At this point in the election season, we probably all know how big cat trophy hunting works already. But it really does bear repeating.

More often than not, it starts with an outfitter identifying a suitable mountain lion. Then come the dogs, affixed with GPS trackers, who are set loose on the lion. The chase is hellish and panicked. Sometimes the dogs and the lion fight. Other times the lion just tries to flee. But when the dogs get their way, the lion, on the brink of exhaustion, will take refuge in a tree, and the dogs will keep it there.

After all of this — after the lion is trapped, exhausted and potentially injured — the outfitter leads the hunter, the person for whom this whole extravaganza has been orchestrated, to his prey using the GPS trackers on the dogs.

Then the hunter does his “hunting.” From mere yards away, he takes aim and claims his trophy.

And, to be clear, a dead mountain lion is nothing more than a trophy. They are hunted primarily for their heads and skins — not for their meat.

This is the reality at the heart of Proposition 127, the Prohibit Hunting of Mountain Lion, Bobcat, and Lynx Initiative. Does this sort of hunting, which harkens back to the gruesome fox hunts of yore, really reflect the values of Colorado?

The answer is obvious. Big game hunting is a vital part of the culture of the West, but the grisly trophy hunting of mountain lions (which are also referred to as pumas and cougars) and the fur trapping of bobcats have no place in Colorado.

Beyond what should be an obvious step toward basic decency and the humane treatment of our fellow animals is a complex and complicated issue. But even taking in all the aspects of what Prop 127 seeks to change, a “yes” vote remains evident.

This sort of trophy hunting serves no ecological purpose. The licenses make up a negligible amount of Colorado Parks and Wildlife revenue. The bobcat fur trade is a fraction of a fraction of Colorado’s economy. And, to put an extremely blunt point on it, in no way does this represent the first step toward outlawing hunting itself.

Since Prop 127 made it onto the ballot, wild claims have circulated about what would happen to mountain lion populations in the state if trophy hunting were to end. Supporters of the measure say the mountain lion population would stabilize relatively quickly. Opponents suggest it would explode and wreak havoc on deer and elk populations, thus eating into Colorado’s prized big game hunting industry.

The reality, of course, is somewhere in the middle.

CPW biologists estimate between 3,800 and 4,400 adult lions live in the state, and each year roughly 500 lions are killed by hunters. In other words, hunters are currently helping to manage the lion population in Colorado. But if hunting ends, the lions themselves and their habitat would manage them.

The proof for this comes from California. The state has had a ban on mountain lion hunting since 1972. But despite the lack of hunting, California had similar mountain lion population densities as 10 other western states (including Colorado) where hunting is legal, according to a 2020 study.

California also had similar average deer densities to the other states, the third-lowest rate of lion-human conflicts per capita, similar rates of cattle depredation and lower rates of sheep depredations.

In conclusion, the study’s authors wrote, “our analysis of the records obtained from state and federal wildlife agencies found no evidence that sport hunting of pumas has produced the management outcomes sought by wildlife managers aside from providing a sport hunting opportunity.”

Ending big cat trophy hunting would also not really impact CPW budgets. Mountain lion and bobcat licenses accounted for about $425,000 in sales in 2023, or 0.4% of CPW’s revenue.

Some have claimed that the real financial toll of ending trophy hunting would be in the reduction of deer and elk licenses, as those populations are decimated by the explosion in lions.

But since it is unlikely that the lion population will increase dramatically — and thus it is unlikely that lions will lay waste to our deer and elk — it is worth pointing out that experts have said the real threat to our ungulate population is human alterations to their habitats. If anyone is going to drastically impact the deer and elk population in Colorado, it is going to be us, not mountain lions.

That said, it is worth recognizing that the livelihoods of some outfitters and fur trappers depend on the big cat hunting industry. Our hope is that the rest of Colorado’s big game landscape is large enough to provide opportunities for these outfitters to continue thriving.

Finally, it is worth addressing the cultural issues at play. Many have claimed that Prop 127 pits city-dwelling urban voters against the rural voters who actually live alongside these big cats, and the alliterative pejorative “ballot box biology” has been effectively applied.

Our hope, though, is that the inhumane trophy hunting of the big cats we share our mountains with does not have to become yet another cultural divide.

Based on the rhetoric around Prop 127, It is obvious that some fear it will lead to a slippery slope — the first step toward banning hunting altogether in the state. That fear should be quashed now. And we should allow provocateurs to perpetuate it.

Hunting is inexorably linked to Colorado. It is a fundamental part of our outdoor culture. And it is something that we should all be able to accept and appreciate. Even those who are against eating meat should be able to acknowledge the virtues of a hunter bagging a deer and harvesting a freezer full of venison for the winter, especially compared to the nightmarish reality of the factory farming industry, where most of us get our meat.

But having a pack of dogs entrap a mountain lion in a tree for a hunter to shoot from close range for no purpose other than bragging rights and a taxidermy trophy is not really hunting. There is no respect for the prey. There is no skill on display. There is only hubris.

The same holds true for using bait to trap bobcats in cages just to skin them and sell their fur abroad.

Hunting is a part of what makes Colorado the special place it is. But trophy hunting big cats is an affront to the hunting Coloradans take pride in. Banning this cruel practice will not drastically increase the mountain lion population, nor will it tear down a vital industry. What it will do is bring us more in harmony with the natural environment that makes our home so beautiful.

Vote “yes” on Proposition 127.

Gary Garrison for the Editorial Board