colorado mountain lion hunting

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COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE6060 Broadway | Denver, CO 80216 | (303) 2971192

www.wildlife.state.co.us | www.parks.state.co.us

C O L O R A D O PA R K S & W I L D L I F E

2012 ColoradoMountain LionHunting

online brochure
http://www.flipseekpubs.com/publication/?i=123801http://www.flipseekpubs.com/publication/?i=123801


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BAG LIMITS1. One mountain lion, either sex.2. A lion killed during special

damage seasons doesnt counttoward the annual bag limit.

3.A lion killed on the SouthernUte Indian Reservation does notcount toward annual bag limit.

SEASON DATESIn most units open to hunting,mountain lion season beginsNov. 19and goes through March

31, 2013. In units 61, 62 and thepart o 70 in the research area, theseason goes through Jan. 31, 2013.

HUNTING HOURSHunters may hunt lions romone-hal hour beore sunrise toone-hal hour aer sunset.

MINIMUM HUNTING AGEHunters must be at least 12 yearsold to hunt big game.

Eleven-year-olds can buy alicense i they will turn 12 beorethe end o the hunting season.However, the license is not valid,and youths cannot hunt, beoretheir 12th birthday.

Hunters younger than age16 must be accompanied bysomeone 18 or older who meetshunter education requirements.

CALL TO CHECK OPEN UNITS1-888-940-LION (5466)You must check daily to make surethe unit you want to hunt is open.

Units close when harvest limitsare reached. Call 1-888-940-LION(5466) aer 5 p.m. the day beoreyour hunting trip or a recording oclosed units. I a unit is closed, youmust pick a dierent unit to hunt.

LICENSE FEES Resident ............$41 Nonresident ......$351Prices include 25-cent search-and-rescue fee and 75-cent

surcharge for the Wildlife Man-

agement Public Education Fund.

BUY ONLINEOR BY PHONE

Buy your license through

the CPWs website or by calling18002445613.Credit cards areaccepted or phoneand Internet purchases.Wildlie Area Ofces andlicense agents also selllicenses.

WHAT YOU NEED TO HUNT

1. YOU MUST HAVE A LIONLICENSE and carry it when hunt-ing. Licenses are sold at ColoradoParks and Wildlie license agentsand Wildlie Area Oces, on theCPW website and by phone.

2. HUNTER EDUCATION: Anyone

born on or aer Jan. 1, 1949, musthave completed an approved huntereducation course sanctioned by astate or province beore applying oror purchasing a license. Coloradohonors hunter education coursesrom other states and provinces.A hunter saety card must be pre-sented when buying a license (un-

less previously veried). All huntersmust carry their hunter educationcard when hunting unless a V isprinted at bottom o license, whichindicates hunter education has beenveried at a Wildlie Area Oce.

3. COMPLETE THE CPWS CERTI-FIED MOUNTAIN LION COURSEAND TEST. For materials and o-cial test, go to: www.wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/Mountain Lion/Pages/Lion.aspx. Enter your CIDnumber when taking the ocial test.

I you do not have a CID, contacta Wildlie Area Oce. ests alsocan be taken at CPW oces. Uponsuccessul completion o the test, acerticate will be issued by CPW.Hunters must carry the certicatewhile hunting unless a Lion - V(or veried) is printed at the bottomo your license.

4. A HABITAT STAMP IS RE-QUIRED or those ages 18-64 whobuy or apply or hunting or shinglicenses or preerence points. Costis $10, one stamp is required peryear. A lietime stamp is $300.25.
http://www.wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/MountainLion/Pages/Lion.aspxhttp://www.wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/MountainLion/Pages/Lion.aspxhttp://www.wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/MountainLion/Pages/Lion.aspxhttp://www.wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/MountainLion/Pages/Lion.aspxhttp://www.wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/MountainLion/Pages/Lion.aspxhttp://www.wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/MountainLion/Pages/Lion.aspx


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2012 COLORADO MOUNTAIN LION HUNTING

1

LION MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH

Colorado Parks and Wildlie devel-ops management plans or moun-tain lion populations in Colorado.Te harvest quotas ound on pages2-3 are determined annually to as-sure that lion mortality objectivesare not exceeded.

