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Another mountain lion attack in Colorado hit the news yesterday, this one was once again in broad daylight, on an adult human male but this time it was in Denver, well a part of Denver anyway, to us folks from Wyoming Denver starts once you head south from Cheyenne and cross into Colorado.
Watch the video here… https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/mountain-lion-shot-in-larimer-county-after-attacking-civilian-deputy
But I digress, what the hell is going on down there and how long will the folks in Colorado put up with predator management run amok? For crying out loud, three known attacks by cougars in the last year? I don’t think there have been three cougar attacks in the past decade in states that manage lions effectively, even if we lump them all together!
The point is that without proper management of predators we all know that they get overpopulated, outstrip their food supply and begin viewing humans as prey. I cannot fault the cats for this, only the people responsible for letting this happen. Someone is going to be killed and eaten down there, and you mark my very sad words, it will most likely be someone’s child.
The cute little kitty in the video seemed to be playing with that man, like a house cat with a mouse, testing the waters to see if humans might be good to eat. What happens if that’s a little girl, unable to fight back? Her blood will be on the hands of the people of Colorado that have chosen to turn their backs on sound predator management and you can bet your toilet paper stash that this is an eventuality.
I didn’t sit down to write an angry piece of sensationalism and you have my apologies for letting my temper take over but this topic gets me riled because there is absolutely no reason for it to happen. States like Colorado are surrendering the people’s rightful and true positions at the top of the food chain in favor of sentimentalism and it’s sad to watch.
I fully understand how this works too, having grown up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan we were force fed all sorts of piss poor wildlife management decisions thanks to the fact that the three counties in the Detroit metro area held the majority of the state’s population and thus outvoted the rest of Michigan’s largely rural and small town residents.
It’s the same in Colorado, sadly the Front Range controls a lot of the decisions being made so the rest of the state’s residents are forced to choke down regulations that are decided upon by people who know nothing about rural American life and whose view of animals has been distorted by Disneyfied media.
I wish I could propose a solution to this problem but I’m not sure there is one that’s legal. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue, maybe together we can figure something out.
Nice job on running down everyone who lives along the Front Range. Yes, we ALL think exactly alike. Total group think down here. We all think that knowing how to spell simple words ends as we cross the southern Wyoming border. We think Wyoming is a land where men are men and sheep are scared.
Good Lord. Maybe you are just looking to start a conversation, I dunno. But please don’t lump everyone who lives along the Front Range in the same boat, a boat of which I am not exactly sure is populated by who. Tree huggers, Antifa, who? I am a sportsman and have been all my life and I am fine with predator management but don’t act like there has been no predator management over the last 50 years. Who are you complaining about?
And speaking of management, why is it that EVERY time a problem develops with any game species, game managers are NEVER at fault. Have you ever heard a game manager say “we have done a poor job of game management and we need to do better.” It’s never happened and it never will because of the inflated egos of these “managers”. If you owned a business and it fails, do you blame the customer? The government? With CPW, it’s always someone else’s fault.
Until CPW takes a hard look in the mirror and admits that they have done a poor job handling CWD, mule deer, predator management, and a host of other issues, nothing will change. Bitch all you want but it falls in the lap of the folks who have the power to call the shots. And when you miss a shot, you should be a big enough person to admit the miss and try to do better.
It was on one of the local TV stations that CWP euthanized 110 Black Bears last year.There were multiple hundreds of bear incidents. A good start would be to have a spring bear hunt and legalize baiting again. Alas the foolish environmentally challenged are trying to bring in more Wolves which is a disaster waiting to happen in a state of more than SIX million people. As for the Mountain Lion problem we really need more outfitters as there really aren’t enough to keep up with lion recruitment. Not many outfitters will want to hunt here because of all the troubles they will have hunting around SO MANY PEOPLE. I wish I could move to Wyoming but they already have enough living there.Sorry no answers here Todd. Great article!
Sadly, we likely will never see a spring bear season or hunting bears with bait or dogs. Those issues were decided on a ballot initiative and it was put in the state constitution. Very hard to undo something like that, CPW cannot override the constitution so stop blaming them for that issue.
