Group calls for Cox to veto Utah bill that opens door for year-round cougar hunting

Cougar photo courtesy of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, St. George News

SALT LAKE CITY — A wildlife protection nonprofit is calling for Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to veto a bill that opens the door for year-round cougar hunting in the state.

HB 469 cleared the Utah Legislature last week after a third substitution of the bill was introduced on March 1. The update, proposed by Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, removes the state’s current program so that anyone with a hunting license can harvest cougars throughout the year without a tag.

“We’re getting an increase in our cougar numbers across the state,” Sandall said, as he introduced the changes on the Senate floor.

The substitution, he added, also provides a “cleanup” to the state’s trail camera ban during the hunting season. It’s still illegal to transmit trail camera images or other information on public lands that are used for hunting from July 31 through Dec. 31 every year. But cameras that use internal data can be used on private lands for taking wildlife, as long as they are not transmitting data.

Read the full story here:  KSL News.

Written by CARTER WILLIAMS, KSL.com.


Check out all of St. George News’ coverage of the 2023 Utah Legislature here.

Copyright KSL.com.

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