For most Utahns, mountain lions exist more as rumor than reality — a flash of tan in the trees, a pawprint in the mud, a campfire story shared after dark.
But people who spend their lives studying and tracking them say mountain lions are more common — and more complicated — than many people realize.
“A Mountain lion is the biggest of the small cat family,” said Denise Peterson, founder of Utah Mountain Lion Conservation.
She said the big, small cats can’t roar, but they do purr.
“So, if anyone says that a mountain lion can roar, they’re pulling your leg,” said Peterson.
Peterson’s work leads her to document mountain lions using trail cameras and drones across Utah. She said the large cats are often misunderstood.
“They have a reputation of being this vicious mythical beast,” said Peterson.
But Peterson said that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“They all have their unique characteristics and their unique behaviors," she said, "kittens are incredibly playful and incredibly curious.”
David Stoner has been studying mountain lions for decades. He’s an extension wildlife specialist at Utah State University.
“If you’ve ever lived with a house cat, a mountain lion is just a gigantic version of basically the same animal,” he said.
But despite their similarities to domestic cats, mountain lions occupy a very different ecological role.
“Mule deer really form the basis of the mountain lion economy,” said Stoner.
That predator-prey relationship is now driving a major five-year state-backed mountain lion removal study across six Utah hunting units. They include Boulder, Stansbury, Pine Valley, Wasatch East, Zion, and the Monroe units.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources say mountain lions are killing about 7% of the total female mule deer population. They say that’s enough to “suppress the population growth. This is based off GPS collar data on deer”.
This data prompted Utah lawmakers to change mountain lion hunting regulations in 2020, where unlimited year-round hunting, trapping, and snaring are allowed. Supporters of the policy argue reducing mountain lion populations could help struggling mule deer herds rebound. But scientists say the relationship is not so simple.
Professor Stoner explained the intricacies of mountain lion predation on mule deer.
“We really don’t know very much, some mountain lion predation can be additive, meaning that it is affecting individuals that might otherwise live several more years," Stoner said. "We also know that mule deer with chronic wasting disease are disproportionately affected by predation, which would be compensatory.
Notably, some mountain lion hunters, like the Utah Houndsmen Association, oppose the new policy. They argue that sustainable harvest practices allow cougar populations to mature and produce older, trophy-quality males.
UPR reached out to the association for comment, but they did not respond before this story’s deadline.
Stoner explained that mountain lions and deer populations are linked, but environmental conditions also influence deer numbers. These include drought, wildfire, habitat loss, and severe winters.
“Mule deer populations are so strongly influenced by weather, either the lack of precipitation or the presence of too much," Stoner said.
The debate has also raised concerns about what happens when predator populations are heavily reduced.
When older lions disappear, younger lions often move into those territories — and those younger animals are more likely to get into trouble.
“Young males tend to be implicated in a lot of conflicts, eating sheep, eating pets, coming into town,” said Stoner.
Peterson said she’s also worried about the impacts of increased trapping and snaring on pets and other wildlife.
“Traps themselves are very indiscriminate, a dog can step in these traps, a bobcat can step in these traps," she said. "We’ve found dead deer.”
She advises hikers and dog owners to carry wire cutters in case a pet becomes entangled in a snare and to learn how to safely release animals from foothold traps.
Both researchers stress that mountain lions themselves pose very little danger to people.
“Your odds of going to Vegas and coming out ahead are a lot higher than getting eaten by a mountain lion,” said Stoner.
Stoner said the future of mountain lion management is less about biology and more about society.
“The difficulty of managing mountain lions is largely a social one," he said.
And as Utah debates what role predators should play on its landscapes, mountain lions remain both deeply divisive and symbolic. They’re elusive animals living at the intersection of science, politics, fear, and fascination.
