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West Virginia and Utah to Introduce Coyote “Bounties”
by Outdoor Hub Reporters on March 18, 2013
submitted by: Daniel Xu
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Some states have been calling for a ban of coyote hunting contests, but legislators elsewhere are headed in the opposite direction. The coyote population in states such as West Virginia and Utah has grown so out of control, it is now threatening farm animals, pets and wild game alike. In an effort to stop coyote depredation, agriculture and wildlife agencies in some states have issued “bounties” for hunting the animals.

In West Virginia, Agriculture Commissioner Walt Helmick and his department is thinking up new ways to motivate local hunters. According to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, the population of the state’s coyotes has grown far beyond what government agencies can handle.

“We spend a significant amount of money on predator control,” Helmick said. “About half-a-million dollars. The feds helped us out a few years ago but aren’t doing anything at all now. We’ve lost the federal support.”

Helmick and West Virginia Divions of Natural Resources is turning to hunters to help solve the problem, but not without an incentive. A number of coyotes have been trapped by conservation officers and released with an identifying number on their ears. The hunters who can bring in one of these animals can expect a monetary prize of anywhere from $100 to $1000. Without knowing which coyotes are tagged and which aren’t, Helmick is hoping participants will bring in multiple animals and help keep the population at a manageable level.

State officials are still hammering out the specifics of the incentive, and the commissioner says the project came about as a result of concerns for the state’s sheep industry.

“For the rebirth or growth of the sheep industry, it would be almost impossible with the amount of coyotes we now have on the loose,” he said.

Utah is on the same page, but with broader and simpler rules for its coyote hunt. According to ksl.com, the state will reward hunters $50 for every coyote taken, all a participant has to do is fill out an online form and provide proper documentation for the hunt. Funds for Utah’s Predator Control Program will be paid out of the Mule Deer Protection Act, which was passed in 2012. Coyote are known to prey on young deer and have been causing a decrease in the mule deer population.

These programs have garnered wide support from both hunters and ranchers, but are opposed by coyote protection groups such as Project Coyote. Protection groups believe that management hunts are devastating the species while not visibly benefiting other wildlife.

The increased attention has also caused coyotes to be more aware of the danger.

“The coyotes are a lot smarter this year,” said hunter Scott Foulger. “They’re getting a lot of pressure from trappers and hunters. They’re harder to hunt.”

Image courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

http://bdtonline.com/local/x1499304830/ ... ote-bounty
from the Bluefield Daily Telegraph
March 18, 2013
W.Va. agriculture commissioner to introduce coyote bounty
By MANNIX PORTERFIELD
for the Daily Telegraph

CHARLESTON — Bounty hunters once prowled the badlands of the Old West, beefing up the often-sparse ranks of sheriffs to corral the bad guys under the blessing of America’s highest court.

Dead or alive, it made no difference. The pay specified on the wanted posters was the same.

Now, a new varmint is on the loose, this one in the hills of West Virginia, and once again, a bounty might be the answer to ridding it, or at least diminishing its population.

Scientifically, it’s known as canis latrans, or “barking dog” in Latin.

Most folks just call it the coyote.

Agriculture Commissioner Walt Helmick says the critter is howling in all 55 counties, posing a threat to farm animals and domestic pets alike.

“The coyote has been a problem in West Virginia since the 1980s,” Helmick says.

“Prior to that, we weren’t exposed to them. Didn’t know what they were. What their habits were.”

A coyote roamed across Upshur County back in 1970, killing hundreds of sheep, until he was trapped by the use of the scent of a female. That one was considered an anomaly.

Before the coyote began to proliferate, Helmick says dogs were the worst predator.

“But dogs have been sent to a back row seat by the coyote,” the commissioner said.

“We spend a significant amount of money on predator control. About half-a-million dollars. The feds helped us out a few years ago but aren’t doing anything at all now. We’ve lost the federal support.”

Which means the state has to fend for itself.

“Coyotes are our biggest problem,” Helmick said.

“More of them are being born than we’re removing. They’re winning the battle.”

Helmick believes he has an answer, using a new tack in the war, one that will inspire hunters to fan across the woods in droves in search of the coyotes — and some big bucks as rewards. Paying a bounty is a means of providing an incentive, just as the U.S. Supreme Court did back in 1872, when it authorized the use of men to track desperados for rewards.

Under Helmick’s plan, say that trappers ensnare a live coyote in Pocahontas County, then turn it in to conservation officers, who then release it in Raleigh, after the animal’s ears have been marked with a special identifying number.

Bringing him in could fetch a reward of $100. Or $500. Perhaps, even as high as $1,000. Whatever it takes to make the hunt worthwhile.

Therein lies the magic of this approach.

Once word gets out, says Helmick, hunters will seize on the chance to turn some quick profit by bagging a coyote with one of the numbers. Possibly, the hunter may never shoot one with the telltale number in its ear. But only after the animal is felled will he know for sure.

