The Cry Wolf project aims to provide science-backed data to help prevent wildlife-livestock conflicts. To achieve this, I've collaborated with Kurt Holtzen, a wolf conflict mitigation expert and fifth-generation agricultural producer. Coming from an agricultural heritage myself (but not a rancher), I hold deep respect for ranchers who provide wildlife habitat. Based on over 100,000 audio recordings of wild wolves, I’ve created the following guidelines on selecting and timing vocalizations to deter wolves. These sounds are available for download and use in rag boxes, and we’re committed to improving both the audio quality and recommendations for rag box hardware and placement. 

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Rag boxes are simple devices that play sounds through speakers to deter wolves or other predators from livestock. Rock music and firecrackers are commonly played to make wolves leery of human presence.

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But what do wolves actually think about the sounds we're playing? Are we speaking their language? Humans don't learn a new language from a dictionary. We learn it in the real world and we have to learn the culture of the people who use that language. The same is true for wolves. By understanding their behavior and what we know about why, when, and where they vocalize, ag producers may be able to increase their success with rag boxes. If you're interested in learning more about wolf culture and how they communicate, watch this video. If you don't have the time (I get it), here are the key factors to consider.

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The #1 cause of death for wolves in Yellowstone National Park (and other protected areas) are other wolves. Wolves, especially solo or small groups, will typically avoid wolves that are not part of their social group.

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1. Wolves communicate with over 20 distinct sounds, including barks, yelps, whimpers, moans, and teeth clacking, alongside their iconic howls. But one of the most effective sounds for a rag box is called the chorus howl. Wolves are one of a few species who communicate collectively, and they do it with chorus howls, which typically have three different call types within (howls, yip-yaps and woas). Chorus howls last about two minutes in duration and wolves can identify the pack and relative size of a chorus howl based on the unique vocal signature, not much different than our own auditory abilities. Playing an unfamiliar chorus howl from a large pack signals to other wolves the presence of potential danger and competition. In encounters with rival packs, wolves often resort to extended, repeated chorus howling over hours, a safer strategy than risking deadly conflict. Coyotes frequently respond to wolf chorus howls with their own, so playing both together adds realism to the soundscape. I do not recommend playing solo wolf howls, except for the types described in #5 below.

2. Wolves primarily engage in howling and chorus howling at night, with peak activity between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., often extending through dawn as they prepare to hunt. Although they do chorus howl at dusk, this is less frequent than at other times, so replicating the night-time pattern would mimic their natural behavior effectively.

3. Wolves increase their daytime howling mainly during the breeding season, typically from January through March, often as a means to attract mates. For deterrence purposes, however, daytime is generally not an ideal time to play howls on a rag box, as it may have unintended effects, potentially drawing wolves in rather than keeping them away.​

4. Chorus and individual wolf howls can carry up to 3 miles or more, depending on conditions. Wolves likely favor night and dawn howling when atmospheric inversions and low winds enhance sound travel. At 100 decibels, a typical wolf howl is as loud as a car horn heard 10 feet away. To cover larger areas effectively, place speakers with a 100+ decibel output about 6 miles apart for maximum reach when playing these recordings.

5. Evidence suggests that longer-duration howls are often directed at non-packmates. While I don’t recommend playing regular howls to deter wolves, a specific version called a growl-howl, typically directed at rival wolves or humans, may be more effective. Mixing long-duration growl-howls with various chorus howls can be a reasonable tactic for deterring wolves.

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The leading cause of death for wolves outside protected areas is human activity. Consequently, wolves tend to alter their behavior around people, yet they remain cautious of other wolf packs as well, steering clear of both. Playing human-related sounds during the day (and occasionally at night) along with wolf pack chorus howls at dusk, night, or dawn is a realistic approach to what an intruding wolf would know is "not safe".

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1. Wolves and their descendants, dogs, use specific barks to signal different threats. Playing a wolf’s human-directed bark and/or growl-howl or bark-howl associated might make an intruding wolf think another wolf is warning of nearby humans. In addition, I will play a gun-shot or a large vehicle driving down a road followed by a wolf's bark-howl or growl-howl for more realism. Similarly, using a multiple guardian dog barks (especially the type they use directed at predator threats like us and wolves and bears) could suggest to a nearby wolf that other wolves—and potential risks—are present in the area. The key here, however, is that the intruding wolf needs to be fooled in to thinking that other unfamiliar wolves are present and not just itself...and so playing a chorus howl with the guardian dog barks would be the common-sense approach to deterrence.

2. Wolves vocalize in frequencies similar to human speech, making them attuned to our voices. Playing music with lyrics can be effective, but an even more realistic option is to play recordings of three or more people talking and play it with the volume cranked up to 100 decibels. While it may sound unusual to us (but usual to play loud music), wolves primarily respond to the presence of human speech, not its loudness. To enhance realism, try playing sounds of a truck approaching, slowing down, stopping, and car doors closing, followed by voices. After a 1-2 minute pause, play an unfamiliar wolf's growl-howl or bark-howl.

3. Wildlife management agencies often use helicopters to capture or remove wolves. Wolves with frequent exposure to this tend to run at the sound of an approaching helicopter, while they seem indifferent to the noise of small planes. Although I haven’t tested it yet, occasionally playing helicopter sounds during the day might be effective. Further observation is needed to explore this idea, but I've included audio for those who want to experiment.