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Mountain Lion. Historically, mountain lions (Puma concolor) occurred throughout South Dakota and were considered numerous in the Black Hills. However, the population declined in the early 1900’s due to unregulated hunting, and bounties were placed on mountain lions until 1966.
- Alabama. Mountain Lions have a status of extirpated in Alabama, there have been no confirmed sightings in the state in over 50 years. There are occasional reports of people who think they saw one, maybe they even took a blurry picture, but those are most likely bobcats.
- Alaska. Alaska is one of the few states where mountain lions are not technically native to and there is currently no breeding population of Mountain Lions in Alaska.
- Arizona. Mountain lions can be found throughout Arizona, and data suggests the populations are not only stable, but growing. The current estimate is 2,500 – 3,000 throughout Arizona.
- Arkansas. There is not currently a known breeding population of mountain lions in Arkansas and there hasn’t been in decades. There have been between 20-25 sightings of mountain lions in the state since 2010, but no evidence to support that these animals are breeding here and not just passing through.
Mountain lions (Puma concolor) are native to South Dakota and were historically considered numerous in the Black Hills. After near extirpation in the early 1900s due to unregulated
Jun 17, 2024 · New Mexico: 3,500, thriving in the state's rugged terrain. Oregon: 6,000, stable and sustainable. South Dakota: 200-300, a success story of reintroduction. Texas: Population numbers are unclear...
- Marni Rose Mcfall
- Native Peoples
- European Settlers
- Homesteaders
- Fur Trade
- Bounty
- Unregulated Hunting
- Trophy Hunting
Native people memorialized the cougar in rock carvings, totems, in story and in song. As European settlement expanded in the 1840’s, cougar persecution and riding the landscape of dangerous wildlife became more common. Mountain lions are native to South Dakota. They live primarily in the Black Hills, ideal habitat for lions, but they may occasional...
Settlers taking advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862 were lured to South Dakota with promises of abundant farmland and found a vast prairie that was harsh and unforgiving. Wood was scarce so settlers built homes from prairie sod that had earth roofs, dirt floors and prairie sod walls. While building up homesteads, many settlers had to find other ...
From 1865 to 1900, homesteaders and sportsmen came to South Dakota and depleted what had seemed to be an unimaginable abundance of wildlife, from white-tailed deer to mountain lions. In the 1880’s, President Theodore Roosevelt and his friends participated in hunting expeditions for deer, bear and mountain lions in the rugged landscape of the Black ...
The fur trade thrived in South Dakota, with one of the main trading posts on the Northern Plains being Fort Pierre. This post was run by the American Fur Company and trade was mainly in buffalo robes that the Lakota brought in to exchange for European goods. Robe production and trade reached an average of 100,000 bison robes annually by 1850. The r...
From 1889 to 1966, a bounty was placed on mountain lions by the South Dakota legislature. Despite an assumed abundance of the species, mountain lions were effectively extirpated from the state by 1906 with only two reported lion deaths (1931 & 1959) occurring over the next sixty years. Concurrent bounty programs and unregulated hunting practices in...
Early settlers in South Dakota set about eliminating mountain lions from the state by killing them whenever and however they could. As in so many of the eastern Plains states, whites were fearful for their own safety and the safety of their livestock, and they did not want mountain lions competing for the native game such as deer and elk. As such, ...
Mountain lions were classified as a State Threatened Species from 1978 until 2003, when they were re-classified as ‘big game.’ The first experimental hunting season took place in 2005, justified by a number of so-called reasons including: to provide data for the state’s ‘mortality-based’ research and to provide a proactive rather than reactive stra...
Mountain Lions in South Dakota Mountain lions are native to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Dispersals outside of the Black Hills have been documented; however, there has been no evidence of an established prairie population. Mountain lions are efficient predators that primarily prey on deer and other small mammals In South Dakota their ...
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Mountain lions (Puma concolor) are native to South Dakota and were historically considered numerous in the Black Hills. After near extirpation in the early 1900’s due to unregulated
