Six cougars trapped and killed in two months
BROWNSVILLE, Ore --- “Oh yeah, I’m definitely scared of them,” said Cathy Stepp. Cathy Stepp has every reason to be scared of cougars. She raises sheep in Brownsville with her 12-year old son and in the last two months cougars have killed five ewes on her property.
Stepp said because she doesn't make a lot of money off the farm, every sheep killed hits her hard.
“Basically half the income off of them goes to the lambs next year that are going to be born,” said Stepp.
A County Trapper trapped and killed 6 cougars in the last two months on her farm. Now she said she’s scared for her son's safety and that more cougars may be lurking in the distance.
“I don’t let him out of my sight. We pack guns when we come out in the morning to do the feeding and the checking. We try to get a head count on them at least two or three times to make sure we've got the right number,” said Stepp.
Until the predators flee Stepp said she’ll keep her flock and family close.
State Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, R-Scio, is holding a public hearing on the issue of cougars. She scheduled a public meeting for 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, at the Lebanon Public Library.
