Open Up The Toolbox

1. Request a site assessment

   Your ranch is unique – so your livestock protection approach should be unique too. Many ranchers will use more than one measure at a time and some tools need to be rotated. The best way to identify which approach is right for you is by starting with a site assessment. Site assessments help livestock producers evaluate which wolf livestock protection measures might be appropriate for their operation. 

   If you are interested in obtaining a site assessment, you can request one at any point in time with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Department of Agriculture, and Natural Resource Conservation Service. These agencies are offering free, voluntary site assessments to assist livestock owners in evaluating their operations and/or grazing allotments for the reasonable use of conflict minimization tools and techniques.

2. Know your options - there are two main types of livestock protection approaches: tools and strategies.

Tools are special devices that are meant to stop wolves from getting near livestock, or to scare them away if they get near livestock areas. Many of these tools work because wolves have fear of new things. This means the effectiveness of many tools can wear off over time. For that reason, many tools are short term methods that need to be rotated or only used seasonally, for example during calving season. 

Strategies are longer-term solutions that can become part of an operation. For example, there are stockmanship and husbandry practices that may reduce livestock’s vulnerability to wolf  conflict. These approaches focus less on managing wolves and more on livestock, and can become part of daily operations.