Coyote
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The coyote is considered both a friend and an enemy. It is a friend to the farmer when it hunts and dines on rodents such as gophers, as well as mice that are found in the fields. But it becomes our enemy when it takes calves, lambs, fowl and even small pets as well as wild life such as pheasants, turkeys and other birds and also deer especially the young fawn. We now see less deer in the area than we did before the coyote moved in and many complain where they once had many cats they now have very few and even none. Cats like to go into fields to hunt gophers and mice but can’t out run a coyote and with no trees to climb they don’t have a change when spotted by a coyote.
This is something I learned the hard way even before seeing my first coyote. I had the nicest calico cat any one could want by the name of Maggie. Maggie was not just a cat but a pet that lived in the house part of the time, but when she had kittens she lived in the barn with them only visiting us in the house and going to the field many times during the day returning to the barn with food from the field for her little brood. One day she didn’t return to her babies or our home. I learned a few months later from a coyote hunter that there were coyotes in the area and cats were being lost to them which I, after more than twenty years, still feel sad about for it was like losing a family member.
There is now hunting season for the coyote. They can be hunted any time of the year and there is no bounty on them also, but the fur pelt can bring a small price if turned in late fall and winter.
In this fall, 2011 deer season, Jim Davis of Wanamingo had shot a lovely buck on my farm on the opening day before noon time. This made Jim a happy hunter but his hunting time was over very quickly. After the close of the deer season Jim asked permission to do some trapping on my farm’s woodland and right away the next morning after setting his traps became a happy trapper as well. He was lucky enough to trap a number of coons, a muskrat and a mink on my farm as well as some on the farm where he and his wife, Judy, live. He also caught two skunks which he didn’t feel so lucky finding in his traps.
Jim checked his traps early each morning as the trapping laws require this to be done every twenty four hours. On one of his morning checks Jim could see, as he approached one of his traps, what he at first sighting thought to be another coon. But then thought maybe a fox, but was wrong on both and found a coyote in his trap. I wasn’t home on this morning when Jim returned to my yard. I’m sure Jim was as disappointed in my not being there as I was to see his big catch but he called me after getting home. I wanted to hear his exciting news and he brought it along the next morning for me to see and I said as he did, “Good riddance and thank you Jim”.
Jim is now both a happy hunter and trapper and I was also very happy that there was, thanks to Jim, one less Coyote to not only to hear howl in the night but to take the lives of wild life, farm animals, and pets.
I think farmers, sportsmen, and pet owners all would like to join me in giving a big cheer to Jim for making it possible for one less howl being heard in the night.