One Less

[Gary Laudermilch]

New snow last night and a new set of coyote tracks close to the house. Rifle and shells are at the ready by the door. If he shows himself and gives me 30 seconds to get outside he is in trouble.

[charlie cleveland]

phil maybe we need to trade you a few buzzards for some of them ravens...charlie

[Researcher]

Protect your game from thes Murderers.jpg

Pests.jpg

Shoot Pests!.jpg

Not the ads we see today.

[Bruce Hering]

My contribution to good coyote:



This one was crossing the dam on our lake. Amazing what a .270 with the right bullet can do at 110 yards.

We have way too many here in Southernmost IL. Our fur never gets good so no one really wants to spend the time trapping. Its basically shoot on site and yea, we use electronic callers.

They destroy deer populations and yes, they will kill adult deer, eat your small dogs and cats and can be a bit aggressive to humans and will kill larger dogs if in a pack of three or more.

Blew one off one of my setters several years ago. Dog came running back to me whining but did not see me and past me. Yote was about 15 yards behind dog. Yote met with a load of 8's to the head at 5 yards.

Done deal.

[Richard Flanders]

The Michigan bounty on red fox was $5 for a male, $15 for a female. Bounty was ended in 1963. The pheasant population plummeted from there on.

[Tom Flanigan]

The deer coyote / interactions on the property I hunt is a mystery to me. I know the coyotes take fawns and probably adult deer, although I have never seen evidence of this on the property. Very often you can hear a coyote or two howling and yipping just after dark. But somehow the deer don’t seem to mind.

The property has many large fields, some of which have been planted with Timothy and some I plant in sorghum annually. Deer are out feeding in the Timothy and sorghum fields almost every night without fail and without regard to the coyotes.

The deer carcasses I leave in the woods after I bone them out are invariably gone the next day. Fresh snow reveals many coyote tracks. There is a healthy population of them using the property, yet the deer seem to co-exist without much concern. I would think the deer would be somewhat wary of feeding in open fields yet they are always there. I don’t know how to explain it.

[Tom Flanigan]

Another note.....one thing that always bothers deer in the fields is airplanes taking off from our airstrip. I would think that they would be used to the planes but they always run into the woods when someone is taking off. I have a favorite Timothy field that I hunt most evenings that is about 200 yards from the airstrip with a short secton of woods seperating them. When the deer leave, they generally don't come back out that evening.

I tell the guys to get their flying in before my evening hunting but it doesn't do any good. They like to mess with me and once they took a bunch of pumpkins up and dumped them out over my field. They sounded like small bombs when they hit. Other times they buzz my treestand. I no longer say anything. But I get even in other ways.

[Steve Hodges]

Originally Posted by Daryl Corona

Speaking of predation.... This just in from the SD game commission.








GFP Commission Amends Nest Predator Bounty Program Dates for 2021-2022

PIERRE, S.D. - At their January meeting, the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) Commission amended a resolution to the Nest Predator Bounty Program for this year and next. The resolution indicates that the 2021 program will include a payment of $10/predator and a cap of $500,000. The amendment specifically modifies the dates of when the program will start and end in which the GFP Commission unanimously agreed to run the program from March 15 through July 1.

“The primary goal of the program is to enhance nest success for pheasants and ducks at localized levels by removing primary nest predators, like raccoons, striped skunks, opossums, red fox and badgers from the landscape,” said interim department secretary Kevin Robling. “Furthermore, this program is designed to increase youth and family participation in understanding and experiencing the tradition of trapping while enhancing our strong outdoor heritage.”

Last year, 16 percent of participants were 17 years-old or younger. These families and youth participating in the program made lasting memories while making a difference for managing wildlife in South Dakota. To encourage even greater participation in 2021, GFP will provide a weekly giveaway for all youth (17 years-old and younger) that participate in the program. The giveaway will consist of a GFP-sponsored trapping package that includes three live traps, knife, and the National Trappers Association Trapping Handbook.

“Each year, approximately 75 percent of duck and pheasant nests have been lost to predation in South Dakota. Intensive and ongoing predator removal efforts on lands containing quality habitat are important for increasing nest success at a localized level and present an excellent opportunity for an outdoor experience the entire family can enjoy,” stated GFP Commissioner Bob Whitmyre.

GFP will also enhance the ETHICS SD program to reach new audiences across South Dakota. ETHICS SD is a partnership between trapping organizations, GFP and 4H where youth learn trapping skills, fur handling techniques, and elements of wildlife management. The program has doubled in size reaching 110 new students in 11 counties in 2020.

“The key to ensuring our outdoor trapping traditions remain strong for future generations is educating and encouraging youth to participate in wildlife management,” said Robling. “We are excited to hear about the lasting memories these families make as they take to the field.”

The GFP Commission is allowing public comment on the amended program changes for the next 30 days and will vote on it at their March 4-5, 2021, meeting. To hear the discussion on this proposal, audio is available through South Dakota Public Broadcasting and on the GFP website under the meeting archive. Individuals can comment on this proposal by visiting gfp.sd.gov/forms/positions. Comments can also be mailed to 523 E. Capitol Ave., Pierre, SD 57501. To be included in the public record and to be considered by the Commission, comments must include a full name and city of residence and meet the submission deadline of 72 hours before the public hearing (not including the day of the public hearing).

Individuals are encouraged to share their trapping and outdoor memories by using #SDintheField on social media.

GFP has operated the Nest Predator Bounty Program for the past two years (2019 and 2020) with different program details/parameters (i.e. amount paid per predator, duration of program, license requirements, etc.) each year. For more details, visit https://gfp.sd.gov/bounty-program/.



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What Pheasants Forever thinks of this effort:
https://www.pheasantsforever.org/Hab...Predators.aspx

[Dean Romig]

Deer can’t stop living just because there are predators around. They are blessed with being dumb animals and likely don’t react at all unless they see or smell one. Neither are deer afraid of gunshots. To them there is no immediate danger in a gunshot and they can’t associate it with the possibility that there might be a bullet around someplace. Deer and coyotes coexist because there is rarely an immediate danger just because there are coyotes around.





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[Tom Flanigan]

Deer are very in tune with what occurs in their habitat. They can pattern hunters and probably predators. Hunt from a particular stand too many times and they will avoid the area. I’ve experienced it many times years ago before I knew better. It’s why I never overhunt a stand and have multiple stands that I can use. When hunting the fields, I never leave if there are deer still feeding. My goal is not to spook them and make them aware I am in the area. Sometimes I have to sit till well after dark before I leave a field if the deer are still out. If you spook them a few times from a field they most likely will avoid it.

As far as gunshots, some run when they hear them, others don’t. A shot that is very close usually scares them. However, this year, while bow hunting, I was watching a three and a half year old buck with five does in the field with him. He had a wide nine point rack and was feeding his way toward me. I decided to take him if he came within thirty yards.

There is a horse farm on the southern side of the property about a quarter of a mile away. Someone decided to shoot a pistol. At the first shot, all heads went up. At the second shot, the buck bolted for the woods and the does followed him. Gunshots usually do scare deer, depending on the distance, although I was puzzled that they still bolted given the remoteness of the shots.