Thousands of Acres of Mt. Hood Wilderness and Over a Dozen Trails Close During Hunt For Killer Oregon Cougar

Fish and Wildlife officials are using hounds to track the cougar that killed Diana Bober.

Recreation, family hiking Old Salmon River trail, Mt Hood National Forest (U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region)
By Elise Herron

As the hunt for the cougar that killed Oregon hiker Diana Bober begins, the U.S. Forest has closed of over a dozen hiking trails in Mt. Hood National Forest.

Related: Killer Cougar Probably No Danger to Nearby Schoolchildren, Oregon Officials Say as Hunt Begins

In a statement today, USFS spokesperson Laura Bain Pramuk, mapped out the 14 Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness trails that are closed for the duration of the cougar hunt.

In additional to the Hunchback trail where Bober's body was found, the following trails are currently closed:

  • Green Canyon Trail
  • Bonanza Trail
  • Salmon River Trail
  • Salmon Butte Trail
  • Cool Creek Trail
  • Veda Lake Trail
  • Dry Fir Trail
  • Jackpot Meadows Trail
  • Linney Creek Trail
  • Eureka Peak Trail
  • Kinzel Lake Trail
  • Old Salmon River Trail
  • Boulder Ridge Trail south to the Bonanza Trail

All together, the wilderness-area closures total 21,034 acres.

Mt. Hood National Forest closure map (ODFW)

"The area closure will remain in effect for 30 days and could be rescinded early or extended depending on circumstances on the ground," Pramuk notes.

A spokesperson for Oregon's Fish and Wildlife Department could not be reached for an update on the cougar search. But, according to a report from KGW, the agency is using hounds to track the cat. Searchers plan to kill the first cougar they encounter, and then test the animal's DNA for a match with the one that attacked Bober.

ODF watershed manager Brian Wolfer tells KGW the agency intends to be "as humane as possible" in its hunting efforts.

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