Okay, all you predator protectors and coyote/wolf lovers. Here’s a story that puts your false rhetoric about coyote behavior to shame. And shame on you.

Of all places, Haverill, Massachusetts was the site of a pack of coyotes corralling a young 400-pound female buffalo into a swampy area to immobilize it, kill it, and strip it of all the meat leaving nothing but mostly a pile of bones. To those who say coyotes don’t kill large livestock, please explain.

There are also other gems in this story that shatter the false claims of coyote lovers. The owner of the farm where the buffalo was killed, Tyler Kimball, said this wasn’t the first time coyotes have given him a problem. Kimball claims that about seven years ago, coyotes killed two cows that were about to calve, in addition to three other calves.

After getting permission to hunt and kill coyotes on his property, he killed 17 the first year. Kimball says that up until his buffalo, he hadn’t any losses since killing the 17 coyotes. This blows the lie out of the water about how killing coyotes simply sends a message to the pack to produce even more. If this was true, Kimball’s livestock depredation would have continued. It didn’t.

What’s shameful also in this story is that Mr. Kimball had to get permission from the police to shoot the coyotes in order to protect his property. We live in a perverted society and this is further proof of it.

So, who is going to rush in and reimburse Mr. Kimball for his losses due to government coyotes?

Tom Remington

Back last March, 2009, I told readers about efforts by a handful of people to petition the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect wolves and coyotes in the Northeast Region. The request essentially asked the USFWS to do three things: 1. Create a Distinct Population Segment for gray wolves in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, ; 2. Design and implement a Northeastern Gray Wolf Recovery Plan, and; 3. Regulate the commerce or taking, and treat as endangered species in the States of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, coyotes (Canis latrans), coyote/gray wolf hybrids (Canis latrans x Canis lupus), eastern wolves (Canis lycaon), eastern wolf/gray wolf hybrids (Canis lycaon x Canis lupus), coyote/eastern wolf hybrids (Canis latrans x Canis lycaon), and coyote/eastern wolf/gray wolf hybrids (Canis latrans x Canis lycaon x Canis lupus) because of their close resemblance to the federally endangered and protected gray wolf.

According to a 90-day finding on the request, the USFWS states that requesting a wolf management plan and to regulate the commerce of taking coyotes, wolves, etc. are not petitionable items under the Endangered Species Act. As the petition pertains to the creation of a Distinct Population Segment of gray wolves, the USFWS responded accordingly:

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in five northeastern States as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We find that the petition does not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing a DPS of the gray wolf in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine may be warranted. Therefore, we will not initiate a further status review in response to this petition. However, we ask the public to submit to us at any time, any new information that becomes available concerning the presence of the gray wolf in the northeastern United States, particularly information to substantiate the presence of breeding pairs.

The petitioners have an agenda and as we have been witness to for years, they are attempting to abuse and manipulate an outdated and poorly written Endangered Species Act to put a stop to all hunting and trapping disguised as protecting animals. While the USFWS for now says that no DPS will be created, they have left the door open and are asking people to notify them about findings of gray wolves, etc. Just being witness to this nonsense makes one seriously ask why they would at all be interested in helping in the discovery of gray wolves in their area. When we see the destruction of private property, including the slaughter of livestock and other domestic animals, along with a stripping away of property and property rights, caused as a result of protecting these critters, it’s ridiculous for anyone to consider inviting the federal government in to further control their lives and destroy the wildlife ecosystems we have now.

Think about it!

Tom Remington

A reader and friend sent me a link to an article in Predator Extreme magazine. Apparently a recreation trail in Amherst (I’m assuming Massachusetts) was closed because a coyote there had attacked two dogs on two separate occasions. Both dogs should recover fine. There are two comments made in the article I would like to draw your attention to. The first is quite ignorant and the second one is over the top.

The first comment refers to the reasons Animal Welfare Officer, Carol Hepburn, requested the trail be closed. It was “out of concern for the safety of smaller dogs”. Evidently, this animal welfare officer has never seen what a ticked off coyote can do. However, it’s a really odd comment considering that one of the dogs already attacked was a Labrador retriever. Is small, like anything smaller than a Newfoundland or a Mastiff?

But the last sentence is the best. “Hepburn says there is no evidence the coyote is aggressive toward humans”. I think she should go out on the trail and walk around in that same area and then find out if perhaps, just maybe, that coyote could care less whether it’s a small dog, a big dog or a person walking along the trail.

Tom Remington

It has gotten so bad that a group, made up of representatives from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York, have petitioned the Department of Interior in order to place protections under the Endangered Species Act for any interbred species of dogs, coyotes, wolves or any combination of the above, claiming these all to be unique species.

In accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act and/or the Endangered Species Act, we hereby petition the U.S. Department of Interior and the Service to regulate the commerce or taking, and treat as endangered species in the States of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, coyotes (Canis latrans), coyote/gray wolf hybrids (Canis latrans x Canis lupus), eastern wolves (Canis lycaon), eastern wolf/gray wolf hybrids (Canis lycaon x Canis lupus), coyote/eastern wolf hybrids (Canis latrans x Canis lycaon), and coyote/eastern wolf/gray wolf hybrids (Canis latrans x Canis lycaon x Canis lupus) because of their close resemblance to the federally endangered and protected gray wolf.
In accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act and/or the U.S. Endangered Species Act, we also hereby petition the U.S. Department of Interior and the Service: (1) to establish a Northeastern Gray Wolf Distinct Population Segment consisting of the States of New York, Vermont New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts; and, (2) to develop and implement a Northeastern Gray Wolf Recovery Plan.

