Please see the following Guest Commentary from Jackson County Rancher, Wade Allnut, in response to this story posted on February 10, 2026.
Jackson County rancher talks about losing his dog, Scout, to wolves
To the voters of Colorado;
I write this letter as a taxpayer, livestock producer, and most importantly as a father of two young children. I am not writing to point fingers, but to give a firsthand account of what was voted on and what we in rural western Colorado are now living with as a consequence.
The recent confirmed wolf depredation on a dog in Jackson County on February 7, 2026, hits close to home for me. However, it is no more important than the depredations and mounting stress others have faced across western Colorado since this process began as a result of Proposition 114. This was also not the first depredation event for this ranch; they have had five other confirmed depredations on cattle in the last two years.
Colorado is not an untouched wilderness. It is a working landscape, fragmented by highways, communities, ranches, schools, and small towns. Wolves here are not living in vast, uninhabited country. They are living among us, often within yards of homes. That reality requires active, responsive management on the ground. This is not Yellowstone National Park. Our land is lived on, worked, and raised on. Conflict here is not theoretical, it is happening right now, and the impact is increasing.
As a former employee, neighbor, and friend of the rancher, I participated in Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) investigation of the dog’s, Scout’s, death. Before going any further, I would like to acknowledge and commend the promptness and thoroughness of local CPW staff on this day. This attack began and ended no more than 150-200 yards from my former bedroom window. When we lived on this ranch several years ago, my wife would go for walks pushing a stroller past this very spot. Scout often went with her.
The scene on February 7 was difficult to witness, but the public deserves to understand what these conflicts truly look like. Try to imagine the horror you would feel witnessing this happen to your own dog. Scout was not simply killed; she was torn apart and partially consumed. The primary focus was the layer of backfat running from her tail to her shoulders.
As I roam the neighborhood roads during this mild winter, wild ungulates in the thousands are readily available. I realize that wolves are territorial and mating season is upon us, but this is literally too close to home. CPW staff acknowledges a wolf collar pin drop in 2023 no more than 30 yards from that same bedroom window. Other ranchers across the region have similar stories regarding the boldness and audacity wolves exhibit.
Based on collar data and observed behavior, the wolves responsible are almost certainly members of the One Ear Pack. Since December 2021, wolves from this group have been involved in the killing of five dogs and more than 20 head of sheep and cattle in Jackson County alone.
Yet under CPW’s current definition, a “chronic depredator” is a wolf responsible for three or more depredations within a 30-day period. Because these attacks fall outside that narrow window, these wolves are not labeled chronic depredators.
Definitions aside, when the same wolves repeatedly kill livestock and dogs over the course of years, rural families experience that as chronic. And if this behavior is not addressed, the next generation of pups will learn the same pattern.
The comments I see on social media reveal just how wide the knowledge gap is on both sides of this issue. As a society, we will never all see eye to eye, and that is part of living in a free country. But it is important that suburban and urban communities understand that rural families exist, that we pay taxes too, and that our ability to protect our property is limited under the current framework of wolf reintroduction. Livestock producers in California, Washington, and Oregon are facing many of these same challenges. The feelings of helplessness are not unique to Colorado.
Moving forward, we need to allow CPW biologists to actively manage wolves on the ground, based on science, real-time data, and local conditions, without excessive political interference or ballot-box wildlife policy. There is a CPW Commission meeting on March 4th and 5th. The commission will vote on a petition that could end indirect loss compensation to ranchers for impacts such as decreased pregnancy rates and weight gain in cattle resulting from wolf pressure.
The influence from outside the state of Colorado is strong in this petition. Many Colorado residents may not realize that organizations outside our state, including groups like such as Environmental Center of San Diego and Rewilding America Now, are influencing petitions that affect Colorado’s wildlife policies. Are you aware that so far the reintroduction, as outlined by Proposition 114, is wildly over budget? Over budget, yet rural state highways and schools suffer.
Before forming strong opinions based solely on headlines or social media exchanges, I encourage you to visit CPW, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, and legislative websites to better understand the complexity of what is unfolding.
“The government is us; we are the government, you and I.” – Theodore Roosevelt.
In a time when the urban/rural divide continues to grow, it is important to remember that we are all Coloradans. Those of you that choose to dwell in the bigger cities have your own prerogatives, as do we that live in rural areas. The divide grows wider when decisions made in urban centers determine what happens in rural backyards. The saying goes, “Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes.” I encourage all of us to keep that in mind.
My boots and saddle are available to anyone, anytime. Come see this land for yourself.
Wade Allnutt
Jackson County Rancher