A coalition of environmental and animal welfare groups is petitioning the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to ban the use of M-44 predator control devices, arguing they are dangerous, cruel and unnecessary for the protection of livestock.

Some ranchers and wildlife specialists, however, refute these claims. They contend that, when used correctly, M-44s are the most effective and humane tool available for controlling certain predators — particularly coyotes, feral dogs and foxes — that prey on sheep and cattle.

M-44s are spring-activated devices, fastened onto stakes driven several inches into the ground. Sodium cyanide is then loaded into a baited or scented capsule holder that protrudes above ground, about the size of a marshmallow.

When a coyote or other canine bites or tugs on the holder, it ejects cyanide powder into the animal’s face and mouth. The powder combines with saliva to create hydrogen cyanide gas, killing the animal within seconds after the poison is ingested.

Seventy-six organizations signed on to the petition filed June 29 seeking to ban M-44s on BLM land, led by Predator Defense and the Center for Biological Diversity.

Two bills were also recently introduced in Congress that would outlaw M-44s on public land, sponsored by California Rep. Jared Huffman, Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, all Democrats.

State bans

In their petition, the groups describe M-44s as “indiscriminate killing devices” that pose a threat to humans and non-target animals, including endangered species.

One frequently cited case involves an Idaho teenager, Canyon Mansfield, who was walking his yellow Labrador retriever near his home in 2017. He came across and inadvertently triggered an M-44, thinking it was a sprinkler head, injuring himself and killing the dog.

Idaho has since banned M-44s statewide. Similar bans are also in effect in Oregon, Washington and California.

M-44s continue to be used in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

“It shouldn’t take another tragedy for the Interior Department to finally ban these dangerous devices,” said Collette Adkins, carnivore conservation director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s outrageous that these poison-spewing devices are still scattered across our federal public lands.”

‘An effective tool’

Greg Jones, a former USDA Wildlife Services agent working in Eastern Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Nevada, said he has personally set thousands of M-44s to help ranchers defend their livestock against predators.

“They’re the greatest tool when things freeze up, or when you have to cover great amounts of territory,” Jones said.

M-44s are especially valuable during the winter calving and lambing seasons, he said. Not only are the newborn animals susceptible to predation, but inclement weather can make it difficult for specialists such as himself to regularly check traps or fly over ranches.

Jones acknowledged M-44s can be risky if handled carelessly. In the case of Mansfield, he said the device was inappropriately set too close to homes.

“I wouldn’t have placed an M-44 within 20 miles of that town,” he said.

But in sparsely populated areas or behind locked gates on private property, Jones said the devices may be vital for ranchers. For every M-44 he set, Jones said he also posted warning signs written in English and Spanish within 10 feet of placement.

The devices have to be bitten or tugged fairly hard to go off, Jones said. Simply stepping on one, or even driving over it, won’t do the trick.

“I’ve never had a single incident with the public,” he said.

Difficult winter

Last winter was a rough one for Hank Dufurenna, who raises cattle and sheep in northwest Nevada, about 30 miles south of the Oregon border.

Cold, snowy weather meant Wildlife Services agents weren’t able to fly or get out on ranches as frequently during the busy calving season. For a while, Dufurenna said his neighbors were losing two or three calves per night to coyotes.

Their local trapper set M-44s to take care of the situation, Dufurenna said. Even in the worst conditions, he knows the devices — or “getters,” as he calls them — are working 24/7.

“They work well, and I think they’re the most humane (method),” he said. “They kill a coyote right away.”

John Peter, who worked with USDA Wildlife Services in the area for 35 years, agreed that M-44s are a dependable go-too tool for ranchers. While environmentalists emphasize using other non-lethal deterrents, such as alarm boxes and flashing lights, Peter said he has not had as much luck with these options.

”I’ve used call boxes that have sirens and helicopter sounds,” he said. “That would work for maybe a week and then they would ignore it, even though I was changing up the sounds.”

Peter said it takes good judgment and knowledge of the country to safely deploy M-44s, though without them he figures ranchers’ losses “would be quite a bit more.”

If M-44s are banned on public land, Dufurenna said he worries activists will soon target them on private land as well.

”Coyotes have always been a problem since way before my day,” Duferenna said. “They’ve had traps and bounties, and they’re still around. But we are still able to somewhat control them with the tools we have. I don’t think we should lose that.”