Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff recommended — and the commission adopted — a reduction in Colorado’s statewide mountain‑lion harvest limits for the April 2025–March 2026 season, and approved implementation steps in the East‑Slope mountain‑lion plan and associated West‑slope actions.

Program manager Mark Viera told commissioners the division’s recommendations flow from the November adoption of the East‑Slope Mountain Lion Plan and newer data showing a rise in the proportion of females in harvest in the Northwest (LNW) data‑analysis unit (DAU) in 2023. To respond to that signal and to align with plan thresholds, staff proposed decreasing statewide harvest limits by 64 lions (from 674 to 610) and making DAU‑level adjustments: a 48‑lion reduction meant to implement year‑1 of the East‑Slope plan and a 16‑lion reduction in the Northwest DAU after the LNW exceeded a 22% adult‑female threshold in 2023.

Viera described program features intended to reduce female mortality and improve transparency: Colorado’s winter‑season timing and mandatory hunter education are designed to reduce the chance of killing lactating females; CPW requires mandatory physical check‑ins (hide/head presentation and tooth sampling) so staff can track adult‑female proportions in near‑real time; and the division has conducted voluntary outreach and asked houndsman groups to reduce intentional female harvest. Viera said the statewide reduction takes the hunting mortality target to roughly an 11–13% harvest rate in staff models and that CPW continues to monitor disease and population trends in bighorn and other species.

Commissioners and stakeholders asked for more detail about the outreach steps, the division’s ability to detect female‑with‑kittens, and how changes affect specific DAU allocations. Several commissioners cited the decline in certain bighorn and mountain‑goat herds and said the agency should be prepared to adjust seasons quickly if monitoring shows disease or recruitment declines. Director Davis said the regulation changes were staff‑led and motivated by the new East‑Slope plan thresholds and recommended harvest reductions.

Formal action: The commission voted to adopt staff’s recommendations, including the statewide harvest limit reduction from 674 to 610 lions and the specific DAU reductions, and to keep April seasons closed statewide for 2025. Commissioners moved and seconded the staff recommendation and the motion passed unanimously by voice vote.

Why it matters: Mountain‑lion management links population monitoring, selective harvest (largely conducted with hounds in snow), and protections for adult females because adult females drive demographic recovery. Staff said the new reporting and the East‑Slope plan provide clearer thresholds for action; commissioners asked the division to continue transparent reporting and to pursue outreach that helps hunters target males and avoid females.

Ending: The commission asked CPW to continue annual monitoring and reporting, press forward with East‑Slope plan implementation, and maintain outreach to houndsman groups and landowners; staff said they will return with results and any needed adjustments.