Jaxson Dart Shakes Hands with a Lion

[Natethegreat]

Cougars get way overpopulated if they are not hunted. Here in Washington the state actually pays guys to come and take out cougars after the idiot Washington voters banned cougar hunting with dogs. Now they PAY guys to come in and hunt them with dogs. Typical Washington idiocy. I know because i have talked to the guys Washington pays to hunt them.

 

[rjdriver]

Worthy of mention….

Jaxson grew up a few miles from Zach Wilson and attended the same high school. Needless to say, he has extensive experience with cougars.

 

[hawkfan68]

Damn! I was pulling for the lion.

 

[GemCity]

I don’t really understand the correlation of the text and the photos in the OP.

Jaxson Dart grew up in the intermountain west at the base of the Uintah mountains surrounded by six national parks. He likes to hunt and fish. I’m sure a lot of players count themselves amongst the millions who do.

Right now in Utah, the state has implemented aggressive culling procedures for mountain lions. They are trying to boost mule dear and big horn sheep populations and have actually removed seasonal bag limits on mountain lions.

Interesting timing on the post. I’m not qualified to tell you if Jaxson Dart enjoys killing for the sake of killing. What I can say is that I know many avid hunters and outdoorsman who care very deeply about the wildlife ecosystem and preservation of forest lands and species.

For the record, I’m not a hunter nor am I fan of some people with whom Dart shares a podium.

Well said. When I hunted, I intended to eat the meat or get it processed and sent to homeless shelters (bear for instance).

I lived in Anchorage for awhile. I did go bear hunting a few times…never got anything. Alaska Fish and Game did an incredible job at managing populations. You had to have a tag…as I’m assuming Jaxson Dart did too.

I see both perspectives but, there’s logic behind herd control. At least, I’d like to think there is.

Now the multi-millionaire that goes to Africa and kills elephants for ivory, yah…F that guy.

 

[RockinHawks]

All I know is that those shorts are a huge mistake. Hunting aside, Dart's a brainless doofus who also can't act. I live in NY and the commercials he does are super cringe.

 

[Chapow]

Cougars get way overpopulated if they are not hunted. Here in Washington the state actually pays guys to come and take out cougars after the idiot Washington voters banned cougar hunting with dogs. Now they PAY guys to come in and hunt them with dogs. Typical Washington idiocy. I know because i have talked to the guys Washington pays to hunt them.

Hmm, you sure about that? Because I can't find anything to support that, and what I can find directly contradicts it.

 

[Steve Hawk]

Hmm, you sure about that? Because I can't find anything to support that, and what I can find directly contradicts it.

View attachment 80284
View attachment 80285

They do not call them hunters, they are certified Wildlife Control Operators.
WDFW enlists the help of private citizens who have skills and training in the capture and handling of many wildlife species that commonly generate wildlife complaints. Typically these individuals are referred to as Wildlife Control Operators (WCOs), and there are many WCOs throughout the state. A WCO must be certified through WDFW and conform to its regulations, but they are not state employees and operate as private entities, setting their own fees.

 

[Chapow]

They do not call them hunters, they are certified Wildlife Control Operators.
WDFW enlists the help of private citizens who have skills and training in the capture and handling of many wildlife species that commonly generate wildlife complaints. Typically these individuals are referred to as Wildlife Control Operators (WCOs), and there are many WCOs throughout the state. A WCO must be certified through WDFW and conform to its regulations, but they are not state employees and operate as private entities, setting their own fees.

I appreciate the clarification, but the statement I was questioning was that the state pays guys to hunt cougars with dogs, and I'm still not finding anything to support that claim. From what I can find, WCO's don't deal with big game animals like cougars and are not paid by the state.

 

[Natethegreat]

I appreciate the clarification, but the statement I was questioning was that the state pays guys to hunt cougars with dogs, and I'm still not finding anything to support that claim. From what I can find, WCO's don't deal with big game animals like cougars and are not paid by the state.

View attachment 80287
View attachment 80288

All I can tell is what he is paid to do. What you can find on the web is not in my control. Over here on the east side of the state the cougars are everywhere and are causing problems. This wasn't the case when hunters where allowed to use dogs. You basically can't hunt them without the use of dogs.

 

[Rat]

I always laugh hard at those stories where the animal wins. That's peak comedy.