Part of this groups reasoning is that with open hunting and trapping seasons on eastern coyote, because some of these coyotes my have interbred with an Eastern gray wolf, it should be protected in order to protect the gray wolf.

We seem only now willing to admit that wolves and domestic dogs have been interbreeding for centuries. Recently it was determined that what made wolves black was the result of interbreeding with dogs. We’ve even found in historic writings, like those of Teddy Roosevelt’s, that Indians and trappers/hunters used to do a lot of interbreeding with wolves and their hunting dogs to develop a dog that could stand up to wolves.

Neither the gray wolf nor the eastern coyote is threatened or in any danger of extinction. To think that we now should consider protecting mongrel dogs in the wild is absolutely ridiculous. When the USFWS gets done reviewing this petition, it should be immediately tossed in the garbage can.

Tom Remington

Tom Remington

For years many have believed that the coyote found in the east was some kind of cross between a western coyote and a wolf because the eastern coyote is considerably larger than the those found in the west. New York and Maine have conducted similar studies to show that what we call an eastern coyote is a cross or hybrid mix of probably a western coyote with a Canadian eastern wolf.

Read more about this study and its results at the Republican on MassLive.com.

Note: Top photo is of an eastern coyote and bottom photo of a western coyote.

Tom Remington

Although the number of coyotes is believed to be growing in the state and complaints about them are increasing, the measure was taken not to control their population but to “enhance opportunities” for people to hunt coyotes, wildlife officials said.

In fact, “The proposed hunting season will neither decrease nor increase the population,” Thomas O’Shea, the assistant director of wildlife for the State Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, told the board.

Politically well stated although I don’t disagree with their assessment. Coyotes are a highly adaptive animal making it extremely difficult to alter their populations.

Hopefully hunters will have better opportunities to get out and take a few coyotes and help matters out a bit.

Tom Remington

In Illinois, Claudia Daigle took her award winning poodle out into here own backyard around 11 p.m. when I coyote came running out of the woods and grabbed the poodle by the neck and ran off. The coyote dropped the dog just into the woods but the dog died on the way to the emergency room.

Meanwhile in Massachusetts, residence there are discussing increasing a hunting season on the coyote. The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife is proposing a lengthening of the season to hunt coyotes because of the effects a growing population is having on other wildlife species and increased human encounters.

As one would expect there is opposition to any kind of hunting from animal protectionists.

“The coyote does not necessarily pose a public safety threat,” Scott M. Giacoppo, deputy director of advocacy for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said in speaking against lengthening the hunting season.

Too many coyotes necessarily can pose a public safety threat. People are getting bitten, dogs attacked, etc. The truth is the coyote needs better management and history has shown that doing such is a difficult task. The last thing the animal needs right now if further protection.

Tom Remington

Residents in that area are being warned about this and other coyotes and what they are capable of doing.

Tom Remington

When I was a child, I really believed that if I covered my eyes so I couldn’t see anything, nobody could see me either. Now that I’m not a child anymore, I think I have finally figured it out. Not true for some though.

In Upton, Massachusetts, biologists working for the state collecting data which is critical to the management of a healthy deer population, set up a check-in station in the parking lot of the VFW hall. This area was about 100 yards away from a town playground, according to Danielle Williamson of the Milford Daily News. This offended one man so he complained to the Chief of Police, Thomas Stockwell. Stockwell then asked that the station be moved.

Officials, perplexed that someone would complain, ended up moving the station out behind the building but that didn’t stop those curious enough to go check out the happenings.

*Oh, oh, oh, be careful. You might not like what comes next.*

Hunting is very much a part of American heritage and I have news for those who might think that hunting is going to go away. It’s not. While I don’t propose forcing anyone to look at a dead animal who doesn’t choose to, I also don’t believe that covering up your eyes and pretending it isn’t there is the answer either.

100 yards is the length of a football field and for anyone to take offense would have to be doing the “heavy looking on” as the old saying goes. There are many things that we all can find “offensive” but tolerance, respect and understanding can go a long ways – or does that only pertain to others concerning things you don’t like?

*It gets worse!*

I personally find it offensive when fat people wear tight fitting clothing but I don’t run to the police to make them stop. I find it offensive to see two men holding hands and kissing in public but I don’t run to the police and make them stop. I find liberals offensive to listen to but I tolerate them.

If you don’t like what you see by craning your neck to observe, stop looking. Or maybe a better thing to do is let your child’s own curiousity ask questions if they see fit and you as a responsible parent can use the opportunity to educate them as to what living in America is ALL about. But if you don’t agree, you probably think that playing tag on the playground is a dangerous game and is unfair and may cause a child to grow up with inferiority complexes because they were tagged more often than the other kids.

*You really don’t want to read the rest. It’s bad.*

If that description fits you, I would suggest burying your head in the sand somewhere and just pretending that Ted Kennedy is a Massachusetts conservative, that John Kerry is president and Al Gore really won the election in 2000. Life couldn’t be any better for you. Oh, yeah! And you can go down to Wal-Mart and buy a plastic gun to protect yourself and your family, because in Massachusetts, guns aren’t allowed. Oh, no, wait! Wal-Mart won’t work either because they run an unfair business, underpricing other companies and hiring disadvantaged people and forcing them to work for substandard wages and benefits.

I’m glad I don’t live that way.

Tom Remington

And now you can cry in the comments section about what an evil person I am because I think people should be free to live. Oh, nasty, nasty statement to make to a control freak.