Lion hunting isn’t trophy hunting because trophy hunting is illegal in Colorado

A mountain lion is seen in the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. (USFWS/CC BY 2.0)

As a life-long hunter, conservationist and career carnivore biologist, I cannot identify, even remotely, with the characterization of hunters in recent news and opinion pieces. They misrepresent the intentions of people feeding their families while undermining hunters’ vital role in conservation.

Responsible hunting shows a deep respect for nature and a commitment to sustainable wildlife populations. As the lead carnivore biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, before retiring in 2017, I dedicated decades of my career to mountain lion management.

My career focused on maintaining the balance between people and healthy mountain lion populations, the subject of Proposition 127 on the Colorado ballot, throughout their ranges. I have the utmost respect and admiration for these magnificent animals, and it is absurd to suggest that Colorado’s wildlife management agency would neglect its duty to protect them. The professionalism and dedication of these people outweighs the nonsense touted by others.

Scientific wildlife management, supported by thousands of hunters, has given Colorado the abundance of wildlife it’s known for, including over 4,000 independent mountain lions and over 15,000 bobcat today. Along with my colleagues, I helped formulate the population and habitat models, the age and gender composition limits, the season dates and structure, and the hunter training requirements that are designed to ensure the stability and abundance of lion populations. The same science-powered management efforts have gone into the management plans for bobcat.

Big cat management is a complex science that involves a landscape view of ecology. Colorado’s biologists have spent decades working to conserve the abundant and diverse wildlife we all enjoy. The proponents of Proposition 127 suggest we replace the experts at CPW with ballot-box biology, which is like asking a neighbor to perform surgery on your knee.

Lion hunting isn’t trophy hunting because trophy hunting has been illegal in Colorado since before I started working for CPW in 1979. Rather than framing hunters as aggressors, we should recognize their contributions as conservation partners. They have driven for more protections for wildlife and their habitats, they have championed limiting licenses when needed, and supported legislation to tax themselves to create a better wildlife future in Colorado and beyond.

To suggest hunters are driven by a competitive bloodlust as an apex predator would suggest that mountain lions hold that same bloodlust for us. This is ludicrous beyond the pale and instead fits with the antihunting narrative endlessly repeated by the radical extremists that are funding Proposition 127.

News reports that lion predation on deer will control chronic wasting disease is a red herring. Real science is vastly distorted with aspirational assertions about lion predation and CWD. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is one of the leading organizations in chronic wasting disease research and management. Credible research has shown that no single species is the savior of deer herds in Colorado.

Many studies have shown that sick or injured animals are more likely to die by predation from all kinds of predators. But, would that predation actually cause a reduction in the wasting disease spread or prevalence on the landscape? Actual experimental studies of this question have shown no effect. Another scientific fact that refutes the notion of lion predation controlling CWD spread, is that deer are often infected with and spreading prions across the landscape for years before they die.

Well regulated hunting is a crucial tool in managing wildlife populations. Moreover, CPW and its partners spend millions of dollars on wildlife research, on habitat improvements, and working against the constant threat of habitat fragmentation due to human population growth and development, in addition to managing through changing climates and social dynamics.

It’s responsible, science-based practices aimed at promoting biodiversity that are the cornerstone of Colorado’s natural resource success story. The revenues generated from hunting and fishing licenses and fees are significant, funding conservation programs that benefit all wildlife, including non-game, pollinators and threatened and endangered species.

In the end, the debate surrounding wildlife management should be rooted in facts, not misguided characterizations or distorted science. As someone who has dedicated my life to wildlife conservation and management, I can attest to the positive impact that responsible, well-regulated hunting has on maintaining healthy ecosystems and protecting biodiversity.