sized critters a year. We definitely have room to thin them down. Not to mention how tasty they are
You eat cougar?
sotc
Dormant hero!!
Yes sir, some of the best fare you''ll never eat!
HolmenTree
Banned
HolmenTree
Banned
I think Stig was referring to another type of cougar
Sorry Stig I guess you were not
GASoline71
'cause chicks dig scars
Of course its monitored, the state owns the wildlife. In Oregon we have over 6000 cougars now, each averaging roughly a deer a week is over 300,000 deer sized critters a year. We definitely have room to thin them down. Not to mention how tasty they are
Exactly... In Washington state we now have some of the highest black bear populations in the country. Also Cougars are breeding like house cats. The State of WA does just as OR does and uses hunting to help manage predatory species such as bear, cats, coyotes, and soon wolves. The Mule Deer herds in the central part of the state and have damn near been decimated to unhuntable numbers by Cougars. A bullet is was more humane that a mountain lion when it comes to killing deer or elk.
The reintroduction of wolves into the NE corner of the state has put a big dent in elk herds in that area. Wolves are a whole 'nother story...
Gary
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I'd sure love to taste some!
Thor's Hammer
Wolfish. Sometimes Bites.
I have it in my mind that Cougar would taste nasty, but I'd love to try some.
I think that anyone that wants to eat meat should at some point have to kill and prep an animal.
I enjoy the hunt for meat, but take no pleasure in the kill.
I think that anyone that wants to eat meat should at some point have to kill and prep an animal.
I enjoy the hunt for meat, but take no pleasure in the kill.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
You would think that if Cougar was tasty, people would have been eating Lions and Tigers, but I have never heard that.
Raw venison was a common pre-race meal for the cyclists of old. Wonder how many might have gotten sick from it? I became sick from cooked venison once, it really messed up my stomach for a long time.
Raw venison was a common pre-race meal for the cyclists of old. Wonder how many might have gotten sick from it? I became sick from cooked venison once, it really messed up my stomach for a long time.
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
It depends of which use of the word "cougar " you are talking about now .I can't comment on the 4 legged kind but the other is not too bad .
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Not too bad compared to what, Al? Nothing at all?
gf beranek
Old Schooler
I have consigned to hunting only if the family need the meat. Somewhere I lost my way as a hunter. One too many maybe... Putting down too many pets. I don't remember when the hunt faded for me. I would rather use a camera these days. Stalk to get that shot of something special in nature. I teach the kids with small caliber how to stalk game. But it's just not in my blood anymore. I grew up with it. One would think I would find some joy in the hunt. I find more joy in tree work. Think I will just stick with that.
That's beautiful, Stephan. thank you!!
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
Mountain lion meat is horrible. Id rather work the corner or dig bamboo then eat that stuff.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Hahahahaaa. Willie must know some secret!
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
Depends on the age of the "cougar" I suppose .Not to mention the amount of libations .Not too bad compared to what, Al? Nothing at all?
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Hey, enough beers and BBQ sauce, I could eat my toes!
Ha.
Ha.
sotc
Dormant hero!!
Haha, Willard, funny!
My wife likes it also but I would say most don't eat it cause the cat thought is hard for some to swallow...
Tucker, I believe your the first I have heard of to say it wasn't good. I have tried bobcat also and didn't enjoy that one bit
My wife likes it also but I would say most don't eat it cause the cat thought is hard for some to swallow...
Tucker, I believe your the first I have heard of to say it wasn't good. I have tried bobcat also and didn't enjoy that one bit
How about fox and badger?
Hunters smoke that and eat it here.
We'll used to anyway, mange has all but wiped out the fox and badgers have become a protected species.
We could really use some wolves or bobcats here.
With the foxes gone, the roe-deer population have exploded.
We have a way of monitoring animals by counting the killed ones, any registered hunter has to fill in a form when applying for next years license, stating how many animals of eack kind they killed during hunting season.
30 years ago the yearly killed roedeer numbered 15000, now it is 100000!!!!!!
Since there is a huge tendency to trophy hunt, the hunters are slowly destroying the roe deer gene pool, by culling the finest, strongest bucks.
We have had the first population collapse on one of the large islands already.
You may not like wolves, but they do a heck of a lot better culling job than their human counterparts.
Hunters smoke that and eat it here.
We'll used to anyway, mange has all but wiped out the fox and badgers have become a protected species.
We could really use some wolves or bobcats here.
With the foxes gone, the roe-deer population have exploded.
We have a way of monitoring animals by counting the killed ones, any registered hunter has to fill in a form when applying for next years license, stating how many animals of eack kind they killed during hunting season.
30 years ago the yearly killed roedeer numbered 15000, now it is 100000!!!!!!
Since there is a huge tendency to trophy hunt, the hunters are slowly destroying the roe deer gene pool, by culling the finest, strongest bucks.
We have had the first population collapse on one of the large islands already.
You may not like wolves, but they do a heck of a lot better culling job than their human counterparts.
HolmenTree
Banned
Well said Stig.
In the early winter of 1986 I was falling timber up at Thompson Manitoba where at the time the area was never logged before. In the first week our crews started logging, I was cutting road with no skidder or anyone else around. My saw ran out of gas and as I was kneeling down filling the saw when a pack of timber wolves of 6 in number came running up about 75 feet away from me.
They stopped standing in about 2 feet of snow and we looked at each other for about 5 minutes. None of us moved. They were on a hard run because steam was coming off of them panting in the cold -30C air.
It was so quiet and peaceful. These animals were huge ,close to 4 feet at the shoulder. Then after the 5 minutes they moved on through the bush at a high rate of speed.
Then I remembered the bull moose I saw a couple of days earlier in the same area.
That was one of my most beautiful memories............. the day I was that close to those wolves..
In the early winter of 1986 I was falling timber up at Thompson Manitoba where at the time the area was never logged before. In the first week our crews started logging, I was cutting road with no skidder or anyone else around. My saw ran out of gas and as I was kneeling down filling the saw when a pack of timber wolves of 6 in number came running up about 75 feet away from me.
They stopped standing in about 2 feet of snow and we looked at each other for about 5 minutes. None of us moved. They were on a hard run because steam was coming off of them panting in the cold -30C air.
It was so quiet and peaceful. These animals were huge ,close to 4 feet at the shoulder. Then after the 5 minutes they moved on through the bush at a high rate of speed.
Then I remembered the bull moose I saw a couple of days earlier in the same area.
That was one of my most beautiful memories............. the day I was that close to those wolves..
That's an amazing story.
Reminds me of my East coast version: logging in CT, sitting down quietly eating lunch, several deer come running by looking alarmed and looking at their back trail, they keep going and about minute later here comes mr. coyote, hot on their trail, he trotted by just 30' away, made my day.
Reminds me of my East coast version: logging in CT, sitting down quietly eating lunch, several deer come running by looking alarmed and looking at their back trail, they keep going and about minute later here comes mr. coyote, hot on their trail, he trotted by just 30' away, made my day.
