Mark Vieira, CPW Carnivore and Furbearer Program ManagerGrand Junction PWC meeting, May 9-10, 2019

BOBCAT STATUS AND MANAGEMENT

Annual Mortality Density

Harvest Gender

Composition

Harvest per

Successful Unit Effort

Prey Abundance

CPW Manager

Knowledge &

Judgment

Bobcat Management Guidelines

Colorado Harvest Management

• Regulated season Dec 1- Feb 28• Season closes 2 months before young are born• Restrictive methods of take

Conclusions

•Management guidelines continue to indicate a stable population

•No need to change current management

There is no biological evidence that bobcat hunting or trapping should be reduced or prohibited to maintain

a sustainable population at any scale in Colorado

Colorado Lynx ReintroductionPrimary Goal: To establish a self-sustaining, viable population of lynx in the state

Released 218 lynx from 1999-2006

Eric Odell, Species Conservation Program Manager

– Most reintroduced lynx have remained in Colorado

– Lynx have strong dispersal capabilities

– Some have moved into lynx habitat in other states

Lynx Establishment and Dispersal

Lynx Monitoring 2010-2018

Minimizing Incidental Take

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreement– Allows for incidental take of up to 4 lynx annually– Livestock producers and bobcat hunters

• Receive information on lynx identification• What to do if kill, capture or have problems

with a lynx– Public information

• Information on the lynx reintroduction• How to distinguish between a lynx and a bobcat

Conclusions• Lynx restoration has been a conservation success

for the state of Colorado • Incidental take is not a threat to Colorado’s lynx

population