A New Year's Day coyote hunt netted a mountain lion, the first cat taken in Zone 2 during the state's 2007-08 hunting season.

Predator hunters Dale Keller and Tyler Keller, of Gwinner, shot the mountain lion at about 10 a.m. Tuesday near Cogswell in southeastern North Dakota.

The two coyote hunters were "walking out when they saw the lion at fairly close range," Greg Link, assistant chief of the wildlife division of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said, reading from a report.

Zone 2 covers all of the state except part of the Badlands that's considered to be traditional mountain lion habitat. Zone 2 has no quota, and the season closes on March 9.

Based on photos submitted to NDGFD, the preliminary report indicates the lion was a young male that weighed approximately 100 pounds. A full examination is planned next week.

Mountain lions in eastern North Dakota are uncommon, and this one was probably passing through in search of new territory, said Dorothy Fecske, NDGFD furbearer biologist.

"Younger, more transitory animals, especially males, are what we would expect to see in these portions of the state, farther away from traditional lion habitat found in the western Dakotas, Wyoming and Montana," Fecske said.

Zone 1, which lies south of N.D. Highway 1804 and west of N.D. Highway 8, is considered prime cat country. It had a five-lion quota, and the season closed on Nov. 10 when the fifth cat was shot.

(Reach outdoor writer Richard Hinton at 250-8256 or richard.hinton@bismarcktribune.com.)