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Livestock Depredation Calling

Land & AccessLevel 3 — Advanced

Prerequisites

Predator ScoutingCalling Sequences

What It Is

When a rancher calls because coyotes are killing livestock, the job is different from recreational calling. The goal is to identify and remove the specific animal(s) responsible — not just kill the nearest coyote. A coyote that finds a dead calf and feeds on it is a scavenger; a coyote that killed it is a killer. Killing the scavenger and leaving the killer solves nothing and costs you the landowner's trust. Les Johnson's approach: start near the kill or the cattle, work outward, look for old or mangy animals as primary suspects, confirm with stomach contents, and follow up with the rancher 2-3 weeks later to verify the problem stopped.

Correct Execution

Hunter does not begin at an arbitrary stand — begins at the kill site or the cattle concentration. Coyotes that are actively killing livestock patrol a tight circuit around their target and will come to calls near their kill. Hunter sets up between rough country (coyote bedding terrain) and the cattle, with wind from the cattle direction — so any approaching coyote comes upwind of the cattle and into the hunter's kill zone. When multiple coyotes are likely involved (a pair hunting together or a pack exploiting calving), hunter plans for multiple animals and continues hunting the area after the first kill. Killer coyotes tend to be identifiable: old animals (worn teeth, grey muzzle), mangy animals, or animals that approach without caution because they associate the cattle area with reliable food. Stomach contents of the killed coyote confirm guilt — fresh calf tissue in the stomach is definitive. Hunter contacts the rancher 2-3 weeks post-removal to verify losses stopped. If they didn't, a scavenger was killed and the actual killer is still operating.

Progression Levels

Diagnostic Tree

Coaching Cues

  • "The killer is between the rough country and the cattle. Set up in that gap." — Les Johnson, Livestock Killer (2017)
  • "Old coyotes with worn teeth don't run rabbits well — calves are easier. That's your suspect." — Les Johnson
  • "Open the stomach. Fresh calf tissue means you got the right one." — Les Johnson, Livestock Killer (2017)
  • "Follow up in 2-3 weeks. If losses stopped, you won. If not, go back." — Les Johnson, Livestock Killer (2017)
  • "Calving draws every coyote in the county. Kill one, another shows up in a week — plan to hunt the area for 2 weeks, not just one stand." — Les Johnson

Common Errors

  1. Setting up away from the kill and cattle: Treating depredation stands like normal recreational stands → the killer is patrolling near its food source; set up in that corridor → Les Johnson
  2. Not checking stomach contents: Declaring success without confirming the killer was removed → open every stomach; fresh livestock tissue is the only confirmation → Les Johnson
  3. No rancher follow-up: Assuming the problem is solved after a kill → contact the rancher in 2-3 weeks; if losses stopped, you got the right one; if not, go back → Les Johnson
  4. Killing only one animal from a pair: Assuming a single removal solves it → pairs and groups exploit calving operations together; plan multi-animal removal → Les Johnson
  5. Walking the kill site before setting up: Contaminating the approach corridor with human scent before the stand → glass the area from distance first; approach only if scent will be carried away from the killer's expected approach → Les Johnson

Edges

🔑 Hidden Causal Lever

Killer vs. Scavenger Is Diagnosable Before the Shot

land-and-accesslivestock-depredation-calling →

At a livestock depredation site, the coyote that killed the livestock and the coyotes feeding on the carcass are behaviorally distinct at 200 yards. The killer is old (grey muzzle, worn teeth), deliberate, and approaches without the wariness of younger animals. Scavengers are younger, skittish, and approach from random directions.

What most people do
Kill the first coyote that responds to the call near the depredation site, assume the problem is solved, and report success to the rancher.
What the best do
Before shooting, read the approaching coyote's age and behavior. Old, deliberate, unfazed by cattle = suspect. Young, skittish = scavenger. Prioritize the old animal. Confirm with stomach contents post-kill.
Why it's an edge: The wrong kill wastes the rancher's goodwill and damages the access relationship. The right kill ends the depredation immediately. The kill that matters is identifiable before the shot.
How to exploit: Before any depredation stand, define the primary target profile: old, grey-muzzled, deliberate-moving, comfortable near cattle. If only a young skittish coyote responds, take it but don't call it solved — return for a second stand specifically looking for the older animal.
Tony Tebbe interview (2022-02-03) — depredation calling and killer vs. scavenger identification; Randy Anderson, multiple transcripts

Sources

  • Les Johnson, Livestock Killer (2017) — Primary source for entire skill: killer vs. scavenger distinction, stand setup relative to kill and cattle, old/mangy coyote as killer profile, stomach content confirmation, 2-3 week follow-up protocol, multiple coyotes around cattle operations
  • Les Johnson, Cattle and Water (2017) — Setting up near calving cattle for afterbirth/calf draw, wind from cattle direction
  • Randy Anderson, targeting agricultural operations with calving (various) — Coyotes drawn to calving operations for afterbirth and calf manure, working with ranchers experiencing depredation