We do have a lion season so not sure what the author is getting at there. We are not like California (yet).
CPW has loosened the regs on bear hunting by greatly expanding OTC tags and reducing the cost of a bear tag (substantially for non-residents).
I agree that the Denver metro area decides issues related to elections as they outnumber the rest of the state. This is true in many states. The ballot initiative about introducing wolves to Colorado will likely pass because of that fact. And our big game animals will suffer because of it.
Wildlife Management is a complex science. Blaming only predators isn’t the answer.
I also understand your frustration. Colorado parks and Wildlife have their hands full in regards to big game and predator management. There is definitely room to improve. My ask however is that you correctly title and blog the facts. This lion attack occurred in Loveland, CO over 55 miles from Denver. Loveland is actually closer to Cheyenne than Denver. Title of blog could’ve read: Cougar Attack in Cheyenne. Please don’t lump everyone who lives east of the divide into the same group of people. Lots of sportsmen and women and rural land owners within 55 miles of Denver who are trying their best to preserve our hunting heritage and rural lifestyles
Read the book A Beast in the Garden. This is nothing new, rather it’s yesterday’s news. This has been a problem on the front range for over 15 years, not unlike the issues in California for the past 15 years. I don’t disagree that better management and hunting would help but this comment is too late. Research coyote attacks as well, you will find the same thing along the front range. Living in Montana I can relate to a Wyoming mentality but our day is coming too, it’s only time.
I read beast in the garden. The cats were allowed to raise there young in a populated setting, the cubs became habituated to that and they dispersed and people were killed. The problem with this area is there is a lot of private land, literal checker board, so hunting with dogs is difficult. I lost my dog to a lion about ten years ago in Allenspark CO. I have been followed by them several times but have only seen a juvenile once, about 100 yards from my house. We need to allow passage for hunters through private land and state/county land for hunters with dogs.
It tested positive for rabies. What, pray tell, is your proactive approach to rabid wild animals? Feel free to wait for facts before writing an idictment of an entire state. There are problems with wildlife management in Colorado as in most states, but you picked the wrong example to hang your hat on.
And the innocents will have to pay for delusions of the many. The state population as a whole of Colorado is guilty of any injuries incurred by their misguided policies regarding predator management.
I’ve lived CO. all my life but I’m trying to move out because CO. has gone downhill (and that’s an understatement) and the current governor wants to turn it into CA. (his words).
The fact that we have to get a tag first before we can hunt predators seems quite absurd to me.. I’ve hunted in Colorado all my life and I’ve still yet to see a mountain lion or a bear while actually hunting. I think we should be allowed to shoot a bear or lion when we finally get lucky enough to see one in the wild.. maybe I’m a terrible hunter or I’m not hunting close enough to Denver to be seeing those lions that you seem to think are overtaking colorado. It would be better if like bobcats there was an open season but no need to get a tag and you only need to bring the furs in to get them sealed. I’m also in favor of the spring bear season but if we can’t bring it back then make it ok to shoot one bear with your deer elk or other big game tags so that anybody can shoot one if they encounter one as they’re hunting for their primary quarry.
You should change the name to Eastman’s Doomsday Blog. Instead of endless product endorsements and neighbor bashing perhaps a certain percentage of your blog should be of a positive note. There are some really great things going on in the hunting industry.
Seriously Todd, Thats one of the most unprofessional comments I have ever read. Gordon and Mike would be disappointed If you are a representing Eastmans with your comments. You obviously think you know everything, but you really are clueless. The state harvests over 500 Lions a year. They have the prices lower on predator tags, trying to encourage more hunters to hunt Lion and Bear. There are so many guides out Lion hunting its a total joke. While you are quick to run your mouth I didnt see one solution in your rant. Do you suggest we start shooting high powered rifles in the city limits? I mean if you want to point fingers and call names. How about the predator management of Grizzly Bears in Wyoming? People dying from Grizzlys up there. Whats being done about that Todd?