CONSERVING COLORADOSMOUNTAIN LIONSMountain lion populations arevery sensitive to emale deaths. Alarge number o emale deaths canshi a population rom increasingto decreasing numbers.

Females dont disperse ar, andsome dont disperse at all. I toomany adult emales are harvested,it can take longer or lions toreoccupy an area. Tereore,harvesting too many emales canhave ar-reaching implications orColorados lion population.

Wildlie managers use theamount and proportion o emaleharvest when setting annualharvest limits. Hunter harvest andtotal mortality are examined ona consecutive 5-year average ineach unit. I the emale harvest andmortality are too high in an areawith a goal o maintaining a stable

or increasing population, harvestlimits may be lowered.

CPW ocials ask hunters torerain voluntarily rom kill-ing emales in units managed tomaintain stable populations. In ad-dition, CPW emphasizes the needto reduce emale harvest in other

units where recent harvests haveexceeded management thresholds.

NOTE:Both o these types o unitsare designated in the harvest quotatables on pages 2-3 o this brochure.

1. Te research area is bounded on the east by Hwy. 348 at Delta, on thenorth by 25 Mesa Rd. and USFS Rd. 503 to Nucla, on the south andwest by Hwy. 97 to Hwys. 141 and 145 to Placerville and on the southby Hwy. 62 to Ridgeway and on the east by U.S. 550 to Montrose andby U.S. 50 to Delta.

2. A ree permit is required to hunt lions in the research area. Permits arevalid or 14 consecutive days and an unlimited number are available.Get permits at the Wildlie Area Oce in Montrose, 2300 S. ownsendAve. Tey are available 14 days beore mountain lion season opensthrough Jan. 31, or until the quota in the research area is lled.

RESEARCH AREA


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LICENSE & UNIT QUOTASQuotas are the total number of lions that can be harvested within thecorresponding units. Units not listed in the tables are not open to lionhunting. Map, pages 4-5.

AFTER HARVESTOnce a mountain lion has been harvested, these steps will ensureproper reporting and inspection is completed. See page 7 or moredetails.

1. REPORT the lion harvest to a Wildlie Area Oce within 48 hours.

2. AFTER any eld photos have been taken o the harvested lion,prop its jaw open with a stick in the mouth to help keep it open asrigor sets in. Tis will help CPW agents with tooth extraction later.

3. PRESENT the lion to a Wildlie Area Oce within ve days o

harvesting or inspection and sealing. Heads and hides must be un-rozen. CPW may retain heads and hides until they thaw to extract atooth. At this time, hunters must also ll out a report about the hunt.

CPW does not make any special requests o hunters regarding thetake o emale lions in the units below.

UNITS HARVESTQUOTA

10 10

11 12

12 16

13 (West of HaydenDivide Rd.)

12

13 (East of Hayden DivideRd.) and 131

5

21 13

22 13

23 14

24 4

29 2

30 731 12

32 5

33 13

38 7

39, 391 7

UNITS HARVESTQUOTA

41 5

42 10

46 6

51 7

52, 411 10

53, 63 8

104, 105, 110 5

123, 124, 125, 126, 127,128, 129, 130, 132, 133,134, 135, 136, 137, 138,139, 141, 142, 143, 144,145, 146, 147

14

211 17421 10

461 7

521 6

All other unitseast o I25:Includes: 87-103, 106,

107, 109, 111-122, 951 5


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3

65 6

66, 67 8

68, 681, 682 6

70 (East of Hwy. 141,except between Hwy. 145and San Miguel Rivernorth of Norwood Bridge) 10

70(West of Hwy. 141) 6

71, 711 9

72 3

73 7

74, 741 675 4

76, 79, 791 5

77 6

78 5

80 5

81 4

83 10

85, 140, 851 24

191 8

201 5

501 8

511 4

751, 771 5

Units below have had acceptable amounts o emale mountain

lion harvest.

