Today (Friday) the Nebraska Game and Parks set a mountain lion season for the Pine Ridge area (NW Nebr). There will be 8 tags for taking the big cats. I don't know the "for sure particulars", but I do know me and a few buddies will have our applications in the draw for sure. I think calling one in and taking it with a shot gun would rank pretty high on my "did that" list. I did read where dogs were not going to be allowed to use until if there is a second season because the quota was not filled the first season. Don't know about trapping for them either. I think this will be a hunting only season.

What i read said that they arent going to let them be trapped. That sucks because i really would like to catch one

They are very crafty when coming to a call. Were it me I would stake out a young colt, won't take long if any are around.

Osky

When South Dakota opened its Black Hills season in the early 2000s, the state agency guys didn't think the cats would come in calls all that well either. With no dogs allowed, the state did an open lottery based on filling a quota or a 3-month winter season, whatever finished first. I can't remember the first quota, maybe 30 cats, can't remember if it had a sub-number of females like the later seasons. Anyway the state was going to run that first season for 3 months. It took a little over 3 weeks to meet that first quota, at least half the cats called in using cow elk calls. Now, maybe the BH cats have wised up to calls but they were pretty effective early on.

NebCatMan- Good luck in pulling a NB tag!! Those Pine Ridge hills are a pretty area.

Non... sorry if I wasn't clear. Big cats I have called are much different than a coyote or bobcat, or even wolf. I meant they are more vigilant and clever coming in.

Osky

Thanks NON PC..... I gotta draw a tag first. And a handful of buddies will be applying also including my son. So I have a good chance of going even if I won't be the one with a gun. I think I saw where public land might be closed early on trying to have the hunters hunt private land. We will see if the private landowners are serious about getting rid of the cats like they say they want... or if they will try to profit in a big way $$$ wise and charge big for access. I would think calling would be very effective. I think drawing a cat in to a fairly close range would almost assure of a killing shot. Something I thought of was someone taking a super long questionable shot simply because you don't see lions that often. Making a bad shot and having a wounded lion would be a bad thing.... right??

Thanks Osky! That I believe. I bet they're super stealthy.

Buddy of mine shoots a lot of lions back in Oregon. Just so happens that his wife is out of town on business for 2 weeks out of every month and this is almost always when he shoots his lions. The thing he don't tell his wife is that he takes her yappy little maltese and puts it in a small wire kennel out in a clearcut. The yapping of the little dog draws in lions (as well as yotes) like you wouldn't believe... just something to think about for all you who have wives with a little yapper dog.

you can trap them here on state trust land or private land only. lion tag is good for 2 per yr (4/1-3/31).

I keep hoping to catch one traveling through

Wonder if they'll let me go back and trap this one again!!!



I know where there a quite a few of the beauties!!

Mark

X2 Biggest reason I get more than one deer tag, so I can hunt all gun season, hoping I see a big cat!

Dennis

Had 2 in my bobcat area last year one was taken in the deer season and the other with hounds mid winter. My buddy traps on the other side of the road from where I trap cats and got it on a game cam! Not all that far from NE but more central in the State.

I know a couple of guys who have had luck just tracking them in the snow and getting within rifle range for a shot. Sucks that they are going to hamstring us so bad with the regulations, but I at least we have a season again, unti dipshit Ernie Chambers screws it up.

I bowhunt se Nebraska and have pics of mountain lion tracks near the Missouri River...kind of unsettlingly coming out at night in the bottom of those ditches....lol

Hey ambush32, a G & P biologist tracked a lion in the snow in the SE corner of the state and got some blood from a track. It was enough to confirm it was from a female. This female it appears has staked a home range in the bluffs and hills near the Missouri river the last couple or 3 years. I would suspect it is just a matter of time before a wondering male catches up to here and mates. That should establish a local population.

I found tracks while hunting the Indian Caves State park and east of Barada on some private land....I never did hunt the private piece after finding the tracks, lol, I wanted to hunt deer not be the one hunted...

Good luck! hopefully you can get permission to hunt a few good places since it seems that so many dang people are afraid of the things! They all want to kill one but they are afraid of "Being the hunted" and not making it out alive...makes me laugh a little

Yup....I'm one of them...lol

I've been bear hunting with a bow and never felt uneasy, something about the lion that makes my hair stand up...

About 50 yrs ago we were over at Indian Caves on a family outing and my little Sis swears she saw a wolf. She's a country girl and ain't no dummy.
But we were in Jellystone a few years ago and tourists were freaking out over mangy coyotes.........thought they were wolves...