The State : Lion Hunters Win Permits

The names of 190 hunters who will get permits to kill mountain lions in California this fall were drawn in a computerized lottery conducted by the state Department of Fish and Game. A total of 3,345 applicants paid $5 each for the chance. Also, eight of the 4,066 people who applied to take part in the state’s first bighorn sheep hunt since 1873 won permits in a similar lottery. The hunting season for mountain lions, scheduled to begin Oct. 10 and end Dec. 27, is the first authorized by the state in 15 years. Each hunter will be limited to killing one lion. The hunt will be restricted to areas primarily in Northern and Central California.