Colorado Lion and Bobcat Ballot Initiative Update

[Hawk Tuah]

Hunters will start to care when they have to turn in their deer and elk racks to CPW.

Effort to ban mountain lion hunting in Colorado heats up with state Supreme Court challenge and a second ballot measure

Hunting advocates are asking the Supreme Court to reject a proposed 2024 ballot question seeking to ban hunting of mountain lions, bobcats

coloradosun.com

 

[Oak]

Why do you think hunters don’t care, IdahoNick?

 

[Hawk Tuah]

Why do you think hunters don’t care, IdahoNick?

The typical support from non-houndsman for similar rule changes in the past three years in Utah, Idaho and Colorado have shown very little support outside of the houndsman community.

Idaho, Utah and Colorado's initiatives are different, but all are to the direct detriment of the sport of hound hunting.

In both Utah and Idaho, deer and elk guys went against us, openly, and so continued the destruction of our sport and lifestyle.

Maybe Colorado will surprise. It is a different rule, but with same result. It will more likely be that hunters want more cats dead rather than hunters simply trying to stick together. Whatever the reason, I hope it doesn't pass.

This is not a blanket statement on all non-houndsman. Many hunters understand it, and @Oak, I imagine you're in that group.

My fear is that enough will care until they have to turn in the horns of their ram or antlers of their elk to CPW.

 

[Oak]

Well, given your apparent lack of knowledge about the effort Colorado sportsmen are giving to fight this attempt to ban cat hunting, I think your blanket statement is BS. What are you doing for Colorado? If you'd like to do something from Idaho, here's a link where you can put your money where your mouth is.
Donate today

Frame.io

f.io

 

[BEvans]

We are preparing to fight it down here. Zero issue with houndsmen, no conflict with 98% of our hunting seasons. We have a ton of cats, and bears, and soon to be wolves (more than are already here) if we lose cat management it will further derail conservation efforts in the state. Coloradans for responsible wildlife management is spearheading howl for wildlife is helping, hope like hell we can defeat this idiotic ballot initiative

Glad to see some names leading the fight. I was beginning to think Colorado hunters were pretending it didn't exist until its too late.

 

[mevertsen]

Interesting that they are giving in to allow the harvest for a short time, but a person has to surrender the trophy portion.

I could see the slippery slope going to all big game.

 

[perma]

We are preparing to fight it down here. Zero issue with houndsmen, no conflict with 98% of our hunting seasons. We have a ton of cats, and bears, and soon to be wolves (more than are already here) if we lose cat management it will further derail conservation efforts in the state. Coloradans for responsible wildlife management is spearheading howl for wildlife is helping, hope like hell we can defeat this idiotic ballot initiative

Give em hell. Keep it out of the ballot.

 

[brocksw]

If I am not mistaken I believe CO BHA has been engaged on this issue for a while. Not sure where they are on a Supreme Court request, though.

 

[Werty]

I hope the "average" Colorado hunter sees the writing on the wall. Its the average hunter that allows these ballots measures to get past. Thinking this doesn't affect me, I don't hunt mountain lions.

I deal with this all the time in Montana, I go to work and talk about things Fwp or the legislature is trying to do and no one has a clue.
I hope this doesn't get past.

 

[Oak]

If I am not mistaken I believe CO BHA has been engaged on this issue for a while. Not sure where they are on a Supreme Court request, though.

Colorado Wildlife Conservation Project is a coalition of groups working together on this issue.

 

[HONEYBADGER]

Interesting that they are giving in to allow the harvest for a short time, but a person has to surrender the trophy portion.

I could see the slippery slope going to all big game.

They did a similar thing in California to START with. From there it is just death by a thousand cuts. First it was mountain lions, then wolves, then bears, then bobcats the list will keep growing until it's all covered.

 

[Mallardsx2]

The typical support from non-houndsman for similar rule changes in the past three years in Utah, Idaho and Colorado have shown very little support outside of the houndsman community.

Idaho, Utah and Colorado's initiatives are different, but all are to the direct detriment of the sport of hound hunting.

In both Utah and Idaho, deer and elk guys went against us, openly, and so continued the destruction of our sport and lifestyle.

