THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES CONTINUES ITS QUEST TO END COYOTE MANAGEMENT .
DESTROYING THE GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE
The FRONT LINE
CONTESTING
COYOTES
THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES CONTINUES ITS QUEST TO END COYOTE MANAGEMENT .
There ’ s never been disagreement between ranchers and sportsmen when it comes to coyotes . The medium-sized canines often target calves and lambs , not to mention deer fawns and elk calves , during the birthing season .
The ubiquitous canids have expanded their range over the last century to include Eastern states that were never part of its historical range . Seeing coyotes in the country or suburbs is nothing new . Increasingly , however , coyotes have been documented prowling our urban streets from San Francisco to New York City . One pair of documented coyotes made a den and raised a litter of pups in a parking garage across from Soldier Field in downtown Chicago . In one Los Angeles suburb , a coyote recently tried to drag a toddler out of a driveway while her parent loaded the car in broad daylight .
With nonstop issues related to ranching , wildlife predation , human health and safety across the country , you ’ d think that any means necessary to curb conflict with the wild dogs would be embraced . But , when it comes to the Humane Society of the United States ( HSUS ), the most effective management tools are the ones targeted first .
Chief among these tactics , organized contests , which offer cash or other prizes for killing the pervasive canines , is at the top of HSUS ’ hit list . Undercover videos of contests have become a sensational “ gotcha ” tool anti-hunters leverage in the media to help push prohibitions . They ’ ve been successful and have banned contests to one degree or another in eight states . Their quest continued this legislative session .
HSUS and a small group of other animal-extremist organizations are pushing Assembly Bill 102 in the Nevada legislature to ban coyote contests and levy huge fines against those who organize them . This is nothing new in Nevada , where they ’ ve tried to pass a ban for years — once even attempting to make it a felony equivalent to manslaughter .
Likewise , HSUS has tried for the last several years to eliminate the use of contests in its home state of Virginia . This year , House Bill 1989 prohibits contests involving not just coyotes , but any furbearing animal . Bill sponsor , Kaye Kory , representing an area in urban northern Virginia , has been recruited to carry the animal extremists ’ water in the legislature , neglecting the needs of rural Virginians and sportsmen .
While these bans play well in the media , contests play a role in wildlife management by incentivizing hunters to intensively remove the predators at very specific times and particular locations to increase recruitment of young wildlife such as deer , elk , upland birds and waterfowl . In many areas of the country , contests serve as the only viable populationcontrol tool .
DESTROYING THE GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE
Vermont Rep . Lawrence Satcowitz sponsored House Bill 323 , which prohibits another effective hunting tactic : using dogs to take black bears and coyotes . Additionally , he authored another bill that would outlaw trapping unless conducted by nuisance trappers , and only after reports of animal damage . House Bill 191 prevents the proactive management of furbearing mammals , and instead allows trapping only after someone has suffered an economic loss or crop and livestock damage .
PHOTOGRAPH ADOBE STOCK BY
8 SPORTSMENSALLIANCE . ORG