A mountain lion in South Dakota’s Black Hills. (Courtesy of SD Game, Fish and Parks)
The commission overseeing wildlife management in South Dakota approved a proposal Thursday in Rapid City to expand the area where dogs can be used for hunting mountain lions.
The decision by the Game, Fish and Parks Commission increases the area within the Black Hills where hunters can use scent-tracking hounds to chase mountain lions up trees. The expansion includes areas in the eastern and southern Hills.
The rule change also removes the requirement for hunters without dogs to obtain an access permit in addition to a hunter’s license to hunt mountain lions in Custer State Park.
The annual harvest limit remains capped at 60 mountain lions or 40 females, whichever is reached first.
The decision to expand the area for dog-assisted hunting follows months of debate and hundreds of submitted comments over the role of dogs in lion management. Another roughly 30 people spoke during Thursday’s hearing.
Supporters of the new rule said that expanding dog hunting opportunities will improve mountain lion management. Hunters with dogs have an approximately 50% success rate, while hunters without dogs have less than 4%. They said the move will help the state meet its population objectives and ensure that problem lions attacking livestock are killed.
A report issued this year by the Department of Game, Fish and Parks says the latest mountain lion population estimate for the Black Hills is 393, but also says mountain lion population estimates “often have low precision.” Averaged over multiple years, the department said, the population generally stays within the management objective of 200 to 300.
Supporters also said hunting with dogs and chasing lions up trees allows hunters to get close and better identify the sex and age of lions before deciding to shoot them. They said fewer lions would also increase the mule deer population in the southern Hills, where hunters complain of low numbers.
“Mountain lion numbers are too high in the Black Hills. So are coyote numbers. The deer population is trending down,” wrote Jordan Schneider of Rapid City.
Opponents said hunting with dogs undermines the principle of fair chase — giving the animal an opportunity to escape — and reduces opportunities for hunters without dogs. Others called the practice inhumane and said the proposal was not based on science.
“This is not a real ‘hunting sport,’ but a cruel and unethical event,” wrote Leisa Bailey of Vermillion.
Commission Chair Stephanie Rissler, who spoke in favor of the proposal, said the move will help manage problem lions without increasing permit numbers or the harvest limit.
The final vote was 7-0, with one commissioner, Travis Theel, recusing himself. During the public comment period, state Rep. Tim Goodwin, R-Rapid City, alleged that Theel, who runs a guided hunting service in the Black Hills, and Commissioner Travis Bies, who owns land near the Black Hills, had conflicts of interest. Bies did not recuse himself, saying his land is not in the affected area.
Mountain lions were nearly eradicated from South Dakota by the early 20th century due to bounties and unregulated hunting. After lions recolonized the Black Hills in the 1980s, the state established a hunting season in 2005.