SOUTH DAKOTA DEPT. OF GAME, FISH AND PARKS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005
Ninth Mountain Lion Harvested
PIERRE, S.D. – A mountain lion hunter harvested South Dakota’s ninth mountain lion Saturday evening while hunting eight miles northwest of Custer. The cat was a 1.5 year old subadult female that weighed 68 pounds and was in good condition.
"This hunter was specifically hunting mountain lions with a cow elk call, and harvested the lion around 6 p.m. Saturday evening," said Game, Fish and Parks Wildlife Biologist Steve Griffin of Rapid City.
Griffin noted that this subadult female will not be counted against the female sub-quota as she was not a breeding-age female. "She was too young," he said, "and will be counted just like a male lion in the quota system." The mountain lion harvest status is now at nine lions total with two breeding-age females.
South Dakota’s mountain lion season opened Oct. 1 and continues through Dec. 15. The mountain lion season in the Black Hills unit will end earlier if the limit of 25 total mountain lions, or five breeding age females, is met at an earlier date. Females harvested will count towards the limit of 25 lions.
To get the most recent harvest information on South Dakota’s mountain lion season, call toll free to (866) 895-9067 or
visit the GFP website directly at www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/MountainLions/MtLionseasonstatus.htm.-30-