Coloradans are being asked to ban mountain lion hunting and the hunting and trapping of bobcats and the endangered lynx should the animal ever get delisted.<\/p>\n
A \u201cno\u201d vote on Proposition 127<\/a> will allow the hunting and trapping to continue under the careful regulation and scientific control of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife.<\/p>\n The Denver Post editorial board has long supported the wildlife officials at CPW in their pursuit of scientifically managed populations<\/a> and supporting hunting as both recreation, food sources and a tool for population control.<\/p>\n The group that has proposed Proposition 127 \u2013 known as CATS \u2013 has focused its campaign on making the case that trophy hunting or sport hunting is inherently unethical and should be banned in a state known for its hunting recreation opportunities. For now, the target is big cats, but we fear what may be targeted next. Bear hunting?<\/p>\n No one is hunting moose primarily for the meat, and while fish often survive being caught and released, sometimes the stress or injury is too much and they die. Hunting and fishing, even when the primary motivation is not procuring meat, is not necessarily unethical.<\/p>\n While most Coloradans would not participate in a mountain lion hunt, or feel comfortable killing a bobcat that had been caught in a live trap, we do not find those practices to be beyond the pale. Like all outdoor recreation, it has an impact on wildlife, but CPW\u2019s job is to carefully regulate and manage that balance between hunting and healthy ecosystems and between fishing in Colorado\u2019s rivers and streams and flourishing trout populations.<\/p>\n Colorado\u2019s mountain lion populations appear to be thriving. Bobcats are not listed in short supply, although population estimates are hard to do on the elusive animals, and lynx are already an endangered species, and hunting and trapping of the animal is not permitted.<\/p>\n Some shocking revelations have come from the CATS campaign, however. All is not lost just because voters might reject a complete hunting ban in a state known for its recreational hunting.<\/p>\n First, mountain lion hunters are killing too many female lions. About half of the 500 lions killed last year were females, which can endanger the lion population and also inadvertently lead to the death of nursing kittens if signs are missed or ignored by hunters. As it does for deer and elk, CPW should start limiting<\/a> how many licenses are issued for female lions every year.<\/p>\n