On January 18 The Hub published my letter to the editor describing an incident that took place on my farm two days earlier. Without permission, a party of coyote hunters accessed the property by snowmobile following dogs wearing collars fitted with GPS tracking devices. They shot a coyote in the woods just 150 meters from where I happened to be walking with my dog at the time. Neither of us knew the other was near. I was, I think quite understandably, angry that the hunters had trespassed on my property and the more so since they had effectively put my life in danger.
My letter, which also raised questions about the need for coyote hunting, prompted many responses from regional citizens - property owners, farmers, hunters, and others. Some of the responses were supportive, some questioned some of the points I raised but did so constructively, others were strongly argumentative, and some were just nasty. As someone who believes in the right to free expression (albeit with a preference for constructive and responsible voices), I welcome them all.
Since my letter was published I have talked to many more people - hunters (including coyote hunters), farmers/landowners, the police, and officials of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). I wanted to educate myself as much as possible about coyotes, coyote hunters, and why (or whether) coyotes need to be hunted at all. Here in brief is what I've learned.
First, there is no excuse for coyote hunters, or any hunters, to trespass on another person's land. It is against the law. Full stop. Permission must be sought from the landowner and this also goes for hunters using GPS'd dogs to run down coyotes. Their oft-used excuse that "We were just following the dogs" is self-serving and doesn't wash.
Second, responsible hunters - and there are many, including the hunters who hunt deer on my farm each year - ought to be concerned about coyote hunter-trespassers, and any hunters who trespass, because their irresponsible actions give all hunters a bad name and may result in the limiting of their own hunting options. I'd like to hear responsible hunters raise their voices against those of their fellow hunters who clearly are doing them a disservice.
Third, as various authorities I spoke to told me, coyote hunter-trespassers are one of the most frequent complaints registered by landowners. The problem (which frustrates the authorities) is that few of the plaintiffs follow through and ask that the lawbreakers be fully held accountable. Most opt to avoid possible conflict with hunters who may be neighbours or friends of neighbours. I understand and empathize with their reluctance. But inaction merely serves to encourage the hunter-trespassers and to perpetuate their irresponsible behaviour. They should be held accountable for their actions, including requesting an intervention by the police and/or MNR (MNR, I learned, has more leverage than the police to hold the hunters accountable, including levying much stiffer fines, suspending hunting licences, and seizing vehicles.)
Fourth, there is much misinformation in circulation about coyote breeding patterns, predatory habits and overall behaviour among hunters, farmers, landowners and the public in general. I'm not saying that coyotes haven't been or aren't a problem in some situations. They clearly have been. But I suspect there's generally a reason for aberrant coyote behaviour and often - not always, but often - it has to do with lack of awareness or neglect on the part of humans. For example, coyote hunters sometimes assert that there are too many coyotes, making a cull necessary. Yet biologists familiar with coyote behaviour will tell you that, when they are hunted intensively, coyote packs will simply compensate by giving birth to more than the usual number of pups, possibly resulting in even larger coyote populations in a given area. (Sadly, this may be well known and good news to those coyote hunters whose real reason for hunting coyotes may be for the sheer recreational fun if it.)
Fifth and final, there clearly is a need for more public education about coyotes. They are much misunderstood and maligned. I'd like to see the MNR mount an information and education campaign throughout the region that brings together all stakeholders - farmers, landowners, hunters, and interested members of the general public - in constructive dialogue.
"Constructive" is the operative word here. As I've learned, coyotes are a very emotional and subjective topic for some. There will never be full agreement on the potential risks they pose to livestock, pets and humans nor on how best to live with or manage them. But if people can come together prepared to respectfully listen to one another and be reasonable, collectively we might just generate a more intelligent and grounded understanding of the issues involved.
