Modern Range Riders Expand Across 7 Western States as Wolves and Grizzlies Rebound
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 26
Modern Range Riders Expand Across 7 Western States as Wolves and Grizzlies Rebound
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 26
Summary
Range riders are taking on a broader role across the American West, helping ranchers prevent livestock losses while coexisting with returning wolves and grizzlies rather than fighting predators directly.
Over the past 15 years, the job has shifted from cowboy-style predator control to conflict prevention—using electric fencing, low-stress livestock handling, Telemetry, trail cameras and regular monitoring across working ranches.
Predator recovery has raised the stakes for ranchers because a single dead calf can cost thousands of dollars, making riders valuable as extra labor, early-warning observers and trusted communicators with producers.
The model still faces limits: programs are labor-intensive, hard to measure scientifically, and difficult to scale because funding is patchy and training an experienced rider can take up to 2 years.
Colorado launched one of the few state-run programs in 2025, while researchers studying 15 ranches in 5 states are testing whether range riding can become a durable middle ground in a polarized debate.