Colorado voters will decide next month whether to ban trophy hunting and trapping of mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx.
If approved, Initiative 127 would put an end to a growing practice that has seen the number of mountain lions killed in the state rise to more than 500 per year and unregulated slayings of bobcats for furs largely shipped overseas.
“The hunting practices that we’re talking about here are cruel and unsportsmanlike based on any kind of fair assessment of the issues,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and president of the Center for a Humane Economy, during an online information session about the measure held last week and produced by the initiative’s main sponsor, Cats Aren’t Trophies.
Pacelle described the typical progression of a Colorado big cat hunt.
“The mountain lion and bobcats are chased with packs of dogs with radio transmitters on their collars,” he said. “The trophy hunter is unable to keep up with the dogs. Sometimes the animal will turn and fight, as many as eight dogs, in an open-air animal fighting situation can result. This results in bloody wounds for all of the combatants.”
“They can be overtaken and killed by the dogs,” Pacelle continued, referring to the target animal. “But many times the animal will take refuge, often in a tree. They’ve got this GPS equipment that is affixed to their collars and the trophy hunter, or the guide has the equipment. The hunter then walks the base of the tree and shoots the animal off the tree.”
Colorado Parks and Wildlife data indicates that trophy hunters and trappers slaughtered 502 cougars during the 2022-2023 hunting season. That is more than 10% of the state’s likely population of about 4,000 mountain lions.
CPW believes that 486 pumas were killed in 2021-2022 and a similar number of the big cats had their lives cut short by humans, usually with the help of dogs who corner the feline in a tree, in 2020-2021.
“The number of mountain lions killed for sport hunting has increased steadily over the years, averaging around 300-400 mountain lions per year in the early 2000s up to 443 per year from 2010-2015 to 499 per year from 2016-2021,” according to the Mountain Lion Foundation’s website.
The annual toll of trapped and trophy hunted mountain lions in Colorado exceeds even the yearly accumulation of cougar carcasses during the state’s bounty era. During that period, which lasted from the 19th century to 1965, the state paid a total of 1,750 financial rewards for killing catamounts.
More than 90% of the modern annual cougar deaths are caused by hunters. And the yearly loss of mountain lions in the Centennial State gives Colorado the fourth-highest rate of human-caused mortality among the solitary panthers.
“For many people, hunting is a continuation of the hunter-gatherer traditions and a way to connect to nature,” opines CPW’s website. “It also helps maintain healthy wild animal populations.”
Puma concolor has often been considered a threat to other species sought by human hunters, as well as livestock. Indeed, American wildlife agencies often claim that allowing the killing of the big cats is necessary to protect prey populations, as well as cows, goats, and sheep, and to prevent human interaction with mountain lions.
Several peer-reviewed papers indicate that cougars likely help to contain the spread of disease among hooved animals and that, by allowing hunting of them, that function in the ecosystem is compromised. One 2022 study, for example, showed that catamounts are probably the principal factor in limiting the spread of chronic wasting disease in deer. That result followed several similar outcomes of research projects on the question, including in 2008, 2010, and 2017.
Fewer CWD-infected deer and elk would follow from the results of predation: fewer infected deer to spread the infection, decreased number of susceptible prey animals, and a shorter life span of infected deer, which means less opportunity for those deer to pass on the microbe.
“Mountain lions are a deer and elk hunter’s best friend in Colorado,” Jim Keen, a veterinarian and research scientist with CHE, said. “Trophy hunters are a deer and elk hunter’s worst enemy.”
Other studies show that trapping and trophy hunting of cougars actually increases the odds of human-big cat encounters and mountain lion-livestock conflict because the individual cats left alive tend to be younger and therefore are less knowledgeable about their territory and the prey within it. And those younger pumas also deal with greater competition from others.
“The lions that cause conflict . . . they tend to be young, subadult males who are roaming,” Keen said. “They don’t know how to hunt very well.”
California banned mountain lion trapping in 1972. On an annual basis that state sees a fraction of the lion-human conflicts that Colorado does. Keen said in the Cats Aren’t Trophies presentation that there were 180 such incidents in the Golden State in 2022, while Colorado experienced 787. The populations of mountain lions in both states are similar, with California having 4000-6000 individuals and Colorado 4000-7000 animals.
“The California mountain lion experience is unequivocal in two primary messages,” a CAT information handout proclaims. “Mountain lion hunting is unnecessary to minimize human-lion conflicts [and] “[n]on-lethal methods are effective at preventing mountain lion depredation.”
As for bobcats, more than 65,000 bobcat furs were annually exported from the U.S. in 2013. A 2019 Aspen Public Radio report based on CPW information said that about 2,000 die in Colorado at the hands of trappers every year.
Colorado does not currently limit the number of bobcats that an individual can kill and permission to trap costs less than $50 for a year.
Often the deed of taking the lives of Lynx rufus is ugly.
“It’s legal to trap bobcats with bait,” Pacelle said. “A lot of people use poultry to lure bobcats. Then that bobcat is inhumanely killed with a choke stick, to preserve its pelt, or bludgeoned.”
