It's pretty tough to make "blanket" type of statements because I know every state is somewhat different, and to be honest even Utah is different depending on the areas you're hunting. I have some buddies in So. Utah and they don't struggle as hard to find lions as we do here. I know some buddies that hunt areas with large chunks of private, almost the entire mountain... and they find a lot more lions to run because of all the private, locked up country. So every area is a bit different, but there is no question the overall picture of lion hunting in Utah is much bleaker than many would have you think, and the data backs that up.
One thing we deal with here, and we call it the BS Factor. This might seem somewhat harmless but I don't believe it is, and I think it explains partially why so many people are still convinced lions are a problem. It's the Bullshit that hound guys are spewing. There are a number of guys in this area, for whatever reason, that are incapable of admitting, "Hey, I didn't cut a lion or I ran one and didn't catch it." They just can't do it. It's like admitting they aren't a man or something.
So instead of what really happened, you get a huge BS story... what we call the BS Factor. And look no further than this website for ample examples of what I mean. Recently a friend of mine ran into a kid in the store and he was telling a group of guys he knew, "Ya I cut 5 mature lions all crossing together up the canyon this morning." Talking about a quota unit that has been hammered into submission and this guy is boasting to them about cutting 5 big lions together and how he caught 4 of the 5 or some damn thing. What do you think this group of deer hunters does when they hear this? They freak of course... and how fast does that word travel around? Faster than VD in a Wisconsin Bear camp!!
I've heard another guy around here tell a group of deer hunters, "Yup, I cut 12 lions in one canyon there on Timp." You could hear the audible gasps. Part of the reason there are so many people around here who still think lions are a huge problem is because of all the BULLSHIT stories a bunch of these hound guys are telling...
About all the lions they are catching, two or three every time they go out and they can't wait to brag it up to all their neighbors, co-workers, whatever... "Yup, caught 3 lions this weekend." There is a hound guy in this country and I've never know him to go out and not catch a lion. But I know people who have been with him multiple times, and never seen one in a tree... but I've still never known him to not catch a lion every trip out.
Problem is, all this BS is getting into the deer community and I hear it all the time, "Well, my neighbor is a hound guy and he's caught 35 lions this winter just hunting on Saturday. He cuts 5 or 6 every time he goes out." So when deer hunters are hearing these wild tales from hound guys, what are they supposed to think?
I guess everybody wants to be a hero and a legend, but the BS Factor around here sure does a lot of damage to our cause. Those stories about 5 lions together, like a pack of wolves on the kill... and the canyons so full of lion tracks they didn't know which one to run... that stuff spreads like wildfire around here and does way more damage than good. I hear it all the time, "Oh you didn't catch one? Well a guy I work with caught 7 lions this weekend, you must be in the wrong spot. No wonder there is no deer left."
And every time deer comes up, these guys are quick to re-tell the story to all their buddies, "A guy I work with catches about 45 or 50 lions a year right here behind the house, no wonder we ain't got any deer left. They eat 3 deer a week ya know." And they all grumble and go bitch about lions to their RAC or anyone else that will listen.
BS Factor... and I can't speak for your area, but we got it BAD around here.
