https://cpw.cvlcollections.org/files/original/9e6aaa65fb166fc649010aeb9b3382a7.pdf 5d672f064aac8e0882e73fa9b7c5ddc8 PDF Text Text C O L O R A D O P A R K S & W I L D L I F E Wolf Resource Guide HANDS-ON RESOURCE GUIDE TO REDUCE DEPREDATIONS COLORADO & WILDLIFE••Wolves: 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216 • (303) cpw.state.co.us COLORADO PARKSPARKS & WILDLIFE Hands-on Resource Guide to297-1192 Reduce •Depredations 1 �Introduction and Thanks The CPW Commission has passed regulations that align with US Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines and provide landowners with a wide variety of options and resources to minimize conflict and potential wolf depredation. This includes commonly accepted hazing techniques such as fladry (fencing), range riders, guard animals, and scare devices. Specific regulations are subject to change through approvals from the CPW Commission; the most recent regulations can be found in https://cpw.state.co.us/ Documents/RulesRegs/Regulations/Ch10.pdf. Livestock owners concerned about wolves on their property should contact their local CPW office to work closely with our district wildlife managers on implementing the strategies listed in this guide. Running livestock in wolf range is challenging. Costeffective risk management can increase profitability. While there is no silver bullet, there are some proven techniques for reducing risk of wolf-livestock conflict. Carcass Management Livestock Guard Dogs Riders and Herders Tool Guide The presence of wolves in your area adds additional challenges to ranching. Some of these risk-management tools may be appropriate for use depending on your operation. Tool MIG Livestock Guard Dogs & Donkeys Authors: Nathan Lance, Steve Primm, Kristine Inman Contributors: Brainerd Foundation, People and Carnivores, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wolf specialists, Wildlife Conservation Society Illustration: Jason Smith 2 COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE • Wolves: Hands-on Resource Guide to Reduce Depredations Fladry/ Electrified Fladry Mixed Herd Composition There are many resources available to further help you identify and implement the most appropriate strategies to reduce indirect impacts or loss. Consider contacting your local wildlife manager to learn more as they may have additional resources to assist you with cost-share programs, equipment, and list of suppliers. We want to thank the original creators of the resource guide. Management Intensive Grazing (MIG) Guard Animals The goal of this brochure is to outline different tools that may suit your operation. Your local wildlife agency or other organizations can offer additional help in evaluating and identifying options and may offer cost sharing, materials, or labor to assist your efforts. Colorado Parks and Wildlife would like to thank Brainerd Foundation, People and Carnivores, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wolf specialists, and the Wildlife Conservation Society for providing CPW with permission to co-brand this useful document in Colorado. High Risk Landscape Scare Devices ©Jason Smith This Hands-on Resource Guide to Reduce Depredations is meant to be a useful introduction for ranchers and livestock owners to implement effective strategies to prevent wolf depredations. Carcass Management Pasture Size 0≤ Acres 0 - 1,000 Acres 0 ≤ Acres Riders & Herders 640 ≤ Acres Fladry ≥ 640 Acres Scare Devices ≥ 60 Acres High-Risk Landscapes 0 ≤ Acres Herd Composition 0 ≤ Acres • • • • • • • • Management Intensive Grazing (MIG) Livestock Guard Dogs Livestock Guarding Donkeys Carcass Management Riders and Herders Fladry/Electrified Fladry Scare Devices Managing Livestock on High-Risk Landscapes • Herd Composition Livestock Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Goats Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Goats All Livestock, including Poultry All Livestock All Livestock, including Poultry All Livestock, including Poultry Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Goats Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Goats, Mules When it Works Best Late Spring-Fall Yearlong Spring and Fall Yearlong Yearlong Yearlong Times of High Wolf Use Yearlong COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE • Wolves: Hands-on Resource Guide to Reduce Depredations 3 �Management Intensive Grazing Management Intensive Grazing (MIG): Also known as mob grazing, uses higher stocking densities with frequent pasture changes. Where It Works Best: Any size pasture Cattle, sheep, goats, and horses Livestock Guarding Dogs Considerations: • Close proximity of cattle may increase risk of disease depending on the time of year MiG is used and the age of livestock. • MiG takes advantage of stock’s natural response to predators. Stock naturally bunch up in response to predators, making them less vulnerable, and can reduce issues of weight loss. • Steep terrain may make MiG