By Shannon Lukens.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has now confirmed on the Confirmed Gray Wolf Depredation Information page on their website that eight more sheep have been killed by wolves in Grand County. That’s a total of nine. The rancher on the property says five more are missing.
“It just keeps happening and we’ve done every non-lethal option. We have dogs, we have flashing lights, we have sounds, we have construction workers here. And every attack on our sheep has been in broad daylight.”
This is also the ranch where seven calves have been killed by wolves.
“I think what’s frustrating for us is we’ve done every legal action, we’ve written letters, we’ve talked to people, we’ve called the game wardens, we let them know when things happen. We’ve tried to have an open relationship. But they wrote it. They said if there are depredating wolves… chronic depredation… that they would get rid of these wolves. We have however many sheep that have died. We’ve had yearlings die. They’re obviously depredating. So what is the government going to do to take care of these wolves? They’re the ones who wrote it. They’re the ones who said it. And they’re the ones who aren’t following the rules. And that’s frustrating.”
She is referring to the Wolf Management Plan that says if a wolf is killing livestock, then it can be killed by wildlife officers. Or the rancher can ask permission from Colorado Parks and Wildlife to kill a wolf if it is caught in the act of killing livestock or a working ranch dog. All requests by ranchers to do this so far have been denied by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
A Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer has been on the ranch, searching for the five missing sheep carcasses.
More on the Story — Eight more sheep confirmed killed by wolves in Grand County
In Routt County, a South Routt rancher says their family found a calf carcass on their property. They say a CPW agent came out and said the calf wasn’t killed by a mountain lion or bear, but he wasn’t sure whether it was a wolf. He took pictures and is conferring with others at CPW.
“It’s really different. It’s different from a bear or anything else. Yes, we believe it was a wolf. And it wasn’t a sickly calf. It was one of our bigger healthy calves.”
That possible wolf depredation has not yet been confirmed by CPW. If it is, that would be the fourth confirmed calf kill by wolves in Routt County.
In events today,
August 1st marks the 148th anniversary of Colorado’s entrance into the Union as the 38th state, now celebrated as Colorado Day. In 1876, Colorado became known as the Centennial State because it became a state one hundred years after the United States became a nation. In 2026, Colorado will celebrate its Sesquicentennial, commemorating 150 years of statehood and 250 years of America.
All U.S. active-duty military members, veterans and National Guard get free entry into Colorado state parks this month. That includes Stagecoach, Steamboat Lake and Pearl Lake, Elkhead Reservoir and Yampa River State Park.
Registration for winter programs for Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club opens today. There is a bus from school to Howelsen Hill and scholarships are available. There are also programs for adults. Register at SSWSC.org
There is a Routt County 4-H Meet & Greet this evening. The fun starts at 5 p.m. at Workman Park, which is at 4th and Yampa in Steamboat Springs. Bring your own chair.
You can hear the readings of a writing competition at 5:30 p.m. tonight at Steamboat Art Museum. The local prose and poetry is inspired by the Steamboat Art Museum’s latest exhibition about the Oregon Trail in the 1800s. It’s free if you’d like to go.
The Hayden Town Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Agenda items include the appointment of Mo Demorat as a Planning Commission member and Ben Robbins as an alternate.
The Moffat County Hot Air Balloon Festival starts Friday morning with balloons flying from Loudy-Simpson Park each day through the weekend. They’ll lift off bright and early, starting around 6 a.m.
More on the Story — MOFFAT COUNTY BALLOON FESTIVAL IS AUG. 2-4
The Brown Bag Summer Storytelling Series is at noon tomorrow at Tread of Pioneers Museum in Steamboat Springs. Fourth-generation resident Todd Hagenbuch is talking about Yampa Valley Agriculture: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.
Local author, Robin Schepper won a gold medal known as an “Ippy Award” from the Independent Book Publishers Association. It’s for her memoir, “Finding My Way, A Memoir of Family, Identity, and Political Ambition.”
Mason Taggart has won a national horse boxing competition for the National Reined Cowhorse Association. It’s the inaugural Battle in the Saddle in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mason is 14 and will be a freshman at Steamboat Springs High School when school starts later this month. Video of the ride
Check out what’s happening in the Yampa Valley on the Community Calendar on our website.
For the KRAI Time, Temp, and Weather Hotline, call 970-824-1918.