Opponents Say Proposed Colorado Mountain Lion Hunting Ban Is “Ballot-Box Biology”

Colorado voters will decide Nov. 5 whether to ban mountain lion hunting there, and critics of the measure say it’s irresponsible management of wildlife, much like the state’s 2020 voter initiative to reintroduce wolves.

“We’re obviously against it. It’s ballot-box biology that goes against science-based wildlife management in Colorado,” Bryan Jones told Cowboy State Daily.

He’s a Colorado resident and the Colorado, Wyoming and Montana regional policy coordinator for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA).

Though Jones has never hunted mountain lions in Colorado, he knows people who have, and he’d like to have the opportunity someday.

But if voters pass Proposition 127, he won’t get that opportunity, as it would ban hunting mountain lions. It would likewise ban using hounds to chase and tree the big cats without killing them.

Proposition 127 would also ban the hunting and trapping of bobcats in Colorado.

Not The First Go-Round

Proposition 127 will be the second major Colorado wildlife management policy decided at the polls.

Colorado’s wolf reintroduction was authorized by Proposition 114. It barely squeaked by voters Nov. 3, 2020, by a margin of 50.91% to 49.09%.

The first 10 wolves from Oregon were released in Colorado in December 2023. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) plans to release about 15 more wolves from Canada early next year.

Some have hailed the return of wolves to Colorado as a resounding success, claiming it will restore the balance of nature and boost the state’s tourism industry.

Others say that Colorado’s wolf program has been a complete disaster, especially after the Copper Creek wolf pack was captured and placed in captivity for killing livestock less than a year after being put there.

Dueling Advocacy Groups

Proposition 127 has sparked advocacy from prominent Coloradans on both sides.

Former Colorado Gov. Bill Ownes has publicly opposed it, while former U.S. Congressman Mark Udall has voiced his support.

Current CPW Commissioner Jack Murphy has also publicly supported the measure.

Murphy did not return requests for comment.

Proposition 127 also set dueling advocacy groups into motion.

A group called Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management is campaigning against it, while Cats Are not Trophies is pushing for the ban.

Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management claims that Proposition 127 is couched in emotion and misinformation.

“The proponents of this initiative are wielding misinformation as their weapon,” according to the group’s website. “They’ve coined the term ‘Trophy Hunting’ to mislead the public and potential voters, veiling their true intentions behind a facade of concern over fair chase, cruelty, and mismanagement.”

Meanwhile, Cats Are not Trophies claims that wildlife science is on their side.

“Trophy hunting targets established, mature mountain lions who are coexisting peacefully with humans, appropriately hunting deer and elk, and are not involved in conflict, which is why they have lived for so long,” the group claims on its website. “Trophy hunting disrupts lion social structure and opens new territory for multiple juveniles who are scientifically proven to be more likely the cause of potential future conflicts, specifically complaints and negative encounters with livestock and with a high degree of confidence, pets.”

Mountain Lion-Pet Conflicts

Mountain lions killing and eating pets and livestock is nothing new in Colorado, or in Wyoming.

In September, a man killed a mountain lion with a shovel in a Colorado campground after the big cat apparently went after his dog.

In Story, Wyoming, mountain lions recently killed several domestic animals, including four goats.

Not ‘Trophy Hunting’

The term “trophy hunting” is being misused in debates over Proposition 127, Jones said.

Mountain lions in Colorado are classified as a big game species, not trophy animals. That means hunters can’t kill the big cats only for their pelts or skulls, Jones said.

Hunters are legally obligated to keep all edible portions of mountain lions that they kill, such as the animals’ front quarters, hindquarters and backstraps, he said.

Though many might not think of mountain lion meat as table fare, it’s tasty and can be used in a variety of dishes, Jones said.

“Hunting mountain lions is not something I’ve had the opportunity to do yet, but I have eaten mountain lion meat and enjoyed it immensely,” he said. “You can do anything with it that you can do with pork, it has a very similar taste and texture to it.”

Colorado’s Big Cats Are Doing Fine

Moreover, concerns over Colorado’s mountain lion population being threatened by hunting are misplaced, Jones said.

In the 1960s, there were thought to be only a few hundred mountain lions left in Colorado. Now there are estimated to be roughly 4,000, he said.

“All during that time, they’ve been a huntable species,” Jones said.

He also questions claims that it’s ineffective to “haze” mountain lions by chasing and treeing them with hounds, but not killing them.

That’s been proven to push mountain lions away from settled areas where they were killing pets or livestock, he said.

In states that have banned hunting, such as California, wildlife agents still end up killing numerous mountain lions that get into conflicts with humans, he said.

CPW has a proven record of managing mountain lions by allowing them to be hunted or pursued with hounds, and that shouldn’t change, Jones said.

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.