Two and a half years after introducing wolves into Colorado, residents now think it was a bad idea.
In 2020, Colorado voters passed a ballot initiative by less than two percent to forcefully introduce wolves into the state, despite four earlier rulings by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) against it.
Findings just released by the Colorado Polling Institute show a majority of Coloradans now want the state’s wolf program to come to an end. The poll shows 50 percent of those surveyed either favor or strongly favor suspending introductions while 39 percent oppose or strongly oppose. Breaking down the numbers geographically, 48 percent of those polled on the Front Range support suspending the program compared to 41 percent against. The rest of the state is even more lobsided with 54 percent in favor of suspension and just 29 percent opposed.
The Front Range numbers are especially telling since eight of the 13 counties that voted in favor of 2020 initiative were along that heavily populated urban area.
Graphic credit: Colorado Polling Institute
The results contrast those from a Magellan Strategies poll conducted in the summer of 2025 that showed statewide support for the wolf program at 53 to 37 percent.
To say Colorado’s wolf program is on a bumpy road is a massive understatement. After being turned down by Idaho, Montana and Wyoming while looking for a source to capture and translocate wolves, CPW got 10 wolves from Oregon in December 2023. Released in remote northern Colorado, the animals almost immediately began killing livestock. CPW eventually lethally removed several members of the Copper Creek Pack and captured and later released others. CPW relocated 15 more wolves from British Columbia in 2025. Fifteen of the 25 wolves brought into the state have since died and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told Colorado it could only receive wolves from six western states and not Canada.
The program’s annual budget skyrocketed to $2.1 million or almost three times more than original 2020 estimates the voters were told it would cost, while compensation is slated for $350,000 per year. In just the first three months of 2026, CPW had already paid $724,000 in wolf-livestock compensation.
During the state’s 2026 legislative session, CPW asked for $450,000 to bring more wolves into the state, despite not having a source location. Also, during the session and facing a $1.5 billion budget deficit, some lawmakers proposed no longer using state funds to fund the program.
While appearing before the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, the retiring wolf conservation program manager told commissioners that the state’s wolf program is at an “inflection point,” and could not predict if or when the state would meet its suggested wolf population goal of 150 to 200 animals.
In early June, a ranch owner in northwest Colorado reported one of her ranch hands shot and killed the breeding female from one of the state’s four pup-producing packs. The incident is under investigation and will test the law protecting endangered species, and the special 10j rules governing Colorado, specifically. If determined to be legal in that the wolf was killed in the act of attacking livestock of working ranch dogs, there will be no penalty. If not, the ranch hand and/or ranch owner could face fines up to $100,000, jail time and other penalties.
The escalating wolf issue may also be causing political fallout. Polling numbers show Coloradans now have an unfavorable opinion of Governor Jared Polis. He and First Gentleman Marlon Reis, a well-known animal rights advocate, both strongly supported wolf introduction.
About Hunt 2 Conserve
Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.
(Photo credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife/Jerry Neal)
