DENVER – A female wolf reintroduced from Canada last year was accidentally mistaken for a coyote when she was shot and killed by a hunter in January, state wildlife officials said Monday.
Those are the findings of a monthslong investigation by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which determined that a licensed hunter shot and killed the female wolf on Jan. 16, 2026.
A spokesperson for the agency said the hunter, who promptly reported the incident to CPW and cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation, was given a $140 citation and five suspension points on their license for violating CPW regulations.
The agency is not pursuing any other charges against the hunter, the CPW spokesperson said.
“Unlawful take of protected species is a criminal act that can carry serious penalties. Through CPW’s thorough investigative process we recognized that the hunter made the ethical choice to immediately report the incident and take responsibility for the accident,” said Ty Petersburg, Chief of Law Enforcement and Assistant Director of Field Services for CPW in a prepared statement.
The wolf was part of the group that was transferred from Canada to Colorado in January 2025.
Watch our coverage on that release in the video player below.
Denver7 has been following Colorado's wolf reintroduction program since the very beginning, and you can explore all of that reporting in the timeline below, which starts with our most recent story.
