Coyote Ethics?

[roy reali]

My cousin lives near here. He is a hunter like me, except, he won't shoot coyotes. His philosophy is that animals that are not going to be eaten shouldn't be killed.

Here in Nevada, coyotes have little legal protection. They can be shot all year and their isn't a limit on them. Some of the ranchers around here won't let hunters on their property except for coyote hunters.

I'll be honest, I have yet to shoot one. Not that I haven't tried, nor will I hesitate to shoot one given the chance. It is just that when I have seen them I was unarmed, and when I had a gun I didn't see any.

Is there anyone else here that has a problem killing coyotes?

[2damnold4this]

I don't have a problem killing coyotes but I understand and accept why some people do.

[Kreyzhorse]

You know, I understand that they are a problem in a lot of areas, but I'm not sure I could hunt them myself. I have zero issue with any one else hunting them by the way, but personally I tend to draw the line at hunting only what I eat.

I went praire dog hunting with a buddy and stopped because it didn't feel right to me. He continued to shoot and I watched. Again, I had no issues with him doing it, it just wasn't for me.

[2damnold4this]

I killed one this past deer season mainly because the land where I hunt has way too many coyotes. While most people in my hunting club feel the same way, there is one that doesn't want to kill a coyote and that's ok.

[rickyjames]

i went on a coyote shoot once. just shooting to kill animals is not my cup of tea. i figure if you want to target shoot go to a range. now i am not totally against coyote hunting. if i was a rancher AND experiencing a coyote problem i would certainly shoot some. if i was interested in their fur/pelts and could use or sell them i would hunt them during the prime fur season. i guess i am in the camp where i don't care to shoot animals unless i can use them in some way. i just don't care to litter the countryside with dead animals just because i can.

[crghss]

What others do is their business. But for me I don't shoot them unless taking fur. I saw one during deer season and didn't shoot. My cousin looked at me like I was stupid, " You didn't shoot it?" when I told him.

As a kid a farmer let me hunt his property. He had so many Pheasants I was like a kid in candy store. Ever night I was out shooting pheasant & woodcock during season. Just having a blast. Then one summer he asked me to shoot groundhogs on his property. He hated them things and he had a lot. I did it because I felt I owed him, a lot. But never felt good doing it.

But as for others have at it.

[geetarman]

I think there is something inside you that changes when you get older.

I used to hunt groundhogs a lot. The farmers would call me because the hogs were eating their soybeans.

I dispatched a lot of them. As I have grown older ( 67 now ), I have no desire to kill animals.

Understand I do not have a problem with hunters and hunting. It has just dropped off my radar.

I was over at BassPro a couple of months ago and they had a video running of coyotes being taken. It really bothered me and I could not continue watching it.

[Daryl]

I'm sorta like Geetarman, except I still hunt.

But I don't think it has to do with getting "older". I think it has more to do with "I've shot enough critters, so one more won't matter too much".

I use to hunt with real intent; these days, I hunt far more casually. I still hunt coyotes, and enjoy it a great deal, but I don't feel bad at all if I don't get any on a particular day.

And I wouldn't care if I never killed another coyote, but I'll continue to hunt them for the enjoyment it offers to me. I like the challenge, and when they win, I can smile and appreciate their abilities.

[jdscholer]

I've been a coyote hunter and sometimes trapper for years, but only when their fur is prime. I don't feel right killing them if I don't utilize them for what "I" have rationalized to be right. As coyotes go, I judge them to be very high on the list of --- "Animal Status". (my own invention)

On my list of animal status, the coyote ranks very high, much higher than any rodent or bird except perhaps the raptors. My list might not agree with anyone else's, but it is the gauge that I use for me, and I'm not trying to impose it on anyone else. Sociopathic murders probably don't have a "Status List".

Rest assured that there are many of us who would love to have more coyotes to hunt during the prime fur months, and maybe learn to utilize them yourself. They are beautiful when properly cared for, and their in this way their life will have some meaning.

I don't want to get all biblical on your ass, but I believe that God gave us dominion over the creatures of the earth and the fishes of the sea. I also believe that waste is a sin.

By the way, in the Gospel According to jd there is some verses pertaining to creatures that can be considered vermin or pestilence. jd

[kraigwy]

I hate coyotes, they kill my chickens, they kill pets, they kill sheep, and they also will kill newborn calves and maim a calving cow. They raise hell with the young turkey polulation and young fawns. THE KILL FOR FUN.

I have no qualms of shooting them on sight.

I guess it's where you live and whether you have to deal with them.

[Ludarue]

In Ohio Coyotes can be a huge issue if not taken care of and for that you need no permit or tags to take them out. Around the area that I grew up they would grow so big in numbers in certain areas it would cause great impact to the Farmer's way of life. Not only that but it also effects other animals in the area in a bad way, so every now and then you have to go out and thin them out.

The same thing goes for Groundhogs. A lot of times they will borrow under roads and RR tracks. Thus, completely destroying them to the point where they need to be rebuilt. So if we noticed a hole under the road we would pick him off.

I am a believer in the fact that you don't go out and kill senselessly and just for the heck of it. But, I also know that their are reasons to hunt not just for meat.

[Brian Pfleuger]

The only respect that I give coyotes is an honest attempt at a clean kill. I'll shoot them whenever I get the chance and with whatever gun I happen to have available. 17HMR-12ga

[rickyrick]

I do not have a problem killing animals that are causing trouble, preying on livestock or damaging feed stores, ect.

I will not kill for fun, but I will try to have fun if I got a tricky critter or two, enjoy the challenge, to explain it better.

