Colorado wildlife experts are at odds over whether a ballot measure to ban the hunting of certain wildcats would help or hurt the formidable felines that have long been intrinsic to Rocky Mountain ecosystems.

Centennial State voters on Tuesday will be deciding whether to approve Proposition 127, which would amend Colorado statutes by forbidding the hunting or trapping of bobcats, lynx and mountain lions.

Wildlife conservation experts and hunters have been offering a wide range of contrasting perspectives on the possible effects of the proposed hunting ban ahead of the vote.

Earlier this month, more than 300 sportsmen and women gathered in front of the Colorado Capitol in Denver to rally against the measure, which they described as "an out-of-state funded, emotion-based ballot initiative" that contradicts "well-established and science-based best management."

The principal arguments against the proposition revolve around its capacity to limit how officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) "make science-based decisions to achieve the state's ecological objectives," according to an analysis included in the State of Colorado's 2024 State Ballot Information Booklet.

Opponents of the proposition, who include some wildlife conservation experts as well as hunters, view the state’s current practices for managing the populations of the animals — including regulated hunting — as “working," while emphasizing that hunting lynx is already illegal, per the analysis.

Those against the measure also contend that hunting........

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