Six Wolf Pups Confirmed in Northern Colorado’s One Ear Pack
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has confirmed at least six wolf pups in the One Ear Pack in Jackson County, marking a significant development in the state’s gray wolf restoration efforts. Captured on video, the pups were observed playing and exploring under the watchful eyes of adult wolves—clear evidence of successful reproduction in Colorado’s growing wolf population.
While six pups have been officially counted, CPW emphasizes this is a minimum estimate. Due to dense vegetation, underground dens, and the pups’ small size, early detection remains challenging. It’s possible that more pups are present but remain unseen. Typically, female gray wolves give birth to litters of 4 to 6 pups, but survival rates in the wild can vary greatly, with roughly 50–60% surviving their first year. In the Rockies, gray wolves generally live 3 to 4 years.
This milestone adds to CPW’s monitoring of four established wolf packs across northwest Colorado and several other individual wolves in the state. Officials are reminding the public not to disturb wolves, as any intentional disruption is considered harassment and can lead to fines. Furthermore, many wolf territories overlap with private lands—trespassing to view or approach wolves is illegal without landowner permission.
CPW continues to track these developments closely as part of its long-term plan to establish a self-sustaining wolf population in Colorado.
