Colorado's released wolves move away from Rocky Mountain National Park
The latest Colorado wolf activity map shows a retraction of the reintroduced predator in Routt and Grand counties, still, those two counties saw three confirmed wolf depredations of livestock during the June 25 July 23 mapping period.
A collared wolf or wolves killed a sheep July 17 in Grand County and calves on two separate dates: July 10 and July 7. Those were the first confirmed wolf depredations in July since the state's wolf depredations began in December of 2021.
Wolf movement is tracked through GPS collars.
The map is broken down by watersheds, or drainages, which can be large. If a wolf collar indicates a wolf or wolves were, or are, in that watershed, the entire watershed is marked as having wolves in it at some point in the last month. It does not necessarily mean a wolf or wolves are currently in those areas.
Notable movements of Colorado's wolves in latest mapping
Colorado's nine remaining collared wolves appear to have concentrated into the core release area of Grand and Summit counties as well as Jackson County, home to the North Park pack, according to the latest mapping.
Ten wolves were initially reintroduced in late December of 2023 in Grand and Summit counties. One was killed by a mountain lion. The remaining released wolves are still alive, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Two members of the North Park pack, which formerly numbered eight, are still alive.
Notable differences are in Larimer, Routt, Grand, Eagle and Moffat counties, which saw a reduction of wolf movement in drainages.
The biggest retraction was in eastern Grand County and areas on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park as well as Moffat County.
Collared wolves still have not crossed south of Interstate 70, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. That despite a collared wolf caught on a Colorado Corridors Project game camera June 8 near I-70 on the north side of East Vail Pass.
How many new wolf pups does Colorado have?
Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff continues to survey the rendezvous site and look for evidence of other pups around the Grand County den site but have only confirmed one pup born to two released wolves captured in Oregon.
Reid DeWalt, Colorado Parks and Wildlife assistant director, told Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioners at their July 19 meeting in Meeker there likely are other pups born, but that the terrain in the area is remote with much deadfall.
"We just have not visually seen them but we expect to see other pups,'' he said.
The wildlife agency has named them the Copper Creek Pack.
Wolves usually give birth to four to six pups at a time.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: See the latest map of where Colorado's wolves have wandered
