king' s outdoor world - Index

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

predator which, against long odds,
persists, going about its business
of cleaning up carrion, testing and
stressing prey species to keep them
wary and genetically superior, and
preventing the overpopulation of
certain species – just as we prevent
the overpopulation of coyotes.
Admire the coyote for its
cunning and toughness, for surviving
in high mountain snows, deserts
sands, windy grasslands and fetid
swamps. Respect this wild dog for
its ability to survive. And hunt it,
fair and square.
PRO
By Scott Grange
W hy
hy is it that so many
in our society, hunters
included, feel that it
is okay to manage certain
species and not others?
Please let me explain. I
grew up shooting ground
squirrels in the spring and
jackrabbits in the winter. Like
clockwork, every spring, my
big brother Steve and I would
head up to Monte Cristo as soon as
the snowplows allowed us to do so.
There we would spend the day with
a couple of cartons of 22 long rifl e
shells, honing our rifl e skills and
creating our own version of “Red
Mist.” Once winter gripped the
desert country, we would unleash
the same relentless furor on what
seemed to be a zillion marauding
rabbits. You think “marauding”
is a bit harsh? Ask a farmer what
a herd of jackrabbits can do to an
alfalfa crop.
Today, seeing a ground
squirrel on Monte Cristo is almost
like seeing an elk in Tennessee
ten years ago. And the marauding
jackrabbit? They do exist, however,
nothing like forty years ago.
So, what do we attribute the
difference to? Those were the 60’s
when the bounty on magpies was
25 cents, red tailed hawks were shot
on sight and mountain lions fell under
the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture. As a result, all wildlife
populations were held in check.
In today’s world where too
many have learned their ecology from
Walt Disney, shooting a magpie or
hawk could land you in the county jail
for a short spell and smoking a wolf
could get you a life sentence. What is
wrong with this picture?
We, as humans, have an
5DUELING5
obligation to all wildlife, not just
certain groups. In order to manage
one species, we must manage all
that roam, swim and fl y above the
earth. Enter the coyote, one of God’s
most incredible creatures. The old
Indian saying; “A feather fl oated to
earth. A hawk saw it, a bear smelled
it and a deer heard it hit the ground
and the coyote did all three – fi rst,”
is not an exaggeration. The coyote
is an opportunist and a survivalist,
as well as one of the most profi cient
hunters on the planet.
The tools he uses
to accomplish his
task make yours and
mine look pathetic.
We, you and I, kill
coyotes for basically
three reasons:
money, sport and to
protect other wildlife
or domestic animals.
Putting food on
the table is not in
the equation when
it comes to killing
killers, so why attach
words like hunter,
respect or fair and
square to the pursuit
of such an outlaw? As
far as I’m concerned,
all is fair in love
and war and when
I’m out eliminating
coyotes from deer
fawning grounds, I
consider it war. And
I believe any legal
means of collecting
pelts should be
used, including
planes, trains and
snowmobiles.
I am a hunter when
pursuing game birds and animals
and a killer when I’m eliminating
coyotes. The feeling I get when I
smoke a pack – of coyotes that is,
is unlike any other I get in the fi eld.
And, like a drug addict, I pull out all
stops to satisfy my needs. I make no
apologies for it.
its ability to survive. And hunt it, hunters on the planet.
December/January 19
ILLUSTRATION: COURTNEY BJORNN