Coyote Carnage

Thursday, March 19, 2026

When market opportunity collides with predator reality

By Mary Loggan

Ontario sheep producers have the opportunity to grow flocks to meet the rising lamb demand and reduce dependence on imported product.

At the same time, many farms are losing lambs and ewes to increasing coyote populations, impacting both their profitability and capacity to expand.

For Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk OFA director Larry Davis, that tension between market opportunity and predator pressure is now the defining challenge on his farm.

Damages

On Davis’s mixed farm near Burford, the impact can be tallied in animals, time and dollars.

He, his wife, and his son grow hay, corn, and soybeans and raise a flock of sheep. Over the last two years, he estimates that coyotes have killed 60 lambs from that flock.

“Coyotes have been a terrible challenge on my farm,” he says.

“When you add up 60 lambs over two years, that is a serious hit to your bottom line, especially when margins are already tight.”

He notes that those lambs should be contributing to a growing lamb market, not disappearing in the night.

“We’re being asked to help fill a supply gap, and at the same time, we’re losing the very animals that would do that job.”

What frustrates him most is that these are not losses from neglected infrastructure. Davis has invested heavily in perimeter fencing designed specifically for predators.

“I have the best of enclosure fences,” he explains.

“It’s a single 2‑by‑4‑inch mesh fence that they shouldn’t be able to squeeze through. On top of that, I’ve got barbed wire and electric shocking wire. It looks like a fortress.”

Yet coyotes routinely jump the 1.6‑metre barrier.

“They can go over that fence carrying a lamb,” he says.

“Adult ewes are also eaten in the pasture field. I’ve watched them work the fence line, and when they decide they want in, it’s not a question of if — it’s when.”

The damage extends beyond the sheep flock. Over time, Davis has lost farm cats and several fowl to predators.

As a livestock adjuster in Brant County, he sees similar patterns in other operations.

“Sheep, fowl and calves are targets on a lot of farms. It’s not just one odd case.”

Wildlife on and around his farm has also changed.

“We used to have a pretty big flock of wild turkeys coming through, and lots of deer. They’ve almost all disappeared because the coyotes get the turkeys and the young fawns.”

He compares the situation to a household pest problem.

“For the public, I often say, think of coyotes on a farm like rats or mice in your house.

“You don’t just shrug and accept it.”

Challenges

Producers often respond to predation challenges by adding layer after layer of protection. Davis has tried most of them.

“I have two donkeys that are supposed to repel coyotes, but they are not successful.”

He also tried a guard dog. “My Rottweiler chased the coyotes until he was exhausted,” Davis recalls. “I rushed him to the vet, but he died there, giving me another expense.”

Other deterrents have been similarly disappointing.

“We put up bright‑light deterrents that are marketed to keep predators away.

“They made no difference. The coyotes get used to anything that doesn’t carry real risk.”

He has invited hunters onto his farm to try to reduce local numbers.

“At dusk, the hunters told me they had coyotes coming to their call from every direction. They actually left because they were uncomfortable with how many were there and how quickly they closed in.”

When predation occurs, the next challenge is navigating the compensation process. Under Ontario’s current wildlife damage program, producers must provide evidence — usually in the form of a carcass — for an assessor to inspect before a claim can be paid.

In many cases, Davis says, that simply is not realistic.

“It’s almost impossible. Coyotes drag lambs away or clean them up quickly. If you don’t find something in time, there’s nothing to show.”

From his vantage point as an adjuster, he sees how this skews the picture.

“The numbers in the program only reflect what we can document. They don’t reflect what’s actually happening in the field,” he explains.

“When you talk to producers, there is almost always a gap between what they are certain they’ve lost and what they can prove on paper.”

The pattern of predation also varies from year to year.

“You see it come in cycles. There will be heavy coyote damage in one area, then it eases up there and suddenly another township is getting hammered. It’s the same story, just a different postal code.”

At the same time, he believes hunting pressure has decreased. “Coyotes used to be hunted because people wore furs and hoods,” he notes.

“There was money to be made by harvesting coyotes. It was just part of rural life. Now we don’t have as many hunters, and the fur market has been pushed aside. That has consequences on the ground.”

For Davis, it is also clear that coyotes are no longer just a rural concern. He recalls his daughter-in-law once arriving at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto and encountering coyotes in the parking lot.

“When you see coyotes in downtown parking lots, that tells you this is everybody’s issue now.

“We’re not just talking about them out in the Back 40.”

Looking at the future

While producers are trying to manage these pressures, industry leaders are also looking ahead to where the sheep sector could go.

Ontario Sheep Farmers has outlined a long‑term goal of substantially increasing the share of Canadian lamb demand filled by domestic production, with Ontario expected to shoulder a significant portion of that growth.

The organization cites rising per-capita consumption, strong demand for fresh, local product, and expanding Halal markets as key drivers.

Davis agrees that the opportunity is real.

“We have the land base, we have the people who know how to raise sheep, and we have processors who want more consistent supply.

“The demand side is not the problem right now.

“There’s potential to make money and keep up with market demands, but it’s hard when you’re facing these losses year after year.

“How can producers absorb all these losses and still stay in business, let alone grow?”

He believes that the same principles farmers use to manage weeds, insects and diseases should be applied to predators.

“We need better integrated pest management,” Davis says.

“We have it for other things in agriculture, but sheep farmers are left at the mercy of coyotes.

“In livestock, you look at vaccines, insecticides, biosecurity, fencing — everything you can use,” he says. “With coyotes, we’re trying to do that too: good fencing, guardians, lighting, human presence.

“But right now, even when we use everything in the toolbox, it doesn’t feel like enough.”

Davis also wants to see risk‑management tools evolve. He argues that wildlife damage compensation needs to better recognize the realities of predation.

“The industry needs an update, and pest management is key,” he insists.

“We need balance; it’s an issue for farmers, but people in the city are seeing more coyotes, too.”

He is careful to stress that he is not advocating the elimination of wildlife.

“Wildlife has value, but it needs to be managed. We’ve always managed numbers of domestic animals; we need to think about how we manage wildlife numbers as well.”

Davis believes farms like his can do more than just survive — they can help build a stronger, more self‑reliant lamb industry for the province.

“We’re ready to step up. We just need a fair chance to keep the lambs we raise.” BF