Coyote Hunt Gone Wrong: Reintroduced Gray Wolf Killed in Northwestern Colorado

Standard operating procedure for a hunter usually boils down to one golden rule: know what you’re pulling the trigger on. Unfortunately for one Colorado hunter in mid-January, a case of mistaken identity turned a routine coyote hunt into an ecological oopsie. The Denver Post reported that while spotting a furry canine in the brush, the hunter lined up the shot, pulled the trigger, and only upon walking up to the fallen creature realized the grim reality—that wasn’t a coyote. It was female gray wolf 2504-BC, a recruit imported all the way from British Columbia to help rebuild Colorado’s wolf population.

When you accidentally harvest a federally protected species, standard protocol typically involves heavy panic and potential jail time. Unlawful wolf-killing in the Centennial State can rack up six-figure fines and a year behind bars, but this hunter took the high road, immediately dialing up wildlife officials and laying out the whole awkward truth. Because of the instant self-report and full cooperation, federal and state investigators concluded it was a genuine accident rather than malicious poaching. The result was instead of a major criminal record, the hunter walked away with a slap-on-the-wrist citation featuring a $140 fine and five penalty points on their hunting license—costing less than a decent pair of hunting boots.

While the hunter got off light, conservationists are howling (punny) over the bigger picture. Wolf 2504-BC marks the seventeenth wolf lost since Colorado kicked off its reintroduction project in late 2023, raising uncomfortable questions about how wolf-friendly the backcountry really is. Wildlife advocates argue that open-season coyote hunting creates a hazardous “shoot first, ask questions later” climate where endangered wolves are perpetually one mistaken silhouette away from a tragic end. Colorado Parks and Wildlife, meanwhile, is using the incident as an expensive teaching moment, reminding everyone in the woods that if you can’t tell a big bad wolf from a coyote, it’s best to leave your finger off the trigger. Same goes for the big sky state, too.

On the topic of hunting coyotes, did you see the 12th Annual Winnett/Grass Range Coyote Derby has its dates set? CLICK HERE for more info!

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