Cougar encounters rise and fall as rules for hunting change

Much about cougars remains a mystery. They are scarce, extremely elusive and far-ranging animals, with adult males typically staking out more than 150 square miles of territory.

Cougar population estimates for Washington range from 2,400 to more than 3,000. Roughly half of the state is potential cougar habitat, though thousands of acres of habitat are lost or modified each year.

In 1996, Washington residents overwhelmingly approved Initiative 655, which outlawed hunting cougars and bears with hounds.

Read the whole article by Ralph Thomas Seattle Times Olympia bureau

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