Perry: It’s time to remove them

The Copper Creek pack was removed from Grand County for chronic depredation and translocated to Pitkin County, an act going against the Colorado wolf plan. Within a month, several heifers were killed on Capitol Creek, presumably by the Copper Creek pack. They have continued to kill calves and been seen in daylight harassing cattle. CPW continues in their attempt to change the wolves’ behavior by hauling dead deer and elk near the den site and sending trained range riders out to watch the cattle while they continue to ignore the immense stress these cattle are under. The cattle are living with wolves that are constantly sorting off a cow and calf, forcing the cow to dash one way toward one wolf, then to the other side after another in an attempt to chase the wolves off. It is time for the Copper Creek pack to be removed and pool the state’s wolf dollars toward the other wolves and their three new litters of pups to ensure they are more successful. 

Tracey Ross, in The Colorado Sun, recently wrote of the ongoing chronic depredation of cattle on Capitol Creek by the Copper Creek pack. The Aspen Times and Aspen Daily News may yet reprint this story as it is of local public interest.  

Two ranchers on Capitol Creek have lost many cattle, over 20 head — though, only three have been confirmed as they are mostly calves and often nothing is left but a bit of spine. They have range riders working in groups of three, fladry for calving, fox lights, and other common wolf deterrents. The range riders are provided “non-injurious tools,” such as rubber bullets, but due to brush and thick vegetation, they cannot fire a shot. Turkish guard dogs are effective at actually chasing wolves off, but they are aggressive and recreationalist may not enjoy encountering them. 

The cattle are now on forest permits. When the riders took two days off, the wolves chased and scattered the cows and calves onto numerous properties. Calves were lying like dead in the road from exhaustion. Cows were crippled from catching their legs in cattle guards in their desperation to get away. It took several days to find and gather all the cows. Stress affects cows the same as people, making them susceptible to disease, causing weight loss, and lowering conception rates. Rob Edward, ever arrogant and myopic, writes ranchers should expect risk. But this is beyond risk. This is the way to bankruptcy. And it’s heart-breaking and exhausting as well. 

If Rob Edward could see the big picture, then he would realize that wildlife needs private ranch land. In the Tracey Ross article, Pete McBride describes all the predators his camera picks up on his private property. This is the norm on ranches. The predators are there because deer and elk are present alongside wild turkeys, songbirds, and small mammals. Private land is crucial if we want healthy wildlife on public lands. These private lands are geographically intertwined with public land. With the sale of private lands, wildlife loses. As the human population climbs, ranches become more and more important. 

While ranchers provide habitat, they in turn benefit in summer when their cattle graze on forest permits. This system works. There is occasional depredation, but coyotes, mountain lions, and bears do minimal damage to cattle. Wolves, especially the Copper Creek pack, are another story.  

Removing the Copper Creek pack is very different than wanting to get rid of all wolves. CPW’s experimenting with “re-training the Copper Creek wolves” is causing incredible pain and expense to ranchers and tax payers. With Colorado’s shrinking tax dollars, it might be good to consider priorities. Can we afford range riders around the clock or aggressive dogs that may harm people for one pack of wolves that prefer eating cattle? The wolf program was estimated to cost $800,000 per year. In 2024, it surpassed three million, competing with roads and schools. Wolves reproduce very quickly. There are other wolves around the state with pups that require less resources. 

The Copper Creek pack is not afraid of humans, prefers to eat cattle, and was translocated from Grand County to Pitkin against the wolf plan. It’s time to remove them. 

Marj Perry lives in Carbondale.