Montana, Minnesota to Open Wolf Trapping Seasons

Recent developments within the Minnesota legislature and the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will allow the public to trap for wolves in the two states for the first time in decades.

Wolf management was transferred from the federal government to the state of Minnesota in January when the population was removed from the Endangered Species List.  The state is now setting rules to govern how a trapping/hunting season will operate.

In Montana, the state has instituted a wolf hunt for a couple of years now, but harvest objectives have not been met, so the state is looking for ways to increase opportunity to harvest more wolves, including allowing trapping.

See the two stories below:

With Minnesota wolf hunt a reality, DNR is working on logistics

FWP gives initial OK to wolf trapping

Nova Scotia Introduces Coyote Bounty

Earlier this week I wrote about a price incentive being considered for coyote pelts in Nova Scotia to reduce coyote-human conflicts.  This week, the province has announced that it will initiate a new program that will pay trappers a $20 bounty per coyote.

Read the full story here.

Predator Control Often Increases Game Bird Nesting Survival

A recent study undertaken by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks and South Dakota State University shows that in many cases, predator trapping can increase the nesting success of waterfowl and other game birds.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – Trapping predators to protect duck and pheasant nests produces mixed results that a researcher says appear to be tied to the habitat and what kind of marauders are destroying nests.

A 3-year study compared nesting success on a 36-square-mile land block in which predators were removed against the nesting success in a comparable block without predator control.

“There’s no mistake about it, for the most part very intensified trapping efforts on a year to year basis obviously does have, for the most part, an impact on increasing nesting success,” said Chad Switzer, terrestrial program administrator for the GF&P.

As mentioned in the article, predator control isn’t the only factor involved.  Habitat and initial predator populations are believed to play a large role in the importance of predator control in game bird survival.

Read more here.

Price Support for Pelts Could Help Solve Coyote Problem

Ralph Surette, columnist for Nova Scotia’s Chronicle Herald, wrote a recent column about the coyote problem in the province and solutions that are being sought by the Canadian government.

It’s a clear fact that a large coyote population in the area has resulted in some serious human-animal conflicts, ranging from the disappearance of household pets to the tragic death of singer-songwriter Taylor Mitchell, who was attacked by coyotes while jogging.

Another clear fact is that low fur prices have resulted in fewer trappers and hunters harvesting coyotes and helping to eliminate these overpopulation problems.

As Surette said:

My local trapper, Calvin Nickerson of nearby Glenwood, normally takes up to 20 in a year but didn’t this winter because of the price. I asked him what difference removing 20 animals from the area would have made to the general mayhem. “A lot,” he said emphatically. Mike O’Brien, manager of the fur bearers’ division for the Department of Natural Resources, generally agrees.

The local government has recently been discussing a price support.  Not a bounty, specifically, but a support that would ensure that the price of coyote pelts stay within an acceptable level year-to-year, to ensure adequate trapping effort and population control.

Part of the problem with the coyotes being suddenly brazen is that the price of their fur collapsed last year with the recession and trappers dropped off trapping them (there’s a worldwide market for the furs, used mostly as trim for cuffs, collars and parkas, but also for whole coats). The trappers’ federation has asked for price support to make up the difference to a minimum of $30 per pelt to a maximum of $50, and the province is considering it, or some form of it.

The experts believe that the price support could help achieve the province’s goal of minimizing human-animal conflicts.

He (Mike O’brien) has been scouring best practices elsewhere in North America as part of the new policy, to be announced shortly by Natural Resources Minister John MacDonell. The evidence is that bounties don’t reduce the population, he says, but trapping increases the coyotes’ “level of wariness” and keeps them farther away from humans: the most that can be hoped for.

It’s clear that the coyote problem locally, and in other places across Canada and the U.S.,  could be properly dealt with by taking the proactive approach that Nova Scotia is considering.

In the end, this is not the problem it’s made out to be, either biologically or politically. A minor amount of incentive for trapping, more public education and a targeting of problem animals will take care of most of it. The rest has to do with us living alongside nature, something we’re not very good at.

You can read the full story by clicking here.

Trapping Ban Results in Coyote Problems

Coyote populations have been expanding throughout the United States, and in the absence of hunting or trapping, these wily dogs can become pretty fearless of humans and civilization.

Marc Folco’s recent article in South Coast Today highlights the growing coyote problem in the state of Massachusetts, where a ban on trapping has been in place since 1996.  While a bit inaccurate in his comparison between soft-catch and steel jawed traps, Folco’s main point is on target: coyotes are causing problems in Massachusetts, and trapping is the most effective way to deal with problem coyotes.  Along with just a few other states, Massachusetts voted to ban trapping via an animal rights-funded ballot initiative, and has been paying the price for it in animal damage problems ever since.

Some Massachusetts residents still hunt coyotes, but it just isn’t a very effective method in many areas.  In reality, a restoration of trapping in the state is the only surefire way to solve the problems caused by these predators.

Many who are nervous about the use of steel jawed foothold traps would benefit from watching the video, “Destroying the Myth”.  This production of the National Trappers Association shows furbearers being captured and released unharmed in the same traps used by most trappers today.

Experts who deal with coyotes on a regular basis know that a well balanced population of furbearers with a healthy fear of man is the best situation for both the coyotes and the public.

Province Announces Coyote Bounty Program

Just this week, the Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister announced a new program that will offer a $20 bounty on coyotes killed in the province.  The Saskatchewan Coyote Control Program aims to reduce coyote predation on livestock in the province’s agricultural land.

In addition to the $20 bounty on coyotes, the program also provides funding for ranchers to install better fences and obtain guardian animals, and assists the training of Conservation Officers in the responsible use of poison for predator control.

This new coyote control program is an interesting departure from the current mentality in most U.S. states, where bounty programs are frowned upon in the face of political correctness.  The program will certainly provide much more incentive for folks to kill coyotes at a time when depressed fur prices have made it difficult to justify such efforts.

I’m anxious to see how the bounty works.  One thing to remember about bounties is that their benefits are quick but temporary.  If a bounty program works here, it’s likely to have positive effects as long as it is continued.  As soon as the bounty program ends, however, the coyote population will likely rebound to pre-bounty levels and will require control once again.

If successful, the bounty model in Saskatchewan could be followed by some U.S. states that have serious problems with coyote populations and their impact on livestock and game animals.  One such area that immediately comes to mind is the state of Maine, where exploding coyote populations have severely impacted the state’s whitetail deer herd in the northern and eastern parts of the state.  Localized coyote control during critical deer wintering and fawning periods could be encouraged by a bounty, and could provide the temporary relief needed for the deer herd to recover.  Maine would have huge hurdles to overcome before implementing such a bounty (finding a funding source and standing up to the anti-hunting community), but many average folks in the state are pushing hard to find ways to recover the deer herd.   A bounty could work in other places.  I’m just glad to see that Saskatchewan is actually trying it.

Click here to find out more about Saskatchewan’s coyote control program.