Oregon Public Broadcasting

Although cougars are common in Oregon, they're hard to find. The animals, which can weigh up to 200 pounds and measure six-feet long, are so stealthy that locating and tagging them for study is extremely difficult, yet this method remains the best way to try and find out how many cougars there are and what affect they're having on ungulate populations. Some believe that the passage of Measure 18 banning the hunting cougars with dogs is what's at the root of a cougar population increase of almost 2,000 cats statewide over the past few years. The research shows that cougars are the main reason the elk population isn't continuing to grow, but the studies are so narrowly focused they leave many questions unanswered.