Vermont biologist Walter Medwid in simple to understand prose outlining the need for multiple stakeholders from all walks of life to be involved in State Game Commissions management of wildlife.........As he puts it: ......."While many deer hunters(now the key voice in many state Game Commissions) see coyotes as a threat to “their” deer, biologists in New York have recently concluded that coyotes prey far less on deer and fawns than hunters believe"........... "Only 10 percent of adult deer deaths are actually caused by coyotes"............ "Biologists there have also found that coyotes hunt and eat beaver far more often than fawns"............ "Regrettably, the board with its narrow focus and representation has, in the case of the coyote, kept the myth of coyote as “vermin” alive and well – they may be killed any day of the year for any reason or no reason"...... "They(NY Game Managers) seemingly dismiss and certainly discount more scientifically-grounded data"................And as it relates to his own home state of Vermont's wildlife laws he correctly states: "There should be a wider lens that the board looks through to ensure an ecologically diverse Vermont with healthy wildlife populations; the lens should not only look at game as the paramount product"

http://vtdigger.org/2014/11/21/walter-medwid

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TIME FOR A CHANGE IN 
MANAGING VERMONT'S WILDLIFE

wALTER mEDWID