Community Input: Mountain Lions and Ranch Management

February 18, 2012

Dear Editor:

In no way do I condone any unlawful take of mountain lions or any other animal including game animals. However, I think it is important to appreciate that suspending hunting, camping and fishing on Tejon Ranch has also affected hundreds of law abiding sportsmen who have been able to use a phenomenal natural resource that has been, for the most part, preserved by the ranch.

It also impacts the jobs of many of the ranch’s employees who had nothing to do with the lion shootings. I agree that a fine was in order, but closing the ranch to give time to evaluate the hunting operation is ridiculous.

What is there to evaluate other than no more take of lions? Instead the closure impacts many of us who look forward to a hunt that in most cases has been planned months in advance.

I hope the decision by the DFG was not another one heavily influenced by the anti-hunting lobby which appears to be gaining considerable influence over the Department’s actions

Ronald J. Barr, M.D.
San Clemente, CA.

It was Tejon Ranch Company management— not the government— that decided to suspend the hunting program.

According to spokesperson Barry Zoeller: “It was not an action required or requested by the DFG or the Kern County District Attorney’s Office. We are [completing] an evaluation and reorganization within the next couple of months, with the goal of being ready to resume operation by the fall hunting season, if not sooner…We certainly understand the frustration felt by many of our hunters, but we believe it’s important to take all the time necessary to thoroughly evaluate our program and reorganize it as necessary. If hunters have specific questions, we would encourage them to contact our wildlife management department via email at huntinfo@tejonranch.com.”

This is part of the February 24, 2012 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you.