Hunters share opposing views on a possible ban on hunting mountain lions, bobcats and lynx

DENVER – For the second time in the last four years, Coloradans will be able to vote on a ballot initiative addressing apex predators.

Proposition 127 aims to ban the hunting and trapping of mountain lions, bobcats and bobcats.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) estimates that there are between 3,800 and 4,400 mountain lions living across much of the state. Currently, hunters can purchase a license to shoot one lion per year.

According to CPW, Bobcats will have an unlimited bag and possession limit between December 2024 and February 2025.

The lynx has been considered a nationally endangered species since 1976. They were federally classified as an endangered species in 2000. In the 1990s, CPW began reintroducing them to the San Juan Mountains.

Denver7 sat down with two hunters who have very different views on this ballot initiative.

Dave Ruane is a member of Cats Aren't Trophies, an organization that helped launch the campaign that led to Prop 127. He started fishing as a young child and took up hunting in college.

“Before I went hunting, I thought, 'Oh, this is the worst thing a person can do.' But then when I tried it, I thought, 'Oh, this is actually quite challenging and also rewarding,'” Ruane said.

He has never hunted a mountain lion before, but said he has seen the ongoing hunts before. Ruane said they are usually hunted with dogs, making them hard to miss.

“I’m not saying people don’t eat mountain lions, but that’s not why they hunt mountain lions. I mean, that’s not the reason,” Ruane said. “It’s an ego trip there. It’s a trophy for the wall…It’s just a wish list item.”

Ruane supports Prop 127 and says it will “clean up” the hunting community.

“That doesn’t mean CPW can’t manage the population. “It just eliminates the recreational hunting portion of their management,” Ruane said. “[Proponents are] not out there to stop elk hunting and deer hunting. There are many opposition figures who will say that this is what they want. Next thing you know, they'll take away my guns, you know? But that’s not the case.”

Ruane said the problem is “a no-brainer” when it comes to bobcat trapping.

“This is just commercialization, commercialization of our wildlife that should have been abolished a long time ago,” Ruane said.

He believes that trophy hunting is the primary motivation for mountain lion hunting and that only a small percentage of hunters participate.

“It is a very small part of the population that engages in this activity. And again, as a hunter, I don’t feel like we’re really impacting a lot of people with this initiative,” Ruane said.

In a letter signed in September by about two dozen wildlife specialists, supporters of Proposition 127 said they do not believe recreational killing of mountain lions keeps the population stable or manages the animals in any way. Advocates say if voters ban mountain lion hunting, the animal population will stabilize, not grow.

On the other side of the issue is Luke Weidel, another hunter and member of Wildlife Deserve Better in Colorado, who opposes Proposition 127.

“I came in [hunting] When I was 13 years old, it was a family tradition to be with my father and brothers. “Something we use to put food in the freezer and on the table and create memories with family,” Weidel said of his history with hunting. “It’s really powerful to be a part of that and really immerse yourself in nature.”

He once hunted a mountain lion.

“Believe it or not, mountain lion is one of the best game meats available in the state of Colorado,” Weidel said. “I killed a lion. We ate the whole lion and it was an incredible challenge to chase after it.”

Weidel sees the initiative as an attack on CPW and the way it treats animals.

“The problem we have is ballot box biology. “You and I shouldn’t even be able to vote on this,” Weidel said. “It's based on emotion, you know, and our wildlife shouldn't be controlled by a cue or an emotional charge. It should be scientifically driven, in a data-driven way, and in a way that makes sense for all people living here and all 961 species of wildlife.”

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Weidel pointed to the requirements CPW already has in place for anyone wanting to hunt a mountain lion, saying they are sufficient for the current population numbers.

“If you had your hunter certification — which you need to get a big game license — you would have to take a mountain lion certification course, which teaches you how to sex an animal, how to determine its age and what the laws are.” are connected to it,” explained Weidel. “You have to prepare all the meat for human consumption.”

Weidel estimates that about 2,500 mountain lions are sold to hunters in Colorado each year.

“The success rate is, I think, about 19%, which is relatively low, but it is one of the most, if not the most, regulated wildlife species in our state,” Weidel said. “A big part of the reason we have robust lion populations and wildlife populations in general is hunting and fishing.”

As a state agency, CPW cannot take an official position on Proposition 127.

In a statement, a CPW spokesperson said: “Colorado state agencies, such as Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources, are prohibited by Colorado law from taking positions/opinions or using state resources to support or oppose ballot initiatives .” Colorado Parks and Wildlife is neutral, meaning we take no position for or against Proposition 127 and will diligently implement any laws duly passed by the Colorado legislature, governor or voters.