Another cow killed overnight in North Park by wolves

January 19, 2022 Shannon Lukens

By Shannon Lukens — Shannon@SteamboatRadio.com

UPDATE: Thursday afternoon, Jan. 20, 2022

Here are some more pictures from the Gittleson property, using a game cam. The wolves were 100 yards from the home on the property, which is where three cows have died from wolf depredation incidents since mid-December. All photos courtesy Don Gittleson.

WARNING: IMAGES ARE GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING.

FULL INTERVIEW WITH RANCHER DON GITTLESON:

Another cow was killed by wolves overnight in North Park. That’s in Jackson County. Colorado Parks and Wildlife was on the scene at the ranch this morning to make a report. That’s according to the rancher, Don Gittleson.

UPDATE AT 7:34 p.m. Steamboat Radio has received confirmation on the wolf depredation incident at the ranch in North Park and the full statement is below.

Gittleson leases the land in Jackson County. He had a confirmed wolf kill of a heifer in December. He had wolves attack two of his cows Tuesday and one had to be euthanized. Then Wednesday morning, Gittleson says he found a dead cow in his pasture again. He said he was up around 4 a.m. because his herd was scattered all over the pasture. He knew something was wrong.

Gittleson says he’ll move the cows out of the pasture but he’ll leave the dead one there, in case the wolves come back. With the cow they attacked the day before, Gittleson says he was advised to move it out of the area, which is where it was then euthanized. But now he thinks the wolves will be back again looking for food. He explains why:

Gittleson says he is hoping to get reimbursed for the cost of his cows that have been killed by the wolves. They have killed registered cows instead of commercial cows. While he didn’t name a price, he said it is expensive.

LINK: Cow that was euthanized on Tuesday

Photo courtesy Don Gittleson via Steamboat Radio.

Heifer killed on Gittleson’s ranch in December:

LINK: Buster was killed by wolves in another attack on North Park on Jan. 9.

“Bus” (short for Buster) is on the right. Courtesy Carlos Atencio.

LINK: Colorado Parks and Wildlife announces new hazing policy for wolves last week

UPDATE: Email confirmation from Colorado Parks and Wildlife came in at 7:34 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022

CPW confirms wolf depredation incident involving an adult domestic bred cow in North Park

After an initial investigation, CPW wildlife officers have confirmed a wolf depredation incident has occurred on an adult domestic bred cow in North Park.

On the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 19, CPW District Wildlife Managers (DWMs) received a report of a dead cow discovered on a ranch in Jackson County.

DWMs responded and performed a field investigation. The results of this investigation indicated the presence of wolves on the ranch, with wolf tracks in the immediate vicinity of the cow carcass and wounds consistent with wolf depredation.

The incident occurred on the same ranch as the previous wolf depredation incidents on Dec. 19 and Jan. 18.

CPW is working closely with the rancher, USDA Wildlife Services and Defenders of Wildlife to strategize and find opportunities to minimize further loss of livestock on this rancher’s property.

Last week the CPW Commission passed regulations on hazing for wolves that have naturally migrated into the state, including the pack in Jackson County. CPW will be working closely with this individual ranch as well as other producers to provide resources to minimize the likelihood of conflict or depredation as it works to create a statewide wolf restoration and management program as directed under Proposition 114.

Because of the broad awareness and public attention on Proposition 114 and the mandated wolf reintroduction efforts in the state, it’s worth underscoring that this incident is not related to or a result of wolf reintroduction efforts in Colorado. It’s also worth noting that the state has an existing depredation reimbursement fund for predation by other species that can be used for wolf depredation, and depredation reimbursement options specifically related to wolf reintroduction are currently being evaluated by both the Technical Working Group and Stakeholder Advisory Group to develop reintroduction plan recommendations. More information on those discussions can be found in the meeting summaries posted here, and additional information on this immediate incident can be found here.

Depredation compensation is required by statute, and the final Colorado compensation plan will be part of the overall Gray Wolf planning process. Recent Stakeholder Advisory Group and Technical Working Group meetings have focused on the topic of depredation compensation; meeting summaries are available at https://www.wolfengagementco.org/advisory-groups.

Depredation compensation will not utilize revenues generated by the sale of hunting or fishing license fees. Compensation will occur via the General Fund, the Species Conservation Trust Fund, the Colorado Nongame Conservation and Wildlife Restoration Cash Funds, or other sources of funding for non-game species.

Gray Wolves remain a state endangered species, and wolves may not be taken for any reason other than self-defense. Illegal take of a wolf may result in a combination of penalties, including fines of up to $100,000, a year of jail time, and a lifetime loss of hunting license privileges.