CO Commission rejects bobcat ban
General Topic
Yesterday the CO Wildlife Commission voted unanimously to reject the citizens petition to ban all manner of take for bobcats. The antis presented a petition with 208,000 signatures, and presented a heart-wrenching slide show. CPW just simply said there's no scientific basis for stopping it.
So now we'll likely see a ballot initiative to ban bobcat and mountain lion hunting, along with the wolf initiative. Not good.
They'll never stop trying. We'll never stop fighting them either.
Low reasoning and high hypocrisy are the hallmarks of the hunting hater #antipeoplenotproanimal
Need to make sure the Commission's stance and helpful comments are memorialized so we can use them when they are muzzled during the ballot process
That is sad Lou. I just can't help but feel that in CO anymore we're damned if we do and damned if we don't from the hunting perspective. The liberal cancer continues to spread.
Good on the cpw!!! Celebrate the victories. If it hits the ballot we need the cpw involved showing the scientific evidence, rather than emotion.
CPW cant be involved once it hits the ballot.
Glunt are you saying cpw isn’t allowed to provide the science behind a ballot bill? Doesn’t seem right.
There needs to be a concerted effort by the various conservation organizations to make a unified effort to educate the public on this once it hits the ballot. There needs to be a television commercial made and aired in CO. The antis are going to have theirs. If we don't have one and a good one at that, there's probably no hope of defeating this.
Colorado sportsman need to do a few things. First is to get a right to hunt and fish amendment passed. Then we need to get amendment that all game management decision are made through scientific analysis and cannot be force through ballot measures.
The game departments in many, if not most, states are not allowed to advocate for or against legislation, unless the state's Governor directs the game department to do so.
Slipshot, the right to hunt and fish amendment is more of a feel-good measure. It doesn't prohibit restrictions on methods, or even all-out bans on certain species.
Great that it was unanimous. Even better that Commissioner Howard made it clear they wanted to hear from as many different view points as possible. It's weird how science goes out the window for antis when it comes to wildlife given their stance on subjects like global warming... I mean climate change.
"Glunt are you saying cpw isn’t allowed to provide the science behind a ballot bill? Doesn’t seem right."
I don't know the specifics but they can't support either side. In the past this has resulted in basically no input on ballot issues. And we lost spring bear, bear baiting, hounds for bears and trapping on ballots.
It infuriates me whenever I hear that any state lost its trapping. That is when you know all of it is in trouble, and when pro-action needed to happen. Like everywhere we need to be pro active.
TrapperKayak, what is allowed are box traps but no leg hold, snares, or body crunching traps, or poisons. I believe leg hold traps might be able to be use on private land for a period of less than 30 days, if the landowner can show that other methods have not worked.
“The antis presented a petition with 208,000 signatures, and presented a heart-wrenching slide show. CPW just simply said there's no scientific basis for stopping it.”
So this is bad news?
Isn’t it just possible that the professionals are going to do the right thing?
GF, Yes good news and in the correct direction towards like issues that may come up in the future.
The professionals will do the right thing. But it if passes in the 2020 election the professionals' hands are tied. Just like with our bear hunting and trapping.
Going through the Commission is just the first and easiest step the antis use. If that fails, and it has in the past, then they go to the ballot and so far they win. Undoing that is basically impossible because the State is steering farther left every year.
Sounds like since the CBA is the states largest organization, they should be buying a spot on the tv channels and doing some educational programs that are science based. Is there a plan to do that?
This is not just a CBA bow hunting issue, it is a statewide big game hunter issue. Do you have any idea the cost of a TV ad (s) that would be long enough to convey any message and then find someone to produce it? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ CBA has some monies to help in that effort, but not all of it. There are 41,000 resident and nonresident bow hunters who hunt elk in Colorado and the CBA has 3,000 members. If every bow hunter would chip in $10, it could happen and being realistic, that will not happen.
Hope it works out God bless Tennessee I’m loading up a shotgun and ar for tonight to work on some hogs that just invaded my chufa all very legal.good luck all Lewis
Where is the SCI ? "First for Hunters" . Somebody needs to bellying up to the bar as the fight is on!
Hey Paul, are there efforts from you guys to organize with other sportsman's groups in the state to make it happen? I'd happily get signed back up with the CBA to help fight the good fight since I do hunt in CO on occasion ;)
Its too early to organize around this. They still have a bunch of work to do to get it on the ballot. If they do, then late summer of 2020 will be the time to start our campaigns against either or both initiatives. With limited funds it will be prudent to not spend too early.
Yeah, we actually need a war to rally the troops. Once the ballot initiative looks like it's going to happen, then we start getting everyone together and contributing.
Why wait? Start the campaign now! "Go Fund Me"
Here in NM there are big billboards along some interstate highways with pics of a coyote leg in a trap and they say....Stop all trapping on public land .
