By Shannon Lukens. (Courtesy photo – CPW)
Colorado Parks and Wildlife sent a wolf update to Steamboat Radio/KRAI News on Tuesday. We asked about sightings being reported. Joey Livingston with CPW responded and said they field about 100 reports each year, but many turn out to be coyotes and dogs. They need strong supporting evidence. He said specific sightings could create unwarranted interest or fear from the public.
“CPW typically fields around 100 sighting reports each year. However, wolf reports are typically not considered reliable without strong supporting evidence. CPW often receives wolf sighting reports that turn out to be coyotes or dogs and having a viewable list of sightings could invoke unwarranted interest or fear from the public. When numerous reports with credible information/photos/other evidence are received in an area where wolves are not known to already occupy, CPW biologists and district wildlife managers may use this information to prioritize further search efforts.”
He also provided a link on the CPW website to 17 wolf sightings in Colorado since 2004. It’s under the question:
Can you provide a report listing all confirmed sightings in Colorado the last 15 years?
They include:
- A wolf found dead along I-70 near Idaho Springs in 2004.
- Another wolf was north of Rifle in 2009 and it says that wolf was “presumed poisoned.”
- Another report was from Moffat County in January of 2020 of a group of at least six wolves that CPW staff saw. They had been investigating a scavenged elk carcass. The CPW website says, “The current location/status of these wolves is not known.”
- Then two more reports are from Jackson County after that.
Below is a list of confirmed wolves in the state since 2004, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
| Date | Location | Origin | Sex | Color | Outcome | |
| 06/07/2004 | Near Idaho Springs, CO | Unknown | Female | Gray |
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| 02/16/2007 | North Park, CO | Unknown | Unknown | Black |
Video taken by Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) staff.
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| 02/2009 | North of Rifle, CO | Montana, Mill Creek 314F | Female | Gray |
Presumed poisoned.
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| 04/2015 | North Park, CO | Wyoming, 935M | Male | Black |
Trail camera and radio collar data.
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| 04/29/2015 | Kremmling, CO | Unknown | Male | Gray |
Shot by legal coyote hunter.
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| 11/12/2018 | Divide, CO | Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center | Male | Mexican Wolf |
Captive raised wolf escaped from facility near Divide, CO. Animal was recaptured.
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| 07/08/2019 | North Park, CO | Wyoming, F1084, Snake River Pack | Male | Black |
Wolf was photographed in North Park, CO.
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| 01/06/2020 | Moffat County | Unknown | Group of approximately six | N/A |
Scavenged elk carcass and prints reported. Genetic analysis of scat is conducted. CPW staff later saw this group of at least six animals.
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| 01/19/2021 | Jackson County | Unknown | Male | Gray |
Visually confirmed and collared by CPW staff. Wolf now identified as 2101.
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| 06/04/2021 | Jackson County Colorado | Unknown | Group of approx. three | varied | Visual confirmation of six pups with F1084 and 2101 by CPW staff.
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Also from the CPW Website…
“How many wolves are in the state today?”
To date, CPW has released 10 wolves in Grand and Summit counties as part of its reintroduction efforts. There are also two known collared wolves with territory in Jackson County, Colorado. Colorado Parks and Wildlife cannot provide a specific population number for wolves in Colorado. As many as six congregating wolves were identified by CPW staff in 2020, and in 2021, an established mating pair produced a litter of six pups. That does not mean these animals present a definitive number of animals on the ground in the state.
- Collared wolf F1084 from the Snake River Pack in Wyoming was initially detected in north-central Colorado in 2019.
- In January of 2020, CPW confirmed the presence of at least six wolves in northern Moffat County. The current location/status of these wolves is not known.
- In January of 2021, CPW confirmed the presence of another wolf traveling with known wolf, F1084.
- In June 2021 and for the next approximately year, six pups from F1084 and 2101 have been observed by staff, who continue to monitor this pack.
- In February 2023, CPW placed GPS collars on two wolves in North Park. The male wolf 2101 was recaptured two years after his initial capture. The other wolf collared was male 2301, presumably one of six pups produced by female wolf 1084 and male wolf 2101 in 2021.
Livingston also said that as wolf populations become established, CPW will develop “territory” maps showing which areas each wolf pack is primarily inhabiting, “similar to what other states, Tribes and federal agencies who manage wolves have done.” He said tracking in the past made sense when wolves weren’t established in the state. But tracking will become redundant when populations grow and the same wolves are spotted multiple times. Those trackings will be confirmed on the new map to be updated monthly.
