DAR File No. 38231

Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources

Rule R657-10

Taking Cougar

Notice of Proposed Rule

(Amendment)

DAR File No.: 38231
Filed: 01/13/2014 01:01:37 PM

RULE ANALYSIS

Purpose of the rule or reason for the change:

This rule is being amended pursuant to Regional Advisory Council and Wildlife Board meetings conducted annually for taking public input and reviewing the Division's cougar program.

Summary of the rule or change:

The proposed revision: 1) defines "Immediate Family" as it pertains to this rule; 2) revises firearms language to be consistent with other rules; and 3) allows the Division to issue depredation cougar permits to landowners to help with chronic depredation problems.

State statutory or constitutional authorization for this rule:

• Section 23-14-19
• Section 23-14-18

Anticipated cost or savings to:

the state budget:

This amendment clarifies a definition, as well as revises firearms language to be consistent with other rules. The addition of depredation cougar permits can be handled with current staff and programs, therefore, the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) determines that these amendments do not create a cost or savings impact to the state budget, since the changes will not increase workload and can be carried out with existing budget.

local governments:

Since this amendment only clarifies an already existing stipulation this should have no effect on the local government. This filing does not create any direct cost or savings impact to local governments because they are not directly affected by the rule. Nor are local governments indirectly impacted because the rule does not create a situation requiring services from local governments.

small businesses:

None--The amendments do not impose any additional requirements on small businesses, nor generate a cost or savings impact to small businesses.

persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local governmental entities:

None--The amendments do not impose any additional requirements on other persons, nor generate a cost or savings impact to other persons.

Compliance costs for affected persons:

DWR determines that these amendments will not create additional costs for sportsmen wishing to hunt cougar in Utah. Therefore, the rule amendments do not create a cost or savings impact to individuals who participate in hunting cougar.

Comments by the department head on the fiscal impact the rule may have on businesses:

The amendments to this rule do not create an impact on businesses.

Michael R. Styler, Executive Director

The full text of this rule may be inspected, during regular business hours, at the Division of Administrative Rules, or at:

Natural Resources
Wildlife Resources
1594 W NORTH TEMPLE
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84116-3154

Direct questions regarding this rule to:

• Staci Coons at the above address, by phone at 801-538-4718, by FAX at 801-538-4709, or by Internet E-mail at stacicoons@utah.gov

Interested persons may present their views on this rule by submitting written comments to the address above no later than 5:00 p.m. on:

03/03/2014

This rule may become effective on:

03/10/2014

Authorized by:

Gregory Sheehan, Director

R657. Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources.

R657-10. Taking Cougar.

R657-10-1. Purpose and Authority.

(1) Under authority of Sections 23-14-18 and 23-14-19 of the Utah Code, the Wildlife Board has established this rule for taking and pursuing cougar.

(2) Specific dates, areas, number of permits, limits, and other administrative details which may change annually are published in the guidebook of the Wildlife Board for taking cougar.

 

R657-10-2. Definitions.

(1) Terms used in this rule are defined in Section 23-13-2.

(2) In addition:

(a) "Canned hunt" means that a cougar is treed, cornered, held at bay or its ability to escape is otherwise restricted for the purpose of allowing a person who was not a member of the initial hunting party to arrive and take the cougar.

(b) "Compensation" means anything of economic value in excess of $100 that is paid, loaned, granted, given, donated, or transferred to a dog handler for or in consideration of pursuing cougar for any purpose.

(c) "Cougar" means Puma concolor, commonly known as mountain lion, lion, puma, panther or catamount.

(d) "Cougar pursuit permit" means a permit that authorizes a person to pursue cougar during designated seasons.

(e) "Cougar Management Area" means a group of units under the same cougar harvest quota.

(f) "Dog handler" means the person in the field that is responsible for transporting, releasing, tracking, controlling, managing, training, commanding and retrieving the dogs involved in the pursuit. The owner of the dogs is presumed the dog handler when the owner is in the field during pursuit.

(g) "Evidence of sex" means the sex organs of a cougar, including a penis, scrotum or vulva.

(h) "Green pelt" means the untanned hide or skin of any cougar.

(i) "Harvest-objective hunt" means any hunt that is identified as harvest-objective in the hunt table of the guidebook for taking cougar.

(j) "Harvest-objective permit" means any permit valid on harvest-objective units, including limited-entry permits for split units after the split-unit transition date.

