Wolves released in Grand County
Contributors to this thread:Colorado
From: Stix
19-Dec-23
Just saw the news release that the first 5 transplanted wolves were released in Grand County. Never knew that area was one of the release sites.... at least it's closer to Boulder. They can use a few of their residents attacked.
My guess the release site was on west end of RMNP?
From: pronghorn21
19-Dec-23
Radium State Wildlife Area is where they put them. Four juveniles and one adult male. The adult male will end up killing the two juvenile males
From: Quinn @work
20-Dec-23
Hopefully.
From: goelk
20-Dec-23
“We now wait to see what the forces of nature have in store,”
From: Jaquomo
20-Dec-23
"Let's open this little vial and wait to see what the forces of nature have in store", said the now-missing female researcher in the Wuhan lab..
From: Aspen Ghost
20-Dec-23
If they are from different packs would the adult male tolerate the juvenile males? If the juvenile females are truly juvenile and don't go into heat this winter won't the adult male leave them to go looking for action elsewhere? And if they are from three different packs won't they tend to separate from each other and only stay with their packmate? I don't have a good understanding of wolf pack dynamics but this grouping sounds problematic.
From: Stix
20-Dec-23
From what I know of the ranchers near the Trough Rd, they will not tolerate juvenile or adult wolves.
God Bless the landowners!
From: Keepitreal
20-Dec-23
"four juveniles and one adult male"
That's what they are telling us for now. Remember the second (collared) north park wolf miraculously turned into a female. Like they didn't know??
Lies lead to epic failures.
From: Glunt@work
22-Dec-23
At least some made it about 25 miles NW near Phippsburg. Lots of reports and some video on FB.
The boys around Dixon and Savery might be in for some action over Christmas.
From: pronghorn21
22-Dec-23
Before long they'll be in Hayden chomping on that herd that's been hanging around there.
From: Elk Assassin
22-Dec-23
I really hope I'm wrong, but I don't think anyone is going to have the guts to shoot-up these wolves. Man, I'd love to be wrong about that though.
From: pronghorn21
22-Dec-23
Well probably every wolf has a cpw employee assigned to it who sits idling their brand new 2500 HD quad cab pickup all day everyday listening for gunshots near the wolf they're assigned to.
From: pronghorn21
22-Dec-23
CPW completed its release of 10 wolves.
From: Glunt@work
22-Dec-23
Any info on where the last 3 were dumped?
From: pronghorn21
22-Dec-23
Go on Facebook wolftracker. Might know on there
From: Jaquomo
22-Dec-23
Thanks for the mention of wolftracker, Kevin. I was unaware of it, but joined. Looks really interesting and there are already a few wolves roaming around where I live.
From: Glunt@work
22-Dec-23
Just signed up waiting on approval.
From: pronghorn21
22-Dec-23
Yes. I wanted to go up to unit 13 after Christmas with my December elk tag. Maybe I'll see one since they have been spotted headed that way.
From: Buglemaster
23-Dec-23
You guys who are close to where they are need to get out there & sheww em on a regular basis. If nothing else , it will drive the constable assigned to watch over them NUTS! A couple were spotted today smack dab in the middle of where we hunt. Keep going north you flee bitten mangy muts! Things are so much better across the border to the north….
From: Buglemaster
23-Dec-23
You guys who are close to where they are need to get out there & sheww em on a regular basis. If nothing else , it will drive the constable assigned to watch over them NUTS! A couple were spotted today smack dab in the middle of where we hunt. Keep going north you flee bitten mangy muts! Things are so much better across the border to the north….
From: pronghorn21
23-Dec-23
If I see a wolf when I'm Hunting Unit 13 after Christmas I'll tell it to keep going north.
From: pronghorn21
23-Dec-23
I'm guessing when I park to go hunting If there really is a wolf there there will be the CPW assigned employee working overtime to make sure the wolf is okay. Me being the blunt person I am will just come right out and say so I guess you're sitting here to keep the wolf safe
From: trakman
26-Dec-23
that is right where the Big Horn Sheep are
From: Paul@thefort
27-Dec-23
I was approve for the Wolf Tracker yesterday. The goal is to report sightings/pictures and give GPS coordinates. While some info is good, there is also the same responses from some who are totally uneducated concerning the Wolf Plan and the recent wolf release or just want to blame the CPW for all of this and to rid Colorado of any wolves.
