Montezuma County Commissioner Anxious About Mountain Lion and Mule Deer Populations

Montezuma County Commissioner Larry Don Suckla expressed concern Monday about the impacts of mountain lions on mule deer in the local area. In a discussion with Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologist Matt Thorpe, Suckla said he had been told there are 3700 mountain lions in the state, a number Thorpe said he could not confirm. Suckla said the predators eat one to two deer a week, which means they are killing 250,000 deer a year. Thorpe said the agency is moving to a statewide mountain-lion plan that allows wildlife managers more latitude to kill many more mountain lions than they are currently doing. Thorpe said CPW wants  to bring the cougar population down while boosting deer and elk numbers.