The dogs then pounce on her, sometimes finishing her off, leaving orphaned kittens to starve and die - deaths that are never counted. Minutes later, the trophy hunter arrives and shoots the animal at close range, usually off a tree branch or rock ledge. Hounding is a terrible practice, in which packs of dogs fitted with GPS collars track down, chase and corner a lion. The commission also voted to extend the hunting season by an additional month, through April of each year, and increased the number of permits in Custer State Park, where hunters can use hounds to hunt mountain lions. The state’s Game, Fish and Parks Commission is not only continuing to trot out the tired old excuse of livestock conflicts – a rationale that has been debunked by HSUS researchers and by scientists – but it is now also openly admitting that its new management plan allows for the greatest trophy hunting opportunity possible: the state’s plan this year lists maximizing “recreational hunting opportunities” as a primary objective for managing mountain lions.

But this week, the state surpassed its own sordid record when it voted to approve a trophy hunting quota of 60 mountain lions for both the 20 hunting seasons - a move that will put a whopping 30 percent or more of the state’s lion population under the gun.

In past years, the Mount Rushmore state has repeatedly increased its hunting quota for the animals, despite evidence that its lion population is on the decline. South Dakota has a notorious history of mismanaging its mountain lion population and playing into the hands of trophy hunters.

Mountain lion hunting