The M-44 ejector device is an effective and environmentally sound 

wildlife damage management tool. The spring-activated device delivers a 

dose of cyanide powder to targeted animals. It uses a cyanide capsule that 

is registered as a restricted-use pesticide by the Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). The device can be used only by trained certified applicators.

Wildlife Services uses M-44 cyanide capsules under two EPA- approved 

pesticide registrations to control coyotes, feral (wild) dogs, and red and 

gray foxes that are either suspected of preying upon livestock, poultry, or 

federally designated threatened and endangered species or are vectors of 

communicable disease. Our use of M-44 devices strictly follows EPA label 

instructions, directions, and use- restrictions; applicable Federal, State, and 

local laws and regulations; and agency and program directives and policies.

Our personnel do not use M-44s on any property unless the land’s 

owner or manager requests and agrees to our assistance. We must have 

a valid written cooperative agreement, agreement for control, Memoranda 

of Agreement, or other applicable document signed by the landowner or 

authorized representative to place any M-44s..

How an M-44 Works

The M-44 ejector device consists of four parts: a capsule holder wrapped 

with cloth, wool, or other soft material; a cyanide capsule (small plastic 

container holding less than 1 gram of sodium cyanide); a spring-activated 

ejector; and a 5- to 7-inch tubular stake. In the field, the stake is typically 

inserted with its top even with the surface of the ground. With the ejector 

cocked and set, the capsule is inserted into its holder and screwed onto 

the ejector. The ejector is placed into the stake and secured. Specially 

formulated smelly bait or other attractant, which elicits a “bite and pull” 

response by the target animal, is smeared on the wrapped capsule 

Protecting People

Protecting Agriculture

Protecting Wildlife

Wildlife Services Factsheet

March 2018

M-44 Device for 

Predator Control

Wildlife Services, a program 

within the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal 

and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS), provides 

Federal leadership and 

expertise to resolve wildlife 

damage that threatens the 

Nation’s agricultural and natural 

resources, human health and 

safety, and property.

Using an integrated approach 

that combines a variety of 

science-based methods, the 

program assists agricultural 

producers and others 

experiencing damage from 

predators, such as coyotes, 

foxes, and feral dogs.

The M-44 ejector device 

consists of a capsule holder 

wrapped with soft material, a 

small plastic container holding 

sodium cyanide, a springactivated ejector, and a stake. 

Bilingual warning signs mark 

the location of each device.
holder.The M-44 device is 

triggered when a canid, such as 

a coyote or feral dog, tugs on the 

baited capsule holder, releasing 

the plunger and ejecting sodium 

cyanide powder into the animal’s 

mouth. The sodium cyanide 

quickly reacts with moisture in 

the animal’s mouth, releasing 

hydrogen cyanide gas. Death 

is very quick, normally within 1 

to 5 minutes after the device is 

triggered.

Wildlife Services personnel 

place M-44s along game and 

livestock trails, ridges, fence 

lines, seldom-used ranch roads, coyote and fox natural 

travel ways, rendezvous sites, and territorial marking 

sites/locations. Bilingual signs (English/Spanish) mark 

the general area and placement of each M-44. Trained 

personnel inspect each M-44 at least weekly. Although 

they are used mostly in the winter and spring, M-44s 

may be used year-round in some locations. When not in 

use, they are stored in secured, locked locations.

Use-Restrictions

Fifteen states, mostly in the west, authorize Wildlife 

Services to use M-44s in their state. 

 As part of the pesticide label’s Directions for Use, 

EPA requires 26 use-restrictions, which provide 

instructions for the application, storage, and disposal of 

M-44s; training and safety requirements; and necessary 

recordkeeping. Individual State pesticide regulatory 

agencies can require additional restrictions on the use 

of M-44s in their state. Furthermore, Wildlife Services 

notifies hospitals and poison control centers in areas 

where they are using M-44s.

 As part of our efforts to ensure the safe and 

responsible use of M-44s, Wildlife Services enhanced 

its guidelines for how employees 

should implement the EPA use-restrictions. Wildlife 

Services posts more durable and visible warning signs 

at main entrances or commonly used access points to 

areas where M-44s are placed, as well as within 15 feet 

of each device. 

