=EddieWalker
Black bears kill more humans than Grizzly and Brown bears combined,
If you had kids and you were worried about their saftey, there is no such thing as a wrong method to protectect them. To "man up" and risk your kids saftey when poison is a proven, effective method to eliminate a problem pack of animals is inexcusable.
Eddie
Eddie,
First, let me say how much I enjoy reading your posts. They are thoughtful and written in a way that is respectful to others. I am about to disagree with some positions you have stated, but I want you to know it is not personal, just idealogical.
Secondly, Brown Bears are Grizzly Bears. These are two names for the very same animal.
Thirdly, respectfully, I have to disagree on the coyotes and poison. Coyotes are not the level of threat that people are making them out to be. I have had firsthand encounters with bears, boars, alligators, coyotes, bobcats, snakes, et al, and never had a need to battle or kill one. When I was a boy, I thought it was really cool to "blow away" any living thing I could point my guns at. I was shooting sparrows with a BB gun by age 6 and rabbits, cranes, hawks, anything, with my rifle and shotgun by age 12. When I grew to manhood, I came to realize that very few things in nature need to be really feared. Definitely there are things in nature that have the ability to kill, but they are rarely a real threat if one learns to respect the animal's prowess. My scout masters and guide trainers taught me the techniques needed to respect the power of wild things and to survive without attacking them. In bear country, I use a technique to loft food bags high into tree limbs with no anchorage to the ground. In Grizzly or panther territory, I make enough constant noise near blinds that the animal will hear me and leave well before I arrive. I know how to spot snakes and alligators long before they see me. In the semi-rural place where I live now, I still apply common sense skills. When my daughter was little, I never left her alone anywhere, be it in the yard, the park, or the store.
There is more danger from West Nile Virus and Lyme disease than there is from coyotes. Therefore it is prudent to use insect repelent, wear long pants in the weeds, and check often for ticks. Declaring total war on them would be ineffective. The coyotes around me do me a great service by controling the population of rabbits and pocket gophers. Feral dogs and pigs are another story, they have been removed from a natural ecosystem and the ability to fit in an appropriate niche has been bred out of them. Humans created the problem of these feral animals and it is appropriate to attempt removing them. My wife and I love our child, and we made a commitment before she arrived that whe would never be out of close sight of one of us, or a day care provider, until she was old enough to fend for herself. She is now almost 12, drives the tractor, is free to wander within a quarter mile of the house, and holds a first degree brown belt.
In northern and western Europe, humans developed such a phobia about wolves that they literally denuded the land, packed themselves into crowded cities, and brought the European wolf to the brink of extinction. I daresay that numerous members of this board share my disdain of city living. We love life with some space around us, with some of the nature that God originally created visible through our windows, instead of a concrete jungle.
I used to be a person who wanted to "blow away" any non human creature that could walk, swim, or fly. I liked the woods, but also liked chopping down trees to make clearings. Today, I find the world that God created so much more "right" than the cities we humans have created. I one day realized that everytime I needlessly killed something that did not really need killing, or chopped down a tree just for the sake of chopping it down, I was making a place more like the cities that I dislike, and less like God's nature that I do like. Now I've been called bleeding heart liberal, tree-hugger, all kinds of names. I've also been called opposite type names by those of liberal persuasion. Actually, I try to take a common sense middle ground. Do we need lumber, of course; but tree farms are better than virgin forests. Do we need energy, yes; but better to find the source that has the best cost benefit ratio when all factors are considered. Do we need to harvest animals for food, yes; but if we harvest a certain seafood to extinction, that's like cutting off our own nose.
IF, my daughter were about to be killed by a wild animal and I had a gun in my hand, would I save her? Of course I would. What I'm saying, however, is that there are less drastic options than just going out to eradicate coyotes. They keep rotent populations in check. They are not werewolves. They are part of rural life. They are not a true danger if other simple precautions are taken. If we were to destroy everything natural in our rural communities, we would find ourselves right back in big cities, places we don't care for and that are far more dangerous than the rural countryside we so much cherish. I live in the country because it is still partly wild. Personally, I'd like to keep it that way.
Respectfully to all, whether you agree or disagree.
Tom
Guess I'm just not a posion fan beyond the untraveled attic. Children are at risk as are we. That's a sad reality none of us can avoid or mitigate. Try as we may. Now can we keep 2 or 4 year olds out of Coyotes dinner plans? Sure, that's pretty simple. No offense is even needed for that.
