Feds killing to many coyotes

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smsnyder

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I was just in Worland Wyomimg and it was hard to find coyotes. I understand the Feds killed 2700 of them in the Basin area by plane. Futheremore there is a full time government trapper killing them everyday. There excuse was coyotes were killing sheep but i saw no sheep in the area for over a week. Did call in 4 coyotes and 1 fox on 50 sets. Disappointing
 
Welcome to hunting not shooting
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smsnyder
2700 in the basin, by plane? I have a little experience with this subject. I am not putting you down, just my two cents. Some times


I work with flying a plane to kill coyotes. This is a [beeep] of a way to kill a lot of coyotes. Almost none get away. A good day in a 20 mile area would be around 25. I can understand why the government flies, the cattle men and the sheep people complain to the right people and get it done. Sometimes the people that get it done have a financil stake in the live stock. i don't know how big that basin is but that is a lot of coyotes. About the government trapper killing alot of coyotes, The good ones sure kill alot. I know of one that kills about 950 a year.
 
Wyoming has had a surplus of revenues the last few years and the predator control boards have been relentless when it comes to killing coyotes. Toss in a little mange, a bounty, and a bunch of contests and...well you can figure out the rest.

To add insult to injury, more and more landowners are locking their gates in the winter time and turning coyote hunters away. In my neck of the woods, the explosion of coyote hunters has led to a lot of problems like trespassing, gates left open, etc. Not an hour ago a friend of mine and long time rancher in central Wyoming told me the most problematic bunch of hunters are coyote hunters. I am hearing that more and more and it is really kind of sad.
 
I agree that the numbers of coyotes seems to be down from past years. Pretty much the concensus of most the guys I talked to at the hunt in Rock Springs last weekend. I think its a combination of things. I didn't see near as many coyotes this past summer as I usally do. Rabbit numbers are poor this year as well.
 
If you are a rancher, there is no such thing as killing too many coyotes. Coyotes can play absolute [beeep] with a sheep operation and you need to control all coyotes in the region, not just those found on that ranch. If the numbers get large enough, they will also cause a lot of trouble for cattle operations, especially during calving.

There are a lot of other things that have a bigger play in populations than federal gunners. Another poster mentioned mange and rabbit population fluctuations as 2 big factors.
 
Originally Posted By: smsnyder........but i saw no sheep in the area for over a week.

Maybe because there were too many coyotes??
 
a member here, drhart, did the math and figured that it cost the State of Wyoming around $984 per coyote killed. Dan, if you read this, maybe you can show your figures.

There are few to no sheep from West of Worland to the Absaroka Front, at one time, there were 1,000's, now it's all basically cattle country. This is mainly due to the collapse of the sheep industry in America as a whole, not because of predators. There are some unique situations where the killing is for the benefit of wildlife populations.

Some of this flying is done in areas where there aren't livestock of any kind for several miles. Flying planes ain't cheap, but apparently, there has been enough $$$ available, so it keeps getting spent. I know of a few County predator board members who seem to have some brains and common sense, but there are plenty in the Bighorn Basin who wouldn't be considered the sharpest tools in the shed. A member here, JCL, is a Hot Springs County board member and is very knowledgeable. I don't know any of the board down in Washakie, we've got a few good ones (common sense) here in Park County, Big Horn County is a crapshoot.

It may sound like us coyote callers here in the Basin are whining about the lack of coyotes available, but actually, most of gripe about the millions of $$$ spent on this program.

SmSnyer (Earl), just want you to know that I accidently deleted you pm's with your cell#, otherwise, I would of given you a call. Did you fill your deer tag while out here?

 
rabbits crash is the main reason three years ago we had a rabbit for every sage brush they caught the plague and died off. coyote numbers followed.
rabbits run 7 year cycles and coyotes do too lagging by a year or two.
right now we are at the low end of the cycle but still have lots of coyotes. i wouldn't worry to much about the feds. coyotes are like doritos "they will make more"
 
I have had this exact same frustration in my area lately. It's not just the flying that is frustrating...it's how they go about it. They fly where ever, and over whoever's land they want. That's not right. If there are no problems reported on certain land owners property...they shouldn't be there. Some of these land owners don't want flown over, they are happy with me keeping predator numbers in check for them. It stresses a lot of other game on their places as well. Besides that, it's sometimes dangerous. For example, they were flying this year in an area they were not asked to, and came very close to hitting two bow hunters in camo they couldn't see. The problem is that they have no accountability and very little oversite. This mindset of "I'm a federal trapper/hunter, so I'll do what ever and go where ever I want", that's the issue. I have no problem with them going where they were asked, otherwise stay out...last I checked right to private property still existed in this country...for how long who knows?!
 
