I know jack [bleep] about Mtn Lions.
Are they like coyote or hogs in that you can hunt the crap out of them and kill a pile of them and they just bounce their population right back up if you dont keep hammering them?
Would killing a bunch one year make a big dent?
Killing a bunch would make a quick dent that might take years to fill. Population-wise lions ain't like coyotes nor do they have as many young. With good dogs, snow machines, gps collars, good tracking conditions, they can be knocked back, if allowed.
Lions reproduce slowly, maybe 1-2 kittens that survive more than a few months, every other year, max for adult females. I've never seen a female that had more than two kittens with her. Adult males kill young kittens when they get the chance.
Probably as much as anything that boosts the lion population, in states that have pursuit seasons, is most houndsmen only take males. When you take an adult male out of the picture more kittens survive and disperse.
