New initiative could ban mountain lion hunting in Colorado

Mountain lion hunting could be banned in Colorado should a new citizen initiative be added to the 2024 ballot this fall. Initiative 91 targets trophy hunting and specifically states, “any trophy hunting of mountain lions, bobcats, or lynx is inhumane” and “trophy hunting is practiced primarily for the display of an animal’s head, fur, or other body parts, rather than for utilization of the meat.”

However, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) points out that the way trophy hunting is defined in the initiative “makes no distinction from any other type of hunting.”

To date, the proposal has already gone through its first public hearing and will progress to the state attorney general and secretary of state for title and description approval. During the hearing, state attorneys suggested that the term “trophy hunting” was problematic and, instead, suggested eliminating the word “trophy” and allowing mountain lion hunting as it is already permitted under existing game laws: to harvest meat from the mountain lions, according to a news release.

In Colorado, mountain lion populations are carefully monitored by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which uses specific regulations, quotas and guidelines as outlined in the state’s mountain lion management plan. Part of that strategy includes the use of hunters – an activity that is considered a “wildlife-related recreational opportunity” as stated in the Colorado statute.

A similar measure was introduced in 2022, but defeated. RMEF believes that Initiative 91 is not in line with the North American Wildlife Conservation Model and strongly opposes the measure.

In order to qualify for the ballot, Initiative 91 needs 124,238 verified signatures.

Stay tuned to GOHUNT and HOWL For Wildlife for further updates.