The pelt is most often exported, usually to China or Russia.
“These are unfair and inhumane methods done for an inappropriate purpose – the head, the hide, and the fur of the animals,” Pacelle said.
Lynx, reintroduced to the Centennial State beginning in 1999, are currently listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. If the species were to lose that shield, then individual animals could be subjected to the same treatment, and it is not clear that trappers make a distinction between bobcats and lynx.
CPW maintains that “[n]o lynx in Colorado has ever been reported as incidentally trapped by bobcat fur harvesters.” There is reason to doubt, though, that a trapper would notify CPW that she or he has taken a lynx since doing so could open the door to potential criminal penalties under the ESA and Colorado’s version of that law.
Opponents of Proposition 127 largely fall back on the traditional model of wildlife management, which presumes that wildlife agencies will act in the best interests of all wildlife and that hunting is the most effective way to manage wildlife.
“For mountain lions and bobcats, CPW relies on the current legal, regulated harvest by hunters and trappers to maintain populations within the constraints of both biological and social carrying capacities as established by CPW’s science-based management practices,” according to an Oct. 3 open letter to the electorate from an array of hunting organizations.
Colorado voters have previously banned trapping of black bears and, in 1996, prohibited leg-hold traps.
As a general practice, trophy hunting is not currently barred by state law.
The Estes Valley Voice encourages readers to contact us with Letters to the Editor (under 400 words) and opinion editorials (generally 700-800 words) about issues of importance in this election. Send letters and opinion pieces to news@estesvalleyvoice.com . Also, please check out our Voter Guide about what voters in the Estes Valley will see on their ballots.
Difficult issue, this one. I am personally against trophy hunting and trapping of the native cats, but I also am vehemently opposed to ‘ballot box biology’. Look at the fiasco that urban voters have unleashed upon the state with the passing of the mandatory wolf introduction law (Proposition 114, now state statute 33-2-105.8).
I would prefer that the CPW (CDOW) proactively stop trophy hunting of lions and fur trapping of bobcats … but they don’t seem to be prepared to do so. The institution I’ve had so much respect for over the decades now seems aimlessly behind the times and out of touch with so many Coloradans.
Mr. Thomas makes the important point that CPW is unlikely to stop trophy hunting and trapping of mountain lions, bobcats, and – if ever stripped of ESA protections – lynx. But CPW cannot do so without statutory authorization. And, right now, there is no such authorization in state law.
An absolutely atrocious article written with complete bias and deceptive verbiage and lies. It is very obvious that Mr. Lacey has very minimal knowledge of the issue. To end the article with a lie that beholds the misguided title of the proposition tells you everything you need to know about this piece. TROPHY HUNTING OF CATS AND ALL BIG GAME IS ALREADY ILLEGAL. The term “trophy hunting” is only used here to sell the unjust cause that goes against everything CPW biologists are working towards to manage healthy populations of all species. Proposition 127 aims to end the harvest of mountain lions and bobcats entirely. It has nothing to do with trophy hunting. Another important piece deliberately worded to not include the full picture is that Lethal trapping was banned in 1996 (snares, leg holds), so only live traps can be used today – not just leg holds as mentioned. This is a more ethical way of trapping and allows the trapper to make a determination of the age, sex, and health of the animal prior to deciding to release it or harvest it legally. The same applies to hounds. When a cat is treed by hounds, all of these characteristics can be determined before the animal is harvested, and many times the animals are not harvested due to those characteristics. It is an extremely effective way to manage the populations and the cruelty descriptions that Mr. Lacey is trying to depict are egregiously false. Lynx are endangered (he got that right) and are already illegal to hunt. IF they were ever removed from the endangered list there would not be a hunting season nor would it be legal to hunt or trap them in Colorado as there isn’t a sustainable population to even allow it. It’s also very important to understand how this proposition is being funded – the 2 largest donors (over $1 million) are from Washington DC and Florida…I hope residents of the Estes Valley educate themselves prior to voting and don’t base their decision on this blatantly inaccurate piece. Freedom of speech and press is vital, but this is terrible “journalism” and this organization and community deserve better.
If the Voice is going to allow ballot opinions that are emotional, totally one sided and naive, I suggest better balance to allow opinions on both sides. There is a reason Parks and Wildlife are very good at what they do, despite ignorant criticism
I’d like to give my opinions on the abortion and marriage ballot issues that our “gone crazy” state wants to control. This is on our ballots, after previous generations of history? They didnt know anything, did they? Common sense has gone completely out the window? Has any sense of morality really become the problem? Some things are just wrong and voting doesn’t change that fact.
Ms. Whitnall argues that Colorado law already prohibits trophy hunting. That is incorrect.
Trophy hunting is, as the article accurately states, not illegal in Colorado.
