I have mixed emotions about this stuff.
I do not, and will not allow, anyone to come to my place who uses animals as target practice. I do quite a bit of deer hunting but, as a trophy hunter, seldom pull the trigger. I do wince at killing the best of the breed but understand that his genes are already distributed. I am teaching my 8 year old Grandson to be a woodsman but not to randomly shoot what he doesn't want to eat.
As Paul Harvey says; the rest of the story. I've seen starving deer herds in State Parks where no hunting was allowed. That's not pretty. I've also killed and walked away from sick or injured deer without respect for the letter of the law. I kill rattlesnakes and copperheads around the house or ponds but don't mess with them out in the brush. If a chicken hawk was getting my chickens (I don't have any), I would take action without regard to Federal law (Yep, it's illegal). If coyotes were getting my goats, I would take action. I'm not real impressed with the idea that "It's just nature". As the top of the food chain, I make all final decisions regarding the well being of livestock, wildlife and fish on my land or in my ponds. The government isn't here looking out for me.
I know guys that kill every rattlesnake, coyote, fox, skunk, armadillo and possum they see. That's their business and none of mine.
I also have a "feral" dog management program. Please keep Fifi or Fido at home.
I'm sure that coyotes take fawns and, if nature gets out of balance, I consider it my job to take corrective action. Taking that action is a man sized job without the use of traps, nooses, and poison.
Some areas of Texas have too many deer and those counties allow the killing of 5 per season. However, in those counties, few hunters take that many. A lot of hunters are looking to kill something/anything with antlers. OK, those guys are part of the problem instead part of the solution. The successful landowner who leases his hunting rights assures that hunters take the prescribed number. I seem to have a balanced deer herd and I figure coyotes may be partially responsible for that. Anytime I start seeing a lot of deer, I wonder if I am going to have a problem. Without coyotes, I would have to crop some deer. I wonder what the recruitment/survival rate of coyote pups is. Some of my fondest memories is watching coyotes stalk their prey. I could learn a lot from those guys.
Bottom line? Two things: Mama Nature is a mean bitch on both predator and prey. I could care less about what PETA or other dang fools think.
