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Anyone want to guess at what our female harvest % will be for this year? 2009-2010 was 38%, 2008-9 37% 2007-8 36%.

Id guess 40-45% prolly startn to get utahs kitten and female killers....helping you out!!

here we go!!!!

The female harvest in the areas around where I hunt is close to zero. in the four units I hunt, only three females have been killed. And one of them was a problem cat. That's pretty good for the amount of cats that have been killed. The quota's are all but filled, so that only adds up to around 10% female harvest, not bad.

I am guessing that those numbers are a statewide average?

I am also betting that the heavy female harvest came from units where it was desired, because the DOW around here does not have a problem with it.

Would you happen to know what units that are being managed for stable or increased populations, have exceeded the CDOW requested 30% or less female harvest?

If there are any, then hunters in those units deserve a courtesy/wakeup call.

Here ya go Liontracker,

If you know what DAU you hunt in, then you can go here and look at what the objectives are. I would suggest keeping in good contact with your local game manager with input about the areas you hunt. I have had several changes made to our GMU and we are going to change it again next year.

http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyre ... ctives.pdf

Locally around here, we’ve only had one female killed in the four local areas I hunt. I believe it was a houndsman from Golden that came up a few weeks ago and caught a 60lb female for a local kid. The three areas I hunt down south do get hit with more females killed but I don't know where the numbers are at this year.

Here’s a map of DAU’s in CO. for lions.

http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyre ... U_GMUs.pdf

New Mexico 40% this year, but most recent years it has been closer to 50%. Nearly every zone that gets any snow has been closed already due to over harvest of females. Don't beleive any zone has been closed due to over harves of toms.

Strangely today we found out thru the local Game enforcement that the last 2 females killed that closed this area down were killed and tagged by an Outfitter himself and one of his so called guides.

You can bet they are looking out for their sport? Oh the last female was a real trophy they say all of 65 pounds! WOW!

I know of two locally, one was a problem cat.(cant do anything about that) The second was for sport wich probably cost me a hunting partner. I let a freind barrow a dog on the condition that they wouldn't shot a female if they caught one and thats exactly what they did. I personaly feel some what responsible because I dont think with out my dog along they would have caught it. The guy that barrowed him claimed the landowner shot the cat before he got to the tree. Both these cats were killed in an area with lots of lion human conflics and the local dow officer wants everything killed but that doesnt set right with me. My primary concern with the female harvest % is that I fear a ballot inicitive if the numbers go to high. In 1992 colorado lost its bear hunting with hounds when it was put to voters and I could see the same thing happening to our lion hunting. I hope we dont exceed 40%.

Fullcry - thanks for posting those links. I spotted two anamolies in the first link so I called our local biologist for clarification. #1, is that the 5 year average is misleading in a way, because he said that the lion management in Colorado is based on a 3 year average. # 2, is the far right column under the header of <35%. Taken at face value, that would mean that the entire state of Colorado is being managed for an increasing lion population...which it is not. If people will look in the lion regs, you will clearly see the units are broken down into 3 sections.

1. Units with acceptable ammounts of female harvest
2. Units that have exceeded acceptable amounts of female harvest
3. Units with no restrictions on female harvest

Colohunter- check the regs on group #3. Most of these units are on the front range in the Denver/Springs areas. So if that is where this female was taken out of, then all is well and good biologically and legally. Otherwise it is a problem if she was the one that tipped the scales over the 35% mark. If her harvest still kept the take at <35%, again no problem, other than an individuals personal opinion on killing females. If a person thinks too many females are being taken in a certain unit or units, then they need to sit down with their local biologist and get the management objective changed and updated in the regs.

I sincerly appreciate all the concern over killing females by HUNTERS themselves. Directed in a proper fashion, this will go a long ways in the eyes of the general public. When they find out that us hunters respect lions so much as to voluntarily police ourselves, without mandatory regs, in order to manage for a healthy and well balanced lion population, well then I do not think that it will ever go to vote. As is, over 1/2 the state is being managed for an increase in lion populations. Very soon the general public will have to ask themselves "how many lions are too many?". I think I know the answer to that question based on a six month period last year, there were many lion encounters inside the city limits here. One was a boy pushing a red lawn mower. A lion attacked the mower and not the boy. Three different lions have tried to leap through sliding glass doors at three different locations. Lions continually prowl the college campus and are spotted during daylight hours on the perimeter trails surrounding campus. A lion laid in the bushes for 2 hrs scoping out a local playground, then decided that dinner was the janitor and the broom he was pushing, only to be denied by the glass door of the school. And on and on...How many lions are too many? That will be the question on the publics mind right here shortly.