Wildlife Deserve Better: Why I Voted YES on Proposition 127
Mountain lions, as a keystone species, have a significant positive impact on the ecosystems they inhabit. The welfare of mountain lions should drive all wildlife management decisions. We have a long way to go before this is a reality in Colorado and other western states.
A YES vote on Proposition 127 would have protected bobcats, lynx and mountain lions from hunting and trapping in Colorado. It would have allowed, on a permit basis, the killing of these animals under certain circumstances such as livestock depredation.
After spending over 30,000 hours in the field studying and filming mountain lions I’ve learned that these animals, as keystone species, have an outsized positive impact on the ecosystems they inhabit. Mountain lions and all predators deserve wildlife management that supports their welfare and works to maximize the overall health of their populations. Mountain lions and bobcats do not benefit from being hunted or trapped. Only hunters, houndsmen, outfitters, trappers and the coffers of state wild agencies benefit. A small percentage of humans benefit. Less than 6% of Colorado residents hunt, fish or trap wildlife. Wildlife suffer. Solid science and research supports the fact that mountain lions, bobcats and lynx do not require hunting or trapping to control their populations. Hunting mountain lions and bobcats IS NOT conservation.
As a lifetime hunter and fisherman and most importantly, wildlife conservationist, I voted yes on Proposition 127 for these reasons:
The welfare of wildlife must drive wildlife management decisions. This has never been the case with predator species managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).
CPW has never had a bobcat management plan while allowing unlimited killing of this animal yearly.
Hunting and trapping of mountain lions and bobcats violates the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and the Boone and Crockett Fair Chase Rules.
Kitten survival is a key factor that determines the health of a mountain lion population. Without strict female mountain lion quotas, orphaned kittens starve to death each year. Colorado Parks and Wildlife supports the starvation of mountain lion kittens.
The Welfare of Wildlife Must Drive Wildlife Management Decisions
The welfare of each wildlife species, beginning with predator species, should drive wildlife management plans and the implemenation of those plans. This is currently not the case with the west slope and east slope plans for mountain lions. Gross population estimates are used to justify more killing of mountain lions. And Colorado Parks and Wildlife has never had a bobcat management plan and allows unlimited killing by hunters and trappers each season. Lynx are currently protected from hunting and trapping.
Predator species management in Colorado focuses on minimizing predator numbers on the landscape while serving the desires of hunters, trappers, houndsmen, outfitters, ranchers and producing income for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Predator species are viewed as a nuisance or simply as utility for consumptive recreation, hunters and trappers who enjoy killing predators. Since I moved to Colorado in 1986 I’ve yet to hear a CPW employee or wildlife commission member share the value of predators on the landscape at a wildilfe commission meeting. The welfare of these species and their value on the landscape has never been the focus. Wildlife deserve better. The citizens of Colorado deserve better.
Attend any Colorado Wildlife Commission meeting and you’ll witness an anthroprocentric position from most, if not all CPW employees and Colorado wildlife commission members. Wildlife are simply viewed as utility for hunters, trappers and fishermen and an income stream for CPW. The welfare of wildlife is never the focus. This current system and structure is toxic for wildlife and wildlife advocates.
Wildlife in Colorado is managed to benefit the visitors and residents of Colorado
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission Policy states that Colorado wildlife are managed for the use, benefit and enjoyment of Colorado visitors and residents. Wildlife are NOT managed to support the welfare of wildlife. Any organization or professional who is responsible for managing a living organism, whether that organism be a wildlife species, insect species, plant community or watershed should be accountable to ensure that living organism benefits from the development and implementation of management plans. Currently, this is not the case for mountain lions, bobcats and a host of other wildlife species in Colorado.
Every wildlife species has a set of biological and ecological factors they are dependent upon for a healthy population. Every wildlife management plan should support these factors as the primary goal of the plan. The current goal for mountain lion and bobcat management is simply maintaining a population that can be hunted and trapped. But if the act of hunting and trapping mountain lions and bobcats does not improve the welfare of these species, then the activity must be called into question. Hunting IS NOT Conservation when it comes to predator species. Even the language used by CPW should be called into question. Bobcats and other predators that are trapped are referred to as furbearers, as if their only value is slaughtering and skinning them and selling the pelt to China or Russia. Wildlife deserve better.
One of the most important biological factors that determines the health of these wild feline populations is kitten survival. Each year, mountain lion kittens are orphaned because a female mountain lion was killed by a hunter. Colorado Parks and Wildlife does not count these kittens that starve to death because they aren't of breeding age. Respected mountain lion biologists and researchers will tell you that if you are going to hunt mountain lions, no more than 22% of the harvest should be female lions of breeding age. In Colorado, 46% of the mountain lions killed by hunters each year are female lions. Mountain lion hunters are “encouraged” not to kill female lions in certain game management units as well as larger regions of the state. This is not effective based on annual harvest data. It’s analogous to asking drivers to drive under the speed limit without the risk of getting a ticket. Only strict female harvest quotas would be effective, a strategy CPW has chosen to ignore.
Bobcat Hunting and Trapping Violates the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation
The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (NAM) is often cited as the gold standard of wildlife conservation by hunters, trappers, fishermen and outfitters. NAM was a response to the market hunting that was decimating wildlife in North America.
A key tenet of this model is:
elimination of markets for wildlife
This was put in place to prevent the selling of any part of an animal for profit. The trapping and hunting of bobcats and selling their pelts is a clear violation of this tenet.
Fair Chase Rules Violated by Mountain Lion and Bobcat Hunting and Trapping
Fair chase is a term used by hunters to describe an ethical approach to hunting big game animals. It refers to the pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper or unfair advantage over the game animals.
The use of any of the following methods in the killing of a game animal is considered Unfair Chase. The bold items indicate how Fair Chase is violated in Colorado.
Artificial light
Electronic devices for attracting game (bobcat)
Use of aircraft or other motorized vehicles (mountain lion)
Use of drugs to immobilize animals
Use of dogs to pursue or take game (mountain lion, bobcat)
Use of bait to attract game (bobcat)
Note pages 4 and 5 from the CPW regulations: https://cpw.widen.net/s/kmpdszcx6j/ch03
The price of a bobcat pelt in China or Russia determines how many bobcats are killed each year. During the 2023-2024 season a total of 955 bobcats were killed by hunters and trappers and during that same time, only 10 bobcats were killed because of livestock conflicts. 945 bobcats were killed to make a buck by selling the pelt. That is unacceptable for wildlife and wildlife conservationists.
A YES vote on Proposition 127 would have maintained the flexibility of CPW to kill mountain lions and bobcats when they are preying on livestock and at the same time support the positive impact these animals have on the ecosystems they inhabit. The welfare of wildlife should drive all wildlife management decisions. Period.