A yearling wolf from the controversial Copper Creek pack has been identified as the predator responsible for a heifer’s death in eastern Gunnison County on Nov. 22, according to the rancher who discovered the animal. The death marks the fourth confirmed livestock killing attributed to wolves in Colorado during the month of November. The rancher declined to be identified.
The deceased heifer was found in eastern Gunnison County, making it the latest loss for ranchers since Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) began reintroducing gray wolves under a 2020 voter mandate.
The other confirmed incidents in November included the killings of two calves and a ewe in Routt, Pitkin and Rio Blanco counties, according to CPW.
The Copper Creek pack, which originated from a pair of wolves relocated from Oregon, has been linked to numerous livestock depredations across multiple counties. The pack’s history of conflict includes:
May 2025: CPW lethally removed one of the Copper Creek yearlings in Pitkin County after a weekend of livestock killings, following a determination of “chronic depredation.” The pack was confirmed to have caused four depredation events between May 17-25, 2025.
September 2025: A second yearling from the pack was shot by wildlife officers in Rio Blanco County after it killed six sheep. DNA tests later confirmed the animal was an uncollared pup from the pack, which had evaded capture the previous year.
Ranchers have been paid more than $500,000 for livestock deaths in 2024, as well as for indirect losses such as lower birth rates and market weights. Wolves have killed at least 36 cattle, sheep and a working dog in 2025, surpassing the 29 confirmed kills CPW reported in 2024.
The Copper Creek pack itself has been a source of difficulty for the reintroduction program. The male of the original mating pair died shortly after being captured in August 2024, with its death later attributed to injuries from a gunshot wound, prompting a federal investigation.
The state’s efforts to continue releasing wolves have also faced hurdles. CPW’s agreement to source wolves from British Columbia has been put on hold after a federal ruling stated the animals must come from specific regions in the U.S., including Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and parts of Utah, Washington and Oregon. So far, no other states have agreed to supply wolves.
CPW is mandated by voters to release 30 to 50 wolves over a three-to-five-year period to establish a self-sustaining population, but the program has struggled with low survival rates and a high number of livestock conflicts.
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