Sheep Industry News June 2024

Calf predation is somewhat different than sheep kill ing behavior with older adult coyotes being more prone to killing calves than younger coyotes. Another common occurrence with calf complaints is the presence of multiple coyotes, which usually consist of mature adults and yearling coyotes that are traveling with the older coyotes. Those who calve earlier in the spring – prior to denning – tend to have the most problems by congregating coyotes from surround ing areas. Most coyote predation on sheep is related to coyote pairs

feeding pups at a den, which requires removal of these coyote pairs prior to denning or after denning. Removing denning pairs of coyotes before they den or removing the coyote den after pups are born are the most effective preda tor control methods to reduce sheep predation that would occur otherwise. BOUNTY PROGRAMS Numerous bounty programs have been implemented through the years in different states in an effort to reduce coyote numbers. Nowhere have bounty programs been prov en to successfully reduce coyote numbers, therefore most bounty programs were eventually eliminated. The intent of most bounty programs is to reduce coyote numbers by creat ing a financial incentive to pursue them. Unfortunately – in many cases – the concept changes from a motive of coyote population reduction to a motive of coy ote population perpetuation to create more bounty eligible coyotes. Some livestock producers would actually restrict hunting and/or trapping activities on their property so they could collect the coyote bounty money themselves. Much like bounty programs, coyote calling contests have also been initiated based on the perceived incentive to reduce coyote numbers, but winning these contests is often determined by the team that kills the most coyotes. This fact has led to the perpetuation of coyotes in order to win these contests, having the opposite effect of reducing their num bers. There was no greater incentive to reduce coyote popula tions than the years when coyote hides were bringing aver ages of close to $100 per hide. Yet coyote predation in most places remained the same in following years. Professional, accountable predator damage management programs have been proven time and again to be far more cost effective and efficient at reducing problems with coyotes than bounty programs. The same funds that are wasted on the broad based shot gun approach of a bounty program could be used for aerial hunting to target specific problem areas at certain times of the year and kill more coyotes for less money in the pro cess. Scott Huber is from Kadoka, S.D. He worked for the S.D. Department of Game, Fish & Parks as a state trapper from 1986 to 2011. He also worked as a county trapper in Camp bell County, Wyo., from 2012 to 2016. This is the second in a two-part series of articles on predator damage management programs. Look for the first article in the May 2024 issue of the Sheep Industry News.

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