UNITS HARVESTQUOTA

1, 2 5

3, 301 5

4 (North of CR 27 andUSFS Rd. 110) and 5 8

4 (South of CR 27 and USFSRd. 110) and 214, 441 5

6, 16, 17, 161, 171 4

7 1

8 4

9 3

18, 27, 28, 37, 181, 371 10

19 5

20 9

40 7

48, 49, 50, 481, 500 7

54, 55, 551 7

56, 561 6

57, 58, 581 1859, 591 7

60 5

61 (North of Delta-NuclaRd.) 7

61, 62, 70(Uncompahgre PlateauResearch Area) 5

62 (North of Delta-NuclaRd.) 7

64 6

Taking emale lions has

exceeded management guidelines in the units listed here.CPW emphasizes the needfor hunters to reduce thetake of female mountainlions in these units:

UNITS HARVEST

QUOTA15 5

25, 26, 34 7

35, 36, 361 9

43 7

44 6

45 1

47 169, 84, 86, 691, 861 24

82 6

444 7

UNITS HARVESTQUOTA


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FEMALE TAKE MEETS GUIDCPW asks hunters to continueing reduced emale take in the

FEMALE TAKE EXCEEDS GUIDELINES -CPW emphasizes the need or hunters toreduce emale take in these units.

LION QUOTA AREAS & GAME MANAGStandard hunting regulations and limits apply to all quota areas. Check the ta


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LINES -maintainse units.

There are no CPW voluntaryguidelines or taking emalelions in these areas.

RESEARCH AREA - Lionharvest is allowed in theresearch area. See page 1for information.

EMENT UNITSles on page 2-3 for units open to hunting.


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HUNTING REGULATIONSLEGAL METHODS OF TAKE

1. CENTERFIRE RIFLES OR HAND-GUNS: Bullets must weigh a mini-mum o 45 grains and produce atleast 400-oot pounds o energy atmuzzle.

2. MUZZLELOADING RIFLES: Mini-

mum .40 caliber.3. SHOTGUNS: Minimum 20 gauge.Must re single slug.

4. HAND-HELD BOWS: Long bow,recurved bow or compound bowon which the string is not drawnmechanically or held mechanically

under tension. String or mechani-cal releases that are hand drawn orhand held without other attach-ments or connections to the bow(other than bowstring) are legal.

a. Hand-held bows, includingcompound bows, must use arrowsequipped with a broadhead withan outside diameter or a mini-mum width o 7/8 o an inch witha minimum o two steel cuttingedges. Each cutting edge must bein the same plane or the entirelength o the cutting surace.b. Minimum draw weight o 35pounds required. Let-o percent-age maximum o 80 percent.

c. No part o bows riser (handle)or track, trough, channel, arrow

rest or other device (excluding ca-bles and bowstring) that attachesto the riser can contact supportand/or guide the arrow rom apoint rearward o the bows braceheight behind the undrawn string.

d. Bows can propel only a singlearrow at a time. No mechanismsor automatically loading arrowsare permitted.e. Electric or battery-powereddevices cannot be incorporatedor attached to a bow.f. Hydraulic or pneumatic tech-

nology cannot be used to deriveor store energy to propel arrows.Explosive arrows are prohibited.

5. CROSSBOWS:a. Draw weight: minimum 125pounds.b. Draw length: minimum 14inches rom ront o the bow to

nocking point o the drawstring.c. Positive mechanical saetydevice is required.d. Bolt must be minimum 16inches long, have a broadhead atleast 7/8 inch wide and a mini-mum o two steel cutting edges.Each cutting edge must be in thesame plane or the entire length

o cutting surace.6. Methods not listed are prohibited.

