VOTE NO on Colorado Prop 127 and let scientists dictate Colorado wildlife policy
Prop 127 seeks to prohibit the regulated hunting of mountain lions and bobcats in Colorado.
Science-based wildlife management and the North American Model of Wildlife Management are being ignored! Proposition 127 is a dangerous ballot measure that intends to prohibit the hunting of mountain lions and bobcats in Colorado. It is a blatant attempt to undermine the authority of Colorado Parks & Wildlife, which has utilized regulated hunting as an effective tool to manage the state’s wildlife populations for decades.
Vote No! on Proposition 127 and help ensure that wildlife management policy stays rooted in science, not the ballot box.
Context:
Colorado’s mule deer population is managed by some of the best professional wildlife managers in the country. In a state with the most mule deer, they have provided healthy populations and ample hunting opportunities for mule deer in balance with predators including Mountain Lions. Without regulated hunting managed by these professionals, mountain lions could drastically affect Colorado’s deer population, reducing local herds and opportunities.
Experts already manage Colorado’s wildlife. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has handled Mountain Lion populations since the 1960s. They say the state’s Mountain Lion population is healthy and robust, and they credit hunting for helping maintain stable populations—this November, vote to keep wildlife management in the hands of the experts.
Vote NO on Prop 127!
Details on the bill:
Full text of Bill here: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/initiatives/2023-2024%2520%252391.pdf
Proposition 127 is an attempt to uproot science-based conservation strategies in Colorado. If passed by voters in November, this ballot measure would seriously jeopardize people, pets, property, livestock, and other wildlife populations. Proposition 127 does not belong in Colorado.
• NO SCIENCE-BASED REASONING
Proposition 127 is not based on scientific research. The bill is written without the context of current science-based management strategies, which will negatively impact it.
• MISLEADING USE OF THE TERM TROPHY HUNTING:
Proposition 127 would prohibit all hunting of mountain lions and bobcats, which could have significant consequences for the future of Colorado’s wildlife management policies. By phrasing it as a prohibition on “trophy hunting”, the public is being misled. The practice of trophy hunting is already illegal in Colorado.
• UNDERMINING WILDLIFE EXPERTS
Experts at Colorado Parks & Wildlife manage Colorado’s 960 wildlife species. Implementing science-based solutions is a difficult task that requires years of experience, training, knowledge, and passion for animals. We cannot allow our state’s wildlife policy to be upended.
Let’s leave it to the experts when it comes to wildlife management. VOTE NO ON PROP 127!
If this article, or any of our articles helped you become a better conservation steward, join the Mule Deer Foundation. https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/
Trevor J Hubbs https://www.instagram.com/trevorhubbs/
THubbs@MuleDeer.org
Trevor is the Communications Manager for the Mule Deer Foundation. He grew up hunting and fishing the eastern edge of the Ozark mountains for quail, ducks, and bucks. Trevor is a contributor for “Fur, Fish, and Game”, Lethal Minds Journal, Strung Magazine, and Feathers and Whiskey, among others.