From: Jaquomo
27-Dec-23
Facebook doesn't have fact checkers.
From: Glunt@work
27-Dec-23
That is true Paul but, I'll take raw speech and information over improperly censored or fact checked stuff. I'm ok with filtering it myself. The uninformed and incorrect stuff on there from both sides is easily sifted through.
From: cnelk
27-Dec-23
Gotta admit, there’s still plenty of blame to place on the CPW.
From: >>>---WW---->
27-Dec-23
Not necessarily so Brad. The real blame should go to the city slicker voters along the I-25 corridor. Isn't it strange that they got wolves voted in but they released them on the western slope where they wouldn't have to put up with them.
From: Jaquomo
03-Jan-24
Actually screen shot from the governor's husband's wife's FB page. "Now with wolves!" as if this is going to make it more attractive for more assholes to move here.
From: Ccity65
03-Jan-24
From: Glunt@work
03-Jan-24
The Onion and Babylon Bee will have to up their game. The reality of the left is out-pacing satire and parody.
From: Jaquomo
03-Jan-24
The governor's bed mate just told me that this wolf debacle was a true "bipartisan" effort because they had meetings and listened to the input from stakeholders from the 51 counties that voted against it. That's how these sick liberals view "bipartisanship".
From: Grasshopper
03-Jan-24
Have a great day fellas, the future is looking good?
From: 8point
03-Jan-24
Just make sure you leave your cell phone at home. Also a drone would be nice in the event there is a collar involved. Don't hook-um to a log like on Yellowstone.
From: pronghorn21
03-Jan-24
If anyone uses a drone hopefully they don't fly it off real fast and maybe just a cheap Target drone that just keeps flying once it gets out of range
From: Glunt@work
04-Jan-24
I wouldn't even joke about it. You start small with taking a wolf out and before you know it you are into the hard stuff like using a plastic shopping bag. Now you are facing serious time.
From: Grasshopper
04-Jan-24
I'm sorry, that is freaking funny.
I've been there, I am so tempted sometimes to press the zero bag button at king soopers self checkout, and walk out the door with 5 or 6 of them.
From: cnelk
04-Jan-24
I call them contraband bags.
From: trakman
05-Jan-24
they are killing the big horn sheep that the tax pairs put in the same place (not a good move))
From: Whocares
05-Jan-24
One of several pictures I have at that location
One of several pictures I have at that location
That will be worth watching. I often see quite a few big horn sheep in the inspiration point area.
From: bowyer45
18-Jan-24
My Grandson spotted the black wolf near Phippsburg last week. Probably in Steamboat by now.
From: Whocares
18-Jan-24
Or not. They don't always travel in a straight line or one direction. :))
From: Glunt@work
25-Jan-24
Here is the CPW map of wolf movements since Dec 18. Includes the 2 North Park wolves and 10 New wolves.
Shaded area does not mean wolves have been there. Just means they were in that watershed at least once. The whole watershed gets highlighted.
From: cnelk
25-Jan-24
Quite obvious where the East Troublesome Fire was at... No wolves = no game
From: KsRancher
25-Jan-24
I wonder if they made it south of I-70 or just in those watersheds?
From: pronghorn21
25-Jan-24
They said yesterday they did not cross I-70 according to their GPS data. I hope when they do they just get run over
From: tradi-doerr
25-Jan-24
According to the GPS map they have made it down around Avon just South of I-70, wonder just how accurate the maps are.
From: pronghorn21
25-Jan-24
They did not go below I-70. That is just a watershed map. The testimony yesterday at the hearing with CPW and legislatures said that the wolves have not gone below I-70
From: Glunt@work
28-Jan-24
The map is ridiculous. The 2 collared wolves in North Park don't have to cover much ground to result in all 7 North Park watersheds or all of North Park being highlighted.
"Hello this is Joe Rancher out on Cty Rd 15A west of town. I'll be starting to calve next week and was wondering if your 2 wolves are hanging around my place?"
"Sure, totally understandable. I'm sending you a link to the latest updated Wolf Movement map"
"Ok, I may hang up on you while I try and open it. Its cold and blowing like crazy out here and I'm not the best with these smart phones."
"Ha, ha, no problem take your time."
"Dang it, I probably did something wrong. It shows about all 1,600 square miles of North Park highlighted from the top of the Park Range to the top of the Rawahs?"
