Wolf Depredation on Livestock in Minnesota

Depredation by wolves on cattle, sheep, and other livestock in Minnesota currently is a minor problem expt to a few individual farmers. Indices to the seriousness of the problem are available only from recent years, so historical trends cannot be detected. Most losses occur in summer when livestock are released to graze in open and wooded pasture. Results of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's depredation-control program in 1979 and 1980 suggest that highly restricted trapping, coupled with other management methods, has potential for reducing both livestock losses and the number of wolves that need to be killed.