I don't kill deer because I don't eat them, I have given feral pigs away,

[L_Killkenny]

Your cousin (and others) need to wake up. There are numerous reasons to hunt and kill animals, food is only one. To think otherwise is naive.

Population control is another and can actually be broke down into three or more individual reasons.
- Health of the animal population: Mange, distemper and other diseases are a far worse death than even a poorly placed bullet.
- Protection of income: Predators like coyotes can cause havoc on pets and livestock.
- Protection of other game species: Over population of animals like coyotes can decimate a rabbit, pheasant, quail or other small game populations. Even fawns are not beyond their abilities and coyotes kill every fox they can get a hold of.
- Basically, if left unchecked coyote populations skyrocket and that not a good thing in any shape or form.

Another reason is for the fur. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, it's a use and same as using it for food. If it makes you feel better, take the money and go buy groceries.

Given the opportunity I will shoot any coyote on the spot. It's fun, a challenge and in most areas necessary for the good of the environment. It's a plus when I can sell the furs but when they are worth zero as they have been the last few years I still pull the trigger.

For the record, food is about the worst reason for hunting. 99.999999% of critters killed don't "NEED" to be killed for food. It's a by-product that hunters use as a PC excuse to justifly their hobby. If the only reason to keep hunting legal is the food value of the game shot it basically equates to have NO reason.

LK

[jtb1967]

I don't eat anything I do kill. Deer, bear, groundhogs, coyotes, etc. I do try to give the deer and other "edible" game away to those that do eat them, but I don't feel moments regret for tossing any dead varmint into a brush pile and feeding the buzzards.

[Scorch]

I used to hunt coyotes for pelts, and in 3 years of shooting coyotes I killed about 300 of them. In doing that, I gained a huge respect for coyotes, their tenaciousness, their intelligence, their adaptability, and their ability to survive when just about everybody wants to poke holes in them. I don't shoot them unless the pelts are prime and I can make some money selling the pelts. Right now pelts are worth about $15-$25 for a prime pelt, not enough to motivate me to touch a coyote.

Last winter, I looked into hunting coyotes and having the pelts tanned so I could sell them to muzzleloaders at the rendezvous, but it takes about 3 hours and 10 gallons of $3/gallon gas to drive to where the coyotes are, it costs $50 to have the pelt tanned, and tanned hides were selling for $50 at the rendezvous. No money in that!

Don't get me wrong, I realize coyotes are a huge problem in many areas, and I have no qualms about killing, but I have a hard time justifying the effort of calling a coyote in just for the thrill.

[oneounceload]

A few years ago, coyote pelts from where I lived in northern NV, if taken in the winter, were worth about $45-50/each. They are predators that can decimate a sheep rancher's stock; they go after calves, deer, game birds etc.

To those who won't kill something you won't eat, what is your favorite cockroach recipe or the best way to prepare a field mouse in your house?..

[cracker31]

Coyotes and feral hogs should be shot on site with no regard for the use of their carcass. A clean kill shot is preferred, but if not offered is not required so long as they die.
Both are unmatched in their ability to adapt, survive and thrive in all kinds of conditions. It is unfortunate but the only way to control the populations is to kill them without conscience.

[bobelk99]

Originally Posted by kraigwy

I hate coyotes, they kill my chickens, they kill pets, they kill sheep, and they also will kill newborn calves and maim a calving cow. They raise hell with the young turkey polulation and young fawns. THE KILL FOR FUN.

I have no qualms of shooting them on sight.

I guess it's where you live and whether you have to deal with them.

Above is well stated. They killed my chickens, they took my prized miniature doberman, got 2 calves last year, devoured all the quail and turkey eggs from the nests. Not to mention deer fawns again. Surely does make a difference where you live, and I am a long way from WY

[Brandy]

of our deer and antelope fawn loss is due to Yotes. We have no season, no license and no limit. On elk it's the wolves that are still protected ().
Man is the apex predator, if you can't handle that, move to San Francisco.

[hagar]

I don't like shooting priarie dogs, squirrels and even foxes, but I will shoot every coyote and wild hog I legally can. I hunted them seriously the 14 years I lived in AZ, and while I respect them, I nail them if I can.

Sorry about your minpin, they are my favorite dogs, and you get very attached to them. I actually hunted coyotes with one of my females, I would put her in a crate about 40 yards away from me and she would bark her head off. Called a few coyotes, but the dying rabbit call worked better!

[rickyrick]

I say all the best meat they already sell at the supermarkets

When I said I have given feral hogs away, it was pre-arranged sombody was waiting in the wings to collect the carcass.....if its not convenient I dragged them off.

any other varmint is dispatched and chucked in the pasture.

[TMUSCLE1]

My only qualms with it is that it is still one of God's creatures. Peetzakiller had it right...as long as you give it a humane kill go right ahead. I would hunt them, but we don't have any here in the lower part of SC.

The only reason I said that gentlemen is because on another site some guys were braggin about hitting them wherever and betting on where they could hit the coyote with their friends. It kind of disturbed me and made me realize that for the most part I'm glad it seems that we have some ethical hunters here. No comment from me if you at least give the vermin a humane kill.

[Kreyzhorse]

I guess it's where you live and whether you have to deal with them.

That is certainly a valid point. I wouldn't go shoot a coyote or praire dog for fun, but if they'd taken my calf or my horse broke a leg I wouldn't hesitate to dispatch them.

[HAMMER1DOWN]

Ha, most of the vermin I shoot(smaller ones anyway) pretty much explode so there is nothin unethical about that, they are dead.. no doubt about that... But coyotes up here in MT are a problem to the ranchers and even in the little town of 300 people I live in, they have come in to the town and snatched dogs, cats, and hurt or killed the larger pets. They are an issue, so whenever I get the chance they get ghosted..