"Let me look....nope you are doing it right. Thats the right map."
"Well, thats as helpful as nuts on a heifer."
"No problem Joe, I'm glad we could help. Take care and feel free to reach out any time you need something."
From: Who Cares
28-Jan-24
The map they provide is very misleading and not helpfull. They can provide a much more precise map if so desired without an exact location. Just creating more mistrust now. I will try to attach a map from Minn that shows an example of of a bunch of wolf territories.
From: Aspen Ghost
28-Jan-24
It's pretty obvious that they wanted to put out a map to give the impression that they are communicating and transparent without actually being transparent or communicating anything. They must be terrified that someone might actually figure out where the wolves are feeding.
From: Whocares
28-Jan-24
Here's a map of wolf territories in a part of Minn with a number collared in each pack. Obvious how territorial they are. If you can look close you'll see a few stray into another territory on occasion. They are not always in all parts of their territory but it is their claimed area. So you can see how vague the Colorado map is with only 12 wolves.
From: Whocares
28-Jan-24
The map is an area of northern Minn roughly 50 x 40 miles. Pack size has been 5-6 on average as I understand it.
From: Whocares
28-Jan-24
The map is an area of northern Minn roughly 50 x 40 miles. Pack size has been 5-6 on average as I understand it.
From: cnelk
28-Jan-24
Tremendous info. Hope you dont mind if I share
From: Whocares
28-Jan-24
Go ahead Brad. It's public. Shows how CPW could draw a more realistic map of where the wolves have actually been rather than using watersheds. The wolves in Colorado have no doubt not established any sort of territory at this point as there are so few. It is breeding season now so they really roam. After pups they may begin to have some sort of territory. Fewer the wolves, further they'll roam.
From: Keepitreal
28-Jan-24
I recently hunted elk here in Colorado with a good friend from MN who is a retired DNR regional manager of over 30 years. Early on he had trapped wolves for the DNR both for study and control. He wasn't that abreast of the Colorado situation as he'd been out of the loop and hunting a lot since retirement.
After filling him in on the latest press release his comment was that we could see a wolf population of 2500 wolves in 5 years from now. Said it happens fast.
It's really hitting the fan in MN right now with regard to the wolves too. We get a good portion of elk clients from the MN region and every one of them say "the deer are just gone up nort"...
From: Glunt@work
04-Feb-24
My wife is from northern MN. Similar to CO, great people up there. Hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and hockey. Like CO, they are now out numbered. It appears that MN will raise the wolf population objective up to a ridiculous number similar to what they currently have. So even when/if they get delisted again, the north country is likely forever changed.
From: Whocares
04-Feb-24
Our current Governor said if the wolves are delighted he won't allow a hunting season on them. Guess we need a smarter Goernor.
From: Who Cares
05-Feb-24
delisted! In MN.
From: Keepitreal
05-Feb-24
Keepitreal's Link
Thank USFWS for recognizing the truth.
From: Keepitreal
05-Feb-24
Keepitreal's Link
That's the link to the article
From: Aspen Ghost
05-Feb-24
Keapitreal, that looks like an election year political decision to not stir up opponents. Lets hope it holds up after the election.
From: Keepitreal
15-Feb-24
Keepitreal's Link
A logger got this video in northern MN not long ago. It came to my cousin who had been trapping bobcats and getting lots of wolf pics on his cameras.
For those who think wolves won't assimilate to populated areas. Looks like this wolf didn't care about human activity or presence. If a single wolf can catch a whitetail doe with very little snow then what? Not the most solid video but looked like the doe was still kicking when the wolf had it by the throat.
From: Paul@thefort
15-Feb-24
what is even more concerning but predictable, is the message below that, ie, " hope someone sabotages the logging equipment."
From: PushCoArcher
24-Feb-24
PushCoArcher's Link
Looks like two are headed for the killing fields maybe more will follow.
From: Quinn @work
25-Feb-24
Keep going north!!!!
From: Keepitreal
25-Feb-24
Naturally. They're just dogs going back to their home.
From: Quinn @work
26-Feb-24
Spoke with the rancher we hunt on just northwest of Steamboat today. He said a rancher he knows west of him has found 6 wolf killed elk with only the guts eaten out of them and the whole animal left to rot. 2023 Winter kill and now wolves. Gotta love ballot biology.
