Wild animals, including deer, hogs, coyotes, and blackbirds, cause millions of dollars in damage to livestock and crops in the United States each year. Our hunting specialists at Pulsar analyze the statistics to identify which animals are the biggest offenders when inflicting costly damage on farms in the U.S.
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Coyote Attacks on Livestock
According to the statistics, coyotes are the main culprits in killing livestock. For example, they took out 58.8% of the 155,470 lambs killed in 2019. Dogs fell into a distant second place, killing just 15% of that total. However, coyotes don’t limit themselves to eating lambs. Other types of livestock targeted by coyotes include calves, small goats, and poultry.
What Makes Coyotes Such Effective Predators?
Coyotes have characteristics that enable them to infiltrate livestock areas, whether roaming expansive ranches or navigating the confines of smaller farms. Their keen instincts and agile movements make them adept at seeking opportunities for a meal, blending seamlessly into diverse landscapes while maintaining an uncanny ability to evade detection.
Active at Odd Hours
Most coyotes are out hunting for food at dawn and dusk. In both scenarios, the light is low, allowing these mammals to wander around without being seen.
Smart, Fast, and Agile Hunters
Coyotes hunt alone, in pairs, or in packs. They communicate with each other about their environment in yips, barks, and howls. Coyotes are fast, running up to 40 miles per hour, and can slip through gaps measuring just a few inches wide. Plus, these animals can leap fences up to 13 feet tall. All of these abilities make it reasonably easy for a coyote to enter a chicken coop or other livestock enclosure to kill an animal and then make an exit.
Hard to Spot in Their Environment
The grayish-brown coat of a coyote allows it to blend into a field environment of weeds, dirt, and brush. So, along with being active when daylight is low, these animals can stay hidden in plain sight. Not surprisingly, coyotes are often heard more than they are seen.
The Impact of White-Tailed Deer on Crops
From soybeans to cotton to watermelon, white-tailed deer have a well-earned reputation for destroying crops. Large herds munch through all these crops and often stomp around in the same spots each time they visit. Farmers with firsthand experience have noticed a few specific ways deer can cause significant damage to a crop.
Attacking Immature Crops
Deer invade immature crops and eat corn at its most vulnerable stages of growth. For instance, they eat corn tassel tissue as it’s developing in June. Though the deer may not completely destroy the ears of corn, the corn becomes smaller when it matures. This size reduction is costly for farmers.
Attacking Seed Corn Fields
Farmers report that deer are drawn to hybrid seed in seed corn fields, clearing out large portions of male rows. When there is a decrease in rows of male corn, it affects pollination, resulting in fewer mature seed corn plants.
A Lesser-Known Predator
A feral hog may not be the first animal that comes to mind when thinking about threats to crops and livestock. However, they can cause significant damage. For instance, in Texas, feral hogs accumulate $400 million in damages each year. So, what makes feral hogs, also known as wild pigs, such a nuisance for farmers?
These feral animals are omnivores and can travel in herds with dozens of hogs. They move swiftly through crops, digging in the soil with their powerful snouts and tearing up plants to eat all parts of them. Not only does this result in damaged and lost plants, but it can also lead to soil erosion. Though feral hogs eat mostly vegetation, they sometimes attack and kill young livestock. As if that isn’t enough, these feral creatures can damage fencing with their weighty bodies and spread disease to livestock.
Detering Dangerous Wildlife From Crops and Livestock
Hunting coyotes, white-tailed deer, and feral hogs are one of the most effective population control methods. Farmers have a few other ways to protect their crops and livestock from these and other destructive wild animals.
1. Guard animals
The presence of some types of animals on a farm can discourage coyotes from approaching livestock enclosures. A few examples of guarding animals include donkeys, dogs, and llamas.
2. Electrical fencing
Electric fences can protect chickens and roosters from coyotes, foxes, and other predators. The buzzing sound of an electric fence, as well as its shock, can keep animals away.
3. Repellent and loud sounds
Some farmers use spray repellents to keep deer away from their fields. Sprays with strong, soapy, or perfume-like fragrances are especially distasteful to deer. Other farmers set up speakers that release loud sound effects when passing deer trigger motion sensors.
Whether you hunt wildlife to protect your farmland or help your community by culling the herds, our collection of quality hunting gear has something for everyone. We specialize in thermal and digital day and night vision imaging devices that are beneficial for every hunter. Also, please take a moment to check out our blog, where you’ll find valuable tips on hunting some of the wildlife mentioned above.
