Coyote hunt revives biting in town response

Author: Andrea Glaessner

Organized coyote hunts are cropping up all over Addison County with cash incentives for hauling in the "villainous predators." There have been three hunts scheduled in the past two months with over 600 enthusiastic gamesmen. But not everyone is strapping on their boots and cleaning out their guns.

There is an intense scientific, political and moral debate brewing among hunters, environmentalists and politicians right here in Addison County. In this debate, everyone has an opinion fueled by a passion to protect what is right and true. For the hunters, organizing coyote hunts is the right thing to do in order to bolster the diminishing deer population. For the opposition, coyote hunts are an unethical, unsafe and inefficient practice for an end that is questionable in itself. Underneath it all, it is clear that this duel is not just about coyotes and deer, but rather a clash of two sides over man's relationship with nature.

To examine the scientific aspect of the debate it must be asked if killing coyotes will truly be an effective means of boosting the deer population as the hunters ardently suggest. According to Mead Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Steve Trombulak, "From a scientific perspective the hunt is not really about deer."

First, "the coyote has a reproductive biology such that when mortality is high there is increased reproduction," said Trombulak. Hence killing more coyotes triggers an instinctual response to reproduce more and at a faster rate.

Second, there is no data to suggest that live deer are the coyote's main prey. Coyotes mainly eat deer carrion [road kill], as well as seeds, rodents and even woodpeckers. Running after a deer is too much work for the savvy descendent of the wolf.

Coyotes are not actually native to Vermont. Trombulak explained, "Coyotes are in Vermont because humans extirpated the wolf - they emigrated through the Lake states in the 1950s because humans eliminated the top level carnivore - the wolf." Thus the coyote is actually an "exotic species." When exotic species are harmful to their habitat, they become "invasive exotics." According to Trombulak, "Invasive exotics cost millions in damage to the U.S. economy and are implicated in ecological problems as well. One might be able to argue that [the hunts] are okay because of an attempt to control an exotic. But this notion of exotic control isn't a motivation for the hunt as expressed by the hunters thus far."

John Hall, who works for Vermont's Fish and Wildlife department, agreed with Trombulak's assertion that the coyote hunts will not help sustain the deer population. He explained, "When the hunters are holding these hunts what they don't realize is that in order to really remove coyote numbers you've got to remove 70 percent every year. There is no way in the world these [hunters] can do that. Coyotes are adept at avoiding people, even more than their relatives - the wolves of Canada. I'm sure [the hunts] make the hunters feel good. But in the long term they're not going to really make a difference at all. What we need to do is manage the deer population as precisely as we can. The diminishing deer population is far more dependent upon winter severity and habitat quality, not coyotes."

As a result, "There is no data to support that coyotes reduce deer. If you completely eliminated the coyote there would be little effect on the deer population," said Hall.

Hunters and animal lovers will never agree on issues regarding animal rights. But the issue in Addison County is about getting both sides to agree on a compromise.

The Reverend Paul Bortz and his group of about 25 people known as "Vermonters for Safe Hunting and Wildlife Diversity" are fervently opposed to the hunts and have asked for a set coyote hunting season. Bortz claimed, "Since safety should be a concern for everyone, the public needs to know that these hunts, which employ the use of high-powered rifles, can be called at any time of the year with most of the general public being unaware of them - and that night hunting is permitted, unlike the regular November rifle deer season, when we are all prepared to wear orange. We question the safety of our children playing and skiing outside during these hunts, even the safety of our pet dogs." For Bortz, on the surface this conflict is about regulating hunting practices to secure the safety of the community. But on a personal level, Bortz is concerned with the ethicality of what he calls this "coyote slaughter."

In response to Bortz's concern for safety, Hall commented , "There's never been a coyote hunting accident. It's rewarding to see that 35 years ago we were having as many as 30 accidents a year related to deer hunting. We're having fewer and fewer accidents as we go forward, in large part we believe due to a mandatory hunter education program. We're trying to teach [hunters] safety and ethics".

Although the threat to safety is not a concern for the Fish and Wildlife Department in this case, the effect these hunts may have on hunting's reputation is. Hall commented, "We are urging people not to [organize these hunts]. The most important thing for [the hunters] should be about maintaining the image of the hunter, and these hunts are creating a poor image of hunting."

Perhaps the hunters are mistaken in their scientific objective. If so, this issue becomes purely moral and political. Do they have the right to hunt coyotes without regulation? No matter if you're a hunter or a vegan, answering this question engages you in a debate that goes beyond Middlebury, Addison County, and even Vermont.