Growing Mountain Lion Population Raises Concerns About Deer

With mountain lion populations rising in southern Idaho, residents fear mule deer herds may not survive - despite the findings of an Idaho State University study.

More than 35 ranchers, land officials and concerned residents gathered this week to hear the results of a 10-year study on mountain lions near Albion and the Black Pine mountains.

“While we compliment your research efforts, we have a real problem here,” Elba rancher Stan Lloyd said. “The deer herds are being decimated, and we want to see this balance we keep hearing about.”

John Laundre, a research professor at Idaho State, said the mountain lion population is growing faster than the deer population, but as long as the overall deer population remains relatively young there should not be a problem.

In an effort to restore deer populations, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has issued only 200 doe permits this year for the Unit 55 area between Oakley and Malta and Burley and Utah - 500 fewer permits than were issued in 1993.

“Some people are critical of us issuing doe tags when the numbers are so low right now, but my response is that other people have asked us to maintain some hunting and we feel that biologically, this area can sustain a small harvest of does,” Fish and Game wildlife biologist Randy Smith said.

Since reducing the number of permits by almost 75 percent three years ago, Smith said, the deer population has increased only slightly.

“The numbers still aren’t where we’d like them to be today, but they’ll return,” he said.

In the past few years, Fish and Game has maintained a hunting period for mountain lions from Sept. 15 through March 31. This year, the department extended the season by a month and raised the female quota to help reduce the population of cats.

The study, which focuses primarily on the population, activity, predation and conservation dynamics of mountain lions, is expected to continue through 2000 with more emphasis on deer population research.