1. It is illegal to kill a kitten or lionaccompanied by one or more kit-tens. A kitten is a lion with spots.

2. Articial light, electronic devicesand electronic calls are illegal.Hand-held calls are permitted.

3. Bait is illegal.

4. Dogs are permitted. No morethan 8 dogs are allowed per pack.

5. Aer a lion is pursued, treed,cornered or held at bay, you mustkill or release the lion. It is illegalto prevent a lion rom escaping sothat someone not in your huntingparty can kill it.

6. Lion hunters are not required towear daylight fuorescent orangeclothes.

7. All edible parts o lions must beproperly prepared or human con-sumption, excluding internal organs.

8. Upon kill, the carcass tag mustimmediately be detached rom thelicense and attached to the lioncarcass, per instructions on tag.

9. Hunting with archery equip-ment, rifes, handguns or shotgunsring single slugs is prohibitedwithin 50 eet on either side o thecenterline o state highways andmunicipal or county roads.

SPECIAL REGULATIONS


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EVIDENCE OF SEX1. IT IS ILLEGAL to have or

transport a mountain lion carcasswithout evidence o sex naturallyattached. Evidence o sex meanstesticles or penis o male or vulvao emale.

2. EVIDENCE OF SEX is not requiredwhen donation certicate ac-companies less than 20 pounds omeat or aer carcass is commer-cially processed, cut into portions,wrapped and rozen or storage orstored at licensees home.

INSPECTION AND SEALSHunters must contact a WildlieArea Oce within 48 hours o a

lion kill and give their name, CIDnumber, license number, date andunit o the kill and sex o the lion.

I you get voice mail, leave amessage with the inormation.

Within ve days o harvest,hunters must personally presenttheir lion to a Wildlie Area Oceor ocer or inspection and seal.Hides cannot be rozen. Lions orparts cannot be taken out o Colo-rado unless inspected and sealed.Lion hides or heads without sealsbecome state property.

A mandatory check report mustbe completed during inspection.Inspections and seals are ree.

Seals must stay attached until hideis tanned.

TOOTH COLLECTIONAt inspection, CPW ocials areauthorized to extract and keep apremolar tooth.

I the head and hide are rozen,

the CPW may keep them longenough to thaw so that a tooth canbe removed. Te tooth will be ana-lyzed to determine the lions age.

Hunters can help by making surethe jaw is propped open with a stickbeore rigor sets in and by makingsure the carcass is not rozen attime o inspection.

Te animals age will be postedon the CPW website 4-5 monthsaer lion season ends. Ages areposted by seal number, so huntersshould record the number to checkthe age o their animal.

1. Do not handle animals thatare obviously sick or ounddead. Report them to aCPW ofce.

2. Keep game cool, clean anddry.

3. Do not eat, drink or smoke

while dressing game.4. Use disposable gloves

when cleaning game.5. Wash your hands with soap

and water, or use alcoholwipes ater dressing game.

6. Clean all tools and suracesimmediately aterward.Use hot soapy water, thendisinect with a 10 percentchlorine bleach solution.

7. Cook meat to an internaltemperature o at least165 F to kill organismsand parasites. Juices rom

adequately cooked gamemeat should be clear.8. Do not eat raw portions o

wild game.9. Do not eed raw game to

domestic pets.

SAFE HANDLING

OF GAME MEAT

OperationGameThief

CALL: 1-877-265-6648EMAIL: [email protected]

Operation Game Thie paysrewards to those who reportpoachers or resource violations.Callers can remain anonymous.Rewards must be requested

when report is made and arepaid i inormation leads to arrestor citation.

* Phone number NOTfor information or emergencies.


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CHILD SUPPORT DELINQUENCY.State law requires a Social Securitynumber to buy a license. It is not displayed on the license but is provided, i re-quested, to Child Support Enorcement authorities. Hunting and shing licensesare not issued to people delinquent in child support. Also, any current licensesbecome invalid i held by an individual who is noncompliant with child support.

