Cattle Rancher has a Big Problem _ Hunting Predators with Thermal(360P)

Why do we hunt coyotes?

Coyotes are currently the most abundant livestock predator in western North America, causing the majority of sheep, goat, and cattle losses. For example, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, coyotes were responsible for 60.5 percent of the 224,000 sheep deaths attributed to predation in 2004. The total number of sheep deaths in 2004 comprised 2.22 percent of the total sheep and lamb populations in the United States, which, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service report, totaled 4.66 million and 7.80 million head, respectively, as of July 1, 2005. Because coyote populations are typically many times larger and more widely distributed than wolf populations, coyotes cause greater overall predation losses. Approximately 90,000 coyotes are routinely shot, poisoned, trapped, and killed by U.S. government agents each year to protect livestock.

Coyotes typically bite the throat just behind the jaw and below the ear when attacking adult sheep or goats, and death usually results from asphyxiation. Blood loss is often a secondary cause of death. Calves and heavily shorn sheep are killed by biting the flanks or hindquarters, causing shock and blood loss. When attacking smaller prey, such as young lambs, killing is done by biting the skull and spinal regions, causing massive tissue and bone damage. Small or young prey may be completely taken out, leaving only blood as evidence of a kill.

In the absence of coyote harassment practiced by rural people, urban coyotes are losing their fear of humans, which is further exacerbated when people intentionally or unintentionally feed coyotes. In such situations, some coyotes have begun to act aggressively toward humans, chasing joggers and cyclists, confronting people walking their dogs, and chasing small children. Non-rabid coyotes in these areas sometimes target small children, particularly those under the age of 10, although some adults have been bitten.