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Mountain Lion Hunting Ban Filed in Colorado
By Dave Shaffer
Remember when a bunch of liberals pushed Proposition 114 to reintroduce wolves onto the Colorado ballot back in 2020 … which barely passed by the smallest of margins of 50.91% to 49.09%, thanks to the crazies in Boulder and Denver who will never see a wolf anyway?
Well, here we go again.
Now these folks are attempting to ban mountain lion hunting in Colorado. They’ve filed a notice to put measure 33-4-101.4 on next year’s general election ballot that would outlaw mountain lion and bobcat hunting in the state.
Filed last Friday, the ballot proposal requires supporters to gather signatures to qualify for next year’s general election. Draft language in the proposal states “any trophy hunting of mountain lions, bobcats, or lynx is inhumane, serves no socially acceptable or ecologically beneficial purpose, and fails to further public safety.” And even though Colorado’s Mountain Lion Regulations states “All edible parts of lions must be properly prepared for human consumption” the proposal’s draft language also incorrectly states “trophy hunting is practiced primarily for the display of an animal’s head, fur, or other body parts, rather than the utilization of the meat.”
The proposed ballot would ban hunting “by unsporting means, including, but not limited to, using packs of dogs with electronic devices to pursue and entrap affected animals”. Of course, hound hunting for lions and bobcats is currently permitted by CO’s hunting regulations.
This ballot initiative to ban mountain lion hunting comes as no surprise given the recent appointments of three “animal welfare” advocates to Colorado’s Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission by our liberal Governor Jared Polis. The CPW Commissioners have long served his liberal agenda and these three new Commissioners will only make matters worse.
What’s next? If (when) the Colorado Secretary of State approves the petition, it must then be circulated throughout the state to obtain the nearly 125K required signatures. I’m praying it falls short!
At this point, there are two groups that are raising funds to run ads to offset the untruths being told by those proposing the ban. Anyone can make contributions to help offset those costs to Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management (savethehuntCO22) or the Colorado Outfitters Association (coloradooutfitters.org). When wolves passed, a majority of the funding came from non-residents. Those two groups are hoping that non-residents will also help them out. Especially those that like to hunt in Colorado. Whether we like it or not, this is just the first step to get rid of most hunting if not all.