Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation listed the mountain lion as a game species with a closed season to keep low harvest of the lion. However, if you are in the presents of a mountain lion they are legal to take..they are considered a danger.
When you go to the rules of taking a lion it refers you straight to the general furbearers regulations..
legal trap sizes and cat hounds rules..
When I spoke the game warden about this he explained it this way to me..
run bobcats hounds and run into a lion..it's game. If it steps in a legal size trap it's game.. deer hunting ones jumps it's game..
the game warden must be called before the body is moved. The game warden will tag the animal at that time with documentation of the kill.
In 1996 Oklahoma legalized senate bill 1296 .. the Emergency legalization of River Otter and the Limit Sport Harvest of Mountain Lions..
http://www.oksenate.gov/legislation/votes/votes_2006/01830.pdf
However this is all I know about the sport hunt of the lions. I've been told they are still in the process of gathering all information..the population, assessed habitat, sightings, attacks---us/hunters giving them all the documentation of the lion as we can will help the state on this.
BASICALLY THEY SAY PROVE IT!!
What we don't understand is it is really up to us as hunters to let them know what wild animals are out there, what they are doing, and how they are doing it.
It's not all about the kill....as much as I would like to have it if I don't I would like to gather as much proof as possible... Study the animal, the areas.. taken pics of the canyons, tracks & any signs of, around if I can come up with enough documentation I'll show them all my work on what I find on him/her through out time. I learned a lot about all my other animals out there, now there is another one that seems to want my attention so I'm willing to give it to it.
If it kills our cattle it's always game.
PK