John Harrigan has a venerable Outdoors column that is published in New Hampshire Newspapers every several days...........he is insigtful, easy to understand and folksy in his comunication on how all living creatures merit a place on our Planet.

John Harrigan's Woods, Water and Wildlife: Is God's dog a blessing or curse?
By JOHN HARRIGAN
Woods, Water and Wildlife
Sunday, Apr. 4, 2010

NEW HAMPSHIRE
I knew it. When you mention coyote "control" and the possible negative aspects of feeding deer in the same column, you're dead certain to get a ton of mail on each topic, some of it pretty emotional.

Last week's column touched on possible changes regarding shooting and, by inference, trapping coyotes. It's one of many topics that will come up this week at Fish and Game's biannual rule-setting hearings. In last week's column I voiced my opinion on making the coyote the whipping-boy for every wildlife problem, and being unable to see its rightful niche in the scheme of things. Here is a sampling of readers' reactions.
 "In reference to coyotes, I agree with those wholeheartedly that see them as part of the ecosystem and not simply as vermin to be exterminated. I am a hunter."I find it frustrating that many hunters speak out of both sides of their mouths when the topics of deer management and coyotes come up.On the one hand, hunters defend hunting by saying that they are managing densities, and without them deer would overfeed and starve. On the other hand, some would just as soon exterminate the coyote saying that they kill deer and do not want the negative effect on deer population."I agree that the coyote in essence has replaced the wolf and even thrives due to the absence of the wolf. If they are able to manage the deer population naturally then we as hunters should adjust accordingly, even if that means shorter seasons and less tags."
Chad St.Onge
 "
Railing against people, supposedly officialdom, who allegedly claim that coyotes do not take deer is a straw-man issue. I have never heard anyone in officialdom make such a foolish argument. Certainly I have not. Au contraire. Coyotes have been getting deer all along, and are getting better at it.Finally, coyotes are responsive breeders. This means that when persecuted they will respond by having more litters of more pups per litter, and when food is scarce will have fewer. Added to its adaptability and downright smarts, it means that it is here to stay.