Proceedings of the Seventh Mountain Lion Workshop

Figure 2. Areas of puma occupancy in
Colorado.
puma occupancy has been mapped (Figure
2).
Colorado does not regularly estimate
puma populations because no reliable, cost
effective sample based population
estimation technique currently exists. A
projection of possible population has been
made based on densities reported in
literature for intensively studied populations.
Low and high densities were selected from
study areas that had habitat types most
similar to Colorado. Densities were then
applied by biologists to area of puma habitat
within DAUs. Areas not considered puma
habitats, such as extreme high elevations,
intensively farmed land, cities, highways, or
reservoirs, were first deleted. Biologists
were allowed to apply more constrained
densities based upon their knowledge of
prey abundance or relative puma abundance.
Finally, biologists were asked to pinpoint
the puma density most applicable to DAUs
within their management responsibility.
These exercises resulted in a crude projected
puma population of 3,000 to 7,000, with
3,500 to 4,500 most probable. Based upon
the foregoing, each DAU is assigned a
relative abundance rating of high, moderate,
or low with intergrades where estimated
puma density is close to break points. High
COLORADO MOUNTAIN LION STATUS REPORT · Apker 15
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH MOUNTAIN LION WORKSHOP
abundance is assigned at DAU densities of
over 3 puma/100 km 2 , moderate abundance
at 2 to 3 puma/100 km 2 , and low abundance
at anything less than 2 puma/100 km 2
(Figure 1).
Hunter harvest and total mortality is
examined at the DAU level to monitor
mortality for crude indications of population
change. Puma mortality is documented
through mandatory checks of hunter kill and
mandatory reports for non-hunter mortality
and is kept in a database. The database for
hunter kill has been kept since 1980, and for
non-hunter mortality since 1991. Mortality
data is examined on three and ten year
running averages due to relatively high
annual variation. Data on depredation
claims since is also maintained in a
database.
HARVEST AND HUNTING
REGULATION
Since 1972 a quota system has been used
to manage hunter distribution and kill. From
1992 the quota has increased from 459 to
790 in 2002. However, the quota does not
represent the harvest objective since the
quota is never achieved. Through
compilation of DAU management plan
objectives the harvest objective for the state
is about 350 puma. Annual license sales
have also increased since 1992 from about
900 to just over 1,700 in 2002. While both
quotas and license sales have increased over
the past 10 years, percent of quota
achievement and success relative to license
sales have declined gradually (Figure 3).
These trends are expected with increased
available hunting opportunity toward a
cryptic species. With more potential hunters
there is an increased likelihood that there
will be proportionately more hunters with
less experience and less commitment or
impetus to harvest an animal. Some have
speculated that the trends indicate that overharvest
has occurred, however the female