A hunter shot and killed one of the wolves brought to Colorado as part of the state’s after mistaking it for a coyote, state wildlife officials announced Monday.
The hunter promptly reported the Jan. 16 shooting in the northwest region of the state to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which made the cause of the wolf’s death known for the first time Monday. The licensed hunter cooperated with the ensuing investigation, the agency said.
CPW cited the hunter for violating but will not pursue further charges. The hunter was cited for killing an animal without the appropriate license, which carries a $140 fine and CPW spokesman Luke Perkins said in an email.
The wolf, a female, was one of 15 captured in Canada and released into Colorado in January 2025.
Gray wolves are a protected species in Colorado under state and federal law. Coyotes are and can be legally killed with the purchase of a hunting license.
“Unlawful take of protected species is a criminal act that can carry serious penalties,” said Ty Petersburg, CPW’s chief of law enforcement and assistant director of field services. “Through CPW’s thorough investigative process, we recognized that the hunter made the ethical choice to immediately report the incident and take responsibility for the accident.”
CPW has released 25 wolves into the state since the reintroduction of the species began in 2023. More than 19 wolf pups were born in the state in the springs of 2024 and 2025, along with an unknown number born this past spring.
Seventeen wolves have died since reintroduction began, though not all were relocated from elsewhere, and some were offspring of the reintroduced wolves.
The female wolf who died in January is the third to be shot and killed in Colorado by a person other than a member of CPW staff, who can legally kill wolves for killing and injuring livestock. Three others have been legally shot and killed in Wyoming.
