How science informs management of Arizona's mountain lion population
AZGFD research provides better understanding of mountain lion ecology
Across North America, agencies responsible for the conservation and management of native mammals, including large carnivores, use science-based tools to manage wildlife populations, human-wildlife conflicts, and for reasons of human safety and impact to other native wildlife species.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s (AZGFD) wildlife biologists are going to great lengths to learn more about the state’s mountain lion population — collaring and tracking dozens of mountain lions and using this science to inform wildlife management decisions about the species. The Department’s collection of mountain lion information from hands-on research is also designed to mitigate the impact of potentially dangerous conflict between these large carnivores and humans.
Science Drives Decisions
In 2020, the Department launched the Mountain Lion Survival and Cause-Specific Mortality Study to better understand the different causes and rates of mortality, reproduction and survival, and how mountain lions use the landscape across the state.
“We are working on a study area the size of the state and tracking 30-plus mountain lions at all times. The size of our work area makes this project more comprehensive in understanding all aspects of mountain lion ecology,” said Dr. Brian Jansen, a senior wildlife biologist for the Department and mountain lion expert who has studied mountain lions in Arizona for more than 20 years.
Data from the study continue to inform the way the Department evaluates and manages Arizona's mountain lions, so that decisions about sustainable harvest recommendations and conflict management are based on the best available science. Most recently, study data have been used to refine the Department’s mountain lion population model.
“This model allows us to monitor trends in the mountain lion population over time, and the results indicate that Arizona’s mountain lion population is robust and stable,” said April Howard, the Department’s predator, furbearer and large carnivore biologist.
Arizona’s mountain lion population has rebounded since its low point in the early 1970s due to AZGFD’s management of this species to include reclassifying mountain lions as a big game species and establishing the regulatory protections that come along with that designation. Current regulatory protections and close management for mountain lions include established legal season dates, legal methods of take, mandatory physical check outs, and annual bag limits for hunter harvest.
In addition, the Department continually adapts and improves management as new information and research comes to light. In recent years, AZGFD has been responsive by refining harvest management strategies. Recent changes include: establishing management zones with associated harvest thresholds, implementing female harvest triggers to protect females, and developing a statewide population reconstruction model to more closely monitor abundance and inform harvest objectives.
Mountain lions are not endangered, threatened, at-risk, or listed as a sensitive species in Arizona. Rather, they are widely distributed throughout the state and have expanded into the southwest region of the state where they were once only transient.
Living With Mountain Lions
Mountain lions are large carnivores that can seriously injure or kill humans. They are secretive, and can be dangerous and unpredictable. A woman was killed by a mountain lion earlier this year while hiking in northern Colorado. In 2024, two brothers were attacked, one killed and the other badly injured, by a mountain lion about 50 miles east of Sacramento, Calif., while shed antler hunting. A man was attacked in Gila County, Ariz., in 2023, while camping along the Salt River.
In 2025, AZGFD responded to 531 mountain-lion related calls from the public. Wildlife officers are guided by the Department’s human-wildlife conflicts policy which describes acceptable or unacceptable wildlife behaviors and the appropriate responses related to large carnivores. Various factors, such as habitat fragmentation, drought and growing human populations, may increase the likelihood of encounters with mountain lions, especially in urban-wildland areas.
As Arizona’s human population expands and the mountain lion population remains healthy, human-wildlife conflicts are inevitable. The Department’s accumulation of mountain lion information from hands-on research and science-based management efforts are designed to keep the public safe. Learn about living with mountain lions on AZGFD’s website.
Watch this video on our Youtube channel to learn more about the study, or read a Q&A with mountain lion biologists from the Department’s Jan./Feb. Issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine.
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