Disappointment in Arizona: Commission Rejects Petition to End Hounding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 11, 2025
Photo originally posted on Game and Fish Magazine and taken by Scott Haugen.
Disappointment in Arizona: Commission Rejects Petition to End Hounding
PHOENIX—Despite powerful testimony, compelling evidence, and widespread public support, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission today voted to reject a petition that would have initiated a rulemaking process to ban the controversial practice of wildlife hounding.
Wildlife for All supporters, partners and fellow red-clad advocates packed the hearing, urging the Commission to take action. Hounding, which involves chasing animals like mountain lions and bears with packs of GPS-collared dogs, was denounced as cruel, outdated and ecologically damaging.
“We’re disappointed by the Commission’s decision, but we are not backing down,” said Michelle Lute, PhD, executive director of Wildlife for All. “The science is clear, the ethics are compelling, and the public is overwhelmingly with us. Arizona deserves a modern, compassionate approach to wildlife policy—and we’ll keep pushing until that vision becomes reality.”
“Today’s decision was a missed opportunity to do more to protect endangered species like jaguars, ocelots, and Mexican gray wolves,” said Erin Hunt, managing director of Lobos of the Southwest. “In refusing to listen to public input from the many people who care about Arizona’s native wildlife and public lands, the Commission is keeping Arizona on the wrong path. We will continue working toward a future where native species are safe in their wild homes.”
In November, conservation groups petitioned the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to ban using dog packs in Arizona, citing serious risks to wildlife, public safety and ethical hunting practices.
Hound hunting poses a clear and documented threat to federally protected jaguars and ocelots in the Southwest, with multiple recorded incidents of hounds chasing and treeing these endangered cats in Arizona. At least five jaguars have been pursued or harmed by hounds in the region since 1996, with Sombra abandoning his preferred habitat because of the presence of packs made up of as many as 30 dogs.
Similarly, packs of hunting dogs have chased or treed endangered ocelots more than a dozen times in Arizona since 2011. The repeated pursuit by hounds disrupts natural behaviors, causes physical stress and forces these rare cats from their essential habitats, threatening their survival and broader species recovery efforts.
Arizona allows packs of dogs to chase and attack mountain lions, bears, coati and bobcats for sport. According to Arizona Game and Fish data, 748 mountain lions and 323 bears were reported killed by hunters using packs of dogs between 2020 and 2023. A 2020 study estimated that the state’s entire mountain lion population was between 1,166 and 1,715.
Hound hunting relies on GPS-collared dogs, remotely tracked via smart devices, to pursue wildlife, violating fair chase principles and state restrictions on electronic hunting. Additionally, uncontrolled hounds pose risks to public safety, sometimes attacking people on public lands and trespassing on private property.
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Wildlife for All is a national organization dedicated to reforming wildlife management to be more democratic, just, compassionate and focused on protecting wild species and ecosystems. Through research, advocacy, and education, we aim to protect wildlife and ensure that policies reflect the values of all Americans.
Lobos of the Southwest is a collaborative effort of concerned community members, scientists, educators and conservation organizations working to save the endangered Mexican gray wolf.