Collared grey wolves roamed throughout Colorado between January 21 and February 25. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife's (CPW) revised collared wolf activity map, wolves traveled south out of Jackson County into eastern Garfield and Rio Blanco counties and west along the I70 corridor in Garfield, Mesa, and Delta counties.
They were also located by GPS in Pitkin and Eagle counties and further southeast into Lake, Park, Chaffee, Fremont, and Teller counties.
CPW states that GPS points indicate wolf presence within a watershed but do not mean that a wolf or wolves are present throughout the entire watershed.
In other wolf news, an uncollared wolf killed a cow in Jackson County in late January or early February. The dead cow was reported on February 5. CPW public information officer Travis Duncan told KDNK in an email that the wolf was not killed, despite rumors to the contrary. Grey wolves are federally and state-protected under the Endangered Species Act. Illegally killing them in Colorado could incur hefty penalties, including fines up to $100,000, possible hunting license revocation, and prison.
Speaking of endangered species, Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado’s 4th Congressional District reintroduced the Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025 on January 31. The bill would remove protections for the gray wolf under the federal Endangered Species Act and has 31 co-sponsors, including Congressman Jeff Hurd of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. The bill was referred to the House Natural Resources Committee.
Duncan told KDNK Radio that if gray wolves were federally delisted, they would remain listed as state-endangered in Colorado. CPW’s regulations based on the US Fish and Wildlife’s 10(j) rule, as well as the management and protection of gray wolves, would remain the same.
According to CPW’s wolf depredation page, no claim has been submitted for the dead Jackson County cow as of March 4. But, CPW staff has recommended approval of a combined total of more than $343,000 of cattle and sheep depredation claims from two ranches in Grand County. The CPW Commission will decide whether to award the claims during this month’s meeting on Wednesday, March 5, and Thursday, March 6.
You can find more information about Colorado’s wolf reintroduction project, including past Wildlife Commission meetings, non-lethal conflict management guides, and CPW’s range rider program by clicking here.
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