As Trump Moves To Allow ‘Cyanide Bombs’ To Kill Coyotes, Some Worry Dogs Will Die

The Trump administration is moving to lift a three-year ban on spring-loaded M-44 cyanide bombs used to kill coyotes on public land. After being banned on Bureau of Land Management land in 2023, the devices might make a comeback in Wyoming and other Western states. That could be good news for ranchers who want to protect livestock during lambing and calving seasons, but others worry that M-44s could kill dogs and other unsuspecting animals.

An M-44 is a cylindrical device with a ground spike at one end, left nearly buried with bait exposed on the top. When an animal bites the bait, it activates an ejector spring, releasing a burst of sodium cyanide into the animal’s mouth. In April, the Trump administration issued a memorandum of understanding clearing the way for M-44s to be allowed again on BLM land.

Wyoming sheep rancher Jim Magagna said “it’s definitely a good thing” that M-44s might once again be allowed. “That was a significant loss to predator control when they were prevented,” he said. “They’re not going to solve all of the problems with predation, but they’re one significant tool. We need all of the tools that we can have.” Controlling predators becomes vital for ranchers in the spring when livestock animals are having lambs and calves. State and county agents can shoot coyotes from aircraft, but that entails high fuel costs, Magagna said. M-44s are on the landscape around the clock, providing another layer of protection. However, Magagna noted that the devices should not be indiscriminately placed and should have warning signs posted. “You have to place them where they can do the most good and present the least amount of danger to the public,” he said.

Casper Humane Society shelter manager Johnnie Ramirez said she is not pleased about the potential return. “Ultimately, my opinion is they are indiscriminate,” she said, posing a threat to dogs and other animals besides predators. “It just takes your pet catching the scent of that bait, going up to it and trying to bite it for it to be triggered. There have been instances in the past where people have lost their pets or been injured.” A high-profile case in Idaho drove calls for a ban there: on March 16, 2017, a 14-year-old boy was near his rural Pocatello home with his yellow Labrador retriever when the dog found and triggered an M-44. The boy was hurt, and the dog was killed.

Avid hunter Zach Key of La Barge said he supports predator control generally but spoke specifically about M-44s. “I feel that predator control is important, even if some people want to pretend that it isn’t,” he said. It is vital to hit coyotes during breeding season ahead of elk and deer herds having calves and fawns. His conservation group recently sent $10,000 to the Lincoln County Predator Control Board to help fund coyote control.

Wyoming Wildlife Advocates Executive Director Kristin Combs said the risks far outweigh the benefits. “They are indiscriminate. They’ll kill anything that comes across them. There’s no way that anybody needs that to protect their livestock. There are other ways to do that,” she said. “It’s cyanide. That’s a tool of war, not something that needs to be used to protect livestock.” She added that M-44s could pose a particular risk to bird-hunting dogs. “They’re just asking for sporting dogs to get killed,” she said.