Two more Pitkin County calf depredation incidents reported
Colorado Parks and Wildlife/Courtesy Photo
A ranch in Old Snowmass has reported two incidents of calf depredation this week.
According to Tom Harrington, president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, the two separate incidents were discovered at the McCabe Ranch on Monday, June 2, and Tuesday, June 3. He said that an investigation by Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been concluded for the two incidents, ruling both inconclusive.
“It was inconclusive because there were bear tracks, coyote tracks, and wolf tracks,” said Harrington of both incidents. “So it was not confirmed as a wolf kill.”
Rachael Gonzales, public information officer for the Northwest Region of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said investigators look for a variety of factors to determine what might have caused the kill.
“When conducting a depredation investigation, staff will look for any bite marks,” she said in an email. “Hemorrhaging, tracks, scat, and other signs to determine if the animal was killed by a predator or if the animal died from natural causes and was scavenged on by another animal.”
There was little of the animals left when they were discovered on McCabe Ranch, according to Harrington.
He noted that, while there were three predator tracks leading to the dead calves, he believes it is unlikely that a bear or coyote would have taken down calves as large as these ones.
“These (calves) are 6- to 7- weeks-old, 180-pound calves,” he said. “They’re healthy, and a black bear or a coyote just does not kill a calf like that.”
While Harrington suspects wolf depredation, McCabe Ranch will not be able to seek reimbursement from the CPW Wolf Depredation Fund unless it can confirm that the depredation was caused by wolves.
The Roaring Fork Valley saw two confirmed wolf depredations in mid-May. The McCabe Ranch encountered a wolf depredation as recently as May 17. CPW confirmed that it had “lethally removed” a member of the Copper Creek pack in a press release on May 29, following multiple confirmed incidents with a member of the pack.
The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association put out a statement calling attention to the stresses depredation has caused.
“We do know this: Ranching families are facing increasing emotional and financial pressure as depredations continue to rise,” said the association in a Facebook post. “Colorado’s livestock producers are committed to stewardship of both land and livestock, but we need meaningful solutions that recognize the real, daily challenges happening on the ground.”
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