Quote:
Originally Posted by Clarksen
Where to start? rcmc - if it's a relatively small scale coyotes will gravitate to another area if subjected to stress e.g. from open farm country to creek bottoms or coulees where there is more cover. This may explain what you are seeing, I have no other explanation. My 1080 comments are based on direct experience which compared bait uptake throughout the winter. If the baits were reducing coyote numbers then bait uptake would decline as winter progressed and from year to year. This proved to not be apparent over a three year period where uptake was the same from year to year and from start to end of winter. In conjunction relative population comparisons were done. These do not give numbers of coyotes but do give a comparison to previous years. This is known as scent post transects and has proven to be effective in indicating rising, falling, or stable populations. This showed no change. This was done in order to test wheather 1080 was effective in reducing coyote numbers and ultimately livestock predation. The 1080 program was stopped and livestock predation did not increase.
Marty S - it's immaterial to me if you believe anything I've commented on or not.
Jim Summit - for some reason coyote numbers have fluctuated through out the province the last several years. Numbers have declined where I live to the point there are now fox everywhere. In real numbers this means from a high of 67 coyotes from a quarter section years ago to 2 this winter. I am told numbers in eastern Alberta are good. If anything trapping pressure is much less today than years ago. The best estimates available indicate that hunters and trappers combined can take a maximum of 10-15% of a wolf population yearly and I suspect this number would be lower for coyotes. In any event it would be well below their compensatory abilities.
Hunter Dave - I'm saying that for the mechanism which increases litter size to kick in a coyote population has to be subjected to some kind of stress [unknown] to a degree that would over time [unknown] cause their numbers to decline. There is no doubt that this occurs but the science behind it is not clear.
Braggado - not sure what you are saying but maybe think about this. If all coyotes trapped or shot were additive to natural mortality over very few years they would be gone. This is why hunting and trapping have no impact on coyote numbers. I would quantify the statement by saying there may be isolated situations as some have suggested where there can be a short time impact. I haven't seen it but strange things happen with animal populations that we do not understand.
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alot of (unknown),(unknown),(unknown),(we don't understand) you have going on in your statements.
sadly, some people believe this to be science. and you probably got paid a bunch of tax payer money for these ground braking revelations.