Post by: bearpaw on January 25, 2012, 10:05:27 AM
In a meeting yesterday, Utah DWR Director Jim Karpowitz proposed this:
1. Continue the aerial gunning of coyote pairs in the spring with $470,000. Better efforts will be made to target paired coyotes.
2. Hire 5 Full time NON Biologist Regional coyote trappers/trapping coordinators. Job requirements: proven track record of knowing how to kill coyotes, and teach and motivate thousands of sportsmen to join the effort. Every day, the job is to wake up and kill coyotes, and additionally teach other sportsmen how to trap, snare, and otherwise kill coyotes. These full time people would also coordinate county bounty programs, and help target and measure hopefully increased fawn survival. These coordinators will also come up with some new and creative efforts to get sportsmen out killing coyotes.
3. Have some current DWR Employees participate in coyote control efforts while doing spring and fall counts, etc.
4. See $1 Million coyote bounty below
Since it is not in the current Governors budget submitted on December 8, the bounty money will have to come from Legislative leaders like Senator Hinkins and Okerlund, who take the Governors budget and tweak it. I also think the Governor, after the meeting in Cache, and having aides see the turnout at other meetings, and realizing the need, will be supportive. So, the new piece of the puzzle see Number five below:
5. With the help of Sportsmen, obtain $1 Million in additional funds to pay $50 coyote bounty. This would lead to 20,000 dead coyotes, a DRAMATIC increase in coyote kill.
Let me give you some numbers.
1. Last year, after seeing the dismal fawn survival on 4 central Utah deer units Pavant, boulder, beaver the Director spent an additional $100,000 on coyote control
a. Fawn Survival from 2010 to 2011 went from approximately 43 fawns per 100 to 62 per 100
It is estimated that there are 80,000 coyotes in Utah.
Last year it is estimated that the government professional trappers took 4,000 coyotes. This program would stay the same, but it would be better targeted in fawning areas.
$1 Million for a $50 bounty would result in 20,000 dead coyotes, plus all the coyotes taken by 5 full time coyote killers from the UDWR, plus all the coyotes taken by aerial gunning $470,000 in the spring on deer winter ranges.
It will still take a lot of effort to see all of this come to pass. I am sure there will be some resistance to the legislation from anti hunters and from Occupy Deer hunt hunters.
After an hour of really looking at data and discussing this, I think proposal, if implemented year in and year out, will drive populations of coyotes down, and allow for increased deer survival, thus a 2X or 3X in deer herds.
Your thoughts are welcome by responding to this email to don@sfw.net
Don Peay
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