Mt. Lion hunting using electronic calls
Colorado
At the Nov 16 meeting, The Commission will open the big game regulations for annual review regarding GMUs, GMU boundaries, hunt codes, season dates, modifying unlimited bull licenses in the Severe Winter Zone and removing electronic calls as a legal method of take for mountain lions statewide.
As always, too little too late with the CPW (using electronic calls for mtn lion)
Since there's a decent chance lion hunting may disappear, we should be giving tags away and maybe even issuing electronic callers to hunters.
While they are at it, maybe address sasquatch attacks on mountain lions since they result in about the same amount of negative biological effect on lions as electronic callers.
If you read that issue paper, the intent was to aid take in small parcel fragmented habitat. I live in small parcel fragmented habitat, no way to use dogs, you hit the boundary in nothing flat. I get cats from time to time, but the area is challenged to take cats because dogs don't work. They come off sylvan dale ranch, and they aren't being hunted there.
The harvest I think it said was 3 cats, now they want to voluntarily remove a management tool.
Remember when that guys was attacked on horsetooth open space? No one is killing cats around there. Remember when the kid was attacked in Bailey where all the habitat is fragmented by small parcels? We had another attack a few years back just off hwy 34 near the mouth of the Big Thompson canyon.
We don't need to worry about anti's taking away hunting rights and tools, CPW is doing it for them. Why remove it if 3 cats were taken? It surely isn't over harvest.
So educate me. I've never used an electronic call for anything, but use non-electronic calls pretty successfully for many other species. Is it really difficult to call in cats without electronic calls? Or is this really a lot about nothing? Seems to me, we accept not using electronic calls for most hunting situations. How is this different?
They aren't legal statewide. The units they were allowed in resulted in no meaningful impact on harvest according to the CPW.
Odd! If it was about helping harvest in fragmented (ownership) units why didn't they include more of the front range? If it's relatively ineffective why remove any legality. Lions are already devouring the mule deer! Wolves about to get started on the elk! 8^(
Years back I called in a Mt lion using a mouth call, to within 20 yards. It saw me draw and left quickly before I could shoot. If I would have had a electronic call set up a distance away, the cat would have honed in on the electronic call and not my location. This is the same for any predator calling, mouth call vs electronic call. I did call in, using a mouth call, a Colorado Bear, which I did kill at 20 yards. But as stated, the use of electronic call for Lions, were only approved in some restricted areas, and not statewide.
Maybe (just maybe) the Commission is trying to get ahead of the Lion Ban, as those in favor of the ban, ie, Ballot Initiative 91, stated, that, "lion hunters use dogs with electronic collars attached". etc, etc. Maybe, (just maybe) the elimination of electronic calls, will play better with the Colorado voters, voting, YES OR NO.
I would guess 98% of the pro hunting people in CO have no idea whether electronic calls are legal in a few units. And 99.9% of voters will never see or hear anything about calling mountain lions before the vote.
99.9% of Front Range voters will think "calling cougars" is dialing the number on that bar napkin from last night.
Lou 99% of front range voters are probably too young to consider right a number on a cocktail napkin. ;)
Don, those pushing 91, will use ALL means to convince the voter that there is no fair chase when Lion hunting, including any thing electronic.
You may be right Paul. My guess is that the use of hounds and images of treed kittens/cubs will be their overwhelming angle. Electronic collars on hounds may be a part but I don't see electronic calls being on their list of attacks points.
I read today that our Moffat County wolf pack was thinned out by some Colorado guys a couple years ago using electronic calls just across the border in WY. I hadn't heard that. USFW and CPW investigated it and confirmed all was legal.
WY isn't sharing info on the ones killed in WY north of Walden, even with CPW. They have a law that doesn't allow release of wolf kill info with personal information to protect hunters from harrasment.
No idea if this impacted CPWs thinking on electronic calls for cats but interesting timing.
The latest iteration of this abortion they are proposing Prop 101, would allow a 2 week season at the end of December with no dogs or electronic calls allowed. But the best part is that you would be allowed to keep the meat, but not the hide. That would have to be turned in to CPW. These people are insane.
