RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - The number of mountain lions being killed during this year's hunting season in South Dakota is behind last year's pace, and hunters might not reach the state-set quota of 100 lions.

Game, Fish and Parks Regional Wildlife Manager John Kanta tells KEVN-TV (http://bit.ly/VNvg4i ) that 23 days into the season, 23 lions had been killed, compared with 28 at the same time last year.

The season ends on March 31st, and the one-lion-a-day pace will need to continue for the quota to be met. But only two lions have been killed in the Black Hills in the past 10 days.