Re: the April 30 article "New mountain lion hunting rules disappoint activists."
A recent Daily Star article says that the new mountain lion hunting guidelines disappointed activists, and that the majority were in favor of the guidelines.
While it is true that many hunters supported the guidelines, we should remember that 96% of Arizonans do not hunt and are generally unaware when managers make these decisions. It is hard to know how many Arizonans are truly in favor.
Nearly everyone I ask has no idea mountain lion hunting even exists in Arizona. Nevertheless, managers just locked in another five years of lion hunting, including at times when female lions have kittens. Ten out of fourteen lions killed near Tucson in 2020 were female. This is just one issue that concerns me with mountain lion hunting in our state.
If anything, I was surprised that nearly 1000 people submitted written comments against the lion hunting guidelines this year (with 1300 in favor). People are starting to pay attention.
People are also reading…
Cheryl Shearer
Northeast side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.