‘Spine-tingling’ hunt ends with doe and mountain lion for Dickinson man

DICKINSON, N.D. (KFYR) - “Spine-tingling” is how one Dickinson man described his latest hunt.

Jeff Jorgenson says he was waiting for deer when he saw a flash of something move. Through the scope of his rifle, he saw a mountain lion.

“It was actually the wildest coincidence. I have hunted that area for 12-13 years now, and I have caught those things on my game camera time and time again, but I have never seen one in person until then,” said Jeff Jorgenson, Dickinson resident.

He says his wife had spotted two mountain lions the night before his sighting, but they weren’t sure about the protocol. He says they looked it up with North Dakota Game and Fish and found they were in the clear.

It’s legal to hunt mountain lions with a furbearer license or a combination license at proper times in the state.

“We have a small amount of mountain lions in the Badlands, but we have done a considerable amount of research on the populations so we know we can sustainably harvest them each year. So, we regulate that harvest through season dates opening and closing as well as a harvest limit, we only allow so many to be taken every year from our breeding population, and then a bag limit of only one per person,” said Stephanie Tucker, furbearer biologist and game management section leader for North Dakota Game and Fish.

Jeff didn’t think they’d see another mountain lion, especially so soon. He says while he hiked towards the big cat, a doe popped up as well. For him, the hunt ended with a doe and a bit more.

“I caught eye contact with her, and she did the big old cat hiss snarl with the wide-open mouth. I don’t think I have ever spun around and shot something faster than that,” said Jorgenson.

Jeff took the animal to Dakota Taxidermy to remember his hunt.

North Dakota Game and Fish see people legally bringing in about 10 mountain lions a year. For more information visit: Mountain Lion Hunting | North Dakota Game and Fish.

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