TPWD Public Comment: Proposed Rules for Mountain Lions

Stop the canned hunts currently allowed in Texas and support establishment of trapping standards for mountain lions.

Warning, graphic images will be in this post. I’d normally say if you were squeamish about dead animals for you to click away, but in reality, you should see it so you know what is at stake here.

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Florida panther, seen in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, 2009. Most Florida panthers now have genetics from Texas mountain lions that were brought in to save panthers from extreme inbreeding and a weak genetic pool.

A short and quick newsletter this week. If you are signed up for any other environmental org’s newsletter in Texas you may have already seen this floating around there or on social media. TPWD is (finally) proposing rules that would prohibit canned hunts and establish trapping standards on mountain lions in Texas. Texas is the only state without any kind of regulations on hunting mountain lions, which means it is a brutal open season here for them. Most states have wild game regulations for mountain lions and in some states, like Florida, they are a protected species. There have been calls for years for Texas to get with it and actually protect mountain lions in some manner. I think the Deep in the Heart documentary that came out in 2022 pushed some of this more recently and I know that Ben Masters and others have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to lobby TPWD and lawmakers to do something about this travesty.

Observed by TPWD Biologist Sam Kieschnick in April 2024, iNaturalist CC-BY - do click through and read the discussion and his commentary.

A summary of the proposed rules, which you can read in detail here and submit comments:

        Proposed new §65.950, concerning Mountain Lions, would prohibit “canned” hunting and establish trapping standards for mountain lions.

        Proposed new subsection (a) would define “captivity” as “the state of being held under control, or kept caged, penned, or trapped,” which is necessary to establish the conditions under which “canned” hunting may be presumed to be occurring.

        Proposed new subsections (b)(1) and (2) would prohibit the hunting of mountain lions in captivity as well as the release of captive mountain lions for purposes of being hunted or training dogs. The proposed provision would prohibit “canned” hunting of mountain lions, which is necessary to protect the species.

        Proposed new subsection (b)(3) would create an offense for a person to allow a live mountain lion to be captured in a trap or snare for more than 36 hours. The department has determined that allowing a trapped or snared mountain lion to remain in that state for longer than 36 hours is inhumane and if the practice is allowed to be indiscriminately employed, will negatively affect the ability of mountain lion populations to successfully perpetuate themselves.

        Proposed new subsection (b)(4) would create an offense for the act of conducting, promoting, assisting, or advertising an activity prohibited by the section. The department believes that persons who aid, assist, encourage, or otherwise act as a party to the commission of an offense should be held accountable in addition to the person who commits the offense.

        Proposed new subsection (c) would expressly state that the section does not apply to the humane dispatch of lawfully trapped mountain lions or apply to the use of snares designed to cease functionality if 285 pounds of force are applied to its mechanism. The department does not wish to interfere with lawful trapping activities conducted for other species and specifically wishes to allow the use of special snares that a large animal such as a mountain lion or bear can escape.

A rare, stray mountain lion southwest of Fort Worth in 2014. First seen on game cams in one area, later shot by a hunter. All photos and entries can be seen on iNaturalist by sbkucera CC-BY-NC

There is more to write about this state’s history and current situation with our big cats and that will be coming sooner rather than later—it’s been on my mind for the last year and this ruling from TPWD is moving it to the front burner.

Please leave your comments and Agree Completely on the TPWD Comment Form before 5:00pm on May 22, 2024. This isn’t a perfect solution but it is a big step towards the right direction and we can only hope TPWD will keep working to strengthen protections, and write appropriate rules and laws for hunting for mountain lions in Texas.

More information on Texas’ mountain lions can be found at TexasNativeCats.org

Misti writes regularly at Oceanic Wilderness and In the Weeds. She hosts one podcast, Orange Blaze: A Florida Trail Podcast, and recently retired The Garden Path Podcast.