GRAND COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Ten gray wolves have been released in Colorado as part of a reintroduction program and one Eagle County man has shared photos after he spotted one of them crossing the road in Grand County.

“I saw it run across the road and stopped to grab pictures,” Todd Schmidt, who lives in Gypsum, said. “The blurry pics are out the back window.”

Schmidt said he was on his way to work near Kremmling when the wolf ran across the road. He said he pulled over right away to capture better photos.

“He walked up onto that rock, and I was able to get some more photos of him up on the hill there,” Schmidt said. “In that one picture you can see it just looked at me for a second, he didn’t high tail it off.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife released five wolves in Grand County on Dec. 18. This was the first round of wolves released in Colorado after voters approved a ballot measure for reintroduction in 2020.

“This is the first picture in Colorado of a collared wolf,” Schmidt said. “[CPW] said they are never supposed to be seen.”

Schmidt said the timing of seeing the wolf was impeccable, but he is worried because there are houses nearby with livestock and animals.

“There is plenty of deer and turkey to eat, so hopefully they stay away from the houses. But you never know,” Schmidt said.

When asked to describe the wolf, Schmidt went first to its size.

“I have a 70-pound pit bull and it was at least twice as big as him,” Schmidt said. “I’m guessing at least 150 pounds.”  

He said he didn’t question whether it was a coyote for a second.

“I figured out it was a wolf because he was so big,” Schmidt said. “When he ran across the road, he stretched out his legs a bit and I was like, ‘Whoa!'”

CPW told FOX31 it is looking into the sighting.

“It is not unreasonable to expect to see wolves moving in and around the Grand County and Summit County areas and we ask that, for the safety and well-being of the gray wolves, that specific locations not be shared for unconfirmed reports. We ask that anyone claiming to see wolves in their area fill out our wolf sighting form, especially if they have photos or videos, in order to better understand whether this sighting is credible and determine the level of investigation needed. As/when public sightings are confirmed, we will not be identifying specific animals,” Travis Duncan, a CPW spokesperson, said.

Schmidt said he wasn’t on board with the reintroduction, but after sharing the photo he has learned a lot in the process.

“I’m against it, but it’s not like I am big time against it,” Schmidt said. “I have learned a lot through this. The people who want to shoot it are ignorant, there is a big fine and lots of penalties.”

He said he called CPW a few times and will soon fill out the wolf sighting form online.

“There is just not enough acreage, and it seems too close to civilization to me,” Schmidt said.

CPW confirmed this is one of the recently introduced wolves that were brought in from Oregon.

In addition to the five wolves in Grand County, five wolves have been reintroduced in Summit County.