I know, the picture is gross. Icky. Eeewww. You don’t want to see it. Nor does the poor rancher who owned the calf!
The wolves are eating well—and Colorado ranchers are paying for the buffet. In a July 21, 2025, piece from Colorado Politics, reporter (and friend) Marianne Goodland details how the Copper Creek wolf pack has claimed yet another calf in Pitkin County. This marks the 13th verified livestock kill by wolves since their government-mandated reintroduction last December. For those keeping score: wolves = full bellies, ranchers = empty pockets, bureaucrats = more forms to file. Welcome to the new Colorado wildlife policy—where predators get a pass and producers get paperwork.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Another Day, Another Dead Calf: The latest confirmed kill comes courtesy of the Copper Creek wolf pack—who are apparently developing a taste for rural livelihoods.
- “Reimbursement” Red Tape: Sure, ranchers can apply for compensation. But it takes hours of time, mounds of documentation, and the patience of a Buddhist monk. Plus, the payout never covers the true cost.
- Taxpayer-Funded Predation: That reimbursement money doesn’t come from magic. It comes from you, dear taxpayer. You’re funding both the wolf attacks and the after-the-fact cleanup.
- Urban Fantasy, Rural Reality: This is the result of ballot-box biology—when latte-sipping voters in Boulder decide wolves are cute while never dealing with the carnage.
- Wake Up, Suburban Normies: You like your beef cheap and your roads plowed, but you’re sleepwalking through policies that punish the people who provide both. Time to pick a side.
My Bottom Line
Here’s your daily dose of bloody reality: wolves are killing calves and Colorado’s urban elite are killing common sense. Ranchers shouldn’t have to spend hours proving a predator problem that’s plainly obvious—and they sure as hell shouldn’t have to beg for reimbursement while activists cheer from the bleachers. You don’t need to hate wolves to admit this whole scheme is a logistical, economic, and moral train wreck. And suburban voters? It’s time to stop Instagramming your farm-to-table brunch and start paying attention to what’s happening at the actual farm. Because the wolves aren’t just eating cattle—they’re devouring the backbone of rural Colorado, one calf at a time.
