Overview

• USDA APHIS teams are flying nighttime drone patrols over high-conflict ranches near the California–Oregon border, with operations newly expanded to Sierra Valley in August.
• Drones locate wolves with thermal cameras and use loudspeakers to broadcast AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” movie lines with Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, fireworks, gunshots and live human voices.
• A 2022 USDA study found that human-voice broadcasts from drones can disrupt wolf hunts, informing the current field tests.
• Ranchers hosting the patrols report reduced cattle deaths so far, though some warn the tactic may fade if wolves become accustomed to the sounds.
• Costs and logistics remain hurdles, with systems around $20,000, trained pilots required and diminished performance in heavily wooded terrain.