Colorado wildlife officials killed two yearling wolves Monday — one in Pitkin County and the other in Rio Blanco County — after each wolf was connected to several livestock depredations.
One wolf, part of the Copper Creek Pack, was connected to four depredations that happened in July, August and September in Pitkin County, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials announced Tuesday. The other wolf, part of the Three Creeks Pack in Rio Blanco County, was connected to four other depredations that happened in August and September.
Both wolves were uncollared males, according to the state wildlife agency.
Livestock owners affected by the depredations had tried to minimize conflict by monitoring land using cameras, deploying range riders to increase human presence and hazing the wolves, state wildlife officials said.
“CPW’s field staff in Northwest Colorado is working hard to implement conflict minimization tools and techniques to help reduce wolf-livestock conflict in the region,” CPW Director Laura Clellan said in the release. “We remain committed to both Colorado’s livestock producers and efforts to support our growing wolf population.”
The state has killed three other wolves suspected of injuring or killing livestock. Agency policy states that CPW staff can legally kill a wolf if it is connected to chronic depredations, meaning a wolf attacked livestock at least three times within 30 days.
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 spring.
Since 2024, 19 wolves have died, though not all were relocated from elsewhere, and some were offspring of the reintroduced wolves.
