While wolf depredation in Colorado has recently taken place, WyoFile’s Mike Koshmrl reports that most of the state’s first local pack since the 1940s has fallen at the hands of hunters.

According to Koshmrl, “at least four wolves from the North Park Pack,” which naturally migrated into the state and was believed to include six members, have been lured across state lines into Wyoming using electronic calls, at which point hunters were able to legally shoot and kill the animals. Koshmrl reports that the first killing took place in May of 2019, before the pack was officially confirmed near the start of the following year. In 2020, three more wolves were killed near the state line. At least one of the calls used to lure the wolves was reportedly the sound of a pronghorn in distress.

In Wyoming, gray wolves in the ‘predatory animal area‘ can be killed at any time, with this area including the land near Wyoming’s border with Colorado, along with the majority of the state.

Wyoming’s rules related to killing wolves are starkly different than rules in Colorado, where the killing of wolves is strictly prohibited unless it’s act of self-defense – though this will open up a bit on December 8, when the killing of wolves involved in depredation of livestock will be discouraged, but allowed.

With Colorado’s official wolf reintroduction effort set to start before the end of the year, this instance begs the question of whether or not wolves being reintroduced could suffer the same fate.

Do you think Colorado’s wolf reintroduction effort will be a success? Let us know in the comments.

Read Mike Koshmrl’s full WyoFile article here for an in-depth look at what’s happening to Colorado’s wolves at the state line.