MANDATORY HARVEST REPORTING NOT VOTED ON - MAY 2026

June 5, 2026

Dear Friends and Fellow Texans,

For the past month, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department accepted comments on a proposed change in mountain lion harvest reporting. The good news is that nearly 70% of the comments TPWD received supported the changes that would have required reporting mountain lion harvests. Thank you for sending your comments to TPWD in favor of the proposed rule!

Surprisingly, however, the discussion on the proposed rule was pulled from the agenda just days before the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting in May.

TPW Commission Chair Foster stated, “Two guiding principles of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation are that wildlife is a public resource, and stewardship decisions must be grounded in sound science. This is the path that Texas Parks and Wildlife needs to be on.” He then stated, “This proposal generated significant feedback regarding the approach to acquiring harvest data and intended use of that data. Additionally, underlying sentiment supports the need for more time to engage with private landowners and hunters, those most affected by these decisions, to ensure a complete understanding of the need for data collection and the best solutions to collect that data.”

While we are disappointed, TPWD has said that the proposal is not dead, just postponed. In the meantime, we will continue to advocate for the collection of this data. Harvest reporting is required in every other western state that allows the hunting of mountain lions, and it is essential for monitoring mountain lion populations in Texas.

We believe in data-driven wildlife management and that mountain lions deserve to be managed based on science and not speculation.

We will keep you updated as the issue progresses.

Thank you for your continued support.

Texans for Mountain Lions Coalition