Cougar around Fern Hill - Crumpit Woods

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mcgarnickle
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Post by mcgarnickle » Sun Jun 14, 2009 2:04 pm

According to my hunting regulations synopsis, they're still in season until tomorrow. Hmm, I guess I'll take the day off work.
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Post by Brendan » Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:12 pm

mcgarnickle wrote:According to my hunting regulations synopsis, they're still in season until tomorrow. Hmm, I guess I'll take the day off work.
Hmm...
There was an officer leaving the Campground yesterday w/ an 870p in his hand. Maybe he got to it first!?

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Post by smallman » Mon Jun 15, 2009 5:25 am

He did get that cougar Saturday morning but not after it attacked and ate two small dogs on Friday evening and Saturday morning. One down, 3 more to go. A mother and two cubs are still hanging around the smoke bluffs and Crumpit woods. The dead cougar was a young male. Got the Friday night dog right off the leash. Funny cause a friend mentioned when we saw these women and their dogs that the dogs looked like "a cougar one bite brownie". An hour later....:shock:

pinnbasher
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Post by pinnbasher » Mon Jun 15, 2009 3:01 pm

That sound like an awesome way to cure the dog sh*t problem around here and it will keep the cougars fed. Problem solved!
Take your chance while you still got a choice.

mcgarnickle
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Post by mcgarnickle » Mon Jun 15, 2009 4:08 pm

pinnbasher wrote:That sound like an awesome way to cure the dog sh*t problem around here and it will keep the cougars fed. Problem solved!
Good call! I'd rather step in cougar sh*t than dog sh*t anyday bro, ya... I think its great how one animal sh*t is so much better than another animal sh*t. Oh wait, wild animals don't sh*t at all do they? Now where did I put that crack pipe.... :roll:
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Steve J

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Post by Dru » Mon Jun 15, 2009 7:33 pm

Two pages of posts and no one has talked about the cougar hazard in the Chieftan Hotel bar yet?

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Post by dakine » Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:14 pm

now why can't the cougars eat people like Pinnbasher? We'd have less trolls on the forum and less intolerant idiots in the world.
Problem solved.
DJ 1%

t2climb
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dog doo

Post by t2climb » Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:00 pm

I was in the bluffs yesterday and had the shitty displeasure of starting up a climb at Tunnel Rock and what do I see right at the base? A big pile of dog sh*t. How is not wanting idiot people and their idiot dogs sh*t piles at the crag intolerant. Pinn dude is bang on.....maybe all the dog sh*t found at the crags should be piled on your door step and then we will see how quickly you will be calling yourself intolerant.

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Post by mcgarnickle » Tue Jun 16, 2009 7:08 am

I think you're missing the point T2. If my last post was too confusing, I will say it again differently and maybe educate you on the birds and the bees. It's not just dogs which sh*t. It's all animals, including your beloved cougars and bears and sea gulls and all. Some of them will even sh*t on your freshly washed car. None of them to my knowledge sh*t in toilets. It makes no sense hating on the dogs and saying stupid stuff. So quit bellyaching about dog sh*t already. It's old.
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Steve J

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Post by Fre » Tue Jun 16, 2009 7:28 am

You're old Steve J. Tell you what, how about we collect all the cougar sh*t and dog sh*t we can find in Squamish. I'll eat the cougar sh*t pile, you eat the dog sh*t pile.
And now perhaps something constructive to this sh*t-conversation: whether or not you love shooting big cats, isn't it weird there's suddenly a bunch of them in Squamish? I know it's cliche but there must be a better solution than simply shooting them. On top of that, any hunter will get my respect if you kill a cougar with your bare hands (or a nail-clipper at the most), if you have to use a riffle, you're a coward. Poop on you.

smallman
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Post by smallman » Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:19 am

Actually, Fre it is not that weird that cougars are more numerous in Squamish this year. Here's why. The weather this year in Dec and January was very cold and snowy at low elevations, creating very difficult conditions for the local deer populations. Their feed was covered by hard crusty snow making it difficult to eat. This likely induced a high spontaneous abortion rate in pregnant does and subsequent decline in new fawns available to cougars to prey on. Fawns are very easy prey for cougars. They lie hidden alone for long periods during the day while the doe browses or grazes and will not run when approached . I have almost stepped on fawns while hopping over logs working in the woods.

Additionally, the cool weather we had in March and April likely delayed movement of prey deer populations to higher elevations due to delayed snowmelt and delayed bud flush of deciduous shrubsand trees, and annual herbs and grasses. Since the cougars follow the deer the result is more cougars at lower elevations later in the spring. I also think that cougars populations may be peaking at the moment because the previous couple of winters have been very mild, with associated increased deer winter survival and reproductive success and survival.

So now the question is why are there more cougar - human encounters and conflicts this year? We have more hungry cougars at low elevation due to the above reasons. The cougars are in areas which see increased utilization by humans at this time of year and which are seeing increased utilization overall. Most of these humans have zero bush sense about how to interact with the local wildlife (bears, cougars, and deer). And the humans (climbers and hikers.. especially hikers at the chief) are bringing in with them ideal prey sized, pretty much defenseless animals (dogs, cats in Valleycliffe). The average mid sized dog is about the size of a new fawn and the miniature rat dogs are about the size of a large rabbit. These animals are leaving ample evidence of their abundance (ie sh*t). This is a recipe for cougar - human conflict.

Maybe part of the solution, Fre, is for people to leave their dogs at home (ie cougar prey attractant) and to remove the evidence of an abundant available prey population (ie. their pet's crap), at least for the short term until these cougars follow their natural prey. Unfortunately, often when bears and cougars are relocated, they come straight back into the wildland urban interface because they have learned that easy food is available there.

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Post by supafly » Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:06 am

thanks for the explanation.

i guess another option re. dogs would be

a) don't buy rat-dogs or leave them in their fluffy pink puppy poof at home
or
b) buy a burly cougar fighting dog

(i think i'll go with b)

t2climb
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Post by t2climb » Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:13 am

Being a wildlife biologist I do actually know the difference between domestic dog sh*t and other animals sh*t. Yosemite bans the presence of dogs in their park and it has been very successful. As have many other parks because of dog wild animal conflict and the fact that a good number of dog owners are just simply tools. An adult sized cougar will have no problem killing almost any sized dog so good luck with your football sized and large sized dogs out there.

smallman
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Post by smallman » Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:09 pm

Maybe banning dogs would get rid of many of the owners too. No more line-ups in the Bluffs and a win-win situation all around.

supafly
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Post by supafly » Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:31 pm

maybe it should just be a non-local ban.. a barbed wire fence could be erected around the perimeter of the bluffs with a sign pointing out that "whistler is THAT way".

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