Trophyhill, I appreciate your enthusiasm but right now there's nothing to campaign against. They presented the petition. CWC rejected their request unanimously.
As Paul stated above, "Its just not a CBA issue, but a statewide big game hunter issue." I'll take it a bit further and say this is a national problem in the big picture, and all hunters in this country and any NR hunters (bow or gun) that come to Colorado hunting should stand up and take notice. I'm real sick and tired of all these left wing liberal fuzzy feel goods dancing all over us. Its time we take a stand and get some type of $$$ funding account going now to fight all of this. I've sent a request to the officers of the NBA (Nebr. Bow. Assoc.) to bring this up (wolves) at the next board meeting and I asked them to discuss what the NBA can do to help the fight in Colorado. And any of you state officers or members of other state bowhunting organizations reading any of these posts here, bring this stuff up at your next meetings and see what your organizations can do to help. Plus, any of you NR Colorado hunters reading these posts and are not CBA members, either pony up and join or if and when a $$$ fund Account is established, send in $10 or more to it, like it was suggested above. Paul, Lou, & Steve H., you guys are movers and shakers in Colorado. You guys are the ones that can get this done, as far as getting something set up to send $$$ donations too. As Lou stated above, that it may be too early organize around this, Maybe so, but not too early to start receiving $$$ and building up a fund.
I think what we need is a coalition of conservation and hunting organizations headed by one organization because someone has to hold the fund for the commercial. I'd think that the CBA would be a great organization to head this. If SCI heads it, it'll galvanize Boulder and San Francisco to contribute more. We need SCI to help fund it, but a local (state) organization being at the forefront would be good politically.
When it comes to topics like this, there are 3 types of people
People that make it happen
People that watch it happen
People that wonder what happened
Which one are you?
Ike, excellent observation. Although I think it wouldn't necessarily matter much for Boulder, since this is in the backyard. Other big-city greenies would likely get a little more involved if this takes on a more national feel.
To early to spend money , but not to early to organize your money raising efforts.
Bans on bobcat, mountain lion, and bear hunting... introduction of non-native wolves...
Studies that say “wildlife watching” brings in far more revenue to a state than hunting or fishing. Colorado PARKS and wildlife supporting it???
When wildlife watching actually brings in ZERO dollars for wildlife management! Nor do mountain bikers, hikers, skiers, road bikers, jeepers, motorcyclists, developers, and other activities impacting habitat and wildlife pay anything to support wildlife?
Colorado PARKS and wildlife using the flawed data in advertisements to raise license fees (in a way that hits hunters far more than fishermen or parks users) was a slap in the face to all hunter-conservationists today and in the past who have borne the load to recover our spectacular North American Big Game species for everyone to enjoy.
That flawed study is giving the anti hunters and wolf proponents a huge amount of leverage to advance their agenda further. Like pouring jet fuel on a campfire!
Hunter dollars have been the funding for not only recovery of big game species but also endangered species across North America in the most successful model of Wildlife Management in the world. The antis want to destroy this system.
Colorado is just the beginning. This is a NATIONWIDE PROBLEM, not just a Colorado problem. Our National Conservation Organizations need to be getting on board to stop the anti hunting platform. Pope and Young, Boone and Crockett, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, The Mule Deer Foundation, Foundation for North American Wild Sheep, and the state hunting/conservation organizations need to stand as a united front against these activities.
These organizations are who we hunters give our money too to fight for greater game populations, increased opportunities, and continued hunting as a conservation tool.
As a Life Member in many of the national and state organizations, I have been talking to a number of people in a number of the organizations above and it is difficult to get past inertia.
My state has a ballot initiative process and in the past ADFG has not been allowed to inject "facts" into the debate.
When we organized the loyal opposition to the ballot initiatives, we found that the public actually WANTS to hear from biologists and learn the facts.
So we found a number of recently retired state (and federal) biologists and former members of the AK Board of Game and got them involved. We utilized these folks in some of our TV and print ads. It was VERY effective and we prevailed.
Pete
Now would be a good time to start shopping for the state's most effective lobbyists. We know this is coming. Get their help from the beginning.
Slipshot has echoed my historic stance on what needs to happen. I think if on the ballot, Wolves, bobcat ban, lion hunting etc will all pass in Colorado. I also think that an a measure that says Colorado Parks is in charge of this and ballot measures can't be a way to force the hand on issues they don't have science to support would also pass. We need to find a way in Colorado that the ballot box isn't a sidestep to science and letting the experts do their job.
Amen to that one, brother!
You’d think that people who (rightly) condemn the know-nothing politicians for blowing off all of the hard data that point to rapid, destructive and mind-bogglingly expensive climate change issues would have as much respect for wildlife biologists and science-based management as they claim to have for climate scientists... and vice-versa.
But NOPE. Only the people we agree with are allowed to play the Science card in society today. Intellectual rigor and integrity are for Losers.
