Uncollared wolf kills cow on Jackson County ranch, marking first wolf depredation of the year

JACKSON COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officials said a wolf depredation incident is under investigation after an uncollared wolf killed a cow on a ranch in Jackson County.

On Feb. 5, CPW received a report of a possible depredation in Jackson County and sent an officer to investigate, who found that the cow had injuries consistent with wolf depredation.

CPW said the origin of the wolf involved in the depredation isn't yet known.

Investigators say they believe the wolf isn't collared, as no data is present in the area the depredation occurred in; therefore, the wolf likely isn't part of the Colorado reintroduction effort. There are functioning GPS collars on all wolves reintroduced to the state, as well as two known wolves from a breeding pair that moved from Wyoming to Colorado in 2021.

The uncollared fifth pup from the former Copper Creek Pack was also confirmed to be in another location of the state at the time. A wolf recently tracked to northwest Moffat County is also not believed to be involved in the depredation, CPW said.

Damage specialists are now working with the livestock producer and neighboring ranchers to ensure they have non-lethal conflict mitigation tools, hoping to reduce the likelihood of future conflict. Field staff are trained to inform local producers when wolves are tracked spending time in an area close by, but having uncollared wolves makes this much more difficult.

CPW said their goal is to maintain at least two active collars per pack, so that the majority of the reintroduced wolf population is collared, allowing the agency to monitor movements and pack formations.

"CPW relies on sightings from the public to let us know if other wolves are being seen on the landscape that have moved in from other states. This wolf movement is normal and expected," CPW said in a release.

Find more information on all confirmed wolf depredation incidents in Colorado here.