Colorado’s newest wolves — three pups born this spring — are growing fast and could be up to about 50 pounds each, according to a video recently taken by an outdoorsman and verified by that state’s Parks and Wildlife department.
Colorado outdoorsman Mike Usalavage told Cowboy State Daily that he and his son, Hank, happened upon the wolves completely by chance about two weeks ago.
It was “beautiful” to see the three wolf pups romping in a puddle “just like puppies do,” he said.
But even after that experience, Usalavage, who is an avid big game hunter, said he still isn’t sure how he feels about wolves being reintroduced to the Centennial State.
“I was conflicted about it before, and I remain conflicted,” he said.
Chance Meeting
Usalavage said that he and his son were just out for a drive in the mountains when they topped a rise and spotted the wolf pups frolicking in and around a puddle left in the middle of the road by recent rain.
He stopped his pickup and started shooting video as he and Hank watched, along with two Jack Russell terriers that were also in the pickup’s cab.
The dogs watched the wolves intently, but didn’t seem frightened by them, Usalavage said.
“Our Jack Russell terriers were mostly quiet,” he said. “I don’t know if it was out of respect or because of them thinking, ‘Oh, look, those are our cousins.’”
At one point in the video an adult wolf, presumably the pups’ mother can be seen wearing an orange tracking collar.
The encounter was brief. Usalavage caught roughly 2 minutes of video before the wolves were startled by something and took off.
He’s not sure what startled the wolves, but he doesn’t think it was his truck, the humans or dogs.
“For some freak reason, they never even saw us,” he said.
It was a thrill to see the wolves in the wild, Usalavage. But as a hunter, he has mixed feelings about wolves being in Colorado.
He said he also understands and sympathizes with the frustration ranchers have over the wolves.
Colorado rancher Kim Gittleson, whose family cattle operation is near the Colorado-Wyoming state line, recently told Cowboy State Daily it seems like their place has become a “grocery store” for wolves.
The latest confirmed wolf attack on livestock in Colorado was in Grand County on July 28.
That attack “involved eight sheep,” but the investigation is ongoing and a damage claim has yet to be filed, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife wolf depredation report.
Three Pups Now Confirmed
Usalavage sent the video of the wolf pups to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department (CPW).
An inquiry sent to CPW regarding the video and other aspects of the wolf reintroduction program was not answered by publication time for this story. But CPW posted the video, which is credited to Usalavage, on its social media.
The agency states that the video was reviewed and verified by one of its biologists.
CPW reports that the video shows three “healthy wolf pups” thought to be about 40-50 pounds each. They are thought to belong to the Copper Creek Pack.
That pack was reported in June to have at least one pup.
Future Of Colorado Wolf Program Uncertain
That pup was the first one confirmed born to wolves that were reintroduced to Colorado in December 2023.
There were wolves in Colorado previously. The Gittlesons first spotted a wolf on their ranch in 2019. It was thought to have come from Wyoming.
That wolf later was joined by and mated with another wolf from Wyoming, forming the short-lived North Park pack. Most of that pack is dead. Some of those wolves are thought to have crossed back into Wyoming and been killed by hunters.
Two wolves, both males, are thought to be the only survivors of that pack still in Colorado.
They would soon be joined by other wolves, which were deliberately brought in.
Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program was initiated by Proposition 114, which Colorado voters passed in 2020 by the slimmest of margins, 50.91% to 49.09%.
After Wyoming, Montana and Idaho refused to provide wolves for Colorado’s reintroduction program, Oregon finally agreed to give 10 wolves.
One of those wolves was reported killed by a mountain lion this summer. That leaves Colorado’s known adult wolf population at 11, the nine surviving reintroduced wolves plus the two survivors from the North Park pack.
Colorado plans to add 10-15 more wolves each year until a stable population of 30-50 wolves is established.
CPW officials announced this month that the plan is still to bring in more wolves this winter, but it’s not certain where they will come from.
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington state initially agreed to provide 15 wolves for this year’s round of reintroductions.
However, the tribes later rescinded that offer, as reported by Rachel Gabel, assistant editor of the Fence Post, a national agricultural newspaper.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
