Mountain lion hunting during the late season in Zone 1 was immediately closed by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department Tuesday morning. The zone’s late-season harvest limit of either seven total cats or three females was reached after the third female was taken.

A conditional season in Zone 1 will open Jan. 24 for hunters to pursue the additional six mountain lions that were not taken during the early season. The Zone 1 early season harvest limit was eight cats, and only two were taken.

The conditional season will close March 31 or immediately once the sixth cat is taken. Early season regulations apply, which means hunters are not allowed to use dogs. In addition, hunters who harvested a lion during the early or late season are not eligible to participate.

The mountain lion season in Zone 2, which is the rest of the state outside Zone 1, has no harvest limit and is open through March 31.