challenging. Livestock Guarding Dogs (LGD) are specially bred and reared dogs that bond to and watch over livestock. They watch for potential threats and use escalating aggression to move wolves away. Where It Works Best: Up to 1,000-acre pastures Sheep, goats, horses, and cattle When It Works: Yearlong: typically late spring through fall When It Works: Yearlong Advantages: • Periodic herd management increases human presence, which may discourage wolves from frequenting pastures and aid in early detection of wolves. • Prompt doctoring of sick or injured stock minimizes high-risk animals. • Frequent pasture changes make the location of livestock less predictable for wolves. • MiG practices benefit range health. Advantages: • Dogs travel with the livestock. • Dogs provide around-the-clock vigilance. • Dogs’ scent marking and barking behaviors signal an occupied territory to wolves. • Dogs alert people to trouble Disadvantages: • MiG requires more labor. • May require building and moving temporary electric fence. 4 COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE • Wolves: Hands-on Resource Guide to Reduce Depredations Considerations: It is mportant to match the right breed of Livestock Guard Dogs (LGD) with your ranch needs: • There are over 30 breeds of livestock guard dogs. The right number and breed of LGDs for your ranch will depend on the size of operation and wolf activity. • There are two different behaviors • Roamers: LGD breeds that tend to be more oriented toward driving predators away. A good example of these breeds include: Anatolian, Komondor, Turkish Kangal, and Akbash. • Tenders: LGD breeds that tend to stick closer to livestock and even attempt to gather up stock when confronted with threats. A good example of these breeds include: Tatra, Maremma, and Pyrenees. • Select your LGD for intellect instead of aggression • Evaluate and assess how the dogs are working to make adjustments (# of dogs, behavior, breed) when needed. When dogs are in close proximity to wolf dens or homesites there is the potential for wolves to view LGD as territorial intruders. During these times, consider keeping LGD and livestock in alternate pastures or increase vigilance of riders. • Use at least 3 dogs. Larger groups increase the dogs’ safety and have greater potential to deter wolves. • Dogs should be socialized to people for ease of vet care, moving dogs, and encounters with public. • Provide dogs with protective collars to reduce mortality in wolf conflicts. • Introduce dogs before conflicts arise so they can learn their landscape and establish presence. • When used in smaller pastures, you may need to train LGD to electric fences to discourage roaming onto roads or near non-tolerant neighbors. Disadvantages • Dogs are not as effective with highly dispersed livestock. • Dogs can be viewed as a competitor especially in wolf territories and can be vulnerable to attack. • Dogs require additional expenses of food and vet care. COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE • Wolves: Hands-on Resource Guide to Reduce Depredations 5 �Livestock Guarding Donkeys Donkeys watch over livestock, look for potential threats and use escalating aggression to move predators away. Where It Works Best: Up to 1,000 acre pastures Sheep, goats, horses, and cattle When It Works: Yearlong Advantages: • Travel with the livestock. • Provide around the clock vigilance. • No extra feeding needed, forage with livestock. • Low cost, minor maintenance. • Provide an alert presence. • Not prone to wandering. • Long life expectancy. Disadvantages: • Too many donkeys in one pasture may lead to congregating only with each other rather than displaying protective behaviors. • Are not as effective in larger dispersed herds. Considerations: • Consider Jennies rather than Jacks. • Use larger donkey breeds (eg., mammoth donkeys). • Introduce young donkeys for at least 1-2 weeks to allow bonding with livestock. • Donkeys can be aggressive toward dogs, so initially limit and supervise their interaction with ranch dogs. Dogs will learn to work around donkeys. 6 Carcass Management Range Riders and Herders Removing or disposing of attractants (carcasses) that may lure wolves into close proximity of livestock. Where It Works Best: Any size pasture All livestock including poultry When It Works: Yearlong, typically spring and fall when death loss is greatest. Advantages: • Reduces potential conflicts by minimizing attractants. • Most ranches already spend time moving carcasses to a deadpile; the same amount of time can be devoted to staging carcasses for removal by a local contractor to either a carcass composting facility or a landfill that accepts carcasses. Disadvantages: • Burying carcasses can be difficult in freezing ground. Considerations: • Consider burying or burning carcasses regularly. • Reduce access to carcasses or carcass pits with woven wire, electric fence, fladry, or a combination of these tools. • Community