Predator Losses: Compensation, Documentation, and What Changed Under OBBB

Last Updated: April 2026 | Source: USDA-FSA, USDA Wildlife Services, state wildlife agency programs, and practitioner experience

This is a free guide, not financial or legal advice. Always verify current rates and eligibility with your local USDA office. Report an error

The 30-Day Rule and First 48 Hours

Time matters more for predator kills than almost any other livestock loss. Two clocks are running:

• Evidence clock (24–48 hours): Carcass evidence degrades quickly. Scavengers, weather, and decomposition can turn a confirmed kill into an inconclusive finding within days. The Wildlife Services specialist needs to examine the carcass while evidence is still intact: bite patterns, hemorrhaging, tracks, scat. Call them the day you find the animal.
• Filing clock (30 days): You must file a Notice of Loss with your local FSA office within 30 days of discovering the loss. This is a hard deadline for LIP eligibility. You can supplement documentation later, but the notice itself cannot be late.

Your Documentation Kit

If you run cattle in predator territory, keep these in your truck:

• Phone with camera and GPS (most already have this)
• Notebook for recording date, time, location, animal ID, and observations
• Your state Wildlife Services phone number saved in your contacts
• Your local FSA office phone number saved in your contacts

When you find a dead animal:

1. Photograph the carcass from multiple angles, including bite marks, throat, flanks, hindquarters
2. Photograph any tracks, scat, hair, or drag marks in the surrounding area
3. Drop a GPS pin or record coordinates
4. Note the date, time, animal tag number, and approximate age/weight
5. Call Wildlife Services
6. Call FSA within 30 days

LIP (Livestock Indemnity Program) for Predator Kills

What It Is

LIP is an FSA program that can compensate producers for livestock death losses caused by eligible weather events or attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law. Wolves, grizzly bears, eagles, and mountain lions all qualify.

What Changed Under OBBB

Under the OBBB Act (effective 2025), confirmed predator kills may now be compensated at up to 100% of market value. Prior to OBBB, predation losses were paid at the same 75% rate as all other eligible losses. This is a significant change for producers in wolf, grizzly, and mountain lion territory.

OBBB may also extend coverage to unborn livestock lost to predation. If a confirmed pregnant cow is killed by predators, the unborn calf may now be eligible for a separate payment.

Eligible Predators

• Wolves (gray wolf, Mexican gray wolf)
• Grizzly bears
• Black bears (where confirmed by Wildlife Services)
• Mountain lions / cougars
• Eagles (bald and golden)
• Coyotes (where confirmed by Wildlife Services, more on this below)

What It May Pay

Payment calculation: number of head × market value × 100% (for confirmed predation under OBBB).

What that looks like:

• Confirmed wolf kill of a mature bred cow valued at $2,200. LIP may pay up to $2,200. Under the old 75% rate, the payment would have been $1,650, a difference of $550 per head.
• 5 yearling heifers killed by grizzly bear, valued at $1,800 each. LIP may pay up to $9,000.
• Mature bull valued at $4,000 killed by mountain lion. LIP may pay up to $4,000.

Payment rates are set by FSA based on species, weight class, and type. Your local FSA office has the current rate tables; actual payments may differ from the examples above.

Payment limit: $125,000 per person per program year. Under OBBB, this cap may increase to $155,000. Check with your FSA office for the current limit.

How to File

1. Report the loss to your local FSA office within 30 days. This is the hard deadline. File the Notice of Loss first, even if you don't have all your documentation yet.
2. Get a Wildlife Services investigation. Call USDA Wildlife Services as soon as you find the carcass. Their investigation report confirming predation is your key document for LIP. Other acceptable evidence may include state wildlife agency reports or veterinary findings.
3. Complete the full LIP application at your FSA office with your documentation: Wildlife Services report, photos, livestock records, estimated market values.
4. Keep herd inventory records. FSA needs to verify your livestock numbers. Brand inspections, vet records, purchase/sale receipts, and ear tag records all count.

What Most People Get Wrong

• Waiting for the Wildlife Services report before contacting FSA. File the Notice of Loss first. The investigation may take days or weeks; the 30-day deadline does not wait. You can submit documentation after the notice is on file.
• Moving or disposing of the carcass before investigation. This is the single most common mistake. A moved carcass may lose the evidence Wildlife Services needs to confirm predation, and without that confirmation, the 100% rate may not apply.
• Not knowing that coyote kills can be eligible. Most producers assume coyotes don't count. If Wildlife Services confirms a coyote kill, it may be eligible for LIP. The key is getting the confirmed investigation.
• Not filing for probable or possible kills. Wildlife Services classifies kills as confirmed, probable, or possible. LIP eligibility requirements may vary by classification, so talk to your FSA office about what documentation they need for each category.

USDA Wildlife Services

What They Do

USDA Wildlife Services (part of APHIS) investigates livestock kills, provides predator damage management, and can help with both lethal and non-lethal predator control. In most states, their services are available at no cost to livestock producers.

How to Contact Them

Call your state Wildlife Services office. These are typically reached through USDA APHIS. You can find your state contact at aphis.usda.gov/contact/wildlife-services. Save this number in your phone now if you run livestock in predator territory.

