Ah Native, Native, Native. You raise them and then they go there off ways. LOL. I knew you couldn’t resist getting in here. So we are going to pull up one study and fly with that? I tried my best not to use islolated studies on any of this material, and it can be easily done, but I won’t dispute that study you show that I’m familiar with. I also know that the SE has a very unique situation shown by studies that I never even delved in to as it is poorly understood at this time by most reserchers. And no, improved cover does not negate loss of wildlife by predator, but it does make the prey have a greater chance of survival.
I quote Leopold often because many are so familiar with him. His philosophy is intergrated in most all his writings whether they be books or papers. I dont’ always even agree with him. His point was meant to be that man often dictates what man wants. To him and his writings, he isn’t concerned with the wolf but rather how man perceives the habitat as whole and not with tunnel visions of what man want to be.
Anyways, Why do rabbits reproduce so much? Why do birds fill a nest with eggs? Why do mice copulate continually ? Why do turtles and fish lay so many eggs? Why do deer produce 1,2, or maybe 3 fawns? Are those offspring expected to survive? There is a reason for multiple births. Maybe .5, or 1 or 2 is the norm survival rate for the habitat in which a deer is born? Maybe the habitat is incapable of supporting more than a certain number either in food or cover? Maybe the predator is simply taking what will not survive or survive below healthy standards? Maybe the assumption that predators are responsible for birth rates is inaccurate?
So lets assume we eradicate the coyote. Have you seen the video of the guy taking grown deer with his hawk? Do we now shoot all the hawks and eagles now that the yotes are gone? There is no doubt my bald eagle can easily take a fawn. I’ve seen them feed on deer carcass so I know they like venison. Now lets eradicate the bobcat. Studies show they are almost equal to coyotes in fawn deaths. Bears where they exist take more fawns probable than anything. But my area, the people like the bear but hate the coyote, until the bear tears up their dog. Where would we like this to end? Most hunters point to the coyote since he is easy to despise, but he is only part of the predator “problem”. My argument is the problem is our perspective of what we deem the norm.
We have a poster on this forum from Washington state. He shows everything from lions to bear to moose to deer. Why is it that many of the eastern whitetail hunter is so unacceaptable of the balance? If a manager chooses to remain frustrated then so be it, I am no longer in that position. I know I’ve hunted in areas of NA with the most intense predators in NA, and the game was healthier than any I’ve witnessed. I may be guilty of fake news but I base it on many years of research and observations. As I said in my first post, adjacent county has had coyote bounty for several decades and I’ve seen the boxes of paws brought in to claim those bounties each year. And yet they obviously still have as many as they started or the bounty would be not more.To each their own, their choice. I’m off to bears, I will accept as always difference of opinion on this sensitive subject. Thanks again everyone, and you can continue.
. Carry on, and if you run out of mangy yotes, you can come here and catch you some more....
