Wolves are indeed back in Colorado. This week, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) confirmed the sighting of six wolves two miles from an animal carcass discovered in Moffat County on Jan. 19. Officers heard howls in the area surrounding the animal carcass and used binoculars to observe the wolves, according to a CPW press release.
“This is a historic sighting. While lone wolves have visited our state periodically including last fall, this is very likely the first pack to call our state home since the 1930s. I am honored to welcome our canine friends back to Colorado after their long absence,” said Governor Jared Polis. “It’s important that Coloradans understand that the gray wolf is under the protection of the Endangered Species Act. While the animals have naturally migrated to our state and their presence draws public interest, it’s important that people give them space. Due to their Protected status, there are severe federal penalties for anyone that intentionally harms or kills wolves in our state.”
“Right after our two officers heard the howls from the wolves, they used binoculars to observe approximately six wolves about two miles from the location of the carcass,” said JT Romatzke, Northwest Region Manager for CPW. “After watching them for about 20 minutes, the officers rode in to get a closer look. The wolves were gone but they found plenty of large tracks in the area.”
goHUNT reported earlier this month that wolves were believed to be in the area. This observation by CPW officers confirms that wolves have returned to the Centennial State. According to CPW, the tracks measured 4.5” to 5.5” and “appear to have been made by at least six animals.”
“As we have made clear, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will not take direct action in these cases,” said Dan Prenzlow, Director of CPW. “We have the leading experts on wildlife management and species recovery working for our agency, but while wolves remain federally protected, they are under the jurisdiction of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. We will continue to work with our federal partners and monitor the situation.”
It is a federal offense to kill a wolf in Colorado. Should you see or hear any signs of wolves, CPW urges you to fill out the Wolf Sighting Form immediately.
16 Comments
Clutch C
5/12/2020, 7:16:06 PM
Kevin R., The problem with the declining elk populations in MT & ID is that the original Federal Recovery Goal of the Wolf Reintroduction Agreement has been exceeded by 4X-5X times. There are far more wolves than what was considered healthy at that time. This article is about CO where wolves are being reintroduced. Perhaps you should focus more on getting the various groups to adhere by the original population agreements rather than insisting on an ""all or nothing"" agenda. Wolves are part of the CO future. Its how you and others deal with it that will make a difference. BTW, you might also consider habitat loss as one of the major impacts on game populations in all Western States. Too many of you Montanas keep building huge McMansions in prime elk country. Haha
Clutch C
5/12/2020, 6:56:15 PM
Kevin R. So your post appears to say you are in agreement with several others who all consider the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Dept as being incompetent and dishonest in their statements. Sorry, Buddy, but I come from a very long lineage of hunters who have always placed great respect and faith in our Federal & State Wildlife Managers and have no respect for those that oppose these agencies and the professionals on staff. Maybe once you have a few more decades in the woods observing game & all wildlife populations, you will learn that they are cyclical.
Kevin R.
2/12/2020, 11:43:21 PM
Also, Clutch, you completely misrepresented the whole point of that article, and the meetings it describes... https://www.mtpr.org/post/hunters-trappers-take-aim-limiting-montanas-wolf-population ""...Wednesday’s was the third meeting in recent months hosted by a trio of hunting and trapping groups -- Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and the Idaho-based Foundation for Wildlife Management -- concerned that carnivores, and especially wolves, are depleting elk and deer in western Montana...."" ""They’re calling on Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to increase trapping opportunities and reimburse wolf trappers for their expenses in an effort to bring Montana’s wolf population down to 150 animals."" ""Wednesday’s meeting drew more than 350 people. Many attendees, like Schenavar, say they’re not seeing elk and deer in the forests they grew up hunting and have come to distrust population estimates issued by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks."" So obviously, it's not just me...Sorry about getting a bit off topic here, since we're supposed to talking about CO...but I'm just saying look back at what has happened to other states with wolves, and it's clear the CO elk, deer, and moose populations are going to be decimated.