Coyote bounty set to begin Friday
[Sydney, NS]—A coyote bounty begins Friday (Oct. 15) after provincewide reports of aggressive encounters, including the fatal attack on a Toronto singer in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
- The Nova Scotia government is paying licensed trappers $20 per pelt for what it calls a non-traditional bounty, and in addition is training 15 trappers to specifically target coyotes that have lost their fear of humans.--how will they know which coyotes have lost their fear?--blogger Rick
"It's not to train them how to catch coyotes because I've selected people who already know how to catch coyotes," said recently hired provincial wildlife biologist Mike Boudreau, who focuses on human/wildlife conflict. "It's going to be to give them a common set of techniques to deal with different trapping situations."
Boudreau says in cases of coyote aggression, the province will trap on Crown and private lands after first seeking approval of the landowner.
Depending on the severity of coyote aggression, Boudreau said trappers will proceed without approval as it relates to public safety.
Over the past year, there have been numerous reports of coyotes acting aggressively in the province, including the October 2009 death of Taylor Mitchell, a folksinger from Toronto who was attacked by two coyotes while hiking alone on the Skyline Trail.
Boudreau said in most cases traps can be set away from human activity as the home range for coyotes is 20 to 30 square kilometres.
He said traps are usually set at least 275 metres from a dwelling or school.
If an aggressive coyote is reported, trappers will attempt to remove as many animals as they can from that particular area. Coyotes are trapped either in a foothold trap that holds the animal, or by using a snare that kills the animal.--kill as many as you can, that is selective removal??--blogger Rick
Ross White, vice-president of the Trappers Association of Nova Scotia, said the group 100 per cent supports the incentive program.
He said coyote trapping has declined over the last number of years due to dropping prices for pelts and the increase in the cost of gasoline, as trappers must often travel long distances to check traps.
As part of the bounty, trappers are asked to take part in a voluntary collection of coyote carcasses that will provide Department of Natural Resources biologists with the weight, age and reproduction of coyote populations in Nova Scotia. The last time a collection was held was in 1992.
"You'll find that trappers, we're very socially conscious and we work very closely with the Department of Natural Resources and I think this will be a reasonably successful collection," said White. "The worst area of the province probably is in Cheticamp and the northern Cape Breton area where a lot of the trappers have a long way to travel to get to one of the local depots, but on the mainland it's not quite as bad."
According to DNR, Nova Scotia has approximately 1,400 coyote trappers in the province who must renew licences each year in order to trap.
Last year, approximately 2,200 coyotes were trapped in the province. According to bounty rules, the province will only deliver the $20 per pelt bonus for pelts sold to fur auction houses. Commercial trappers sell pelts to two main auction houses in North America, both of which are located in Ontario.
Boudreau says in cases of coyote aggression, the province will trap on Crown and private lands after first seeking approval of the landowner.
Depending on the severity of coyote aggression, Boudreau said trappers will proceed without approval as it relates to public safety.
Over the past year, there have been numerous reports of coyotes acting aggressively in the province, including the October 2009 death of Taylor Mitchell, a folksinger from Toronto who was attacked by two coyotes while hiking alone on the Skyline Trail.
Boudreau said in most cases traps can be set away from human activity as the home range for coyotes is 20 to 30 square kilometres.
He said traps are usually set at least 275 metres from a dwelling or school.
If an aggressive coyote is reported, trappers will attempt to remove as many animals as they can from that particular area. Coyotes are trapped either in a foothold trap that holds the animal, or by using a snare that kills the animal.--kill as many as you can, that is selective removal??--blogger Rick
Ross White, vice-president of the Trappers Association of Nova Scotia, said the group 100 per cent supports the incentive program.
He said coyote trapping has declined over the last number of years due to dropping prices for pelts and the increase in the cost of gasoline, as trappers must often travel long distances to check traps.
As part of the bounty, trappers are asked to take part in a voluntary collection of coyote carcasses that will provide Department of Natural Resources biologists with the weight, age and reproduction of coyote populations in Nova Scotia. The last time a collection was held was in 1992.
"You'll find that trappers, we're very socially conscious and we work very closely with the Department of Natural Resources and I think this will be a reasonably successful collection," said White. "The worst area of the province probably is in Cheticamp and the northern Cape Breton area where a lot of the trappers have a long way to travel to get to one of the local depots, but on the mainland it's not quite as bad."
According to DNR, Nova Scotia has approximately 1,400 coyote trappers in the province who must renew licences each year in order to trap.
Last year, approximately 2,200 coyotes were trapped in the province. According to bounty rules, the province will only deliver the $20 per pelt bonus for pelts sold to fur auction houses. Commercial trappers sell pelts to two main auction houses in North America, both of which are located in Ontario.
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