Coyote In Delaware, Friend Or Foul?

(Coyote at Burning Man 2013)

(Cape Gazette) Nick Roth reports ~ Public opinion differs on coyote hunting, trapping

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has presented its proposed regulations for hunting and trapping coyotes, and both supporters and opposition are making sure their voices are heard. More than 50 people took the opportunity to express their opinions on coyotes and other proposed changes to the regulations at a public hearing Sept. 4 at the DNREC Building in Dover. Hunters are eager to legally kill what they consider an unwanted nuisance, while animal rights activists claim the non-native creature will not have a significant effect on Delaware's ecosystem.
“Allowing the hunting and trapping of coyotes and the other animals is not only inhumane, it is irresponsible,” said Patricia Haddock, president of Delaware Votes for Animals. “This proposal could result in the unnecessary suffering and terrible deaths of adult animals and leave many young pups orphaned and unable to survive themselves.”
.........“I wholeheartedly recommend the elimination of coyotes,” said Dover resident Teddy Morwitz. “I am a dog person – I hunt with dogs – and I have had dogs killed and dragged off. Anything that can be done to reduce the population is wonderful.”
.........Coyotes have also been known to feast on fruits, vegetables and livestock, which has many farmers also in support of the proposed regulations.“Farming is important to my life and so is wildlife,” said farmer Ray Ellis. “These are fierce predators, and we do not need to let them establish. We need to do everything we can to eradicate them.”DNREC is not trying to eliminate the animal from Delaware. Division of Fish and Wildlife Director David Saveikis said the regulations are meant to strike a balance among the various interests expressed. “If these regulations are adopted or a modification thereof, there is always room to change them,” he said. “We intend, through the mandatory reporting, to track the coyote harvest, and if we find the regulations are not sufficient, we will change them.”
Many hunters strongly expressed their desire for more liberal hunting and trapping seasons, similar to those that exist in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Some hunters also supported the idea of nighttime hunting of the animal.
.........Cathy Rash, vice president for Delaware Action for Animals, was strongly opposed to the hunting and trapping seasons because research suggests coyotes compensate for the loss of population by breeding at earlier ages and having larger litters. “While we understand a few individual coyotes may be a nuisance to farmers, most are a valuable asset as having a natural predator helps keep smaller animals populations in check,” she said. “In the instance of nuisance coyotes, they should be dealt with on an individual basis instead of opening a trapping and hunting season on all coyotes.”
After listening to many animal welfare activists speak, Milton resident Ted Palmer described the cruel manner in which coyotes take down their prey. “I hate the cruelty of animals [but] there is absolutely no comparison to what a coyote does to an animal,” Palmer said. “I'm tired of hearing about coyote puppies and how cute they are. They are cute, but they are a coyote and they need to be addressed as a coyote.”

 And the DE State House of Representatives (Republican Caucus) sent this along ~

Approximately 100 people came to Wednesday's hearing on proposed coyote regulations, including State Reps. Dave Wilson and Harvey Kenton.

Coyote Proposals Creating a Howl

Proposals for hunting and trapping coyotes in Delaware are drawing a howl of protest from some stakeholders.

About 100 people turned out at the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control's (DNREC) Richardson & Robbins Building on Wednesday evening to discuss the increasingly controversial topic.

Regulations proposed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife would allow for the canines to be hunted for four months annually (November 1st through the last day of February).  Trappers could take coyotes for a little over three months in a season running from December 1st through March 10th.

Some farmers and lawmakers are unhappy with the proposals.  They say while wildlife officials classify coyotes as "non-native/invasive wildlife," they are treating the species the same as the indigenous red fox.

The coyote proposals mirror the red fox hunting and trapping regulations.

 

Photo courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

For the last several decades, coyotes have been spreading eastward from their strongholds in the West and Midwest.  Eastern Coyotes typically weigh between 25 and 45 pounds and, according to DNREC, have been in Delaware for at least 10 years and have been spotted in all three counties.

Citing coyote attacks on poultry in his western Kent County district, State Sen. Dave Lawson, R-Marydel, sponsored legislation last year to designate coyotes as "unprotected wildlife," which would have allowed them to be taken year-round with no limit.

The bill was eventually tabled in favor of a bill giving DNREC the ability to manage coyotes via regulations.

State Rep. Dave Wilson, R-Cedar Creek Hundred, who cosponsored the Lawson bill, was at Wednesday's hearing and was disappointed with the proposals, noting that many at the event supported a year-round "open season" on coyotes.

"There were 33 people at the meeting that spoke on behalf of having an open season and seven that supported DNREC's four month proposal," Rep. Wilson said.

Rep. Wilson also said he was unhappy wildlife officials chose to include the coyote proposals as part of a revision of wildlife regulations on 15 distinct topics.  

(To read all of the proposed changes, please click here.  

Note that the revisions are in red.)

"We were only interested in coyotes, but they tied all these other regulations into it," he said.  "I think they believed it would be easier to sell the package."

Public comment will be accepted on the regulatory proposals through September 18th.

Individuals may submit written comments or request additional information regarding the proposed changes via e-mail to Lisa.Vest@state.de.us or via the traditional mail to Lisa Vest, Hearing Officer, DNREC, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901.  Ms. Vest can be reached at: (302) 739-9042.

Ultimately, Rep. Wilson said lawmakers may have to revisit the issue when the General Assembly resumes in January.  "I think that is the only way to get it resolved and get it behind us," he said.

Plus, from my friend Wolf Portugal on facebook

I felt as though I had given a sermon today, you know, preaching the word. LOL
I met a man today who was really taken by my given name Timberwolfe. He had a lot of questions with the meaning behind naming people after animals.
I told him that the native American Indian also has a Bible, but this is a living and breathing Bible. As the Bible we know is a book and has pages, the native American Bible is mother Earth. And the pages are father sky, sister ocean, the forest, the open plains, the desert and so on.
I told him like the King James Bible in the pages are the teachings of profits like John, Peter and so on. There are profits with teachings of both spiritual life and physical life in the Pages of the native American Bible. We call them totems, like the bear, eagle, coyote, and yes the wolf.
I told him as most Christians name their children after the profits in their Bible, so Does the Native American Indian name their children after the totems in our Bible.
He was really moved by us and wants to learn more.

And see:
Delaware's wily way around coyote problem 
Sussex County Council takes aim at coyotes

~*~