I must apologize for being out of the loop on this issue, as I have been down south for the past week.
I would appreciate it if someone in ‘the know’ would spell out the Osgoode Coyote Cull issue for me in a nutshell? At face value, I see this initiative as a good one, but will need to look into it a bit further.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, however, to realize that we need to control predators in our region, and specifically south of town in the Osgoode-area. Coyotes have devastated deer in a number of regions over the years – nearly wiping them out in some areas.
It is also a little-known fact that the wile e coyote is responsible for the downfall of the magestic timber wolf. Years of evolution, competition and hybridization has left the beleaguered grey wolf as a somewhat threatened species.
Some folks may have you believe it us responsible for the wolf’s demise, when really the biggest culprit has been the coyote.
Gone are the days, when these beasts stood a foot tall on the prairies and weighed about 20 pounds. The coyote we have today are 50 pounds-plus, every bit as ferocious as any Arctic Timber Wolf and a hell of a lot more adaptable!
Coyotes or ‘brush wolves’, as they are known in some areas, hunt in packs like wolfs, and have even established a wolf-like pack hierarchy.
But don’t be fooled – coyotes are NOT wolves and have become a serious problem not just in Osgoode.
With at least one reported attack on humans in our region, and countless numbers of pets falling prey to these marauding ‘yotes’, a cull would be a much needed last resort at this point.
Politically correct, it is not, but we all know in some circles when any wild animal is harvested near town, it’s a problem. That will never change.
Trapping and snaring use to be a viable option for controlling predator numbers, but we all know how much those activities are going on these days.
Animal Rights groups like PETA, as much as I despise them, have done one heck of a job at pummelling the trapping industry. If only we had been as efficient at protecting the industry, perhaps we would have our predator numbers under control, and an Osgoode coyote cull would not be necessary.
In the meantime, though, it sounds like a controlled hunt or cull would be a good idea.
I will be doing my research on the Osgoode issue, and will get back to you with a more informed opinion.
Outdoorsguy
unlike most areas the farmers land that i hunt does not want them shot. He grows apples and feels the coyotes keep the deer away as well as mice rabbits and any other creature that may prey on his trees . i have seen as many as 13 running together as i sat on my treestand this year, yes 13 differnt yotes at one time. I do not know how any animal could survive such a big pack of yotes
this contest got more publicity b/c it was advertised electronically so more ppl saw it then needed. It’s much the same as a ‘big buck’ contest, but some of the wording used in a few of the articles definitely fired people up.
It’s part ‘lack of education’ and ‘bleeding hearts on sleeves’ from some of the anti-hunters who are upset. Someone claim that studies show culls only prompt the population to surge in coming years – who knows if that is true, but then again, it doesn’t matter now. It’s a problem.
When I see yotes 2 mins from my urban home in Stittsville and I hear of pets being taken from BACKYARDS and worse, PEOPLE being attacked (the boy in the apple orchard in the fall, the man on the snowmachine last week), it’s fairly obvious to see the population is a problem.
There was a terribly irresponsible comment from (I believe) the director of the human society worrying that the cull would result in irresponsible people coming out just for the kill and not the hunt. As a proud hunter, I personally took offense to that comment and it once again hilights the severe lack of education from non-hunters (not all non hunters of course, but enough to be an issue).
Hunters are, on average, far better conservationists and outdoorsy than the non-hunters. We help manage the land, we actually use the land for recreation instead of staying in the city most of time and we care about the land, the resources and the wildlife. We don’t hunt solely to ‘kill’ and we certainly don’t like to harvest any animal irresponsibly. No true hunter would hunt otherwise. Our hunting fees go to the MNR which in turn helps manage the land and populations as well. Some people simply aren’t aware about the world of hunting.
Someone even suggested alternative measures, but I don’t know what that could be. They fail to realize yotes are incredibly elusive so I imagine trapping them isn’t easy (I have no idea however); sure, we could tranq them, but who’s going to pay for that process and then for the relocation? Some people aren’t even aware that when farmers lose an animal to predators, they are compensated (which is fine), but it’s paid from government funds so essentially, we pay for it.
The only solution is to have a cull.
It has been suggested that a cull may only increase the population as the yotes will breed faster to maintain the population. I’m not sure about the scientific evidence that supports this. The one thing that is certain is that deer population is certainly down.
