king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated Magazine Dec/Jan 2008 - Coyote Crazy! - Index

Scott Grange
CON
By Ron Spomer
M ore
years ago than I care
to remember, my cousin
married this guy who was
reportedly quite the coyote hunter.
“He got seventy of them last year,”
I was told.
Wow! I needed to meet
this guy. “What kind of call does he
use?” I asked innocently.
“He don’t use no
call. He runs ‘em over with his
snowmobile.”
That was in 1968. To this
day, I’ve never met this cousin-inlaw,
but I’ve talked with plenty like
him. All kill lots of coyotes, but
none are coyote hunters.
Call me old-fashioned,
but to me the defi nition of “hunter”
means someone who reads sign,
follows tracks and trails, learns the
calls, scent markers and behavior
patterns of his prey and then uses
his knowledge, experience, insights,
creativity and woodsmanship to
gain a clear shot. The only role
mechanized transportation should
play in the hunt is getting said
hunter into the hunting grounds.
Gas-powered machines should not
be used to stir up, fl ush, or chase the
prey. Not even the lowly coyote.
The infamous “brush wolf”
of the West has long labored under
18 HUNTING ILLUSTRATED.com
THE
DUELING DUO
Views from both sides of the fence
The War on Coyotes
Do any rules of engagement apply?
the weight of considerable animosity,
much of it deserved. Coyotes really do
kill and eat lambs, fully grown sheep,
mule deer, pronghorns, pet dogs and
nearly any other living thing they can
get their fangs on. But, so do humans.
I don’t blame ranchers and other
aggrieved parties for hating coyotes,
but that’s no justifi cation for every
sportsman to despise the species and
condemn it to annihilation, fair means
or foul.
In hunting camps and sporting
goods stores across the country I
commonly hear things like this:
“Rotten, stinking, murdering coyotes.”
“Thieving, vicious, worthless sons-ofbitches”
(technically, all coyotes are
sons and daughters of bitches, but that’s
not exactly the intended sentiment).
“Useless, rapacious sons of Satan”
(that from the more poetic crowd). And
worse.
As with any prejudice, kids
pick up the refrain and the partial
myth of the evil coyote is perpetuated.
What’s the harm? Despite a hundred
years of ceaseless warfare against
them, including aerial gunning and
widespread poisoning, coyotes have
not only survived, but thrived. The
sportsman/hunter image, unfortunately,
has not.
In a time and culture in which
“primitive blood sports” are condemned,
hunters need to be conscious of their
effect on non-hunters. Forget the
radical anti’s - like any zealots, they’re
convinced they have a direct link to
5DUELING5
Ron Spomer
God. The bulk of Americans,
however, are open to reasonable
consideration of the facts. If the
facts are that hunters unfairly chase
coyotes with motorized vehicles,
the very act of hunting falls under
additional suspicion. It’s diffi cult
enough justifying the shooting of
animals whose fl esh we don’t eat.
If we don’t even hunt them fairly,
we’re dead in the water.
Here are some of the ways
we can justify coyote hunting:
1) They are extremely
common, abundant, widespread and
spreading farther.
2) They are a valuable
resource, providing 100-percent
natural, biodegradable, non-polluting
hides and fur perfect for winter wear
without the need for oil drilling,
shipping, spilling or refi ning.
3) They are wary, elusive
and a challenge to hunt.
4) They often severely
deplete deer and pronghorn
populations in certain areas and/or
prevent recovery of these species in
suitable habitats.
5) They often ravage
domestic livestock and must be
controlled.
If we are the “true
conservationists” and guardians of
the natural world we claim to be,
we should start treating the coyote
with respect. This animal plays an
important role in our natural world.
This is a remarkably resourceful