Range Riding
What is it?
Range riding is a general term to describe the use of human presence to check livestock, monitor carnivore activity, and deploy measures to reduce the risk of conflict with wolves and other carnivores. The information collected by range riders can be critical to helping producers and practitioners make the most effective, informed decisions regarding livestock protection.
Why does it work?
Human presence itself can serve as a wolf deterrent. Range riding is a highly context-dependent strategy that may also combine aspects of grazing management, stockmanship, local knowledge, and understanding of carnivore behavior and ecology to prevent conflicts. For example, riders often set and check trail cameras, haze carnivores found near livestock, identify injured or sick livestock, locate dead animals, and deploy other carnivore deterrents as needed - all activities that further support conflict minimization. Riders may be most effective at minimizing conflict when they focus on the livestock rather than only searching for carnivores, so using stockmanship and attractant management strategies can support effective range riding. However, range riders should also have skills in wildlife track and sign with a focus on large carnivores to be effective.
When is it effective?
Unlike many other livestock protection tools, range riders are often used on large, remote operations across the West. Depending on the unique context of each operation and the goals of the producer or agency deploying a rider, the details of when, where, and how to range ride can vary widely. However, range riding is likely most effective when they help identify problems and best actions with the producer. For example, producers can use the information provided by a range rider to prioritize human presence in problem locations, deploy additional conflict minimization methods, or adjust grazing plans.
Additional best practices, depending on the funding and needs of the operation, include:
Riding daily or near daily (4-5 days per week), keeping detailed logs of location and observation data, and tracking rides with GPS
Monitoring livestock health and behavior
Patrolling at dawn and dusk when wolves are most active
Hazing carnivores when they are found near livestock
Regular communication
How to implement it?
Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Colorado Department of Agriculture have partnered to create the Colorado Range Rider program. Twelve contractors for the Colorado Range Riding program will be hired for the 2025 grazing season, which lasts approximately five months, from mid April to October. CDA and CPW staff members, as well as any future contract range riders, will go through specialized training to create a team of trained range riders with connections to local communities who can be deployed to support producers at short notice.
Nonprofit organizations like Working Circle and Defenders of Wildlife are also building capacity for range riders in Colorado. Additionally, $2 million from the Natural Resource Conservation Service is available to cost-share producer-led range riding and carcass management efforts in Colorado, thanks to the efforts of Western Landowners Alliance and the Heart of the Rockies Initiative in conjunction with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.