“Hunters will be out there all the time, looking for this type of opportunity, and will probably kill another 25 trying to get to that one, or maybe even kill 100 of them,” he said.

Helmick hasn’t decided how much the numbered coyotes will be worth, and is still ironing out the specifics, taking input from county commissioners across the state, particularly where the varmints are a special nuisance.

Helmick says he is especially concerned about the predators making it difficult to expand the sheep industry, one of his goals since becoming agriculture commissioner in January.

“I know we have a problem with the sheep industry,” he said.

“And the coyote is not all the problem, but it’s a significant part. For the rebirth or growth of the sheep industry, it would be almost impossible with the amount of coyotes we now have on the loose.”

Could an enterprising hunter fake the identification number embedded in a coyote’s ear?

Hardly, says Helmick, pointing out that the Division of Natural Resources would register certain numbers in coyotes released in specific counties, and they wouldn’t be in any recognizable sequence.

“Conservation officers will know those numbers, and whether that number coincides with their list,” he said.

“It’s foolproof.”

In some parts of the nation, coyotes also have been known to attack toddlers, but so far, there is no recorded instance of that in West Virginia.

Even so, the animal appears to be getting braver in his assaults against animals, even invading the cities.

How wily is the coyote?

Helmick provided a personal anecdote. Son Brian had rigged a bell at home so that the family tomcat could ring it when he wanted to go outside, and sound a similar device on the other side of the home in the South Hills neighborhood of Charleston.

One night, the cat announced his wish to step outdoors. As soon as he did, a coyote, perched on the sun deck, pounced on him.

“That coyote had figured out the bell,” Helmick said.

“He knew that sooner or later, that cat was going out. He had watched before when the bell rang.”

— E-mail:

mannix@register-herald.com

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24370069&nid=148
from ksl.com



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SALT LAKE CITY — The state of Utah wants to pay you $50 for every coyote you kill. Known as the Predator Control Program, this incentive-based initiative is intended to eliminate coyotes that prey on young deer. According to John Shivik, mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, "If people remove coyotes where deer are being limited by coyotes and not other factors (habitat, weather), there may be localized increases in deer populations.”

The $50 bounties are being paid from a fund established by the Mule Deer Protection Act (Senate Bill 245), which was passed last year. The fund tops out at $750,000 a year, which authorities believe is sufficient to cover all the coyote bounty payouts.


“The program is ongoing and will continue as long as the law is on the books," said Shivik.

There is no fee to participate in the program. You can access the online training and registration by visiting the official website at www.wildlife.utah.gov/predators. Once you have completed the online portion, you are qualified for a $50 bounty for every coyote you kill in Utah. In order to claim the money, hunters must document when and where each coyote was killed and bring the animal’s scalp and lower jaw to one of the DWR’s check-in sites across the state.

According to the DWR, the bounty program’s success is contingent on weather. The official Predator Control Program website says that deer numbers are most affected by the severity of weather and the amount of available food. It’s only in years with mild winters and ample food that predators play a larger role in herd survival, making coyote removal relevant. During years with harsh weather and limited habitat, fawns will likely die from other causes, and the DWR concedes that “predator removal won’t help deer populations to grow.”

To assess the effectiveness of the program, state authorities will evaluate coyote numbers, fawn-to-doe ratios and overall mule deer numbers. They will also monitor the locations where coyotes are being effectively removed and divert attention to new areas where removal could benefit local deer populations.

The Predator Control Program has received enthusiastic support from many local hunters. Scott Foulger, of Lehi, has killed about a dozen coyotes over the last two years and believes the program has a positive impact on deer herds. But he’s also noticing an interesting result from the increased focus on coyote hunting. “The coyotes are a lot smarter this year,” he said. “They’re getting a lot of pressure from trappers and hunters. They’re harder to hunt.”


Opponents argue that the bounty program has no effect on deer herds, causes ecological problems and is a waste of state resources. Project Coyote is one of many organizations critical of predator bounties. In an open letter to Gov. Gary Herbert, they contended that coyotes feed primarily on smaller animals and are not a significant predator of mule deer. Eliminating coyotes simply means more rodents and rabbits will survive, potentially spreading disease and competing for the same food sources that mule deer rely on.

Project Coyote’s letter derisively referred to the Mule Deer Protection Act as the “Coyote Scapegoat Act,” and cited a university study of Utah’s previous bounty program, which concluded that although it “may provide an enhanced, subsidized recreation program for a small segment of Utah citizens, it is unlikely to have any beneficial effect on populations of livestock or big game.”

So what is your take? Is the bounty program a creative way to help our state’s mule deer population? Or is it an ineffective initiative that merely scapegoats coyotes?



Grant Olsen joined the ksl.com team in 2012. He covers travel, outdoor adventures and other interesting things. Contact him at grant@thegatsbys.com.

That should give you Utah fellows some incentive to turn those hounds loose on some yote tracks instead of driving around for days/weeks without finding a lion track..