What to Expect

1. You call and report a suspected predator kill.
2. A Wildlife Services specialist visits your operation, usually within 1 to 5 days depending on location and workload. The sooner you call, the better, because evidence degrades fast.
3. The specialist examines the kill site: carcass condition, bite patterns, hemorrhaging, tracks, scat, and surrounding area.
4. They determine the probable cause of death and classify it as confirmed, probable, or possible predation.
5. They issue a written report. This report is the documentation FSA needs for your LIP claim.

Beyond Investigation

Wildlife Services also provides predator damage management assistance:

• Non-lethal deterrents: recommendations for guard animals, fladry, lighting
• Trap-and-remove for problem predators (where authorized)
• Aerial predator management (where authorized by state and federal law)
• Ongoing monitoring if you have repeated depredation

If you're experiencing chronic predation, ask Wildlife Services about a damage management agreement for your operation.

State Predator Compensation Programs

Several states run their own predator compensation programs, particularly in wolf and grizzly territory. These vary widely in what they cover, how much they pay, and how they interact with federal programs. The key point: state and federal programs may stack. You may be eligible for both LIP and your state program for the same loss.

This is not a complete list. Other states may have programs or may create new ones, particularly as wolf populations expand. Contact your state wildlife agency to ask what compensation programs exist in your area.

Stacking federal and state: If you file for both LIP and a state compensation program, check with both agencies about how the payments interact. In most cases, you may receive payments from both programs for the same loss. Some state programs may offset against federal payments. Ask both your FSA office and your state agency how they handle dual claims.

Non-Lethal Deterrent Cost-Share

Prevention costs money too. Some states, conservation districts, and federal programs offer cost-share for non-lethal predator deterrents:

• Guard animals: livestock guardian dogs, llamas, donkeys
• Fladry: flagging lines that deter wolves from crossing into pastures
• Night pens and calving sheds: bringing vulnerable animals into protected areas during high-risk periods
• Electric fencing: predator exclusion fencing around calving areas or night pens
• Range riders: hired riders who patrol grazing allotments to deter predators through human presence

EQIP may cover some of these as conservation practices in certain states, so check with your local NRCS office about what predator deterrent practices are eligible in your area. State wildlife agencies and conservation districts may also have their own cost-share programs for producers in active predator zones.

What Most People Get Wrong

• Moving the carcass before investigation. This is the most costly mistake. Once you move an animal, you may lose the physical evidence Wildlife Services needs to confirm predation. Without confirmation, the 100% payment rate under OBBB may not apply. Leave the carcass where it is and call Wildlife Services first.
• Waiting too long to call Wildlife Services. Evidence degrades in 24 to 48 hours from scavengers, weather, and decomposition. A kill examined on day one is far more likely to be classified as confirmed than one examined on day five.
• Not knowing about the 30-day FSA deadline. The LIP Notice of Loss must be filed within 30 days of when you discover the loss. This is a hard deadline. Many producers don't learn about LIP until after the window closes.
• Not filing for probable or possible kills. Wildlife Services uses three classifications: confirmed, probable, and possible. Even if a kill is classified as probable rather than confirmed, talk to your FSA office, since eligibility requirements may vary, and filing costs nothing.
• Not knowing state programs exist. If you're in Montana, Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Colorado, or Minnesota (among others), there may be a state compensation program that stacks with LIP. Check with your state wildlife agency.
• Assuming coyote kills aren't covered. They can be, if confirmed by Wildlife Services. Many producers write off coyote losses without investigating. If the loss is significant, call Wildlife Services and let them make the determination.
• Not knowing that federal and state programs can stack. Filing with one doesn't prevent you from filing with the other. You may be eligible for compensation from both for the same loss.

What to Do

If you find a dead animal right now: Do not move it. Call USDA Wildlife Services today. Take photos from multiple angles: carcass, bite marks, tracks, surrounding area. Drop a GPS pin. Then call your local FSA office within 30 days and file a Notice of Loss. Tell them: "I have a suspected predator kill and need to file a notice of loss for LIP."

If you run cattle in wolf, bear, or mountain lion territory: Save your state Wildlife Services number in your phone now. Save your FSA office number. Keep a camera and notebook in your truck. Know whether your state has a separate compensation program. Preparation before a loss happens is worth more than scrambling after one.

If you lost livestock to predators in the past 30 days: Call FSA today and file a Notice of Loss. Call Wildlife Services even if the carcass is degraded. They may still be able to investigate and issue a finding. File now, document later.

If it's been more than 30 days: The LIP filing deadline has likely passed for that loss. But set up your documentation system now for next time. And contact your state wildlife agency, since some state programs have longer filing windows than the federal 30-day rule.

If you've never dealt with a predator loss: Find your state Wildlife Services contact at aphis.usda.gov/contact/wildlife-services. Find your FSA office at farmers.gov. Save both numbers. If predators are active in your area, the time to prepare is before the first loss.

Under the old 75% rate, a confirmed wolf kill on a $2,200 bred cow returned $1,650. At the OBBB rate, the same loss may return up to $2,200. The difference adds up, especially if you're losing multiple head per year. But the payment only happens if you document the kill, call Wildlife Services before the evidence is gone, and file with FSA within 30 days. That's what this comes down to.

• Disaster Assistance guide: all livestock loss programs
• Emergency Triage tool
• OBBB Changes: what the new law means for producers
• Find your local FSA office

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