Proposition 127, if passed, would make hunting bobcats, lynx and mountain lions illegal in Colorado.
In 2022-23, 502 mountain lions were killed by hunters, according to a harvest report by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. There are currently no bag and possession limits on hunting bobcats — the season of which starts Dec. 1 and ends Feb. 28, 2025. The state-endangered lynx are federally classified as threatened and are therefore illegal to hunt.
The proposition seeks to ban hunting on mountain lions and bobcats year-round and prevent lynx from ever being hunted.
“The measure restricts the ability of wildlife management experts at CPW to make science-based decisions to achieve the state’s ecological objectives, which include preserving biodiversity, ensuring sustainable ecosystems and protecting endangered species,” the 2024 State Ballot Information Booklet provided as an argument against Proposition 127.
Another argument against Proposition 127 from the Mule Deer Foundation states that without regulated hunting, the mule deer population could be threatened.
The ballot information booklet’s argument for 127 reads, “Big cats provide valuable ecological contributions, and Colorado should protect them rather than allowing them to be hunted.”
This is not the first time ecology has been on the ballot; in 2020, Proposition 114 narrowly passed by way of 50.91% approval, allowing wolf reintroduction into lands west of the Continental Divide in Colorado by the end of 2023.
In 1992, by way of a 69.7% approval vote, hunting black bears was prohibited between March 1 and Sept. 1 of all calendar years and was also prohibited using bait or dogs at any time. In 1996, Amendment 14 was passed to ban legal traps, poisons and snares.
Reach Allie Seibel at [email protected] or on Twitter @allie_seibel_.
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