How to protect livestock from coyotes in West Virginia | Coyote

West Virginia > Animal is behaving aggressively > Coyote

How to protect livestock from coyotes

Coyotes will attack small livestock often targeting newborns during lambing and calving season. Any time of year, family groups might attack sheep or other small livestock left unprotected at night.

To protect your livestock:

  • Install predator-proof fencing (6-foot woven wire 4-inch x 4-inch mesh, extending two feet underground to prevent digging)
  • Add predator-proof calving sheds
  • Electric fencing ("Electro-net") may be used separately or around the lower edge of a taller fence
  • Use trained herding/guard animals
  • Install animal alarms and lighting
  • Screen off openings under sheds and decks using sturdy galvanized wire or hardware cloth attached to the lower edge then buried underground, slanting outward 1 to 2 feet
  • Predator management through trapping and hunting is also recommended when you experience recurring livestock losses
  • Dispose of your dead stock properly and away from your other animals so that coyotes are not attracted to the carcasses for scavenging

Coyotes causing severe damage to pets or livestock or posing a threat to public health and safety, may be removed usingregulated in-season trapping and hunting methods or, outside the season, through special permits issued by state wildlife agencies to professional nuisance wildlife trappers. Trapping coyotes requires advanced training and trapping skills and traps need to be set and checked in accordance with state laws.

Assistance in West Virginia

Contact the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources for a list of licensed Animal Damage Control agents in your area who can assist with animal removal, damage, damage prevention, and clean up.  Be aware that they charge for their services.  Your local Division of Natural Resources office can provide guidance regarding nuisance wildlife.  They can also provide you with a permit to remove or destroy certain animals, and advice on how to do so, if it is necessary or desirable for you to trap or shoot animals yourself.  Federally protected species require additional permits as noted if necessary.

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources district offices:    

District 1       Farmington              304 825-6787

District 2       Romney                   304 822-3551                                                                                                                           

District 3       French Creek          304 924-6211

District 4       Beckely                   304 256-6947

District 5       Alum Creek             304 756-1023

District 6       Parkersburg            304 420-4550

Op Center    Elkins                      304 637-0245

Trapped animals must be humanely dispatched.  They may not be relocated without prior approval from West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.

Instructions for Possible Exposure to Rabies in West Virginia

In West Virginia, if you are exposed (through bite or contact with saliva) to a potentially rabid wild animal, contact your family physician and county health department for further instructions.  Contact your veterinarian if your pet has been exposed.

Laws and regulations to be aware of

While we attempt to provide guidance about state and federal regulations pertaining to specific species and control techniques, we do not provide information about local jurisdictions (city, town, county, etc.) where regulations may be more restrictive, especially as it applies to discharge of firearms, transport of animals or use of trapping equipment. Contact your local city or county government to inquire further. No guarantee is made that information (or lack of information) associated with a species or control technique is completely accurate or current. You should become familiar with federal, state and local laws before beginning any wildlife control activities.

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