level carcass pickup programs with central disposal or composting sites have proven successful. • Terrain, road access, or deep snow may make removal difficult. COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE • Wolves: Hands-on Resource Guide to Reduce Depredations Range riders and herders manage herd and range health, herd distribution, and help in early detection of carnivore-livestock interactions. Where It Works Best: 640 acres or greater for cattle, sheep and goats When It Works: Yearlong Advantages: • Allows for earlier detection and management of injured, sick, or dead livestock. • Provides proactive management of livestock distribution in relation to range health as well as carnivore presence. • Human presence and non-lethal harassment deters wolves. • Improves information exchange on predator activity between the livestock producer and managing agencies. • Allows producer to know when preventative efforts need to be stepped up. Disadvantages: • Limited mobility of a single rider. Considerations: • Using riders and herders to reduce conflicts can be even more effective if used in conjunction with other tools, especially livestock guard dogs and management intensive grazing. • Herders live with livestock and range riders spend periods of time with livestock. • Depending on scale, a rider can cover a number of ranches and even a watershed. • Range rider effectiveness depends on allotment size, terrain, and distribution and visibility of livestock on the range. COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE • Wolves: Hands-on Resource Guide to Reduce Depredations 7 �Fladry/Electrified Fladry Scare Devices • Areas with high wind may require more maintenance due to flags entangling with vegetation or wrapping around wire. Fladry (flagging interspersed on a single strand of twine) is a portable barrier strung around livestock pastures or holding areas. The flagging triggers an innate fear and avoidance in wolves because it is a novel stimulus. By electrifying the fladry, a wolf’s fear response is reinforced with an electric shock. Considerations: • Fladry equipment has limited availability, conservation groups and wildlife agencies may have supplies available for loan. • Electrification of fladry is not as effective in dry ground areas but including an earth-return-wire (AKA groundwire) can resolve this issue. • Needs vigilance to keep it maintained and working properly. Wolves eventually habitate to fladry, so it should be moved or electrified to reduce or prevent habituation. • Ideal for smaller pastures (calving pastures, horse pastures, sheep night pens, and protecting deadpits). Where It Works Best: Any size pasture, typically with enclosures < 640 acres (1 mile per side) All livestock, including poultry When It Works: Yearlong Advantages: • Fladry requires relatively small quantities of materials. • Easily transported, laid out, and erected. • Requires less planning than a permanent fence. • Can be stored when not needed. • Can be reused. • Especially advantageous when moving livestock frequently and supplies/labor are limited. Disadvantages: • May require extra maintenance in heavy snow areas or areas of heavy vegetation growth (as this may result in grounding issues). 8 COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE • Wolves: Hands-on Resource Guide to Reduce Depredations • Scare devices may not be welcomed in areas of high human presence. • May be difficult to obtain due to federal regulations on (pyrotechnics), limited suppliers or manufacturers. Considerations: • Ideal for short duration in areas of frequent wolf use. • Ideal when used in addition to other tools. • Varying the scare devices can increase effectiveness. • RAG boxes require radio collars and only work if a radio-collared wolf is present. • MAG boxes may be more appropriate as they are not affected by steep rocky terrain like RAG boxes are. MAG boxes can be triggered by any motion. Scare devices like motion or radio activated (MAG/RAG) boxes, sirens, strobe lights, pyrotechnics, scarecrows, and radios change wolf behavior by causing fear. Where It Works Best: Small pastures/pens (<60 acres) or areas with frequent wolf use for short durations (2-3 months) When It Works: Yearlong All livestock, including poultry Advantages: • Certain scare devices (sirens, lights, MAG/RAG boxes) can alert people to the presence of an animal as well as scare animals away. • Relatively low cost. • Simple and portable tool. • Can be used to discourage wolves from placing dens or homesites near livestock. Disadvantages: • Wolves may habituate and quickly learn to ignore the device. COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE • Wolves: Hands-on Resource Guide to Reduce Depredations 9 �High-risk Landscape Management Risk of wolf/livestock encounters can be reduced by understanding and adjusting ranching practices during times and areas of high risk. Typically these are areas of high prey