What this document is
Written by Randy Comeleo, chair of Benton County's Agriculture and Wildlife Protection Program, this Oregon State University Small Farms News piece from spring 2018 challenges a common ranching assumption: that shooting or trapping coyotes protects livestock. USDA research cited in the article found the opposite effect. Killing members of an established pair often opens a territory to new, unrelated coyotes and can push survivors to breed earlier and raise larger litters, both of which increase pressure on nearby flocks.
Comeleo compares lethal control to mowing a lawn: it stimulates the very growth it was meant to stop. A settled, non-breeding pair, by contrast, tends to defend its territory against other predators, functioning as an unpaid guard against sheep-killing coyotes and other carnivores moving through the area.
The article recommends non-lethal deterrents as a first response and reserves lethal removal for animals with a proven history of killing livestock. Benton County's program backs that approach with grants of up to 5,000 dollars for farmers who install non-lethal protection instead.
Why it is cited
TrapFree New Mexico cited the article to support its argument that lethal predator removal can worsen conflicts with livestock rather than resolve them.
Where to find it
Available from Oregon State University Small Farms Program.