Minnesota man pleads guilty to shooting cougar

JACKSON, Minn. (AP) — A Round Lake man has pleaded guilty to shooting a cougar in southwestern Minnesota last November.

In a written plea, 27-year-old Daniel Hamann admitted killing the cougar. He acknowledged that there is no open season for killing cougars in Minnesota.

The Daily Globe of Worthington (http://bit.ly/yog889 ) reports court documents say Hamann was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and another $1,000 in restitution to the state. He has until March 30 to pay.

Hamann shot the cougar after being contacted by a neighbor, who saw the cat run into a culvert. The 125-pound male cougar was shot as it was flushed from the culvert.

The cougar was estimated to be 1 to 3 years old and showed no signs of captivity.

Hamann's plead to the misdemeanor was accepted last week.

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