CJ, This thread is starting to stray far from its original direction. As a matter of fact, the title has even been changed. But, I will address some of your questions.
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I don't know how long "Most of my adult life" is.
I am 42 years old. I grew up on my families ranch. It raised me and my two sisters and put us through college. I graduated with a degree in Animal science(ranch management), and a degree in business(emphasis on ag business). Managed a very large corporate ranch, and then moved on to my own(preconditioning operation)
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Nor do I know whether you are ranching for someone else, or for yourself.
Answered above, although I don't see the relevance.
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Nor do I know whether you are in free range country.
You may need to clarify that statement.By my definition, 'free range' does not exist anymore.(again another tangent)
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Regardless, you certainly no very little about our area.
True, I doubt I could find my way around downtown Beebe, but I have had a little experience with the cattle business.
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Our problem with loosing calves are more of a mix of Coyotes and coydogs and quite a few wild dog packs.
We are starting to stray again. Which is it? Coyotes or feral dogs? There is a huge difference in the dynamics of the two. Also, 4 calves in one night, all within the same pen? That is a very substantial loss for anyone. Was wildlife services contacted, or fish and game?
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I can also say that if you were to say what you said face to face to that cattle farmer, he would have probably punched you in the mouth saying that a calf is not worth money.
CJ, before we start throwing punches, reread what I said. The claim was that the calf was worth $500. I will try to explain my point. First, a new born calf weighs approx 80lbs. Now lets say that average calf prices last week were $109/cwt. In order to get $500 from that animal, it must weigh approx 458 lbs.
Now, there is 378lbs needed to get to the $500 value. Those lbs will not be gained with out some inputs(expence) by the rancher. Now that the calf is dead, he will not incur those expences. I will grant that some expences are fixed, and can not be averted, simply due to the 'biology' of the situation(9 month gestation etc). For this reason, the ranchers loss is more than $87.20($1.09x80lbs) but less than $500. Although, the $500 sounds more dramatic.
Of course, all this has strayed far from the original topic of someone praising the merits of the 17m2 on coyotes while stifling the coyote depredation on the whitetail population behind their house.
It would have been much easier to say, 'there was a coyote in my back yard, all I had available was a 17m2, and since it was legal, I shot it. To my amazement, the 17m2 actually killed it'.