A hunter on the prowl for coyotes in northwestern Colorado accidentally shot and killed a wolf in January, a mistake that did not result in criminal charges, Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced Monday.
In a statement following a federal investigation, CPW said the death of female wolf 2504, translocated to Colorado from British Columbia in January 2025, was the result of mistaken identity and that they cited the hunter a $140 fee and five hunting license suspension points for killing the animal without the appropriate license.
Wolves are an endangered species protected federally and in Colorado, and killing one is a criminal act that can bring up to one year jail, fines ranging from $2,000 to $100,000, and suspension of hunting and fishing privileges from one year to life.
But CPW said it “recognized that the hunter made the ethical choice to immediately report the incident and take responsibility for the accident,” and decided not to press further charges.
Seventeen wolves have died since Colorado began reintroducing them in December 2023. The state has imported a total of 25 wolves from Oregon and British Columbia during the reintroduction program’s short history.
Not all of the deaths are wolves from the original 25. The last three deaths were of uncollared wolves, indicating they were born in Colorado.
Coyote hunting is legal in Colorado and hunters can kill two animals per day, following a new regulation passed by the Parks and Wildlife Commission in July that reduced the bag limits on coyotes and 16 other furbearing animals from unlimited to two starting Sept. 1.
But wolf advocates are worried coyotes will continue to be mistaken for wolves.
Three wolves have been caught in coyote traps since reintroduction started, and two have died, CPW confirmed.
Since wolves returned to Colorado, Mark Surls, Colorado and Northern Rockies coordinator for the advocacy group Project Coyote, has been concerned.
“This deadly case of mistaken identity is the predictable result of a coyote hunting season with almost no guardrails,” he said. “Colorado cannot claim to champion wolf recovery while leaving the door wide open for wolves to be killed as collateral damage.”