Colorado’s wolf restoration program has indicators of development, and CPW’s latest annual report lays them out plainly. The state now has 4 acknowledged wolf packs, 4 recognized litters, and a minimal depend of 32 wolves on the finish of the 2025-2026 organic yr.
That’s the half wolf restoration supporters will level to first. Wolves are pairing, denning, and producing pups in Colorado, which is precisely what the voter-approved restoration effort was meant to start out.
The remainder of the report is quite a bit much less tidy. CPW additionally reported a 61% grownup survival charge, 10 recognized wolf mortalities, 43 confirmed livestock depredations, greater than $700,000 in permitted compensation for lacking livestock and manufacturing losses, and no new wolf releases throughout the winter launch season.
In different phrases, Colorado has pups on the bottom and a wolf program nonetheless taking laborious hits from virtually each route.
Colorado Counts 32 Wolves and 4 Identified Litters
CPW’s 2025-2026 Colorado Grey Wolf Annual Report covers the organic yr from April 1, 2025, by means of March 31, 2026. The company reported 32 recognized wolves in Colorado on the finish of that interval, together with 18 adults and 14 pups.
These wolves embody 24 animals in 4 acknowledged packs and eight non-pack wolves. CPW listed the 4 packs as Copper Creek, King Mountain, One Ear, and Three Creeks.
The One Ear pack had the biggest minimal winter depend, with 9 wolves, together with 4 adults and 5 pups. Copper Creek had six wolves, Three Creeks had 5, and King Mountain had 4.
CPW acknowledges a pack solely after documented copy. By that normal, Colorado had 4 acknowledged packs and 4 recognized litters throughout the reporting yr, which provides the restoration effort a transparent signal of early copy.
Grownup Survival Got here in Under CPW’s Evaluation Threshold
The more durable quantity is grownup survival. CPW estimated total grownup wolf survival at 61% for recognized wolves throughout the organic yr, based mostly on a pattern of 28 wolves and 10 recognized mortalities.
CPW famous that the arrogance interval was large as a result of the pattern dimension was modest. That context is necessary, but it surely doesn’t make the quantity disappear.
Colorado’s wolf plan says CPW should overview seize, transport, and launch protocols if survival falls under 70% throughout the first 6 months after launch. CPW stated it accomplished that overview and decided the mortalities weren’t attributable to these protocols.
The company concluded additional overview wasn’t warranted. Nonetheless, a 61% grownup survival charge will stay one of the crucial scrutinized numbers within the report, particularly with Colorado’s wolf inhabitants nonetheless this small.
10 Wolves Died In the course of the Reporting Yr
CPW documented 10 recognized wolf mortalities throughout the 2025-2026 organic yr. The report lists one pure loss of life, six anthropogenic deaths, and three deaths nonetheless below investigation.
The mortality desk contains two authorized takes exterior Colorado, one mountain lion kill, one entrapment loss of life, one CPW management motion, one car strike, one capture-related loss of life, and three ongoing investigations.
The CPW management motion concerned wolf 2405 from the Copper Creek pack. CPW lethally eliminated that wolf on Might 29, 2025, after the company decided three Pitkin County livestock producers had skilled continual depredation by members of the pack.
CPW stated these producers had carried out viable, affordable, and efficient nonlethal deterrents recognized in web site assessments. The company additionally stated it consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier than concluding deadly removing was legally approved and applicable.
The company later tried to take away one other Copper Creek wolf after extra depredations in July and August. That effort wasn’t profitable. CPW additionally tried to take away an uncollared wolf tied to continual depredation in Rio Blanco County, however these makes an attempt additionally failed.
Livestock Depredations Add Strain
CPW confirmed 43 wolf depredations throughout the organic yr, together with 19 cattle, 23 sheep, and one working canine. The company paid $43,275.06 for direct losses throughout the reporting interval, although a number of claims remained open when CPW finalized the report.
The larger quantity comes from lacking livestock and production-loss claims. CPW permitted $709,629.05 in compensation for ratio claims, decreased conception charges, decreased weights, and lacking livestock.
That’s a whole lot of monetary strain round a minimal wolf depend of 32 animals. It additionally explains why the livestock-conflict portion of this report isn’t some aspect problem. It’s central as to if this program can maintain shifting with out shedding extra public belief in rural communities.
CPW additionally expanded its conflict-minimization work throughout the reporting yr. The company performed 78 web site assessments, bringing its complete to 282 since 2022. It additionally deployed 13.75 miles of fladry throughout 15 places, 61 scare units, and 12 night time watch occasions.
CPW stated no livestock have been misplaced to wolf depredation whereas fladry was deployed on the places the place it was used throughout the 2025 calving season. That’s one of many extra helpful sensible particulars within the report, as a result of it factors to what could also be engaged on the bottom.
No New Wolves Have been Launched This Winter
Colorado’s wolf plan requires 10 to fifteen wolves to be launched annually for 3 to five years. That didn’t occur throughout the 2025-2026 launch season.
CPW had deliberate for a 3rd yr of releases and signed a multiyear settlement with British Columbia in July 2025. The company had additionally begun planning January 2026 seize operations for as much as 15 wolves.
In October 2025, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik despatched CPW a letter stating that the company could be in search of wolves from exterior the supply areas outlined in Colorado’s 10(j) rule. CPW stated it disagreed with that interpretation and stated USFWS had beforehand assured the company it may import wolves from Canada with no USFWS allow.
Even so, CPW determined to not pursue the January 2026 seize and translocation from British Columbia. The company additionally tried to safe wolves from the Washington Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Nation, however these efforts weren’t profitable.
CPW introduced in January that it had no plans for wolf translocations throughout that launch season. Within the annual report, the company stated substantial future translocation efforts will seemingly be crucial for establishing a self-sustaining wolf inhabitants in Colorado.
Elk and Deer Impacts Stay an Open Query
CPW stated it didn’t conduct a proper examination of wolf predation on wild ungulates throughout the 2025-2026 organic yr. Nevertheless, the company stated biologists opportunistically investigated wolf predation occasions.
The report additionally notes that a number of high-intensity elk and deer monitoring areas overlap locations the place wolves have been current throughout the reporting yr. In these areas, elk and mule deer have GPS collars so CPW can monitor survival, cause-specific mortality, and different items of ungulate ecology.
For hunters, which means one of many greatest questions round wolf restoration continues to be creating. Colorado has extra wolves on the panorama, however CPW hasn’t produced a proper report on wolf predation impacts on elk and deer throughout this organic yr.
