By Shannon Lukens. (Photos courtesy Shawn Scholl)

 

A black wolf born in Jackson County has crossed into Grand County. Colorado Parks and Wildlife tells Steamboat Radio News that local staff has confirmed it is likely it is collared wolf #2301 that was seen on Shawn Scholl’s ranch Tuesday, just north of Highway 40, about 13 miles east of Kremmling. It’s near the town of Parshall.

Scholl says he saw the black wolf in a meadow when he was checking on his calves.

“Well initially I thought, ‘Why do I have a steer in the meadow?’ because it was so black. It really stuck out in the meadow. Then when it started to move, I realized right then it wasn’t a cow, or a steer. It was a wolf. And then it started loping towards the house and it was actually paralleling my dog.”

Scholl says he got the wolf to turn away from his dog and head east. Scholl says there have been other sightings, tracks, and videos of wolves on his property, which is about 25 miles south of the Jackson County line. That’s where a breeding pair of wolves had six black wolf pups in April of 2021. This is one of them.

Parshall, Colo. is 75.580 miles from Walden. Parshall is 76.663 miles from Boulder, as the crow flies.

Travis Duncan with Colorado Parks and Wildlife adds, “In addition to being federally protected, gray wolves are also a state endangered species in Colorado, and wolves may not be taken for any reason other than self-defense. The gray wolf in Colorado is protected by the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and state law. Penalties can vary and can include fines up to $100,000, jail time and loss of hunting privileges.”

TWO WOLVES ARE CAPTURED AND COLLARED IN JACKSON COUNTY THURSDAY; Feb. 3, 2023

Colorado Parks and Wildlife locates, collars two wolves in North Park

 

Here is Wolf #2301 that was spotted in Grand County. It is the black one in the back of the picture, shown here when it was collared with a GPS tracking collar on Feb. 2.