(Helena) For the past several years, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has worked with local hound handlers to monitor lion populations. FWP says this unique and beneficial relationship is an efficient way to monitor a highly elusive species.
Routine population monitoring began in 2019, when FWP developed a mountain lion monitoring and management strategy. Each winter, the hound handlers contract with FWP to use their dogs to track, tree, and biopsy dart the cats to collect a DNA sample in a new monitoring area.
New this season, FWP biologists are also deploying GPS collars on a subset of the treed cats to collect additional data
