DENVER, COLORADO – Colorado voters have decided against banning the hunting of mountain lions and bobcats by rejecting Proposition 127, according to a projection made by The Associated Press on Wednesday morning. With 95% of votes counted, 54.8% of voters opposed the measure, while 45.2% supported it, reflecting Coloradans’ complex stance on wildlife management and conservation.
The measure, had it passed, would have prohibited various actions against mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx, including hunting, pursuing, or wounding these animals, with exceptions only when immediate danger to people or livestock existed. Violators would have faced potential jail time, fines, and hunting license suspensions. Hunting lynx remains illegal, as the species is protected under state and federal law.
The defeat of Prop 127 allows for the continued regulated hunting of mountain lions and bobcats, while animal advocacy groups like Cats Aren’t Trophies (CATs) continue to push for what they see as more humane wildlife practices. CATs campaign director Sam Miller underscored this sentiment, stating, “Voters most definitely did not affirm vicious and highly commercialized forms of trophy hunting and commercial trapping of our native cats by narrowly rejecting Prop 127.” Miller urged Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to consider ending the use of hounds and baited traps in the hunting of mountain lions and bobcats.
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In contrast, proponents of regulated hunting, such as Dan Gates, chair of the opposition group Colorado Wildlife Deserves Better, see the vote as a defense of scientifically guided wildlife management. “Coloradans stood up for science and sound wildlife management by voting against Proposition 127,” Gates said, emphasizing a preference for wildlife policy driven by expert input rather than ballot initiatives.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife agency, which remained neutral on Proposition 127, has stated its commitment to implementing any laws passed by Colorado voters or the state legislature. CPW’s approach to managing big cats incorporates specific hunting and trapping regulations that align with the agency’s wildlife management goals, though the organization does not support or oppose ballot measures.
This decision reflects an ongoing debate in Colorado over the balance between wildlife conservation and traditional hunting practices. Advocacy groups on both sides stress that the future of the state’s wildlife requires careful oversight and effective policy—whether through hunting restrictions or conservation strategies grounded in ecological science.
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For wildlife advocates, the rejection of Prop 127 signals an opportunity to focus on potential reforms in CPW’s management practices, particularly regarding mountain lion and bobcat hunting methods. Conservationists and advocates continue to debate whether measures such as trapping and hounding align with Colorado’s conservation goals, especially as public sentiment shifts toward non-lethal management methods.
Colorado voters will likely see similar initiatives in the future as wildlife advocates and hunter organizations work toward solutions that balance conservation with Colorado’s longstanding hunting traditions.
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