This year our local crop duster quit spraying crops for a job flying for the government in Nevada to thin out coyotes. He claims that he makes around $70k/year and they get close to 60 dogs on a great day.
 
I live in Worland and coyotes are definitely getting harder to come by. I made 15 stands today and called two and killed one. Five years ago when I first moved here, I called in coyotes on 9 stands in a row and several of those stands had two or three coming in. I still see some sign almost everywhere I go but not nearly as much as before.

I don't think the predator boards have the extra money this year that they have had the past couple years. The state appropriated $6 million to spend over two years to thin coyotes. The $984 per coyote that WyoYote mentioned was from numbers that the Casper paper gave for extra coyotes killed for the $3 million spent that year. They killed just over 3000 coyotes statewide more than normal for the $3 million. Not a very good return on taxpayer dollars.

I don't know about the 2700 in the basin this year but the BLM biologist here told me that they killed 1100 in Washakie County in the past fiscal year. No matter what else has an effect on the population, when you take 1100 coyotes out of one county and figure all the pups they would have had, that puts a big dent in the population. On the other hand, I did see a lot of deer and antelope today out in the hills. I imagine the lack of coyotes is helping them out some.
 
Originally Posted By: WyoYotea member here, drhart, did the math and figured that it cost the State of Wyoming around $984 per coyote killed. Dan, if you read this, maybe you can show your figures.

There are few to no sheep from West of Worland to the Absaroka Front, at one time, there were 1,000's, now it's all basically cattle country. This is mainly due to the collapse of the sheep industry in America as a whole, not because of predators. There are some unique situations where the killing is for the benefit of wildlife populations.

Some of this flying is done in areas where there aren't livestock of any kind for several miles. Flying planes ain't cheap, but apparently, there has been enough $$$ available, so it keeps getting spent. I know of a few County predator board members who seem to have some brains and common sense, but there are plenty in the Bighorn Basin who wouldn't be considered the sharpest tools in the shed. A member here, JCL, is a Hot Springs County board member and is very knowledgeable. I don't know any of the board down in Washakie, we've got a few good ones (common sense) here in Park County, Big Horn County is a crapshoot.

It may sound like us coyote callers here in the Basin are whining about the lack of coyotes available, but actually, most of gripe about the millions of $$$ spent on this program.

SmSnyer (Earl), just want you to know that I accidently deleted you pm's with your cell#, otherwise, I would of given you a call. Did you fill your deer tag while out here?



I lied...we ARE whining about the lack of coyotes
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There are ALOT more coyote hunters than there used to be. I think that there are alot of things that are leading to fewer coyotes. There is alot of pressure on them.
I wish that the guys that are trespassing would at least ask or try to ask first.

There isn't too much state land around here and the state land that is around here you can't hunt coyotes without the land leese's permission. You can hunt bobcats, mt lions and anything that has a season but coyotes are unprotected.
 
it seems like the number of yote hunters has tripled in the last 4 years, if you figure a coyote lives 8 years, you have to figure a good number of coyotes out there have been called before or are ones that don't typically respond to calls.

another thing that goes along with increased hunters is look at all the locals that are now hunting coyotes, in the past the areas most of us hunted were so remote there wasn't a coyote hunter around, just look at this thread there are several guys that live in the remote very very unpopulated areas that many of us used to have alot more success in. if that rancher or whatever guy is hunting in the area on a consistent basis, forget calling any yotes in that area
 
Originally Posted By: steve garrett, just look at this thread there are several guys that live in the remote very very unpopulated areas that many of us used to have alot more success in. if that rancher or whatever guy is hunting in the area on a consistent basis, forget calling any yotes in that area

I agree 100% a few years ago the ranchers werent hunting and there were only a few guys that lived way out in the middle of nowhere that were hunting. Heck look at all the guys from Ut on here and think if there are that many that are members how many arent even on the internet. The two guys I hunt with arent members on any boards.
 
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