 Additionally, Wildlife Services certified applicators 

cannot place M-44s within 0.5 mile of occupied 

residences. A variance reducing that distance to 1⁄4 

mile may be approved in instances where features of 

the property and landscape are such that potential for 

human or pet exposure to an M-44 is not probable. 

Wildlife Services notifies residents within 0.5 mile of 

M-44 locations.

Preventing Agricultural and Ecological 

Damage

Coyotes, foxes, and feral dogs cause substantial 

damage to livestock and poultry producers, particularly 

those with sheep and goats. As part of a 2015 survey 

of producers, the National Agricultural Statistics 

Service (NASS) found that coyotes nationwide killed an 

estimated 118,032 sheep and lambs. Losses of adult 

sheep and lambs were valued at an estimated $32.5 

million for all predators. Dogs were credited with 21.4 

percent of predator losses in adult sheep and 10.3 

percent of predator losses to lambs.

 According to a 2010 NASS survey, an estimated 

180,000 goats were killed by predators. Based on the 

survey’s data, Wildlife Services estimates the total value 

of goat predation losses is $18.7 million.

 Cattle and calf losses from predators totaled nearly 

220,000 head during 2010. Coyotes and dogs were the 

top two predators that attacked and killed cattle and 

calves. A 2011 NASS survey found that coyotes killed 

an estimated 116,700 head valued at $48.1 million; 

dogs killed an estimated 21,800 head valued at nearly

$10 million. Canids also kill thousands of swine, pet 

dogs and cats, equines, chickens, turkeys, ducks, 

geese, and other birds every year.

 For producers, predation is the number one 

challenge they face that impacts their profitability. M44s 

are valuable tools for producers seeking to protect 

their livestock from this damage. Without an effective 

predator management program, combining lethal 

and nonlethal methods, losses to predators would be 

significantly higher. Unlike loss due to weather and 

age, over which producers have little control, loss to 

predators can be addressed through nonlethal and 

lethal tools. 

 As the data above shows, for producers, predation is 

the number one challenge they face that impacts their 

profitability. Without an effective predator management 

program that combines lethal and nonlethal methods, 

losses to predators would be significantly higher. 

Wildlife Services works closely with producers to 

identify the best approach and tools, such as M-44s, 

for protecting their livestock from this damage and 

maintaining their profitability. In fact, benefit-cost 

analyses conducted on predator management 

operations have shown that for every dollar spent on 

livestock protection, Wildlife Services’ efforts save 

producers between $2 and $7 in losses.

 Additionally, the EPA, in responding to a 2007 

petition to ban the M-44, found not only that coyote 

and dog predation accounts for a significant portion of 

livestock losses due to predators, but that using M-44s 

is effective in reducing target species predation on 

livestock. Moreover, that negative long-term impacts 

of M-44 use on the targeted predator or non-target 

species populations are unlikely.

 In addition to agricultural damage, predators can 

limit the recovery of threatened and endangered 

species. Placing a dollar value on any threatened and 

endangered species is difficult; the loss of even one 

animal can be catastrophic to a local population or 

species. 

 Wildlife Services has been successful in using 

M44s to protect the Rocky Mountain experimental 

flock of whooping cranes. Although M-44 devices have 

not been used often for threatened and endangered 

species protection, they are available to natural 

resource managers as a predator management tool 

when necessary.

Environmental Safety and Security

M-44 devices and cyanide capsules pose limited 

environmental risks due to their use pattern, low 

volume of use, and chemical characteristics. Each 

capsule contains approximately 0.03 ounces (0.97 

grams) of the compound (0.88 grams of sodium 

cyanide and 0.09 grams of inert ingredients). Contact 

with carbon dioxide and acids in the soil rapidly 

dissolves the active ingredient into gas if, for some 

reason, the capsule’s contents spill onto the soil. If 

carbon dioxide and acids are not present in the soil, the 

sodium cyanide filters through the soil and is degraded 

by micro-organisms or other processes. Research by 

Wildlife Services’ National Wildlife Research Center 

indicates that the persistence of cyanide in soil is shortlived. Bioaccumulation is unlikely because the material 

is rapidly metabolized.

The M-44 is designed and used to remove wild canids, such as M-44s may be used only by trained certified applicators.

coyotes, foxes, and feral dogs, for the protection of agriculture 

A Wildlife Services 

biologist places a 

warning sign near 

an M-44 device. 

