USDA Is Using ‘Marriage Story’ Fight Scene to Terrify Wolves and Protect Cattle
In the rugged ranchlands of southern Oregon, the battle between man and beast has taken a strange and cinematic turn.
Faced with rising livestock deaths from prowling gray wolves, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is testing unconventional new methods to scare the predators off, including flying drones that blast everything from gunfire to the screaming match scene from “Marriage Story.”
Yes, really.
The effort comes after a devastating string of attacks on Prather Ranch, a cattle operation nestled near the California-Oregon border. The ranch’s owners, Jim and Mary Rickert, estimate they’ve lost around 40 calves to hungry wolves in recent months.
“It’s basically like driving through Burger King, easy pickings for them.”
However, managing the threat isn’t as simple as fighting back. Many of the wolves roaming the area are endangered species and protected under state or federal law. The use of lethal force is heavily restricted. That’s where the USDA’s “wolf hazing” initiative comes in — a program built on psychological warfare rather than firepower.
Led by USDA district supervisor Paul Wolf, the agency has turned to a high-tech and somewhat bizarre solution: drones equipped with floodlights and speakers designed to disorient wolves.
When a drone spots movement near livestock, it swoops in like an airborne scarecrow, unleashing a cacophony of unsettling sounds. These range from fireworks and gunshots to AC/DC’s Thunderstruck and the emotionally charged fight scene between Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson in “Marriage Story.”
It’s all about creating negative associations, said Wolf, who has been piloting the USDA’s drone deterrence program since 2022.
“I need the wolves to respond and know that, hey, humans are bad.”
The approach, while unusual, appears to be working, at least in the short term. In Oregon’s Klamath Basin, where the program is active, a string of wolf attacks left 11 cows dead in just 20 days. After implementing the drones, only two cattle were killed over the next 85 days.
Still, the tactic comes with its own set of challenges. The drones used in these operations can cost thousands of dollars, with some costing as much as $20,000 apiece, and aren’t exactly built for combat. One drone met an untimely end when it crashed into a tree mid-chase, damaging an expensive thermal camera.
Battery life is another limiting factor, with some drones barely able to stay airborne for more than 20 minutes at a time. That leaves narrow windows for scaring off predators and no margin for error.
On a recent night ride-along with The Wall Street Journal, Wolf and his team took to the skies to protect cattle under threat. As wolves crept toward the herd, the crew took aim — not with rifles, but playlists. One drone blasted Five Finger Death Punch’s “Blue on Black.”
According to Wolf, the crew likely saved a calf that night. But even with this high-tech audio arsenal, some remain skeptical. “I’m kinda betting on the wolves, truth be known,” said Jim Rickert, only half-joking.
The fear is that the wolves — clever, social, and notoriously adaptive — might eventually tune out the noise. Just as city pigeons become indifferent to the honking of horns, predators could learn that the music and lights pose no real threat.
For now, the drones remain a kind of surreal stand-in for cowhands, screaming across the night sky in a desperate attempt to protect livestock without breaking the law.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.