1. (1) If a cougar is harassing, chasing, disturbing, harming, attacking or killing livestock, or has committed such an act within the past 96 hours:

   1. (a) in depredation cases, the livestock owner, an immediate family member or an employee of the owner on a regular payroll, and not hired specifically to take cougar, may kill the cougar;
   2. (b) a landowner or livestock owner may notify the division of the depredation or human health and safety concerns, who shall authorize a local hunter to take the offending cougar or notify a state trapper with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) specialist; or
   3. (c) the livestock owner may notify a state trapper who may take the depredating cougar.
2. (2) Depredating cougar may be taken at any time by a state trapper, supervised by the Predator Control Program, while acting in the performance of the person's assigned duties and in accordance with procedures approved by the division.

3. (3)(a) A depredating cougar may be taken by those persons authorized in Subsection (1)(a) with:

   1. (i) any weapon authorized for taking cougar; or

      1. (ii) with the use of traps or snares

4. (4)(a) Any cougar taken under Subsection (1)(a) or (4)(a) shall remain the property of the state and must be reported to a division office or employee within 96 hours.

   1. (b) The division may issue a cougar damage permit to a person who has killed a depredating cougar under Subsection (1)(a) that authorizes the person to keep the carcass.
   2. (c) A person that takes a cougar under Subsection (1)(a) or (4)(a) may acquire and use a hunting or combination license in the same year.

KEY: wildlife, cougar, game laws

Date of Last Change: August 7, 2025

Notice of Continuation: June 2, 2026

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: 23A-2-304; 23A-2-305