(k) "Immediate family member" means a livestock owner's spouse, child, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepchild and grandchild.

(l) "Kitten" means a cougar less than one year of age.

([l]m) "Kitten with spots" means a cougar that has obvious spots on its sides or its back.

([m]n) "Limited entry hunt" means any hunt listed in the hunt tables of the guidebook of the Wildlife Board for taking cougar, which is identified as limited entry and does not include harvest objective hunts.

([n]o) "Limited entry permit" means any permit obtained for a limited entry hunt by any means, including conservation permits and sportsman permits.

([o]p) "Private lands" means any lands that are not public lands, excluding Indian trust lands.

([p]q) "Public lands" means any lands owned by the state, a political subdivision or independent entity of the state, or the United States, excluding Indian trust lands, that are open to the public for purposes of engaging in pursuit.

([q]r) "Pursue" means to chase, tree, corner or hold a cougar at bay.

([r]s) "Split unit" means a cougar hunting unit that begins as a limited entry unit then transitions into a harvest objective unit.

([s]t) "Waiting period" means a specified period of time that a person who has obtained a cougar permit must wait before applying for any other cougar permit.

([t]u) "Written permission" means written authorization from the owner or person in charge to enter upon private lands and must include:

(i) the name and signature of the owner or person in charge;

(ii) the address and phone number of the owner or person in charge;

(iii) the name of the dog handler given permission to enter the private lands;

(iv) a brief description of the pursuit activity authorized;

(v) the appropriate dates; and

(vi) a general description of the property.

 

R657-10-21. Livestock Depredation and Human Health and Safety.

(1) If a cougar is harassing, chasing, disturbing, harming, attacking or killing livestock, or has committed such an act within the past 72 hours:

(a) in depredation cases, the livestock owner, an immediate family member or an employee of the owner on a regular payroll, and not hired specifically to take cougar, may kill the cougar;

(b) a landowner or livestock owner may notify the division of the depredation or human health and safety concerns, who shall authorize a local hunter to take the offending cougar or notify a USDA, Wildlife Services specialist; or

(c) the livestock owner may notify a USDA, Wildlife Services specialist of the depredation who may take the depredating cougar.

(2) Depredating cougar may be taken at any time by a USDA, Wildlife Services specialist, supervised by the Wildlife Services program, while acting in the performance of the person's assigned duties and in accordance with procedures approved by the division.

(3) A depredating cougar may be taken by those persons authorized in Subsection (1)(a) with:

(a) any weapon authorized for taking cougar; or

(b) with the use of snares only with written authorization from the director of the division and subject to all the conditions and restrictions set out in the written authorization.

(i) The option in Subsection (3)(b) may only be authorized in the case of a chronic depredation situation where numerous livestock have been killed by a depredating cougar and must be verified by Wildlife Services or division personnel.

(4)(a) The Division may issue depredation permits to take cougar on specified private lands and public land grazing allotments with a chronic depredation situation where numerous livestock have been killed by cougar.

(b) The Division may:

(i) issue one or more depredation permits to the affected livestock owner or a designee, provided the livestock owner does not receive monetary consideration from the designee for the opportunity to use the depredation permit;

(ii) determine the legal weapons and methods of take allowed; and

(iii) specify the area and season that the permit is valid.

(5)(a) Any cougar taken [pursuant to this section]under Subsection (1)(a) or (4)(a) shall remain the property of the state and must be delivered to a division office or employee within 72 hours.

(b) [In accordance with Subsection (1)(a) the cougar shall remain the property of the state, except the]The division may issue a cougar damage permit to a person who has killed a depredating cougar [in accordance with this section, if that person wishes to maintain possession of]under Subsection (1)(a) that authorizes the person to keep the [cougar.]carcass.

(c) A person [may acquire only]that takes a cougar under Subsection (1)(a) or (4)(a) may acquire and use a limited entry or harvest objective cougar permit in the same year.

(d) Notwithstanding Subsections (5)(b) and (5)(c), a person may retain no more than one cougar annually.

([5]6)(a) Hunters interested in taking depredating cougar as provided in Subsection (1)(b) may contact the division.

(b) Hunters will be contacted by the division to take depredating cougar as needed.

 

KEY: wildlife, cougar, game laws

Date of Enactment or Last Substantive Amendment: [November 7, 2013]2014

Notice of Continuation: August 16, 2011

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: 23-14-18; 23-14-19