Recently in a emergency meeting of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife discussed the slaughter of several cattle by wolves near the re-release site of the Copper Creek pack, yes, that beef loving depredation group imported from Oregon. A CPW commissioner was quoted by several news sources:
“We don’t have to kill everything, there are ways of dealing with things in a non-lethal way. A lot on both sides need to relax a little bit and allow this to kind of play out. I feel for the ranchers that are having problems. Yes its a tough situation. Change is always difficult. I live in the city and I’m having to put up with traffic that gets on my nerves, too.”
Wow, how clueless can you be — city dweller — about ranchers losing many of animals after a known cattle eating wolf pack was released again. The troublesome pack being trapped earlier in the year for cattle depredation and transported into your neighborhood for release — again.
Comparing wolves, ripping apart calves and mother cows, to putting up with traffic in his city is not only clueless, it points to the increasing divide in understanding between urban and country living.
Life long cattle ranchers are generally independent types, those who make living off of the cattle they breed and the land they own or lease. I’m not talking about “want-to-be ranchers” like me, who really had another profession or job and have a few cattle on their retirement “ranchette.” Beyond seeing their neighbors at spring branding, Saturday morning breakfast at the local gathering place in town, or at dances at the local community halls, these weathered face, tough ranchers and their families pretty much stick to their passion. Taking care of 300 cattle or more on thousands of acres is a full-time, sometimes a 24/7 job. Inserting an apex predator into the mix is a change definitely not helping a “tough situation.”
This inherited trait of independence is the Cowboy Way and is part of our western heritage.
Ranchers generally don’t count on government to solve their daily problems. During floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, droughts, blizzards and many other of nature’s maladies that effect the various farms and ranches across America, most don’t make it to the news. Only major disasters — why? because ranchers deal with their own problems, multi-generational experience teaches them to — why? Because they often live remotely where no one is there to help, except a few like-minded neighbors. I believe this is a major reason the wolf introduction is so controversial. The rancher has no workable option besides jail time and huge fine to protect his livelihood from a front range citizens initiative resulting in a government-mandated and “managed” program which has been a disaster. At least $3 million spent so far, $800,000budgeted, the state “compensation reserve” is stone cold broke with more loss claims pending. A significant loss of cattle and wolves, with no end in sight.
Why did the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association come out against the independent group, Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy trying to provide a solution and end to this travesty? Why was the CCA not even on the list of the top five contributors in 2020 campaign against the wolf introduction initiative originally? The initiative only passed by 15,000 votes out of 3 million. It won in only five counties along the front range with every other rural county in the state voting against.
A few bucks from the CCA might have made the difference.
I believe it is because there are few multi-generational ranchers left in Colorado. Larger ranch land has become so expensive most are owned by “absentee owners” many from other states, they don’t live everyday with their cattle. They live in cities, a few calf carcasses that a hired ranch hand has to deal with is no big deal — and they like the cool, hip idea of wolves to balance the so called natural environment.
Tell that to Montana, that state is having so many problems now with wolves, who have killed off so much of their deer, moose, elk herds and Rocky Mountain sheep they are considering selling hunting tags to allow the killing of 500 wolves this season, about half of their out-of control wolf population. Is that the future that Colorado voters really want? All the Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy is proposing with a 2026 citizens initiative (No. 13) is to STOP the import of wolves into Colorado. Sign the petition to get this initiative on the ballet in the next couple of weeks, or better yet, get a petition and help reach out to 40 of your neighbors to sign one to get this initiative on the ballet. Being clueless is no longer an excuse.
West is a Scottish Highland rancher in Livermore, Colo., and author of “Twenty Miles of Fence: Blueprint of a Cowboy.”
