USDA uses drones blasting AC/DC and film clips to deter wolves from cattle near Oregon-California border

A U.S. Department of Agriculture project is broadcasting music and movie dialogue from drones to frighten gray wolves away from livestock as part of a nonlethal deterrence trial.

U.S. Department of Agriculture biologists have begun using drones that play recorded music and dialogue to deter gray wolves from approaching cattle near the Oregon-California border, the agency said. The sounds — including AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” and lines from the 2019 film Marriage Story — are intended to capitalize on wolves’ aversion to novel stimuli and to reduce depredations on private herds without resorting to lethal control.

Researchers said the strategy has prompted wolves to leave grazing areas where the sounds were broadcast. “Wolves are frightened of novel things,” Amaroq Weiss, a wolf advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, told The Associated Press. Weiss’s comment was echoed in USDA materials describing the project, which pairs airborne surveillance with intermittent sound broadcasts to shepherd wolves away from vulnerable livestock at night.

USDA officials described the effort as a pilot program that combines remote monitoring and aversive conditioning. Drones equipped with speakers patrol pastures and, when wolves are detected or when livestock are particularly at risk, operators broadcast preselected audio clips. The agency said the approach has produced measurable short-term reductions in wolf presence near some herds during nights when the sounds were used.

The audio repertoire includes a mix of rock music, cinematic dialogue and other human voices. Among the examples cited by the agency and in media accounts was AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” and recorded exchanges from the film Marriage Story, featuring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. Researchers said the unexpected noise appears to trigger flight responses among packs that have not previously been exposed to the stimuli.

Biologists and conservation groups described the technique as one of several nonlethal tools being evaluated to reduce conflicts between livestock owners and wolves, which increasingly roam territories that overlap working rangelands in parts of the western United States. Traditional deterrents such as fladry, guard animals, visual scare devices and range riders have been used for years; airborne sound broadcasts represent a newer tactical overlay that allows managers to intervene quickly across wider areas.

Use of drones for both monitoring and active deterrence has expanded as aircraft capabilities and payloads have grown. Night operations allow personnel to maintain oversight of herds after dark, when some predation events are more likely to occur. USDA biologists said drones give them a mobile platform to both detect wolves at a distance and respond by playing deterrent sounds without placing humans or domestic animals at risk.

Wildlife managers and conservationists noted that the apparent success of novel auditory deterrents depends on keeping the stimuli unfamiliar to wolves. Experts have long warned that animals may habituate to repeated, predictable scare tactics, rendering them less effective over time. The USDA has reported rotating sound files and varying broadcast patterns to reduce that risk, though longer-term effectiveness and cost considerations remain under study.

The region where the trial is taking place has been the focus of heightened attention in recent years as gray wolf populations reestablish themselves and expand in parts of the West. Wolves were federally protected for decades after severe declines in the early 20th century; more recent recoveries in many states have led to renewed tensions between conservation priorities and livestock producers who face economic losses from depredation.

Nonlethal deterrence programs are often pursued with the dual aims of protecting agricultural livelihoods and reducing incidents that prompt lethal removals by wildlife agencies. Lethal control is authorized in some situations and remains controversial; proponents argue it is necessary to protect livestock and human safety, while opponents and some researchers say nonlethal measures should be prioritized and that conflict reduction can lower the need for removals.

Amid those debates, the USDA’s drone sound-project offers a data-driven example of an innovative approach. The agency has said it is tracking outcomes — including immediate wolf responses, short-term shifts in wolf presence, and any changes in depredation rates — to assess whether the method can be scaled up or refined. Early reports focus on behavior at the time of broadcasts rather than long-term population impacts.

Ranchers working with the USDA welcomed additional options. Some livestock owners said they have seen fewer close encounters after drones were used on consecutive nights, though officials cautioned that the effect is not guaranteed and that multiple deterrents are generally recommended. The agency emphasized that sound broadcasts are being used as part of an integrated suite of practices, including carcass removal, fencing where feasible, and livestock management adjustments to reduce vulnerability.

Critics caution that novelty-based deterrents do not address underlying drivers of conflict, such as expanding wolf ranges and habitat fragmentation, and that robust monitoring is required to ensure that nonlethal measures do not simply displace predation to other properties. Agencies engaged in the trial said they are coordinating with state wildlife officials, private landowners and conservation organizations to document outcomes and adjust techniques.

To illustrate the cultural dimension of the intervention, USDA footage released in conjunction with the project has attracted attention in news coverage because of its use of a hard-rock single known for loud guitar riffs. AC/DC’s band imagery was cited in media reports about the program.

As the USDA continues to collect data this season, agency officials said they will publish findings on the effectiveness and limitations of drone-based sound deterrence for wolves. The work adds to a portfolio of experiments around the West aimed at reducing human-wildlife conflicts while maintaining protections for recovering predator populations.