If you’ve been ranching for more than a season, you already know the feeling. You wake up at 3 a.m. to a strange sound from the pasture. Your stomach drops. By the time you get there, maybe it’s too late.

That’s why so many ranch owners look at a 6 foot chain link fence with barbed wire on top and think: “That looks tough enough.”

But the real question is – does it actually stop predators? Or just slow them down?

Let me walk you through what I’ve learned from real ranches, predator behavior, and a little bit of hard-earned experience.

First, Let’s Talk About the Predators We Actually Face

Depending on where you ranch, your “predator list” might include:

• Coyotes (almost everywhere)
• Feral dogs (often worse than coyotes)
• Wolves (in some western states)
• Mountain lions (rare but devastating)
• Bears (surprisingly good climbers)
• Neighbor’s dogs (yes, really)

Here’s the honest truth a salesman won’t tell you: no fence is 100% predator-proof. But a 6 foot chain link fence with barbed wire on top comes very close for most of these animals.

How Predators Try to Beat This Fence

1. Digging Under

Most predators dig. Coyotes are famous for it. A chain link fence sitting flat on the ground? They’ll be under it in 10 minutes.

What makes the difference: If you bury the bottom 6–12 inches of chain link or lay it flat on the ground outward (apron style), digging stops cold. Without that, the barbed wire on top doesn’t matter.

2. Climbing Over

Chain link is easy to climb – for a dog, a coyote, even a determined raccoon.

That’s where the barbed wire on top shines. A coyote gets its front paws over the top, touches that wire, and learns fast. Most won’t try twice.

But I’ve seen one exception: a starving pack. Hungry animals take risks full ones won’t.

3. Jumping

Can a predator clear 6 feet?
A healthy coyote can jump about 4–4.5 feet from a standstill. Add a running start? Maybe 5 feet.
6 feet is just high enough that most coyotes won’t even try.

Barbed wire tilts the odds even more in your favor.

What Real Ranchers Have Told Me

I talked to a rancher in Wyoming who runs 200 head of cattle. He put up a 6 foot chain link fence with barbed wire on top around his calving pasture after losing three calves in one week to coyotes.

His words:
“First week, we found coyote fur on the barbed wire. After that? Nothing. Not a single track inside for two years.”

Another rancher in Texas had the opposite experience – because he skipped burying the bottom. Coyotes dug under like it wasn’t there.

The fence works. But only if you install it right.

The Honest Pros and Cons for Ranch Use

Pros

• Stops most climbing predators (dogs, coyotes)
• Much stronger than woven wire or field fencing
• Lasts 20+ years with minimal maintenance
• Visible to animals – fewer accidental injuries than hidden wire
• Easy to repair a section without redoing the whole fence

Cons

• Expensive upfront (no way around it)
• Heavy – you’ll want help or a tractor with a roller
• Doesn’t stop bears (they climb chain link easily – barbed wire barely slows them)
• Won’t stop a mountain lion that really wants in (they can jump 15+ feet from a tree)

So… Does It Really Stop Predators?

Here’s the short answer a rancher would give another rancher over coffee:

For coyotes, feral dogs, and most four-legged trouble? Yes – absolutely.
For bears and mountain lions? Don’t bet your livestock on it.
But for 90% of ranch predators, a properly installed 6 foot chain link fence with barbed wire on top is the best thing you can build.

No fence replaces good husbandry – checking fences, locking up vulnerable animals at night, and maybe keeping a livestock guardian dog. But this fence turns most predators from a “when” problem into a “rarely” problem.