A 3-year-old, 92-pound female mountain lion taken Nov. 19 by a deer hunter northwest of Grassy Butte in McKenzie County is the sixth cat taken in zone 1. If two more are taken from zone 1 before March 31, 2010, the quota of eight will have been reached and the season within zone 1 will close immediately.

When an eighth lion is taken, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department will notify media outlets via a press release announcing the close of the season in zone 1. Hunters can also check the number of lions taken in zone 1 by accessing the Game and Fish Department website at gf.nd.gov.

Zone 1 includes land south of ND Highway 1804 from the Montana border to the point where ND Highway 1804 lies directly across Lake Sakakawea from ND Highway 8, crossing Lake Sakakawea then south along ND Highway 8 to ND Highway 200, then west on ND Highway 200 to U.S. Highway 85, then south on U.S. Highway 85 to the South Dakota border.

Zone 2, with no quota, is the remainder of the state and is open through March 31, 2010.

The mountain lion season is open only to North Dakota residents. A furbearer or combination license is required.

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The Early Bird Gets the Worm
For big bow hunters all around, the beginning of the season is a time we anticipate with great enthusiasm. Everyone has their bows tuned in, tree stands set, and you just can't wait to try out that new decoy. But, is every bow hunter really prepared to see more big bucks in that first evening than they ever had before? Well, I wasn't.