Increased mountain lion quotas in the west-central ecogregion were approved last month by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission. That region includes the greater Bitterroot area and extends to the Elkhorn Mountains near Helena. Commissioner Jeff Burrows, of Hamilton, suggested increasing the harvest by 39 lions to reduce lion depredation on other big game species in the region, including elk and deer. The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks is in the process of completing detailed analyses of four ecoregions in the state to gain a better understanding of the state’s lion populations. The six-year effort began in the Flathead region in 2021-2022. Based on what the department learned, a 12% increase in mountain lion harvest was approved in the region. But the model used to help the agency estimate lions ran into problems in the west-central ecoregion, leading the department to “acknowledge a level of uncertainty surrounding population estimates.” To learn more about the study, the six-year effort and the commissioners’ concerns about the population estimates, check out my story at https://billingsgazette.com/outdoors/fish-wildlife-and-parks-mountain-lion-hunting-fish-and-wildlife-commission/article_6e7900c6-388c-11ef-b796-bbf5ce0fb32d.html.

Written by Brett French | Outdoors Editor for Billings Gazette