Requirements to qualiy as a Coloradoresident to buy a hunting license:

1. You must have lived continuously inColorado at least six months imme-diately beore applying or or buyinga license, and must intend to makeColorado home (except No. 3 and No.4 below.) Te residence address givento purchase or apply or a license mustbe the same address used on your Colo-rado income tax return.

2. A valid Colorado drivers license orColorado ID is proo o residency iissued at least six months prior to buyingor applying or a license. I your ID ordrivers license was issued or renewedless than six months prior, you must pro-

vide documentation that proves you havebeen a resident or the six-month period.

3. U.S. armed services personnel andmilitary personnel o U.S. allies on activeduty in Colorado under permanentorders and their dependents. Tisincludes people who were Coloradoresidents when they entered the armed

services and maintain Colorado as theirhome o record, and their dependents(unless they change their home o recordto another state.) Also included arepersonnel o the U.S. Diplomatic Service

or diplomatic services o nations recog-nized by the U.S. assigned to duty hereon permanent active duty orders andtheir dependents. Active duty does notinclude reserve status or National Guard.

4. Full-time students enrolled and attend-ing a Colorado college, university or tradeschool at least six months immediatelybeore applying or or buying a license.Tis includes students who are temporari-ly absent rom Colorado but still enrolled.Colorado residents who attend schoolull-time out o state and pay nonresidenttuition still qualiy or a resident license.

5. Children under 18 have the sameresidency status as their parent, legalguardian or person with whom they livethe majority o time per court order.

6. I you have a home in Colorado andanother state, call (303) 297-1192 tomake sure you comply with Coloradoresidency requirements beore obtain-ing a hunting or shing license.

7. Except as in No. 3 and No. 4 above,

you lose your Colorado residency iyou apply or, buy or accept a hunting,shing or trapping license as a residento another state or country; register to

vote outside Colorado or get a driverslicense with an address in another state.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS

1. You can donate more than 20pounds o unprocessed meatanywhere ONLY i:

a. Recipient has an unlled like li-cense. A like license is or the samespecies, season, sex and method otake as donors license;

b. Recipient must tag meat withhis or her carcass tag. Donors tagmust stay with donors portion.I the entire carcass is donated,

donor and recipient tags must beattached.

2.Up to 20 pounds o unprocessedmeat can be donated anywhere toanyone without a like license. More

than 20 pounds o unprocessed meatcan be donated i donation occurs atrecipients home.

3. Processed and packaged gamemeat can be donated to anyone,anywhere, in any amount.

4. Donation certicate is requiredwith names, addresses and phonenumbers o donor and recipient;donors license number; species andamount donated; date o kill and

donors signature. Certicates canbe simple notes and must stay withthe meat until its consumed.

5. Donors and recipients are subjectto all bag and possession limits.

DONATING WILDLIFE


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IDENTIFYING MALE/FEMALE LIONSBinoculars are recom-mended to determinethe sex o treed or bayedlions.

Sex also can be deter-mined with the nakedeye i you are close

enough.I a lion is in a treeand its dicult toidentiy its sex, get it tomove so you have a bet-ter view. Bang a branchon the tree trunk orthrow a ew snowballsor pine cones into

branches near the lion.Remember, it is ille-

gal to kill a emale withkittens present. Teabsence o kittens witha lion does not mean itis a male or an unbredadult emale. Research

has shown that youngare close to their moth-ers about hal the time.

MALES usually havethree spots below thebase o their tail. Justunder their tail is theanal opening; about

1 inch below that is the scrotum,an oval-shaped patch o silver, lightbrown and white ur.

Beneath the scrotum is a small,conspicuous black spot (about 1inch across) that surrounds thepenis sheath opening.