Maybe Colorado will surprise. It is a different rule, but with same result. It will more likely be that hunters want more cats dead rather than hunters simply trying to stick together. Whatever the reason, I hope it doesn't pass.

This is not a blanket statement on all non-houndsman. Many hunters understand it, and @Oak, I imagine you're in that group.

My fear is that enough will care until they have to turn in the horns of their ram or antlers of their elk to CPW.

This reminds me of how most hound hunters hate trappers and refuse to support them.

I’ve watched trapping rights be taken away over the last several decades. The average hunter doesn’t really care because it doesn’t affect them.

Hopefully the measure is stopped before it makes it to the polls. The last thing we need is more ballot box biology.

 

[BuzzH]

I’ve watched trapping rights be taken away over the last several decades.

Thats the problem in one sentence. Watching isn't going to cut it, it takes action.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Thats the problem in one sentence. Watching isn't going to cut it, it takes action.

Oh, I couldn't agree more.

Keep in mind that not everyone “works” at a cushy federal government job where they have time to pursue life’s recreational problems 98% of the day.
I do find it rather ironic though that people with too much time on their hands are the ones who create most of these ridiculous problems to begin with.
Maybe we can just donate to a "non-profit" to resolve this problem too.

I speak for the majority who are too afraid to say anything for fear of being called the leper......

 

[BuzzH]

Oh, I couldn't agree more.

Keep in mind that not everyone “works” at a cushy federal government job where they have time to pursue life’s recreational problems 98% of the day.

I do find it rather ironic though that people with too much time on their hands are the ones who create most of these ridiculous problems to begin with.

Maybe we can just donate to a "non-profit" to resolve this problem too.

Everyone has an excuse for just watching things happen.

 

[mevertsen]

They did a similar thing in California to START with. From there it is just death by a thousand cuts. First it was mountain lions, then wolves, then bears, then bobcats the list will keep growing until it's all covered.

Yup. I hunted the last year hounds were allowed for bear.

 

[mevertsen]

This reminds me of how most hound hunters hate trappers and refuse to support them.

I’ve watched trapping rights be taken away over the last several decades. The average hunter doesn’t really care because it doesn’t affect them.

Hopefully the measure is stopped before it makes it to the polls. The last thing we need is more ballot box biology.

I support trapping, hold a trapping license, and hunt with hounds. I've had many dogs caught in traps over the years. Most (if not all) hound hunters I know don't have a problem with trappers. They just release the dogs and move on.

 

[LuketheDog]

Its the average hunter that allows these ballots measures to get past.

Not in Colorado, here it's the average Front Range metro liberal led by the Aspen/Vail socialites...

 

[seeth07]

Not in Colorado, here it's the average Front Range metro liberal led by the Aspen/Vail socialites...

It is amazing to me that things aren't moving faster in CO when you just look at how centrally located the population in CO is to the huge urban Denver area.





19/20 of those cities are located in that Denver suburbia and account for a total of 65% of the states population. This number is continuing to grow and with it, the support for anti-hunting.

Discovering this wasn't exactly rocket science. What is more of a challenge is how do we address this market and promote hunting? Last week we had a regional DU meeting here in our state where we looked at what DU in Denver does because its impressive. The amount of money they raise and the attendance they get is fantastic. Not sure how true the number is but it was presented to us that in the Denver metro area, only about 40% of the population supports hunting (which is well below the national norm) and less than 5% of the population actually hunts (this is more on par with the national norm but actually high given its an urban area). So how do these events draw such support?

 

[LuketheDog]

It is amazing to me that things aren't moving faster in CO when you just look at how centrally located the population in CO is to the huge urban Denver area.

1. Stooooop saying things like this, it depresses me

Last week we had a regional DU meeting here in our state where we looked at what DU in Denver does because its impressive. The amount of money they raise and the attendance they get is fantastic. Not sure how true the number is but it was presented to us that in the Denver metro area, only about 40% of the population supports hunting (which is well below the national norm) and less than 5% of the population actually hunts (this is more on par with the national norm but actually high given its an urban area). So how do these events draw such support?

2. Waterfowl and upland bird hunting anywhere near Denver is a very gentrified pursuit, i.e. that DU chapter is loaded with white collar people from the city with big checkbooks to open at their fundraisers. Lots disposable income, lots of leased-up hunting ground, lots of members-only bird clubs.