The current map provided by CPW shows watershed areas where any of the 12 collared wolves may have ventured, even if only one time. It includes the City of Steamboat Springs and all of South Routt, over east of Walden, up to Wyoming, and south to I-70. CPW says wolves have not gone south of I-70, despite what the map shows. The watershed that includes Steamboat Springs is 289 square miles. CPW says it will only be updated once a month.
Steamboat Radio News Past Coverage of wolves in Colorado
- Jan. 30, 2024 — CPW SENDS UPDATE ON WOLF SIGHTINGS SINCE 2004, AND MORE ON THE MAP
- Jan. 24, 2024 — ELECTED OFFICIALS GRILL DEPT. OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND CPW AT HEARING WEDNESDAY
- Jan. 22, 2024 — CPW GETS HARSH LETTER DEMANDING ANSWERS FROM ROBERTS AND MCCLUSKIE
- Jan. 19, 2024 — COLORADO’S NEXT WOLVES TO BE REINTRODUCED WILL BE FROM TRIBAL LANDS IN WASHINGTON
- Jan. 12, 2024 — CPW CONFIRMS WOLVES WERE IN SOUTH ROUTT BUT AREN’T (YET) IN MOFFAT
- Dec. 22, 2023 — FIVE MORE WOLVES ARE RELEASED BY COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE
- Dec. 22, 2023 — CPW DENIES GITTLESON’S REQUEST TO IMPLEMENT 10(J) RULE ON JACKSON COUNTY WOLVES
- Dec. 21, 2023 — THREE OF THE FIVE WOLVES RELEASED IN COLORADO WERE IN PACKS THAT KILLED OR INJURED LIVESTOCK IN OREGON
- Dec. 19, 2023 — LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS RECEIVE WOLF UPDATE FROM CPW IN CRAIG MONDAY
- Dec. 13, 2023 — GITTLESON SAYS ANOTHER CALF WAS ATTACKED BY A WOLF TODAY
- Dec. 11, 2023 — COMPLAINT FILED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT TO STOP WOLF REINTRODUCTION IN COLORADO
- Dec. 4, 2023 — KEEP YOUR PETS CLOSE AND CARRY A BIG STICK – CPW HAS ADVICE FOR LIVING WITH WOLVES
- Nov. 19, 2023 — THREE LAMBS KILLED BY A WOLF IN JACKSON COUNTY, SAYS RANCHER
- Nov. 17, 2023 – CPW AND CDA ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO WORK TOGETHER ON WOLF REINTRODUCTION
- Nov. 7, 2023 – U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SETS DATE FOR 10J RULE FOR WOLVES
- Oct. 6, 2023 – COLORADO WILL RECEIVE WOLVES FROM OREGON
- May 16, 2023 – POLIS VETOES 10J RULE WOLF BILL
- May 3, 2023 – CPW COMMISSION APPROVES FINAL WOLF RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN
- May 2, 2023 – MANAGEMENT OF GRAY WOLVES REINTRODUCTION BILL PASSES IN STATE HOUSE
- May 2, 2023 –CPW MEETS THIS WEEK FOR FINAL WOLF MANAGEMENT PLAN
- April 27, 2023 – CPW CONFIRMS WOLF SIGHTING EAST OF KREMMLING
- April 8, 2023 – CPW WOLF COMMISSION MEETS IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
- April 3, 2023 – CPW TO PRESENT FINAL DRAFT WOLF RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
- March 28, 2023 – THE SOUTHERN UTE TRIBE ASKS THAT CPW RELEASES WOLVES ALONG I-70 CORRIDOR
- March 15, 2023 – TWO DOGS DIE FROM WOLVES IN JACKSON COUNTY THIS WEEK
- March 3, 2023 –COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION RELEASES WOLF REINTRODUCTION MEETING RECAP
- Feb. 10, 2022 – MONTANA STOCKGROWERS VOICE SUPPORT FOR COLORADO RANCHERS OVER THE WOLVES
- Feb. 9, 2022 – WOLF MANAGEMENT DISCUSSED BY LOCAL RANCHERS AND OFFICIALS AT FORUM IN STEAMBOAT
- Jan. 22, 2022 – WOLF MITIGATION OPTIONS
- Jan. 19, 2022 – ANOTHER COW KILLED OVERNIGHT IN NORTH PARK BY WOLVES
- Jan. 18, 2022 – TWO MORE COWS ATTACKED BY WOLVES IN JACKSON COUNTY TUESDAY
- Jan. 12, 2022 – CPW ALLOWS WOLVES TO BE HAZED IN EMERGENCY DECLARATION
- Jan. 10, 2022 – A WOLF PACK KILL IS REPORTED IN JACKSON COUNTY OVER THE WEEKEND
- June 9, 2021 – WOLF DEN WITH PUPS CONFIRMED IN NW COLORADO