Ranchers Hurl $580K Worth of Compensation Claims at Colorado Parks and Wildlife for Wolf Depredation

Like the old saying goes, things are bound to get worse before they get better for Colorado officials as the battle over the state’s reintroduced wolf population continues to rage on.

Despite capturing an entire pack back in September, corralling the insatiable wild canines did nothing to protect the state’s Parks and Wildlife Department from the forthcoming conflict from ranchers. 

With seemingly endless reports of wolf depredation on cattle and other livestock, ranchers in Grand County have finally hurled a $582,000 bill at the state’s wildlife management agency. 

The claims for compensation come from three local producers from attacks they say all took place during 2024. Of the compensation costs, $18,411.71 is for confirmed attacks resulting in the injury or death of cows, calves and sheep; $173,526.63 for yearling cattle, calves and sheep that have been reported missing from ranches with a confirmed attack or death; $216,772.20 for cattle from ranches taken to market with lower-thank-normal weight; $172,754.64 for lower conception rates among sheep and cattle on ranches with a confirmed attack or kill and $515 for one necropsy of a deceased calf.

Tim Ritschard, president of the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, emailed the claims Tuesday with a letter to CPW commissioners, referencing the petition the group submitted back in September. 

While it remains unlikely that the majority of the claims will be approved, given the difficulty of pinning a missing animal to any one wolf, the intention of the bill was to grab the attention of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission in hopes of swaying their decision to release more wolves at their meeting which took place yesterday in Denver.

And much to their dismay, the state Wildlife Commission voted 10-1 on Wednesday, denying a citizen proposal to delay the further release of wolves pending further development of support for livestock producers on the front lines.

With only seven of the ten original wolves released in Summit and Grand counties in December of 2023 still alive, officials have stated they have every intention of continuing to move forward. In addition to releasing all of the captured wolves and their pups, officials also confirmed that they are planning to release 10 to 15 more wolves from British Columbia over the next couple of months.

In the meantime, the state is hoping to hire and train 12 range riders before the summer grazing season kicks off. While considered a highly effective means of managing wolves, producers worry about the months that will pass between the next wolf release and the completion of rider training.

“Having range riders trained and in place is crucial to preventing depredations,” said Ritschard. “Those range riders need to be trained and deployed before these calving seasons begin.”

So while the battle seems to have subsided ever so slightly, I think we all have a feeling that the war on this particular subject is far from over.