Colorado Range Riding Program: How Colorado is applying an ancient practice to modern wolf-livestock conflict

In late April, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) partnered with the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) and Western Landowners Alliance (WLA) to host a five-day comprehensive range riding training. To prepare for the upcoming grazing season, this annual training built on the existing expertise and knowledge of 15 range riders contracted through the Colorado Range Riding Program.

Over these five days range riders engaged in a mixture of classroom and field sessions, including learning from producers, riders, investigators, and biologists from Colorado and other states with long-standing wolf populations. Topics ranged from depredation investigation and hazing protocols to first aid and animal husbandry, as well as a two-day track and sign training and a certification opportunity on private and public lands.

While predator-livestock conflict was the central focus of this training, range riders learned that there is much more to their job than placing themselves between predators and cattle to minimize conflict. 

What did riders learn during the training?

This year’s range rider training kicked off bright and early on the western slope at the Two Rivers Convention Center in Grand Junction. Based on feedback from last year’s riders, the content for the week had been personalized to capture details, perspectives and skills that contractors felt would improve their performance during the 2026 season.

Many of the improvements for this year were on display on the first day of the training (which was open to the public):

• Expanded discussion with a panel of veteran producers and range riders who shared their expertise, perspectives, and lived experiences from living and operating in wolf country,
• Overview of wolf biology, behavior and hazing techniques from CPW experts,
• An open question and answer session with several Colorado producers and members of the agricultural community

Takeaways from the first day included the importance of learning behaviors and patterns of livestock and wildlife; why trust from the local community is key to rider success; and how range riders play a critical role as information collectors and communicators.

A sobering message from experienced producers was that even with the best support systems and resources in place, there is bound to be conflict where wildlife and livestock share the landscape. Even the best range riders are likely to find themselves handling interaction between wildlife and livestock, whether it be predators pressuring cattle or ungulates browsing the forage livestock depend on.

From this solid foundation, days two and three of the training transitioned into classroom discussion on specific aspects of range riding. These sessions were once again aided by the expertise of veteran producers and riders.

These classroom sessions included overviews of cattle and sheep husbandry from experienced producers. CPW instructors also provided deep dives into GPS tracking and remote camera equipment this year’s riders are using to collect important information for decision making. 

Collecting information on wildlife movement and landscape usage will be an important part of range riders’ duties this summer. This information will give producers and CPW a better understanding of predator activity on working lands. 

Range riders will also help improve knowledge of where wolves are traveling or spending time, compared to the data collected from GPS collars some wolves are equipped with. While useful, points are only taken every few hours or more, and there can be delays between uploads from these collars, leaving gaps between data points. For these reasons, information collected by riders allows both producers and CPW staff to gain a better understanding of where and how wolves are using the landscape.

Data like this becomes increasingly important as the Colorado wolf population increases through natural reproduction and more uncollared wolves reach adulthood.

Range riders will also support CPW research by collecting data on the cause of death for nonlivestock carcasses. This information will inform ongoing research on the diets of predators in northwest Colorado. 

Important pieces from the classroom sessions were candid conversations with CPW field staff about the agency’s depredation investigation process and how to navigate tense interactions with producers who have lost livestock —particularly when gray wolf involvement is suspected.

While CPW staff is well versed in managing wildlife conflict (the organization and its predecessors have managed wildlife damage for more than 90 years), wolves are still new to the Centennial State and bring unique challenges that CPW and producers are still learning to handle.

When depredations occur, CPW and/or Wildlife Services field staff are called upon to investigate to determine cause of death, compensate for direct and indirect losses, and provide access to conflict minimization resources.

Interactions when it comes to game damage are often challenging.

While contracted range riders do not conduct investigations or assist with the claims process, they can be the first to discover a depredation and discuss it with producers. This makes understanding the steps of investigating a depredation and de-escalating tense interactions important to preserving evidence and supporting producers through the investigation process.

Having completed the in-classroom portion, the final two days of the training were spent on private and public lands learning the track and sign left behind by various wildlife in Colorado. Facilitated by Tracker Certification North America, this was perhaps the most skills-intensive section. Trainees practiced both solo and group inspections of tracks.

After a short introduction on the history behind the certification process and its structure, riders were led through a one-of-a-kind course built with only what could be found on the landscape. 

This tested riders’ knowledge of Colorado wildlife. Riders needed to individually identify dozens of tracks and sign from a variety of animals and to communicate what it told them about the animal that left it.

This means they were not only determining what animal had left a track, impression or scat pile, but also where it was headed, what had it likely eaten, how fast it was moving, and whether the track had been left before or after a rainstorm the previous night. These tests trained riders to identify when animals were on the landscape, how many moved through an area, and what their behavior signals about their level of stress or ease, improving the riders’ ability to read patterns on the landscape.

Only after participants had recorded their answers with an instructor were they allowed to discuss as a group and learn what evidence factored into each person’s determination. 

This capstone to the five-day training not only tested the knowledge of riders but also placed them on the landscape they would be riding over the coming months. A perfect send off to riders as they prepared to meet the CPW staff and producers they will be working alongside over the grazing season.

So what is the Colorado Range Rider Program? And why is it important?

Established in spring of 2025, the Colorado Range Rider program was founded as part of CPW and CDA. Funded largely by revenue generated through the Born to Be Wild license plate, the Colorado Range Rider program is the first of its kind in Colorado history.