I find it funny that they say the yotes will increase when we hunt them.10 years ago we used to trap and shoot them and i don’t ever remember the numbers being on the increase.It’s more likely the Animal rights scientists have used it as a topic to discuss in order to divide there opponents(and it is working).No one wants to see them extinct but the numbers have to be kept in check.In Surey(BC) they are so out of control that they are in the city parks and streets scavenging for everything.Now i certainly don’t object to them eating all the stray cats and dogs that so called pet lovers care for so much that they let them wander all over neighborhoods.
I have never heard that a continual coyote harvest would increase the population. That just does not add up.
The fact that few people trap or snare yotes as they once did, in my opinion, has however had a huge impact!
It was always a rule of thumb in fur management that we needed to harvest at least 40% of all beavers just to maintain a stable population. I am quite sure that barely half that number is achieved these days; as it is believed that there are more beavers dwelling in North America now that when settlers arrived at this land. The same holds true for the coyote – a predator which is not even native to central or eastern North America. The require a population control measure!
It is obvious we need to thin out the coyote population, and sorry, the only way to effectively do that is by killing them.
Wildlife management works at achieving a fine balance of things, and when control measures are not in place, this balance is disrupted. The MNR can only do so much, if public opinion is that trapping animals is bad, then evidently we have an even greater problem on our hands. The coyote is only the tip of the iceberg!
And the fact that coyotes have caused so much havoc only makes a cull easier the bear.
Speaking of which? Does anyone know how the Osgoode Coyote cull is going?
Outdoorsguy
Hey Jeff,
My husband is a director in the Osgoode Township Fish, Game and Conservation Club.
You should contact them to get the details about the cull contest.
http://www.ofah.org/ZoneF/Clubs.cfm?A=Osgoode
If the link doesn’t work, email me directly and I can hook you up with them.
Hi Tracey, I will contact them this week.
Thank you for the info and please tell your husband I will be in touch.
Outdoorsguy
this is off topic, but speaking about cull management, you should look into the cancellation of the spring bear hunt and the explosion of bear numbers. that is definitely 1 wildlife issue that needs to be reviewed I believe. I won’t get into it now, but it’s awful.
There you go Keebler, ask and ye shall receive!
Outdoorsguy
Coyote trapping doesn’t work. It’s not a long term solution. The coyotes just reproduce more and come back in a year or two.
I love coyotes, their beauty, their calls into the night air. They are part of nature, and pose no threat to humans, if we only follow some reasonable rules like don’t leave food out, and don’t leave your dogs outside on tethers. Which is inhumane to the dogs anyway.
Speaking of dogs, dogs account for 300+ bites to humans every year in Ottawa! Should we cull dogs? It makes more sense than trapping coyotes. The traps are extremely cruel as well, snapping shut hard on the animal’s leg or paw causing excrutiating pain. There is no need to hurt animals this way, and it’s ineffective and a waste of taxpayer money.
funny how the same arguments are used over and over again,
coyote girl you said
“Coyote trapping doesn’t work. It’s not a long term solution. The coyotes just reproduce more and come back in a year or two.”
yet in a previous post Bill Trudeau said
“It has been suggested that a cull may only increase the population as the yotes will breed faster to maintain the population. I’m not sure about the scientific evidence that supports this.”
but even when he challenges, and calls for the scientific proof, you not only ignore it, you make the same statements.
this is quite common in the anti hunting groups, keep making false statements until people finally believe it to be fact
Oh and as far as culling dogs, we do cull dogs, every day, just ask the humane society. Especially ones who show a tendency to bite.
any update on
“Coyote trapping doesn’t work. It’s not a long term solution. The coyotes just reproduce more and come back in a year or two.”
the acuracy of this comment???
Coyote girl, I totally agree with you and the dog attack statistics. But that is a topic for a seperate Blog. Helping to enforce the Ontario Pit-bull Ban is kind of a side project for Mrs Outdoorsguy, in fact.
The thing is, dog attacks, and how we deal (or don’t deal) with them is a completely separate and unrelated issue.
It is like comparing apples to oranges.
The coyote population should have remained a strictly wildlife management issue..however has developed into a full-blown political issue involving several levels of government.
In my opinion, it never should have come to this!
Outdoorsguy