Colorado voted to ban electronic calls to hunt mountain lions this week. The decision was unanimous among members of the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission along with ending the April mountain lion hunting season, according to the Denver Post. 

Those against use of the electric calls, which use sounds of other lions or distressed prey, said it gave “hunters an unfair advantage.” With regard to the cut season, mountain lion hunting was only allowed in certain parts of the state during April and those who have licenses will be able to use them during the fall/winter season, which runs November through March. 

Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) manage mountain lions across the state, using hunting as a way to keep populations in check. For the past decade, about 500 mountain lions have been taken by hunters, which is below CPW’s harvest limits. That is set at 650 based upon the estimated count of 3,000 to 7,000 mountain lions in the state.

“It is possible to allow hunting of lions and maintain a healthy population,” said Mark Vieira, CPW’s carnivore and furbearer program manager, noting that the population is considered “stable and healthy.”

“These two conditions are not mutually exclusive,” said Viera.