Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirms minimum count of pups in One Ear Pack

Luke Perkins
Statewide Public Information Officer
303-392-5789 / l[email protected]

DENVER – On Tuesday July 29, 2025, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) confirmed a minimum count of six pups in the One Ear Pack in Jackson County. 

“This additional confirmation of successful gray wolf reproduction in Colorado is an important milestone in restoration efforts as we work to establish a self-sustaining wolf population,” said Jeff Davis, director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “CPW continues to monitor four recognized packs in Northwest Colorado as well as other wolves in the state.”

As a minimum count, the number confirmed on Tuesday is not a guaranteed number of total pups due to the challenges in detecting them at this time of year.

“We know that there are at least six pups in the One Ear Pack but there is a possibility that there were additional pups we did not see,” said Eric Odell, wolf conservation program manager. “However, detection of pups early on is inherently low due to a number of factors including their size, use of densely covered homesites, and time potentially underground.”

Female gray wolves can give birth to an average litter of four to six pups. Pup survival in the wild varies widely by location and is difficult to study, but rough estimates place survival rates for the first year at between 50 and 60 percent. 

The average lifespan of a gray wolf in the Rocky Mountains is generally 3-4 years.

CPW would like to remind the public that intentional disruption of any pack is considered harassment and perpetrators will be subject to fines. Additionally, Colorado’s wolf packs may be residing on privately owned lands. Going onto private lands without getting permission first is considered trespassing which is subject to punishment by the local jurisdiction. 

Video of the One Ear Pack pups can be found in CPW’s Bringing Wolves Back to Colorado Media Kit.