This is not high on the human threat list. Before European settlers arrived, cougar country stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They were eradicated in the eastern United States by ranchers and hunters and their numbers were drastically reduced in the West with the advent of bounty hunting. Cougar populations began to recover in the West as states repealed bounties and limited cougar hunting. California doew not allow any cougar hunting and has named the mountain lion a specially protected mammal.
Most states have varying limits on how many cougars can be taken each year.
An exception is Texas, where cougars may be killed year-round with no limits. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has launched a 10-year study on cougar behavior in Jackson Creek in hopes of learning more about the cat. People who feed deer in their backyards need to understand that the predator that kills those deer is right behind them,'' she said. The cats are highly territorial animals and will fight to the death to defend their turf. There were bits of yellow fur stuck to the door.