OUTDOOR HUB
Daniel Xu | March 26, 2014
This year could host Nebraska’s first and last mountain lion season if a new bill banning the season is signed into law.
Image courtesy Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Nebraska’s first mountain lion hunting season could also be the state’s last, as a bill to halt the hunt is currently headed to the desk of Governor Dave Heineman. According to KETV, state senators voted 28-13 to pass Legislative Bill 671 on Monday, which will ban mountain lion hunting in the state. The bill lacked the necessary votes to pass with an emergency clause, which allows it to take effect as soon as it is signed by Governor Heineman or through a legislative override.
Mountain lions are a recent newcomer to Nebraska. Although the large cat is considered a part of the state’s native wildlife, cougars had been extirpated until the early 1990s, when a hunter made the first confirmed sighting since the 19th century. Wildlife officials report that a population of mountain lions recently colonized the Pine Ridge and Niobara River Valley regions in northwestern Nebraska. While experts say it is unlikely that the species will ever become established in urban areas, it is likely that the cats will become more widespread in the future. The most commonly spotted mountain lions are transient males in search of a mate.