Colorado outfitter worries about wolves' effect on elk population — and his business

While ranchers whose livestock graze the lands of northern Colorado immediately west of the Continental Divide worry about depredating wolves, one outfitter is worried about the apex predators taking out too many of the animals his clients come to him for.

"Do we have any idea about the impact on the wild ungulate population?" Earl Osterling, who has owned and run Ivory & Antler Outfitters for the past 14 years, asked during a meeting with wildlife officials in North Park on June 15.

Osterling later told Colorado Politics he has observed changes in wildlife behavior due to wolves, which he said he began seeing in North Park in 2018.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is studying the "ungulates" — moose, elk, various kinds of deer — as part of the state's wolf management plan, said Jeff Davis, director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

"We don't see it yet but we're tracking it," he said.

Osterling and about 100 people — ranchers, state and local elected officials, conflict resolution specialists, nonprofit staffers from pro-wolf groups, outfitters, media and representatives of the wildlife agency — traveled to the ranch of Don and Kim Gittleson, just north of Walden to talk about the issue that has consumed people's energies particularly after the state officially introduced wolves in December.

The Gittleson's ranch and Jackson County have been ground zero for attacks on livestock and working cattle dogs. In four years, the state wildlife agency reported that 23 cattle, sheep and working dogs have been killed or injured by wolves that migrated from Wyoming. Gittleson lost 11 on his ranch, which sits just 12 miles south as the crow flies from the Wyoming state line.

Two of the original wolf pack that numbered around six are still in the area and still killing cattle, the most recent just a week ago, on a different Jackson County ranch.

The rest went back to Wyoming, where at least three were killed as nuisances. The killings are allowed under Wyoming law.

Ivory & Antler Outfitters specializes in big-game species that roam the mountains and plains of Colorado and Nebraska. Osteling, who grew up in the upper Midwest, has been an avid hunter all his life. He left a successful stint at Toyota to pursue his dream of building an outfitting company.

Ranchers have pointed out that elk populations have been declining in Grand County since 2018. They questioned why wolves were relocated to Grand and Summit County, when a study cited by the state wildlife agency and produced by Colorado State University recommended that the wolves be placed further south, such as in Pitkin County. (Voters there approved the ballot measure that mandated the reintroduction of wolves).

They also believe that the wolves are changing wildlife behavior. Gittleson, for example, said moose now come up to his house, which has never happened before, and he believes the animals are seeking protection. Elk herds are smaller and they move much faster through the area, and sometimes they look behind, an indication they're being chased.

"We did not have elk in our meadow" a year ago but they do now, Gittleson said. Coyotes are disappearing, too, he said, adding he rarely sees them anymore when they once were plentiful.

While the ranchers pressed wildlife officials about managing wolves that have been killing their livestock, Osterling pondered over what it all means for his business. He said the apex animals effectively prohibit him from bringing out a client when there's no elk.

The summit came to a close when a late afternoon rain storm swept in, dropping hail on the roof of the metal barn and ending conversations.

The day after the summit, a dead calf was found in south Routt County, the result of a wolf attack and the first livestock to be killed by a wolf in Routt County. The wildlife agency's maps show wolves have been in Routt County for several months and on Wednesday confirmed the depredation.