Montana Ranchers Worry About Non-Compensated Eagle Depredation

As if farmers and ranchers don't have enough to worry about every day. Is it possible this should be added to the mix?

While we would assume this goes without saying, let's just get it out there to be sure: No one is proposing an eagle season to reduce livestock losses. But Montana's Northern Ag Network shared some concerns of a Montana rancher who didn't give it too much thought until he started doing a deeper dive into the matter, reasoning that it might be a more widespread problem than we realize.

The story centers around Joe Kipp, a member of the Montana Livestock Loss Board and a longtime cattle producer. He believes he’s uncovered an issue after losing calves  to what experts have confirmed were eagle attacks.

Mr. Kipp says, “I think we’ve had multiple eagle predations over the years that we just never caught. I used to assume these were weather-related deaths, maybe with a scavenger bird picking at the carcass afterward. But I was wrong.”

UNCOVERING THE PATTERN

The Kipp family operates a 200 head cow-calf operation in Glacier County. In May of 2024, a dead calf was found following a spring snowstorm. The natural assumption was to blame the weather. The calf had a missing eye and signs of scavenging, but the family recorded it as a natural death.

Days later, a second calf was found weak and but still alive. They hauled the calf to the barn and put it in the calf warmer. It was then they discovered the calf’s tongue had been removed. It was euthanized and USDA Wildlife Services were contacted. An investigation confirmed the injury was consistent with eagle predation. It was also  determined by necropsy that the calf lost a few days earlier had also been killed by an eagle.

A similar discovery was made on the ranch in April of this year, and was confirmed as eagle predation.

SO, JUST APPLY FOR LIVESTOCK LOSS COMPENSATION, RIGHT?

Wrong. Currently, Montana’s Livestock Loss Board provides compensation for confirmed losses from large predators including grizzly bears, wolves, and mountain lions, with black bears just added to the list in the most recent legislative session. Federally protected birds like bald eagles are not included.

While a USDA Farm Service Agency Livestock Program does cover eagle kills, reimbursement is significantly lower than state-level programs.

There is no current database for eagle predation in Montana. Mr. Kipp is hoping that other producers come forward to get a better idea of the impact eagles are having on Montana livestock.

He says, “If we can show there’s a substantial number of calves killed by eagles, we may be able to push for legislative change.”