From ‘wolf-sized’ to ‘Hi, puppy:’ Suspected wolf reports in Colorado are hard to verify

Since wolves were reintroduced to the Western Slope back in December, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has seen an uptick in suspected sightings reported on its website, with some of the descriptions proving to be more helpful than others.

How big was the animal?

“Wolf-sized,” one observer in Routt County wrote on a Colorado Parks and Wildlife form. “Large” wrote another in Jackson County. 

How was it behaving?

“Appeared to be generally happy, prancing down the road,” wrote a Summit County witness.

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“Trotted out to where we were on the hill and where I peed,” said someone reporting from Chaffee County.

Did you make any noises when you saw it?

“I accidently said ‘Hi, Puppy!’ because I thought it was a large dog approaching us and I was scared,” wrote another.

There have been about 50 suspected wolf sightings reported to Colorado Parks and Wildlife from 2023 through January of this year, according to records reviewed by Vail Daily. While the names and exact locations of the witnesses were redacted, the reports provide new details on how residents and visitors are interacting with animals they believe to be wolves. The records reviewed only include formal reports completed on the CPW site, not the myriad of social media posts on the topic. 

Many of the reports are too vague for CPW officials to verify, said Eric Odell, the wolf conservation program manager for the agency. 

“Most of those are easily dismissed or there’s just not enough information to say anything, but when we get a report and say ‘Oh yeah that very well could be a wolf.’ It’s less than 1% I would say,” Odell said. 

Ideally, those who think they see a wolf should snap a photo of the animal to submit to the agency. If that’s not possible, a photo of the tracks — including the full stride and some kind of object placed next to the track to show the scale — can also help verify animal type. 

The first five wolves released as part of the reintroduction effort, all captured from Oregon, were set free in a remote forest in Grand County on Dec. 19. Since then, five more wolves have been released. The state doesn’t plan to make any more introductions until the next “capture season,” which runs from December until March.

While Colorado Parks and Wildlife has attached tracking collars to all the wolves released so far, they will reproduce and new pups will eventually wander the state without any tracking devices.

“If people were to see wolves, or what they think are wolves, in areas where we don’t have a collared wolf, that would be really interesting to us, especially if there are high quality photos,” Odell said. 

When filling out CPW’s wolf sighting form, observers are asked dozens of questions about the interaction. What color was the animal? Was it wearing a collar? What was its ear position? How long was its tail?

“Without really good information, it’s hard to make as much of each report,” Odell said.  

In the past, reports from residents and visitors in the mountains have proven extremely useful to the agency. A report from someone in Jackson County made CPW aware of a wolf traveling into the state from Wyoming. 

Whether a CPW staff member responds to a report of a suspected wolf sighting is largely dependent on staffing availability, Odell said. But dispelling rumors of a sighting is just as important as verifying them. 

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In January, CPW released a map showing the watersheds where the collared wolves have traveled. It will continue to be updated once a month. 

One of the biggest distinctions between wolves and coyotes is their size. Wolves are much larger, both in weight and height. There are also differences between their faces and tracks. CPW has a guide to the differences in a pamphlet posted on its website.