From: TRnCO
24-Apr-24
Sounds like one wolf has died, of the 12 newly released. In Larimer county. So far they say of "natural" causes. Guess it's safe to say this one wasn't the one killing the new born calves.
From: Aspen Ghost
24-Apr-24
Was it one of the released wolves or was it from the Walden area pack?
From: TRnCO
24-Apr-24
one of the ten recently released according to the news article. https://kdvr.com/news/local/reintroduced-wolf-found-dead-in-larimer-county/#:~:text=DENVER%20%28KDVR%29%20%E2%80%94%20One%20of%20the%2010%20wolves,it%20%E2%80%9Cbecame%20aware%E2%80%9D%20of%20the%20death%20on%20Thursday.
From: samman
24-Apr-24
Had it only made it to Estes Park, it might have survived. Glad it ran out of gas before it got there.
From: Glunt@work
24-Apr-24
Also one was trapped in a coyote set on private in Elbert County and died this month. DNA showed it came from the Great Lakes.
From: Elk Assassin
24-Apr-24
Hoping for more great news of wolf deaths in the weeks to come. Hope the deceased was a female. Kudos to someone if this was a man-caused death.
From: Bow Bullet
25-Apr-24
Didn't take long at all for a wolf to appear on the east slope.
From: Aspen Ghost
25-Apr-24
Aspen Ghost's Link
The biologists think the wolf that is killing cattle is a male supporting a female with pups.
From: Barkeater
25-Apr-24
Elk and deer are harder to catch ,when the snow melts. Wolves den in lower country , where the cattle are calving.
From: Barkeater
25-Apr-24
Denali national Park has a 40+ year study on wolves. It's a good read , not like the Yellowstone studies. Canada has some great studies across western Canada also good reading. Apparently there wolves eat more than what was reported projections in Colorado. There studies showed 24- to 36 ungulates per wolf, to survive a year. There pack reductions are working positively reported in BC to help there MTN Caribou.
From: Barkeater
26-Apr-24
The Polis reach around crew must be having some problems buying the next batch of wolves that were planned for spring release.
From: Barkeater
26-Apr-24
The Polis reach around crew must be having some problems buying the next batch of wolves that were planned for spring release.
From: KSflatlander
29-Apr-24
Please post up these "studies showed 24- to 36 ungulates per wolf, to survive a year."
This doesn't even pass the sniff test. That's 30lbs of meat per day per wolf everyday at that rate. There's no way possible for a wolf to eat 23% of their body weight per day every day for 365 days. Complete BS.
From: KsRancher
29-Apr-24
I don't follow your math. Let's say with deer, elk, fawns and adult that the average animal wieghs 175lbs and they get 25% of that animal in edible stuff. That's roughly 44lbs per animal times 36 animals equals 1575lbs divided by 365 days in a year equals 4.3lbs a day.
That still sounds like a lot to me. But I would guess their average animal is way less than 175lbs because I imagine they get a lot of fawns. And I used the upper end of the animal count. Would be 2.9lbs at 24 animals
24-36 sounds believable to me. But I never been around wolves.
From: Quinn @work
29-Apr-24
Flatlander (wolf lover) most of the wolf kills barely get eaten. They sport kill, eat the guts and move on to the next one.
From: KSflatlander
30-Apr-24
KSflatlander's Link
Ks- the math I used averaged weight of a deer and elk together to be 400lbs. I mean many here have stated over and over that wolves only eat healthy adult elk.
"Flatlander (wolf lover) most of the wolf kills barely get eaten. They sport kill, eat the guts and move on to the next one."
Quinn- you full of complete BS. That is not the typical behavior of a wolf. Full stop. Why do people just make up shit that's easily proven not true and post it?
From: Glunt@work
30-Apr-24
Doug Smith who retired from being the wolf guy in Yellowstone estimated 16-22 elk per year, per wolf.
From: samman
30-Apr-24
What is the elk conversion rate to cattle in that estimate? Only 10 wolves (9 left) introduced and 6 or 7 cattle kills already they know about. What will it be when they get 200+ wolves. At least that was their goal, correct?
From: Barkeater
30-Apr-24
The Canadians probably count wrong there annual was based on a area that only had Caribou, musk ox and moose big game. I'm sure the Yellowstone biologist were ever truthful. There druid pack disbursed to Colorado and all the way to Washington State.