30 Facts on How Wildlife Threatens Livestock and Crops in the U.S.
| Statistic & Information | Source |
|---|---|
| In 2022, APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) encountered about 21.5 million animals causing damage. | U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service |
| Invasive species accounted for 79% of all lethally removed wildlife in 2022, including 136,791 invasive swine. | U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service |
| Predators cause an estimated $232 million in livestock losses each year. | U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service |
| From 2015–2019, an estimated $592.6 million in corn, soybean, wheat, and cotton was lost to wildlife in crop-raiding hotspots across the U.S. | National Library of Medicine |
| Bird damage to crops exceeds $150 million each year. Side note: Birds and other wildlife strikes on aircraft also cost hundreds of millions in damage, jeopardize human health and safety, and delay flights. |
U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service |
| APHIS donated 150 tons of deer, goose, and other meat in 2022, enough to provide people with 1 million servings of protein. (Over 20 tons of meat was donated to rehab centers, zoos, and other facilities for animal consumption.) |
U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service |
| White-Tailed Deer | |
| A 2019 Rutgers University analysis found that even within a small pool of 27 New Jersey farmers, the estimated financial impact of wildlife damage was $1.4 million. This included direct deer damage to crops and yields ($520,940) as well as deer-related hidden costs ($755,200), mainly due to crop abandonment. |
Rutgers N.J. Agricultural Experiment Station |
| The New Jersey Farm Bureau found that annual economic losses due to wildlife damage (mainly deer) total $15 million. 39% of farmers reported “intolerable” losses, and 36% stopped growing preferred crops due to damage. |
N.J. Farm Bureau |
| A survey of Florida Panhandle farmers found that nearly 30% of watermelon crops were damaged by white-tailed deer. | University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences |
| An extensive research study by Purdue University found that white-tailed deer accounted for 61% of all documented soybean crop damage in Northern Indiana. | Purdue University |
| There is a dire need for deer hunters in Michigan—there was an 11.9% drop in deer harvest totals from 2022 and 2023, leading to hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual crop damage and near-record vehicle collisions with deer. Many Michigan farmers are abandoning soybean crops due to out-of-control deer consumption, disrupting crop rotation. |
Michigan Farm Bureau |
| Cotton producers in the Southeastern United States reported a 34% to 42% yield loss from crops due to white-tailed deer damage. Additionally, $51 to $73 per acre was spent on mitigation measures. Nearly all growers, county agents, and consultants agreed that white-tailed deer are the biggest pest for cotton and a major economic concern. |
American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society of America |
| Feral Swine | |
| Swine damage and control cost an estimated $2.5 billion annually in the agricultural sector alone. Feral hogs damage crops, livestock, golf courses, parks, historical sites, archaeological artifacts, wetlands and waterways, delicate ecosystems, and native wildlife habitats. They also jeopardize human health through vehicle and aircraft collisions and disease. |
U.S. Department of Agriculture |
| Feral swine are known to carry at least 30 bacterial and viral diseases and almost 40 parasites that can be passed to humans, pets, livestock, and native wildlife. These include salmonella, hepatitis, E. coli, leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, tularemia, and trichinellosis. |
U.S. Department of Agriculture |
| 10% of feral swine are likely to be infected with brucellosis, a disease that can be transmitted to humans and other animals through exposure or consumption. Symptoms in humans include fever, chills, sweating, joint and muscle pain, and fatigue. |
U.S. Department of Agriculture |
| Wild pigs are deadlier than sharks. The average annual fatality rate caused by sharks from 2014 to 2023 was 5.8, over three times less than the annual fatality rate by feral swine of 19.7. Feral swine have shown aggression and have attacked farmers, hikers, golfers, and picnickers. This aggression escalates as pigs associate humans with food due to handouts or inadequate waste disposal. |
Farm Journal |
| The number of fatalities caused by wild pigs has increased steadily from 2000 to 2019—reaching a total of 172 deaths and 1,532 attacks. Of the 172 fatalities, 88% occurred in non-hunting situations. 77% of victims died due to blood loss, 86% occurred in broad daylight, and 38% of the attacks were on farm workers. |
Farm Journal |
| Due to the tremendous strength and weight of feral swine, 55% of people died on the scene in fatal attacks. Boar tusks are extremely sharp—the upper and lower tusks grind together each time a boar opens and closes its mouth, creating a perpetual sharpening process. |
Farm Journal |
| 86% of feral swine attacks occurred in daylight. | Farm Journal |
| Feral hogs cost Texas an estimated $400 million in damages annually. Texas has the highest number of feral hog sightings in the nation. |
Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension |
| Since 2014, 12 states have eliminated feral swine. This has led to $40.2 billion in crop revenue being protected through efforts to curb feral swine population growth. |
U.S. Department of Agriculture |
| Predators | |
| The cost of sheep loss due to predation in 2019 was around $15,974,000. | U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service |
| The cost of lamb loss due to predation in 2019 was around $29,112,600. | U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service |
| Predation accounted for 32.6% of sheep losses in 2019. Of the 71,440 sheep lost to predators, the top three known causes were: • 46.9% coyotes • 33.9% dogs • 5.9% bears |
U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service |
| Predation accounted for 40.1% of lamb losses in 2019. Of the 155,470 lambs lost to predators, the top three known causes were: • 58.8% coyotes • 15% dogs • 4.3% mountain lions |
U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service |
| In 2020, farmers and producers spent approximately $51.4 million to reduce predation on livestock. | U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service |
| Every Federal dollar spent on predation management saves $10.88 in livestock. | U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service |
