For the week of January 2 - 8, 2002

Cougar removed from Hailey back yard

Cat relocated to South Hills

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"Mountain lions frequently travel the river corridor, but having one living this close to a residential neighborhood was not acceptable to the Fish and Game Department. It just happened to be a really bad spot."

Roger Olson, Idaho Department of Fish and Game conservation officer

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

A Hailey family was relieved two weeks ago when Idaho Department of Fish and Game officers removed a large male mountain lion from their back yard.

Darlene and Ted Dyer said their dog had been interested in a backyard log pile for several weeks, and when Fish and Game officers investigated on Dec. 21, they saw a mountain lion disappear into the tangle of logs and brush.

The cat may have been wintering there since heavy snows pummeled the area early last month.

On Saturday, Dec. 22, Fish and Game officers Roger Olson and Rob Morris hauled a large trap into the Aspen Drive yard and baited it with a road-killed mule deer. By Sunday morning, the lion was trapped and relocated south of Twin Falls.

Happy the cat is gone, Ted Dyer still acknowledged its rare beauty.

"It was quite a magnificent creature," he said.

Olson pointed out that trapping a mountain lion live is usually unsuccessful, but this situation offered the opportunity to place a trap close to the animal’s security cover, use warm natural prey and have someone available to observe the trap.

"It is not easy or common to selectively remove a mountain lion from an area," Olson said. "It usually involves the use of firearms or tranquilizing drugs," and tranquilized animals are usually put to sleep.

The presence of a mountain lion in the river bottoms of Hailey is not cause for concern, Olson said. However, the proximity of this particular cat’s winter cover to a home prompted action.

"Mountain lions frequently travel the river corridor, but having one living this close to a residential neighborhood was not acceptable to the Fish and Game Department," Olson said. "It just happened to be a really bad spot."

But the felled trees, which border the Dyers’ property, are still there, Ted Dyer pointed out. He said he is concerned that another critter could den up in the log pile before it can be removed next spring or summer.

Wintering elk and deer herds are still "highly mobile and in good shape yet," Olson said. Because mountain lions usually trail the ungulates, sightings and incidents may not become prevalent unless more snows pelt the area and force more deer and elk to the valley floors.

 

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