Pikes Peak Region Trail Finder

The 14-member Parks and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously Friday to maintain the ban.

Predator-call devices are programmed to emit sounds that mimic animals in distress to attract their predators. They're used by hunters, as well as by wildlife photographers.

Friday's decision came after complaints that the electronic devices could lead to more accidental killings of female cougars with cubs.

"We try to manage the population to protect the females because they are the breeding animals that ensure the population will be sustained," said Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman Theo Stein.

Conservationists argued the devices violate fair-chase principles.

Luring cougars with electronic calls "is unfair and unethical," said Wendy Keefover, director of carnivore programs for WildEarth Guardians. The group has campaigned for a decade on behalf of big cats.

In the early 20th century, cougars were hunted nearly to extinction. But in Colorado they rebounded. State biologists estimate there are 3,500 to 4,500 cougars statewide.

State wildlife managers recently raised the annual hunting limit to 618 from 592. Since 1980, the annual number of cougars killed legally by hunters in Colorado has increased to 374 from 80. State researchers are looking into the impact of hunting.

Since 2007, cougar hunters have been required to take online courses on how to distinguish between males and females. Since then, the percentage of cougars killed that were female has decreased to around 36 percent from 43 percent.