It seems every local paper in my area has an article addressing the pressing problem of coyotes. The latest, in a local magazine called Biz Bull, contained a quote from the mayor of a local township. I would love to write into one of the local newspapers and question the evidence on which they rely to state that we have a coyote problem however I'm afraid of the backlash I'd suffer from the mental midgets asserting It seems to me, that those who are asserting we have a coyote problem are pressing for support to eradicate coyotes.
I have lived here, in West Grey for 10 years. It's a rural area -- a mix of rolling pastoral land, cedar and mixed hardwood bush and rivers. The night skies are so clear that it's a noted destination for amatuer and professional star gazers. While I have heard coyotes and have found their tracks and scat around my home, I have never seen one. On the other hand, I have seen at least a dozen in the GTA. I have seen lots of other wildlife around our home -- deer, wild turkey, foxes, ermine and lynx.
I asked 4 local farmers about the coyote problem. Two said it wasn't a problem. One said he had experienced a couple of losses due to coyotes but shrugged it off as being part of farming. The fourth farmer told me there were no coyotes near his farm. I told him he was wrong and two weeks later he approached me to tell me that a couple of hunters had bagged a coyote at back of his farm. He had never seen or heard coyotes around his farm before.
I'm not exactly against hunting -- I think that because they are hunted up here, unlike in the GTA, they do have a healthy fear of humans. I don't think that hunters should be paid a bounty for hunting though -- I'm sure they would hunt coyotes without a bounty. It really is a hobby for them in the winter months: a reason to hang out with buddies and drink beer. Except for the killing, it sounds like an enjoyable pastime to me.
The quote by the local mayor? He says the coyote problem is so great that their howling keeps him awake at night. I wonder how he slept before the coyote problem with the stars shinning so bright. And the local farmer who accepted a few losses to coytes as part of farming? The local mayor's son.
