One of my many pet peeves is the constant clamouring of a coyote problem in grey-bruce and southgate....recently a local newspaper featured an article complete with pictures about a local hunter who shot a coyote while it was atop a deer. The hunter then shot the deer b/c of it's injuries. He did not take the deer for meat. I had to smack my head and give it a real shake...I'm afraid now...it seems any idiot can own a gun.
When the farmers are not whining about the coyote population, they whine about the deer and turkey population. Here was a coyote doing one of the things we expect it to do and some moron shoots it...and then on top of that, the deer is shot too...and in my opinion, died in vain. And don't forget, when they lose livestock, they are reimbursed for it. Not to many other industries I know of that we do everything we can to guarantee them a profit -- oh the reimbursement covers miniature horses too.
I have lived in this area for 8 years and have yet to see a coyote, live or dead on the side of the road. On the other hand, in the same time span, I have seen a dozen coyotes, live and dead, in the GTA.
Unfortunately, Grey, Bruce and Southgate are permitted -- they are the only townships I believe that are permitted to -- offer bounties on coyotes. While I am not opposed to the hunting b/c I think it gives the coyotes a healthy fear of man, which they apparently don't have in the GTA, I am opposed to subsidizing a hobby for these idiots. They will go out there and run their dogs with GPS tracking devices while they sit in their pickups, engine running, drinking beer, whether they collected a bounty or not. If it weren't for the fact that the idea was to kill coyotes, I am tempted to join them...it sounds like fun.
If the coyotes, deer and turkey are too much, I don't know why these people don't just move to Bloor and Spadina. I suppose though, that would put the squirrels on the list of public enemies.
Sorry for the rant but it seems like the coyotes are brought up in EVERY issues of EVERY local paper and other than suspect anecdotal evidence, there is nothing to support this complaint of a burgeoning coyote complaint...and this latest incident drove me crazy...
