Montana Fish Game and Parks message on Mountain lions

Natural Management Strategy: We recommend that the BLM use fewer invasive management strategies and focus on a naturally balanced wild horse herd with a dynamic population of growth and decline. Number one in a natural management plan is to manage this large prey species (wild horses) with their natural predator: the mountain lion. We would like for the Montana Fish, Game and Wildlife and Wyoming Game and Fish agencies, to close mountain lion hunting in the Pryors. We are asking that no permits be issued for mountain lion hunting in the horse range and surrounding areas in the hope of promoting a predator-prey balance to again take hold in the Pryors and naturally manage population growth. A zero population growth average of the wild horses in the Pryors was attributed to mountain lion predation on foals in 2001-2004.

• Mountain lions are currently hunted in the Pryors and, with no foal predation in 2007, the mountain lions do not constitute a viable predator population at this time.
• The Montgomery Pass wild horse range on the California/ Nevada border has not had a round up for 27 years because mountain lions keep the horse population at zero population growth. 
• If a predator-prey balance were again achieved, minimal round-ups would be necessary, freeing up money for range improvements.