Erin Hauge
Killing non-problem coyotes indiscriminately is counter-productive and can cause more problems than it solves.
There's a school of thought that uses broad and indiscriminate lethal control first to figure on managing coyotes. But this kind of action kills many non-problem coyotes who provide benefits to a healthy ecosystem. Indiscriminate killing also affects non-target wildlife, pets and livestock. It's wasteful of wild lives, it's cruel and unkind, it provides no accountability for how it's affecting existing wild populations, and it throws the ecological health of a natural system out of whack.
Indiscriminate killing using traps, snares, poisons and organized killing contests doesn’t target what may be a single offending individual. These methods brutally and mindlessly wipe out a swath of wildlife that had been busy playing important roles in their habitats, fostering the complicated balance of a healthy ecosystem. Older, more experienced coyotes as well as non-target species are killed, including endangered species and pets. Killing more coyotes can actually lead to an increase in their populations, and in turn, livestock depredations, because younger pack family members are thrown into chaos with no guidance.
Coyotes typically form pack families with one alpha pair producing the pups. Mating season is generally January through March with pups being born between March and May. Without social structure, the pack family can disintegrate. Without that essential structure, younger pairs form and mate at any time of year, so more pups will be produced - meaning more mouths to feed by less experienced individuals.
Coyote hunting. Coyotes naturally eat rodents like rats, gophers, mice and voles as well as rabbits and moles (which are not rodents). Coyotes offer pest control for free! Erin Hauge
HSUS Infographic showing why killing coyotes doesn't work.
More livestock is lost by far due to disease, weather, birthing complications and theft than to native predators.
The best way to keep predators from depredating livestock is by establishing some key animal husbandry practices along with good non-lethal predator deterrence practices.
Always use non-lethal conflict deterrence first!
Teach coyotes that livestock is not a safe source of food. Coyotes are highly intelligent and adaptable and learn from their experiences. They can then pass on that knowledge to younger generations.
Erin Hauge
The goal is to deter conflict before depredation occurs.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ predator deterrence package. Every livestock operator needs a non-lethal deterrence plan that’s designed specifically for them, taking into account the size of their operation, the type of livestock they’re running, the geographic terrain, the types of predators present and realistic cost assessments. A strategic combination of several deterrence solutions can be powerfully discouraging for passing predators! Key to remember is that if food is not available or too difficult or scary to access, predators will move on to look for food elsewhere.
Some nonlethal solutions include:
• Turbo fladry (Electric fencing with flagging. Fladry is just the flagging and would be less costly)
• Livestock guardian animals (dogs, llamas, donkeys)
• Night penning (from dusk to dawn) and shed birthing where possible
• Scare tactics such as Foxlights, timed sprinkler systems, radios, air dancers
• Human presence and range riding
• Removal of carcasses and sick animals immediately
• Locate carcass pits well away from livestock
• Keep livestock away from dense cover to prevent ambush
• Encourage grouping, keeping animals close together for safety rather than scattered grazing
A simple operation audit provides the information needed to recommend a combination of these solutions that could work best for an operator's specific needs. The Defenders of Wildlife resource listed at the bottom of this page is written for wolves but provides practical information on how to assess an operation's needs and many other valuable suggestions for non-lethal predator conflict prevention.
Lethal control should be the last resort.
Lethal control should only be used when non-lethal methods have been exhausted. Taking only the offending individual helps ensure that predators who are doing the right thing by taking advantage of native prey continue to pass down native hunting knowledge to their youngsters while social order is maintained within the pack.
Most of the time, a solid non-lethal deterrence plan that is consistently implemented can mean fewer, and can even eliminate, livestock depredation incidents.
The effort it takes to find a solid non-lethal conflict deterrence plan that works can pay off in the long run - livestock is left alone and rodents and other pests are kept in check while coyotes are allowed to self-regulate on the land to the natural resources that are available.
Ranching and agricultural operations experience business risks just like any urban business enterprise.
Occasional livestock loss to native predators is part of the rent to be paid for ranching on wild lands. It's important to respect and understand the wildlife that lives on that land and find a way to coexist. The Fourth Law of Ecology states that 'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' While we know this term mainly from an economic standpoint, looking at it from an environmental point of view means that there's just no way we can continue to take from the land without making concessions to others who need its resources, too. If we hope to have an inhabitable environment in the future, we must reframe what it means to live and work on the land to include a 'coexistence for survival' clause, not only for coyotes and all wildlife, but for ourselves. Appreciating the benefits native predators like coyotes bring to a healthy ecosystem benefits everyone in the long run.
Erin Hauge
Blog by Erin Hauge
Resources:
Project Coyote
Humane Society of the United States
Defenders of Wildlife
Barry Commoner, The Closing Circle: Nature, Man and Technology
________
Erin Hauge is an ecologist, tracker and certified California naturalist. She has been volunteering with the Cosumnes River Preserve since 2014 in the capacities of interpretive naturalist and citizen scientist. She participated in a mountain lion camera study on the Preserve from 2014 to 2018 and led a dedicated crew of volunteers in monitoring up to twelve trail cameras and analyzing the photo data. Erin is currently working on tracker certification and writes a periodic nature and wildlife blog.