Colorado hunters defend regulated mountain lion and bobcat hunting, criticize Initiative 91

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Despite what proponents of a ballot measure to stop the hunting of bobcats and mountain lions in Colorado claim, hunters say science is on their side.

Several hunters reached out to this reporter after he authored an article last week about the so-called “trophy hunting” of bobcats and mountain lions. Initiative 91, on the Colorado ballot this November, would put an end to the practice. An organization supporting hunters, Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management, said that the “trophy hunting” language is misleading, and in fact hunters play an important role in ecology.

In reality, the organization says, mountain lion and bobcat hunting in Colorado is heavily regulated based on science and data. The state has complicated wildlife management programs for both species that rely on monitoring the population, Colorado Parks and Wildlife explains on its website. An updated count is currently under way.

Colorado wildlife official: Mountain lions in no way threatened

In fact, in a Colorado Parks and Wildlife video posted in November, an official said mountain lions in Colorado are in no way threatened. Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management wants voters to know that. “Over the last five years, relentless attempts have been made to undermine the regulated harvest of Colorado mountain lions and bobcats,” according to the organization’s website. “The onslaught has now escalated with the proposed Initiative 91, which aims to strip away the very foundation of science-based wildlife management. By doing so, it seeks to deprive Colorado’s wildlife managers and the sporting community of their rights to manage, pursue, and harvest these well-regulated species.”

The initiative also would outlaw hunting lynx in Colorado, but they already are federally and state protected. “Individuals convicted of any of these activities are subject to up to 364 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, and a five-year hunting license suspension, with more stringent penalties for subsequent convictions,” according to the draft version of the legislative summary of the initiative. “Trophy hunting is generally understood to be the hunting of wildlife for sport instead of for food. Usually, trophy hunters stuff the animal or keep a body part to display. While the measure uses the term ‘trophy hunting,’ it bans all killing, pursuing, or entrapping of bobcats, lynx, and mountain lions regardless of the hunter’s purpose.”

Initiative could lead to dangerously large cat populations

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, there are between 3,800 and 4,400 mountain lions in the state. The agency said during the past three years, about 500 mountain lions have been killed each year. The number for bobcats is around 880 each year, according to the agency.

The draft legislative summary warns of a possible increase in the big cat population if the initiative passes. “The banning of trophy hunting would increase the population of these big cats and the chance of potentially harmful encounters with humans, livestock, and pets,” the summary reads. “People in Colorado have experienced an increase in dangerous wildlife encounters in recent years, and the measure would allow populations of these big cats to go unregulated.”