FEMALES have only two spots be-low the base o their tail, includingthe anal opening hidden beneaththe base o the tail and vaginalopening directly below the anus.Te rest o the area behind theemales hindquarters is coveredwith white ur.

Although colored spots help in

identication, rst and oremost,look or the darkest spot. I it ishigh and near the tail or is dicult

to see, the lion is probably emale.I the dark patch is 4-5 inches be-neath the tail, it is probably a male.

Because treed or bayed lionsoen urinate, look or the origin othe urine. I urine comes rom be-hind the hind legs, about 4-5 inchesbelow the anus, the lion is probablymale. I the stream comes rom

under the base o the tail, theres agood chance the lion is emale.racks also can be good in-

dicators o sex. Adult and large,sub-adult males usually have hindoot plantar (heel) pads more than2 1/16 inches (52 mm) wide. Adultand sub-adult emale lions usuallyhave heel pads 2 1/16 inches wideor less. Hunters should carry asmall ruler or wind-up metal tapeto measure tracks.

Visit the CPW website for more: www.wildlife.state.co.us

Female mountain lion hindquarters

Male mountain lion hindquarters


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WILDLIFE

HEADQUARTERS6060 BroadwayDenver, 80216(303) 2971192

WILDLIFE

AREA OFFICESBRUSH122 E. Edison

Brush, 80723(970) 8426300

COLORADO SPRINGS

4255 Sinton Rd.Colorado Springs,

80907, (719) 2275200

DENVER/NORTHEAST6060 Broadway

Denver, 80216

(303) 2917227

DURANGO151 E. 16th St.

Durango, 81301(970) 2470855

FORT COLLINS

317 W. Prospect Rd.Fort Collins, 80526(970) 4724300

GLENWOODSPRINGS

0088 Wildlie WayGlenwood Springs,

81601, (970) 9472920

GRAND JUNCTION

711 Independent Ave.Grand Junction, 81505(970) 2556100

GUNNISON300 W. New York Ave.Gunnison, 81230(970) 6417060

HOT SULPHURSPRINGS

346 Grand Co. Rd. 362

Hot Sulphur Springs,80451, (970) 7256200

LAMAR2500 S. Main St.

Lamar, 81052(719) 3366600

MEEKER

73485 Hwy. 64Meeker, 81641(970) 8786090

MONTE VISTA0722 S. Road 1 East

Monte Vista, 81144(719) 5876900

MONTROSE2300 S. Townsend Ave.Montrose, 81401

(970) 2526000

PUEBLO

600 Reservoir Rd.Pueblo, 81005

(719) 5615300

SALIDA7405 Hwy. 50Salida, 81201

(719) 5305520

STEAMBOATSPRINGS925 Weiss Dr.

Steamboat Springs,80487, (970) 8702197

WILDLIFE AREA OFFICES

Printed or ree distribution by

COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216www.wildlife.state.co.us | www.parks.state.co.us

Editor: Amy Nickelson | Cover photo Vic SchendelPrinted September 2012 by Metropress, Denver, 10,000 copies

Colorado Parks and Wildlie Director: Rick D. Cables

Te Colorado Parks and Wildlie Commission sets mountain lion regulationsin September. Commission members are (as o Sept. 2012): John Singletary,chairman Bill Kane, vice chairman Mark Smith, secretary Robert Bray,

member Christopher Castilian, member Jeanne Horne, member Gaspar

Perricone, member James Pribyl, member James Vigil, member Dean

Wingeld, member Michelle Zimmerman, member Mike King, ex ofciomember John Salazar, ex ofcio member

NOTE: Laws and regulations in this brochure are paraphrased or easier under-standing and are intended only as a guide. Te ofcial Colorado statutes andregulations are available at Wildlie Area Ofces oron the website.
http://wildlife.state.co.us/RulesRegs/Regulations/Pages/Regulations.aspxhttp://wildlife.state.co.us/RulesRegs/Regulations/Pages/Regulations.aspx

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