The agency said the lethal action was authorized on Aug. 4. The wolf, which is uncollared, is now believed to be responsible for three additional sheep deaths on Aug. 16. CPW found the wolf that same day and tried to shoot and kill it, the agency revealed on Tuesday, but was \u201cunable to locate the animal due to the dense vegetation and difficult terrain in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n
An \u201cextensive and continued\u201d six-day search by CPW and wildlife services didn\u2019t lead them to the wolf, and the agencies officially discontinued the removal effort.<\/p>\n
According to the wolf-livestock conflict minimization program, CPW must also consider non-lethal measures to deter wolf attacks before it can kill a wolf responsible for chronic depredation. In this case, the agency said it deployed range riders to the property and that the rancher had taken adequate non-lethal action.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are grateful for the producers in the area who worked constructively with CPW on deployment of multiple non-lethal conflict minimization efforts both prior to and during the series of depredations,\u201d CPW Director Jeff Davis said in a news release Tuesday. \u201cThese actions are designed to ensure that wolves and packs that are targeting natural prey, such as wild ungulates, serve as the foundation for a sustainable wolf population in Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n
Full interview: Denver7 brings Pitkin County ranchers’ questions about wolves to CPW director<\/p>\n
There have now been 14 wolf depredations in the 2025-26 biological year, which runs from April to March, according to CPW\u2019s published information. There were 33 recorded wolf depredations in the April 2024 – March 2025 biological year.<\/p>\n
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