Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) released a short video earlier this month of three wolf pups from the newly-formed King Mountain Pack in Routt County. Ten wolves were imported from Oregon in December 2023 and fifteen more from Canada last winter. Two more new packs have formed in Jackson and Rio Blanco counties. With the Copper Creek Pack in Pitkin County, that makes four packs in the state.
CPW Wolf Conservation Manager Eric Odell told the Parks and Wildlife Commission (PWC) at the July meeting that not all pups live through the year. “But, with all of the packs that we have, this reproduction is really key in the restoration of wolves to the state, ” he said. “Despite some things that you may hear, not all aspects of wolf management have been a failure.”
He added that collared grey wolves have moved throughout the state with one lone female, #2516, from British Columbia making a journey of over 2400 miles in less than six months.
“She started out in Eagle County, then went west down towards Grand Junction, circled back, went up towards Steamboat, down through Middle Park and South Park, through Gunnison and Montrose back to Grand Junction, back up and cycled around several times through all of Western Colorado and really has not stopped moving,” he explained.
But the downside to living with collared wolves in Colorado has been livestock predation. Four calves and one cow were lost to predation in Pitkin County in May and attributed to the Copper Creek Pack, which was relocated last winter from Grand County. CPW shot and killed a yearling from the pack on May 29 in an effort to change pack behavior.
CPW now has evidence that, since July 14, wolves have taken down another calf in Pitkin County as well as one cow in Grand County and two lambs in Rio Blanco County.
The agency has been in Pitkin County looking for the Copper Creek Pack since July 20. Luke Perkins, CPW statewide information officer, told KDNK in a July 29 emailed statement that the agency is looking for a particular wolf that is suspected of recent predation and will take lethal action. “CPW’s management action is intended to change pack behavior by discouraging continued targeting of livestock as a prey base while also leaving the pack with the best chance of reproductive success in the future,” he said.
The PWC narrowly approved a $100,000 livestock claim settlement at the July meeting to Conway Farrell of Grand County for direct losses involving missing calves. This was in addition to a $287,000 payout In March to Farell for predations last year. They also approved $38,000 to a Routt County rancher.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed in late July the cause of death for two wolves imported from Canada this year. A female wolf died in Rocky Mountain National Park in April as result of a possible mountain lion attack. Another female died in northwestern Colorado on May 15 after being caught in a foothold trap apparently set for coyotes. CPW released the wolf, which died the next day.
