It’s been nearly a year since Utah lawmakers declared a no-holds-barred open season against mountain lions during the 2023 legislative session. The changes made to the state’s hunting laws kicked off a contentious and ongoing political battle that has provoked a lawsuit against the state and pitted some of Utah’s most influential subcultures against each other. Hunters, ranchers, conservationists, and even those concerned about the percentage of public land ownership in the state have found themselves fervently divided on the topic of cougar hunting.

A last-minute amendment proposed to House Bill 469 during last spring’s legislative session made cougar hunting laws as permissive as trout fishing regulations, with the idea that unrestrained hunting would knock down supposedly booming lion numbers.

“We’re getting an increase in our cougar numbers across the state,” said Scott Sandall, the Senate-side sponsor of the bill, during a floor discussion. No further debate followed.

The bill was signed into law by Gov. Spencer Cox on March 17 to the shock and horror of both conservationists and cougar hunters who were unaware of the changes made to the bill in the final days of the general session.

The new rules, which went into effect on May 3, extend the cougar hunting season from a few months to all year, allow trapping, and remove the harvest limit statewide and per person. Hunters no longer need specific mountain lion permits, which were previously awarded through a lottery system. Now, mountain lions are in the same licensing tier as trout, rabbits, geese, and other upland game species that can be hunted with just a basic combination fishing and hunting license.

State biologists were appalled by the changes. Their research shows that cougar numbers already are down and have been for the past seven years, empirical evidence that was spurned by politicians who claimed the exact opposite while proposing HB 469. But on the 43rd day of the 45-day legislative session, the facts touted on the Senate floor didn’t need to add up. Legislators just needed to say something that would strike the right chord with the cougar-hating “ag guys” who wield considerable lobbying power in Utah.