abundance (elk calving and wintering ground) and wolf activity (dens). Herd Composition Considerations: • Evening/dusk feeding should start 2 weeks prior to encourage day calving when predators are less active. • Plan calving to correspond with wild ungulate birth pulse (May-June), thus livestock are not the only vulnerable or high-risk prey on the landscape. • To increase herd security, utilize high stocking rates for short duration (more Animal Days/Acre) in pastures with good forage in high use wolf travel paths. • Delay turnout to pastures when wolves are denning or at homesites in or near pastures. • Consider pastures with low ungulate activity and/or encourage hunting or hazing (check regulations) to disperse localized ungulates. • Bring into corrals or barn at night. • Night pen in an electric fence. Where It Works Best: Any size pasture Cattle, sheep, goats, and horses When It Works: Yearlong: typically in seasons of high ungulate densities or wolf use. Advantages: • Lowers risk of depredation and vulnerability of livestock by avoiding high-risk landscapes. • Maintains use of forage and pastures in high-risk areas by altering the timing of use. Disadvantages: • Potentially more labor intensive. • Requires changes to husbandry practices. 10 COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE • Wolves: Hands-on Resource Guide to Reduce Depredations Mixing different age classes and breeds of livestock reduces vulnerability to predation. Where It Works Best: Any size pasture Sheep, cattle, goat, horses, and mules When It Works: Yearlong Advantages: • Stronger maternal instincts may reduce vulnerability of young. • Experienced animals are less likely to flee and more likely to stand their ground, making them difficult for wolves to attack. • Experienced animals may avoid areas of high predator presence and influence other stock to do the same. • Handling younger animals may be more difficult with protective mothers. • Classes and breeds may self-segregate, operating as independent herds within in the same pasture. Considerations: • Mix experienced older age classes with (younger) naïve livestock. • Add a few aggressive or vigilant breeds to your herd. • Retain and promote livestock with stronger maternal instincts. • It is riskier to run yearlings or naïve livestock. Disadvantages: • Retaining older, experienced stock primarily for protective purposes may impact profitability. • Sorting different classes or breeds for shipping/ marketing may be an additive chore/cost. • Horned cattle have associated risks to handlers and dogs. COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE • Wolves: Hands-on Resource Guide to Reduce Depredations 11 �State of Colorado Governor: JARED POLIS Department of Natural Resources: DAN GIBBS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Colorado Parks & Wildlife: DAN PRENZLOW, DIRECTOR 12 Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission CARRIE BESNETTE HAUSER, CHAIR CHARLES GARCIA, VICE CHAIR LUKE SCHAFER, SECRETARY TAISHYA ADAMS BETSY BLECHA MARIE HASKETT DALLAS MAY DUKE PHILLIPS IV JAMES JAY TUCHTON EDEN VARDY KAREN MICHELLE BAILEY COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE • Wolves: Hands-on Resource Guide to Reduce Depredations � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gray Wolf Reintroduction Description An account of the resource Gray wolf reintroduction in Colorado Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wolf resource guide: hands-on resource guide to reduce depredations Description An account of the resource Intended as a useful introduction for ranchers and<br />livestock owners to implement effective strategies to<br />prevent wolf depredations.<br /><br />Includes information on the following risk-management tools:<br />Management Intensive Grazing (MIG)<br />• Livestock Guard Dogs<br />• Livestock Guarding Donkeys<br />• Carcass Management<br />• Riders and Herders<br />• Fladry/Electrified Fladry<br />• Scare Devices<br />• Managing Livestock on High-Risk Landscapes<br />• Herd Composition Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Colorado Parks & Wildlife Subject The topic of the resource Gray wolf Livestock depredation Intensive grazing Livestock guard dog Fladry Extent The size or duration of the resource. 7 pages Date Created Date of creation of the resource. [2023?] Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/">IN COPYRIGHT - NON-COMMERCIAL USE PERMITTED</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource English Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource The original creators of the resource guide:<br /><strong>Authors</strong>: Nathan Lance, Steve Primm, Kristine Inman<br /><strong>Contributors</strong>: Brainerd Foundation, People and Carnivores, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wolf specialists, Wildlife Conservation Society<br /><strong>Illustration</strong>: Jason Smith Gray wolf reintroduction in Colorado