The devices are 

checked at least 

weekly.
approach, including the use of M-44, has not adversely 

impacted any target or nontarget species populations, 

including threatened and endangered species.

Additional Information

For more information about this and other Wildlife 

Services programs or to request assistance from 

a Wildlife Services State office, please telephone 

1-866-4USDA-WS or contact our Operational Support 

Staff at 301-851-4009. Additionally, you can contact us 

by mail at: USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services, 4700 River 

Road, Unit 87, Riverdale, MD, 20737.

To learn more about Wildlife Services and its 

programs, visit our Web site at: www.aphis.usda.gov/

wildlifedamage.

 To protect staff using M-44s against the unlikely 

event of exposure, Wildlife Services requires that they 

wear Personal Protective Equipment consisting of a full 

face-shield, long-sleeved shirt, pants, shoes and socks, 

and waterproof gloves when installing or inspecting 

M-44s. No human fatalities have been associated with 

Wildlife Services’ use of M-44s.

 Because of potential security issues related to 

hazardous materials, Wildlife Services personnel take 

appropriate security measures when handling and 

storing M-44s. In a 2007−2009 review, EPA consulted 

with the Department of Homeland Security, who did not 

have security concerns regarding Wildlife Services’ use 

of M-44s as a wildlife damage management tool.

Nontarget Hazards

To prevent harmful environmental effects, Wildlife 

Services assesses the potential impact of its activities 

before using any wildlife damage management tool, 

including the M-44. In placing M-44s, our personnel 

use their expertise in animal ecology and habitats, and 

consider animal behavior patterns to minimize the risk 

of attracting non-target animals. The use of specialized 

baits and lures attractive to canids minimizes that risk.

Placing M-44s where depredations occur or at locations 

frequently visited by target species further improves 

target selectivity. 

 Because of the M-44’s mechanical design, the 

device is triggered by pulling straight up, which also 

increases its selectivity for canids. From 1996 to 2006, 

more than 97 percent of the animals killed by M-44s 

were the target species listed on the product label.

 Although it is a rare occurrence, unsupervised, freeroaming dogs may be attracted to M-44 devices and 

be susceptible to injury or death. Pet owners should 

leash and closely supervise their pets to keep them 

away from areas where M-44s may be in use. When an 

unintentional injury or death occurs, Wildlife Services 

reviews the circumstances to determine if procedural 

changes are needed.

 The risk of secondary poisoning to scavengers is 

minimal. The M-44’s cyanide powder causes chemical 

asphyxiation and blocks the use of oxygen in the target 

animal’s blood. As a result, scavenger animals are not 

likely to be harmed because virtually no poison remains 

in the tissues of the animal killed by the M-44.

 We take great care in the use of M-44s and in 

confirming that our efforts do not jeopardize any 

threatened or endangered species or any other nontarget species. M-44s are not used where federally 

listed threatened or endangered animal species 

might be harmed. In accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act, Wildlife Services analyzed 

the use and potential impacts of M-44s in numerous 

environmental assessments conducted at the state 

level. Wildlife Services also consults with the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service to further safeguard federally listed 

threatened and endangered species or their critical 

habitat.animals are not harmed because virtually no 

poison remains in the tissue of an animal killed by the 

M-44.

WS takes great care in its use of M-44s and 

in ensuring that its efforts do not jeopardize any 

threatened and endangered species or any other 

species. M-44s are not used where federally listed 

threatened and endangered animal species might be 

adversely affected. In accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act, the use and potential impacts 

of M-44s have been fully analyzed in a programmatic 

environmental impact statement and in numerous 

environmental assessments. Continuing consultations 

with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service further ensure 

that WS’ use of M-44 cyanide capsules will not 

adversely impact any federally listed threatened and 

endangered species or their critical habitat. 

Integrated Management 

WS addresses damage using an integrated wildlife 

damage management approach. In selecting control 

techniques for specific wildlife damage situations, 

damage is confirmed and assessed. Personnel then 

consider the species responsible, frequency and 

extent of the damage, status of the species, local 

environmental conditions, environmental impacts, and 

other factors. These factors are evaluated and used to 

formulate strategies that may include use of one or more 

nonlethal or lethal techniques. Environmental analysis 

has concluded that WS’ integrated management 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service