North Park producer who loses calf speaks out

June 12, 2024 Shannon Lukens

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By Shannon Lukens. Photo courtesy of the North Park rancher, of some of his herd in Jackson County.

The longtime North Park rancher who lost a calf to wolves Sunday has spoken to Steamboat Radio News about the loss, and what happened. He has asked not to be named.

He has been at this particular ranch on the west side of Jackson County for 16 years, and in North Park for 21 years.

“Sunday afternoon, I was heading over to fix a ditch and I noticed the dead calf in the wrong place, so I went over and looked at it. Found some suspicious looking stuff on the calf, like it didn’t die from natural causes. Called CPW and they came out and confirmed it. You know, and we’ve had the wolves around all winter and all through the spring during calving. They’ve either been around us or on us but we’ve never had any issues. I think what happened is they finally found us not being out there at the right time because what we’ve used for non-lethal deterrent mostly is range riding. And that has worked fairly well up to this point.

Anyway, it was a healthy strong steer calf. You know, it wasn’t like he was sick or anything. I seen him a day or two before. He was a good 350 pound calf probably.

There’s plenty of ungulate stuff going on. They’re having their babies now. So there’s moose and elk and deer and antelope babies everywhere. And they still chose to pick out a calf, instead of wildlife. It’s getting more habitual is the feeling.

We’re in the process now (of applying for compensation). We’ll probably have that done this week.

(2:15) We’re kind of on the west side, in the Hebron area is south of us. It’s the same wolves that have been killing stuff at Gittleson’s, got the sheep at Anderson’s. They have a pretty good circle the make through the park.

(2:45) We found tracks from two separate wolves right there in the vicinity. Not very many yards away from where the calf was out. There’s a ditch bank that had a lot of dry dust that left really good tracks. It was easy to see that there were two different wolves. One on either side of the ditch. They were paralleling each other as they went down the ditch.

(3:15) It’s irritating but I knew it was coming. Everybody in the park will have a turn eventually unless we can do something about these particular wolves that are an issue. And that’s just the reality that we have come to live with. And we lose a lot of sleep over it, and I think we’ve been lucky that this is our first one.”

We asked the rancher what he thinks of the multiple wolf depredations in Jackson County and Grand County.

“We feel like a parent that has been forced to let a pedophile play in the backyard with our kid. That is how we feel the government and the State of Colorado has treated us. Every day is a risk with animals that we treat closer to human than animals. We’re not a big operation. We run a couple hundred cows. I know every cow’s personality and how they act, and every calf. So it’s more personal than what people think, and I think that is missed on a lot of people, just how much emotionally it affects the people that are doing this.”

Courtesy photos

The wolf kill was confirmed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife on the “Confirmed Gray Wolf Depredation Information” page on their website. The page lists the confirmed wolf kills in Jackson County and in Grand County.

June 9, 2024. Jackson County. No claim submitted. 1 calf involved.
May 25, 2024. Jackson County. No claim submitted. 1 calf involved.
May 11, 2024. Grand County. No claim submitted. 1 cattle involved.
April 28, 2024. Grand County. No claim submitted. 1 calf involved.
April 18, 2024. Grand County. No claim submitted. 1 cattle involved.
April 17, 2024. Grand County. No claim submitted. 3 cattle involved.
April 13, 2024. Jackson County. No claim submitted. 1 calf involved.
April 7, 2024. Jackson County. Claim received: $1,514.00. 1 calf involved.
April 2, 2024. Grand County. No claim submitted. 1 calf involved.
November 17, 2023. Jackson County. Claim received: $489.00. 3 sheep involved.
March 13, 2023. Jackson County. Claim received: $15,000.00. 1 dog involved.
November 19, 2022. Jackson County. Claim received: $1,106.09. 1 cattle involved.
October 8, 2022. Jackson County. Claim received: $338.62. 1 calf involved.
October 7, 2022. Jackson County. Claim received: $400.00. 1 calf involved.
August 1, 2022. Jackson County. Claim received: $3,000.00. 1 calf involved.
May 30, 2022. Jackson County. Claim received: $3,000.00. 1 calf involved.
May 2, 2022. Jackson County. Claim received: $2,850.00. 1 calf involved.
April 22, 2022. Jackson County. Claim received: $779.52. 1 calf involved.
March 15, 2022. Jackson County. Claim received: $1,230.00. 2 cattle involved.
January 18, 2022. Jackson County. Claim received: $8,647.00. 3 cattle involved.
January 9, 2022. Jackson County. Claim received: $1,252.72. 2 dogs involved.
December 19, 2021. Jackson County. Claim received: $1,800.00. 1 calf involved.

Steamboat Radio News Past Coverage of wolves in Colorado

June 12, 2024 — NORTH PARK PRODUCER WHO LOSES CALF SPEAKS OUT
June 10, 2024 — CPW CONFIRMS ANOTHER WOLF DEPREDATION IN JACKSON COUNTY THIS WEEKEND
June 5, 2024 — Wolf Video posted from Grand County
May 26, 2024 — DON GITTLESON SAYS ANOTHER CALF HAS BEEN KILLED BY WOLVES ON HIS RANCH
May 15, 2024 — HERE’S THE LATEST LETTER TO MIDDLE PARK STOCKGROWERS FROM CPW DIRECTOR DAVIS
May 14, 2024 — Suspected mountain lion kills the collared wolf
May 6, 2024 — MIDDLE PARK STOCKGROWERS SEND EIGHT-PAGE LETTER TO CPW
April 30, 2024 — GRAND COUNTY RANCHERS TO GET HELP WITH PROTECTING THEIR LIVESTOCK
April 30, 2024 — NORTH PARK STOCKGROWERS SEND ANOTHER LETTER TO CPW AND GOV. POLIS
April 28, 2024 —ANOTHER WOLF KILL IN GRAND COUNTY SUNDAY
April 24-2024 — COLLARED GRAY WOLF ACTIVITY MAP RELEASED FOR APRIL
April 23, 2024 — A WOLF HAS DIED, AND MIDDLE PARK STOCKGROWERS HEAR FROM CPW
April 22, 2024 — MULTIPLE LETTERS SENT TODAY TO GOVERNOR POLIS AND CPW ASKING FOR ACTION ON WOLVES
April 18, 2024 — FOUR MORE HEAD OF LIVESTOCK KILLED BY WOLVES IN GRAND COUNTY
April 9, 2024 — AG PRODUCERS MEET WITH CPW OFFICIALS IN KREMMLING ABOUT WOLVES
April 8, 2024 — ANOTHER CALF KILLED BY A WOLF OR WOLVES IN JACKSON COUNTY
April 3, 2024 — A WOLF OR WOLVES HAVE KILLED A NEWBORN CALF IN GRAND COUNTY
April 3, 2024 — Denver 7 Calf killed in first confirmed report of gray wolf depredation since wolves were released in December
Feb. 29, 2024 — COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE OFFICIALS COME TO STEAMBOAT SPRINGS TO TALK WOLVES
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