 

[Appyhawk]

If he ate the mountain lion then okay. But I really doubt it, I imagine it's just a taxidermy mount. As far as squirrels go, I've never shot nor eaten one. Though, on a hunting trip a couple (3) of decades ago my f-ing idiot former bro-in-law shot one right in the eye with his .22 rifle just for fun. The Hunting Gods were not pleased. We were totally blanked all weekend and he was really pissed off. On our way back to the West side heading over Chinook Pass, he's driving himself, me, and my friend Rob in his truck when he suddenly spots a prime 3-point buck (that's 3 points on each side for you east coast folks that call that a 6-pointer) just standing beside the road. After dark. After legal hunting hours. So he instantly pulls over, gives Rob a really bright spotlight, and whips out his hunting rifle (which it turns out he didn't unload and was illegally driving with a loaded gun on the highway with no CWP). I think I mentioned he was (still is) an f-ing idiot. I told him to not do this bullshit, then plugged my ears with my fingers when he shot from the cab, across the highway. Then he shot twice more because the deer refused to die. The decoy deer set up by the Dept of Fish and Wildlife. A damn robo-deer. It was amazing how quickly the flashing red-and-blue lights showed up. I got thoroughly questioned about my part in all these shenanigans but I believe they must have had close-up surveillance on the spot that dumb-ass parked because as unlikely as my pleas of innocence might have sounded they didn't doubt anything I said. One question they asked was "Why didn't you stop him?" I was like "Look man, number one he was armed and I was not. Number 2, if I piss him off and he kicks me out I have to walk back home over a damn mountain pass, and I need to be at work at my new job like tomorrow morning." So they told me to choose better hunting partners, and wrote criminal citations for dumb-ass and Rob. They both spent a weekend in county lockup, Rob got his rifle back with a couple of year's suspended hunting license, and dumb-ass lost his rifle and had a longer hunting license suspension.

The lesson (well, one of the lessons) here is that you should only shoot what wildlife you intend to eat. Otherwise you risk pissing off the Hunting Gods. Just sayin'.

My view is slightly different. There is a difference between NEED and GREED. A guy making millions of $ does not NEED to kill anything. Anyone killing other living beings for FUN is on my sh!t list.

 

[Grahamhawker]

My view is slightly different. There is a difference between NEED and GREED. A guy making millions of $ does not NEED to kill anything. Anyone killing other living beings for FUN is on my sh!t list.

Seems like a slippery slope. Where do you draw the line? Hundreds of millions of Americans don't 'need' that steak or burger they seem to enjoy, yet by doing so they are the agent in that animal's death. Assuming the meat from Dart's cougar was not wasted, I can't find much reason to tell him what to do or how he should feel about it.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

So, the millionaire athlete needed that meat? ok

 

[Grahamhawker]

So, the millionaire athlete needed that meat? ok

Didn't say that at all, but ok.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Sounded like it. Oh well, the sport hunting thing is odd, to me.

 

[Ostatehawk]

Cougars get way overpopulated if they are not hunted. Here in Washington the state actually pays guys to come and take out cougars after the idiot Washington voters banned cougar hunting with dogs. Now they PAY guys to come in and hunt them with dogs. Typical Washington idiocy. I know because i have talked to the guys Washington pays to hunt them.

Same in Oregon.

 

[Nerter]

So, the millionaire athlete needed that meat? ok

Soul...lots of people come from humble beginnings. They develop a taste for "wild" meat.
When those people "make it" in life and can afford the finer things, doesn't mean they should give up on things they enjoyed when they weren't.
I am nowhere near Maye's station in life, but I can afford a ribeye every now and then, but I still like to get out and do some hunting.
Why...because I STILL enjoy the taste of an elk cutlet, a moose roast, some fresh cutthroat trout, or, yes, some cougar.

But, that's to each his own I guess.

 

[cymatica]

So, the millionaire athlete needed that meat? ok

I guarantee I can find a long list of things in your life you don't need but choose to have

 

[SoulfishHawk]

People can choose to look at it how they want.

 

[DeSeahawk]

I don't agree with just going out and killing an animal just because. But I don't give a sh*t if somebody catches a fish just because. Cuteness factor ? Smell ? Was a fish mean to me in a dream as a kid ? Dunno. The value of life has always been quite selective