C.R.S. § 33-6-117(1)(a) prohibits leaving an animal’s carcass. In other words, it bans taking a part of the animal, like the head, and leaving the remainder. But it says nothing about taking the whole animal to be stuffed and mounted. That is what those who trap mountain lions often do. And, with bobcats, the entire animal’s pelt is taken after the entire animal is removed from the trap and killed.
The issue of whether the hunter can determine sex of the treed cat is irrelevant. FIrst, they often don’t bother. Second, a cat is a cat. During the 2022-2023 hunting season, for example, CPW data shows that about 40% of all mountain lions trapped and killed were female.
And third, whether the hunter does check the sex of the cat before killing it has nothing to do with the cruelty of the hunting method – the use of dogs carrying radio transponders. Ms. Whitnall concedes that hunters “tree” the cat with dogs. It is indisputable that the dogs are commonly outfitted with electronic equipment so that the trailing hunter[s] know where the dogs are.
Mr. Bosch argues that the article expresses opinion. It does not. All factual assertions are backed up by links to reliable sources and/or interviews with knowledgeable individuals. The article also directly quotes the letter sent by hunting groups in opposition to the ballot measure. That letter quibbles with the initiative’s use of the term “trophy hunting,” a misleading semantic claim refuted by state law.
The letter further argues that “[f]or mountain lions and bobcats, CPW relies on the current legal, regulated harvest by hunters and trappers to maintain populations within the constraints of both biological and social carrying capacities as established by CPW’s science-based management practices. This ensures that
populations remain in balance with the rest of the ecosystem while minimizing human-wildlife conflicts (i.e., an abundance of mountain lions attacking pets, livestock and humans). CPW achieves this balance through data collection and scientific analysis by their professionally trained biologists.”
As the article explains, current scientific knowledge casts significant doubt on allegations that hunting of cougars is necessary to avoid over-predation, conflict with livestock, or conflict with humans. And hunting of cougars or bobcats is not needed to protect an ecosystem’s “balance.” Apex and mesopredators such as mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx self-regulate their populations, as is well known in the biological sciences. See, e.g., A.D. Wallach et al., What is an apex predator? Oikos 124(11), 1453-1461 (Nov. 2015).
Another lie. Trophy hunting is the taking of an animal for the SOLE purpose of it’s visual aesthetics to display as a trophy (antlers, skull, pelt, etc.). You just confirmed the definition by referencing C.R.S. § 33-6-117(1)(a) which states you can’t leave the meat. You state that trappers often only take the pelt and leave the meat? Please show us your photo proof, or report it to CPW since you know for a fact this is happening. They would certainly drop the hammer on that individual with a felony offense (since that is what trophy hunting is in Colorado) for not harvesting the meat. And you also know that these trappers “often don’t bother” to even try to determine the sex of the animal before making a decision to harvest it or not? Incredible that you know these things, you must have experience in the field with these cruel trappers? You can’t make statements to these things that are contradictory to the entire hunting and trapping standard. That statement is either an opinion or a lie. Just like in every industry or profession in the world, there are bad apples, but you cannot make statements like that without proof and then deny that you have inserted your biased opinions. No one is arguing that the dogs wear GPS collars, that is common knowledge. You can argue your opinion if that is ethical or not, but it still remains an opinion. A cat is a cat, yet in the last 4 seasons less than 41% killed were females every single season? That sounds like a good statistic for managing the population by ensuring not too many females were taken. A cat is a cat, so the sex doesn’t matter? I would argue it absolutely is relevant. Imagine if only females were taken, there would be a serious problem with the population. Again, your lack of knowledge of the ins & outs of trapping and hunting is astounding considering you wrote a piece on it. There is so much more to it than the numbers.
Ms. Whitnall –
Thank you for your comment.
The story is well-sourced, based on verified factual information, and accurate in its description of the issue and the controversies relating to it.
I will not engage in debate with you on this thread.
Mr. Lacey,
If you’re going to write an opinion piece, you are opening yourself for debate. It is literally an invitation to hear the opposing side to your view. You don’t need to debate me, but you need to acknowledge that you are posting lies based on implicit bias. You proved your own lie by referencing the definition of trophy hunting. Open the CPW mountain lion brochure and read it. Read the big game brochure. It explicitly states under Felony Offenses: “To kill and abandon big game. It is illegal to remove only the hide, antlers or other trophy parts and leave the carcass in the field.” Literally what trophy hunting is, and it is illegal. Exactly what you claim these hunters and trappers are doing, is explicitly illegal according to CPW.
If there was any decency or respect in this news organization you would be required to remove this or post a retraction for that lie alone being the basis of your article. Cherry picking quotes from sources is not verified factual information, most of those quotes are opinionated. This article and “journalists” like you are the reason most people don’t trust any media. It is convenient to write something, disagree with the facts, and then try to walk away. I challenge you to engage and educate yourself. Estes Valley Voice needs to do better; this piece is a disservice to residents of the Estes Valley.
Shame on the Valley Voice for publishing this as a news article rather than an opinion piece. It is written with a clear pro-Prop 113 point of view and should be tagged as such by the editor.