From: Barkeater
30-Apr-24
The Canadians probably count wrong there annual was based on a area that only had Caribou, musk ox and moose big game. I'm sure the Yellowstone biologist were ever truthful. There druid pack disbursed to Colorado and all the way to Washington State.
From: Barkeater
30-Apr-24
If I remember , Yellowstone wolf introduction was based on reducing the bison herd. That narrative twisted and it was changed to wapiti. There trapping the bison now and distributing them to reservations. Relocation projects flavorful politics.
From: Orion
30-Apr-24
Oh looky the Kansas wolf expert has graced us with his presence
From: Barkeater
30-Apr-24
I'm not from Kansas.
From: Glunt@work
01-May-24
"At least that was their goal, correct?"
200 is the mininum population target where they will come off the STATE threatened and endangered list. The plan is blank after that. No maximum population and no mention of any way or plan to ever limit numbers.
From: TRnCO
01-May-24
Barkeater, look a few posts above yours, there's where you'll find a poster with KS in his title...
From: KSflatlander
01-May-24
"The plan is blank after that. No maximum population and no mention of any way or plan to ever limit numbers."
Kind of. They will "manage" wolves in a GMU should the elk population go below GMU targets. They just don't say exactly how they will "manage" them. But I agree with Glunt that this is where to wolf management reintroduction plan failed in every way. Wolves must be managed and hunting/trapping is the best tool. There will be elk units that are affected by wolves in the future but it's still not all doom and gloom. Anyone willing to take a $500 bet that Colorado will still have the most elk in any state next year. And the year after that and the year after that...
From: Barkeater
01-May-24
If things get to bad ( just call the Orkin man).
From: Bow Bullet
01-May-24
KSf - True, they don't mention how they will manage wolves but the one thing they can't do without changing the law (and fat chance of that happening) is allow hunting of them because the language of the proposition designated wolves as a non-game species in CO.
From: TRnCO
02-May-24
sure, we all know it's going to take a few years before the impact of the wolves will be truly seen on elk and moose, BUT once the tipping point is reached, then what. And just look at the troubles the rancher are already having, with just 10 new implants. Can't imagine taking that and multiplying by 20.
From: Barkeater
02-May-24
Cpw has been gathering the data since collaring and release. What have the wolves been eating. Were the tax payers, this experimental program is costly. Could of group of citizens ask for a update on this project or coul they petition the courts for this data ?
From: ryanrc
03-May-24
Someone just reported having a wolf cross the road in front of him by the Allenspark firestation.
From: Barkeater
03-May-24
Possibly another pro wolf drop off. Just got a flyer Mexican wolves got wacked in New Mexico, there upping the reward of poaching over 100k. Good luck with that and there coy/wolf crosses.
From: bad karma
05-May-24
The point of this wolf introduction is to drive people who do not vote for socialists out of Colorado. Hunters don't vote for them, except for suckers. Oil and gas folks don't vote for them so they passed local control. Landlords don't vote for them so they add time for evictions and are pushing for rent control. Why one would vote for politicians that want you eliminated is weapons grade absurd.
From: Paul@thefort
05-May-24
Colorado's elk population has more than other states and if that population would be cut in half, we still have more than other states, but half as much. A huge lost to the elk population and hunter success. Yea, Colorado will still have elk, but hunter success will be much lower, hunter recruitment will be less, Less revenue for CPW. Less hunters visiting local communities. The prowolfers will be elated by all of this. Yep Doom and Gloom when compared with the current of Colorado's elk population.
Which US states have elk? Here's a breakdown of 2024 estimated elk herd populations by state.
State Estimated Elk Population Colorado 290,000 Montana 135,000 Oregon 133,000 Idaho 120,000 Wyoming 112,900 New Mexico 80,000 Utah 74,000 Washington 60,000 Arizona 40,000
From: Who Cares
05-May-24
Would be interesting to see a figure showing acreage of "elk range" for each of those States to reflect relative density. I'll try looking it up and see if there is such a thing.
From: Jaquomo
06-May-24
Chuck, don't overlook the tens of thousands of elk in places not open to hunting, or very little hunting, which are factored into the overall numbers of elk. I think a distinction should be made for huntable vs. unhuntable elk in all of the tag allocation considerations.
