Cougar Shot Near Waitsburg

WAITSBURG - Waits­burg farmers can rest a little easier following the removal of a livestock-attacking cou­gar prowling Waitsburg's backyard. The mountain lion was shot and killed Thurs­day night on a permit issued by the state Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, after it attacked and killed a 250-pound goat.

Roland Erikson, who lives just west of Waitsburg on Knotgrass Road. con­tacted Washington State Department of Wildlife of­ficials and local Houndsman Trey Cole Thursday after­noon, after discovering that one of his goats had been killed in what appeared to be a cougar attack. The attack had apparently taken place Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. The cat also took a swipe at another goat and was the likely cause of a neighbor's horse run­ning through a fence. Both the second goat and the horse are reported to be in good condition, according to Cole.

Several Fish and Wildlife officials, including a biolo­gist, joined Cole and Erikson in examining the kill site to confirm that it was a cougar kill. It appeared that Erik­son's dogs had spooked the cat shortly after the attack, causing it to flee the area. It was likely the cat would return that evening. Fish and Wildlife officials instructed Erikson to report anything suspicious and installed a game camera at the site.

Shortly after 5 p.m. Erik­son thought he saw the glint of an eye and his dogs began barking. He met Cole and they pulled the card from the camera. Photos taken at 7:45 and 7:56 show the 133-pound cougar returning to the kill. Fish and Wildlife was contacted and, because the lion was killing and ha­rassing livestock and in such close proximity to town, a kill permit was issued.

Cole and fellow hounds­man Derek Katsel set out with their dogs to track the cat. They spotted the cougar within 50 yards of the goat; the dogs caught the scent and gave chase for approxi­mately 300 yards. The dogs treed the cat, which was shot at approximately 10:30 p.m. The cat was turned over to Fish and Wildlife that eve­ning and later sent to WSU to be analyzed.