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Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

LINCOLN, Neb. --(Ammoland.com)- A mountain lion unintentionally caught in a foothold trap in Dawes County was tranquilized and released by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission on Jan. 27.

The mountain lion, a female kitten weighing approximately 50 pounds, appeared to be in good health. After the release, the kitten followed tracks of an adult mountain lion and another kitten that biologists believe were the mother and a sibling.

The trap had been legally set and the trapper called Game and Parks immediately upon discovering the mountain lion, as required by Game and Parks policy.

High pelt prices for bobcats and an increased effort to trap them may have contributed to the recent incidental captures of mountain lions in Dawes County, according to Sam Wilson, Game and Parks’ carnivore program manager.

“The trapper did the right thing by calling,” Wilson said. “In situations like this, where a mountain lion has not entered a town or come into conflict with people, we may attempt to release it if it can be done safely and the mountain lion is not injured.”

Game and Parks requests fur harvesters immediately contact the agency if a mountain lion incidentally is trapped. Anyone with trail-camera photographs or other evidence of mountain lions should contact the agency at 402-471-0641.

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Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

LINCOLN, Neb. --(Ammoland.com)- Chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer has appeared for the first time in Buffalo, Custer and Holt counties, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

There were 1,565 lymph node samples collected from deer taken during the 2011 November firearm deer season, with 26 samples testing positive for CWD.

In addition, samples were taken from 37 culled deer that showed clinical symptoms for CWD, with one male mule deer from Garden County testing positive.

Those symptoms include a rough, emaciated appearance and a lack of fear of humans.

There were a record 51 positives from 3,645 samples in Nebraska in 2010. However, the surveillance effort was reduced in 2011 due to a lack of funds. The 2011 effort focused on central Nebraska, the leading edge of the disease as it spreads from west to east.

Game and Parks confirmed CWD in the state’s deer population in 2000. CWD is a disease that can affect deer and elk and always is fatal to the affected animal. Humans have never been known to contract CWD.

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