102 



FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



The California Division of Fish and Game has been paying bounty 

 for the killing of monntain lions since the inception of the hunting 

 license act in 1907. Up to the end of December, 1929, bounty has been 

 paid on 5811 lions, or an average of 257 per year. In 1929 a total of 

 309 lions were taken. The increase is partially due to the fact that we 

 have employed additional lion hunters who have spent all their time in 

 hunting, and also to the fact that extraordinary etiPort was made by 

 local authorities to get rid of lions in the southern part of the state. 



Fig. 41. Average sized desert mountain .sheep ram, Inyo Range, Inyo County, Cali- 

 fornia. Enlargements from moving pictures by K. S. Cheney, October, 1929. 



The present good condition of the deer situation is due to our moun- 

 tain lion work and also to our spike buck and generally satisfactory 

 deer season law. The mountain lion is the one predatory animal that 

 works almost exclusively on animals that are a benefit to man. Deer 

 are their natural feed. Practically all other species of predators com- 

 pensate for the damage they may do by being of use in the destruction 

 of species that are in themselves harmful. Very little good can be said 

 of lions. For over twelve years we have paid a bounty of $30 on 

 females and $20 on males. During that time we have secured data that 

 shows that the sexes are practically equal in numbers and it would be 

 well to pay the same amount of bounty on either sex. 



Predatory animal control is a subject that muvSt be kept in mind by 

 conservationists. Whenever predators increase to such an extent that 

 they do more harm than good, steps must be taken to reduce their 

 numbers. Before it can be certain that this condition has arisen, care- 

 ful study must be made of the relationship of the various species one 