While the Colorado Range Riding program is relatively new to the Centennial State, the practice of range riding has a long history and isn’t new to producers in the American West. The American tradition of this practice allows CPW and CDA to build off experience from other states, producers, agencies and programs that have navigated wolf-livestock conflict.

“Herders and ranchers have been managing and monitoring landscapes and their livestock for millennia,” said Rae Nickerson, Wolf Damage and Conflict Minimization Manager. “That’s really great for us because it means we’re not reinventing the wheel here. We’re collaborating with experts from all over the West and learning from their experience and knowledge and then applying that to our local context here in Colorado.”

The ability to draw on the expertise from other states was especially important when forming the program in spring of 2025, as CPW borrowed concepts from other states’ range riding programs.

Using this inspiration, CPW was able to contract qualified range riders (more on what makes a good rider below) in northwest Colorado to assist producers in 2025 and again this year. 

Key considerations when designing Colorado’s range riding program were incorporating input of local producers on who would make good range rider candidates and inviting members of agricultural groups into the interview process.

“We knew from the early stages of planning that producer participation was key for the success of this program and the riders,” said Ray Aberle, Deputy Assistant Director of CPW’s Lands Unit. “Many of these folks come directly from the local community which gives them some familiarity with the producer and the landscape that they’re working in. The trust and pre-existing connections they have as members of these communities sets them up for greater success should conflict arise.”

These community connections allow range riders to serve a valuable role as both conflict minimization resources and connectors between CPW and the producers who collaborate on all sorts of wildlife management projects.

“We have a long history at Colorado Parks and Wildlife of maintaining abundant populations of different wildlife and leading successful restoration efforts for species like moose and black-footed ferrets,” Aberle said. “All of those are supported not only by the landscape that we have but the people who serve as stewards within the square that is Colorado. We have exceptional land managers and land stewards, our producers and private landowners in particular, that care for the land and allow us to have those abundant species.”

Maintaining these relationships and supporting producers and wildlife by reducing conflict is the primary goal of CPW and CDA range riding efforts, and something all Coloradans can support.

“No matter where you land on the reintroduction, less conflict means healthier and happier livestock and it means healthier and happier wolf populations,” Nickerson said. ”Riders are providing much-needed support on both sides of that equation because agency staff and producers just can’t be with every cow-calf pair at all times and we have to work together to find a way forward.”

What makes a good range rider and what will make the program successful in the long run?

Range riders contracted through the Colorado Range Riding program — in addition to two Non-Lethal Mitigation Specialists employed by CDA — are trained to support livestock producers and play a crucial role in CPW and CDA’s conflict minimization program. By actively assessing and communicating potential for wolf-livestock conflict, range riders empower CPW and CDA to take action to reduce the depredation risk to livestock herds.

This means the role riders fill and how they factor into conflict minimization efforts is far different than a static tool like fladry and scare devices.

“I like to think of riders as detectives on the landscape that are gathering information and recognizing patterns,” Nickerson said. “They are eyes and ears out on the range, collecting data and relaying that back to the producer and to us at the agencies so that we can come together and make a plan. Good riders are really supporting a ranch in a holistic way; they’re not just helping to reduce conflict, but they’re providing a net benefit overall.” 

There are certainly key attributes that enable riders to provide this holistic assistance to producers and their operations. Experience in the backcountry and the ability to recognize hazardous conditions are key, as is proficiency in stockmanship through the rough terrain that typifies many of the public grazing allotments they patrol. 

Agriculture and ranching expertise also goes a long way for riders working with producers who want their riders to focus on monitoring livestock.

“Having animal husbandry skills and knowing how to see potential issues in a herd is irreplaceable, and the more they can learn about the specific herds and individual animals they ride, the better,” Nickerson said. “It’s one thing to know what behavior to look for in cattle versus sheep, it’s another thing to know the patterns of your unique individuals and how their response to stressors like predators may be different. That is something that only comes with time, a curiosity to learn and support from producers.”

While some producers want riders to focus on monitoring livestock, others prefer riders to focus solely on predator activity on grazing allotments. Regardless of the approach a producer wants the rider to take, the skills needed take time to develop, but when given that opportunity riders can learn the patterns of livestock and wildlife and recognize when there’s been a shift in behavior that could spell trouble.

“Riders can take up to two years to really learn their herds, landscape and wildlife,” Nickerson said. “They have to learn where the livestock spend time and water, as well as what stress, injury and illness look like in an individual producer’s livestock. On the predator side they are learning how various carnivores use the landscape from coyotes to lions and of course wolves. For the seven of our riders who are returning from last year they’ve started that learning process and for the new ones, they will be this year.”

Continued participation and collaboration between producers, CPW and CDA are key for allowing riders to develop their skills, and set the stage for the long-term success of the program.

“We’re really fortunate that we’ve continued to have good working relationships with many of our landowners that are helping us,” Aberle said. “We feel that range riding is another piece of wolf management that we can build over the years. We believe that this is a tool that has this additive value for livestock producers, wolf advocates, the general public, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Like all things, it takes time and it takes learning, but we are committed to doing that in a way that’s thoughtful and engaged and progressive.”

Additional information about range riding and CPW’s conflict minimization efforts can be found in our Wolf Resource Guide and Wolf-Livestock Conflict Minimization Program Guide.

Producers interested in having a site assessment conducted and exploring if range riding might be viable, reasonable and effective at minimizing conflict at their operations can contact their local CPW office.

Written by Luke Perkins, a Statewide Public Information Officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Photos by Rachael Gonzales/CPW, Northwest Public Information Officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.