This is new - Georgia coyote challenge

[Debby]

Did I miss something, because I did not notice where any of the experts you cited mentioned anything specifically about the the coyote problem in Georgia or the hog problem in Texas? Both of those states have educated, professional, and dedicated folks involved in this who care greatly about their natural resources. They have taken unusual and controversial measures in what appears to me as a sign of desperation for a problem they haven't been able to get a handle on. I hope they got it right but both measures obviously have some serious risks. I'm confident they have used due diligence in all this, but that's not to say things can't go sideways or there isn't a better way. Both coyotes and wild hogs are cunning animals, can be dangerous, can reproduce in great numbers, and can devastate an area if left alone... I think everyone agrees with that.

You're right, the articles that I shared were about predator control in general, not specifically to do with any one state. And I would point out from the articles that this seems to be new thinking on the issue so it's not surprising that 'your' sources have a different and more traditional philosophy on the issue.

Twenty years ago, people thought the whole 'global warming/climate change' issue was bogus and yet this morning, I watched a video taken by a researcher who filmed a piece of Arctic ice fall off that was the size of 1/2 of Manhatten and the thickness of which was the equivalent of three of it's tallest skyscrapers stacked on top of each other. And we now have institutions beginning to change menu plans because they recognize the harm that animal agriculture is doing to the planet. So yeah, change always starts somewhere doesn't it?

 

[SeaBreeze]

There's a lot of coyotes in the area where I live and they seem to breed in both spring and fall, I thought it was only spring because I was walking my dog one day and came near a mother with her pup who was very aggressive toward us, and followed us a long way barking and baring teeth. We came around a turn in the trail and didn't see her, I'm sure she was just protecting her baby like any other animal. Luckily, my clapping and shooing her away kept here from coming too close and trying to attack.

There's frequently one to three of them who come near my back chain link fence and I've caught them nose to nose with my dog and cat, of course I watch like a hawk and rush out into the yard to scare them away whenever I see them. There's many more in the area, and once I was very close when three of them were surrounding a small herd of deer with young. I thought I'd witness a serious attack, but one buck seemed to be the protector and managed to charge them repeatedly until they gave up and walked away.

I've watched them team up around bushes to flush out rabbits, they are very smart and healthy looking. Once I saw one carrying a fat prairie dog in his mouth, so they do eat a lot of the smaller animals. Also, they have attacked people's pets and children, my neighbor said that one jumped his back fence once and went after his dog, he ran outside and the coyote took off.

I hate the idea of killing them, but I wouldn't hesitate if they were attacking. In a perfect world my idea would be to capture the males in populated areas and neuter them so they couldn't reproduce so excessively, there numbers are increasing rapidly it seems, but I know that's not a viable solution. I imagine in certain areas these hunts are needed unfortunately, it would be for those living there to decide how bad the problem is.

I hear them howling every night, and they're active at all times during the day, they are not afraid of people like they are in more remote places. I always have an eye out for them, and immediately leash my dog and keep him close if I spot one nearby.

 

[Camper6]

I still say let nature takes it's course

So we shouldn't spray our crops and let the insects take over? Or eradicate the boll weevil which was killing the cotton industry?

Or try to eliminate the insects that eat trees so that the forests can be decimated?

It's a constant battle. Man versus nature. Nature tries to kill us with viruses and also tries to kill our food supply. And then you have malaria killing millions. So we shouldn't eradicate mosquitoes?

Look at the big picture. Not isolated incidents.