Commission proposes longer night hunting season for coyote
http://www.seacoastonline.com/ (2005-04-22) |
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CONCORD, N.H. - The Fish and Game Commission has proposed expanding night hunting of coyote through the summer, but the plan has its critics.
Trappers have called the plan "inhumane." Summer is the time mother coyotes are raising their young.
The state now restricts nighttime hunting of coyote to the first three months of the year. But daytime hunting and trapping remain unrestricted, with no limit on the number of coyote killed.
State wildlife biologists have asked the commissioner to reconsider, saying expanded night hunting could be dangerous and would not reduce the coyote population. They also say it puts hunting in a bad light. Commissioners have heard from North Country residents concerned about the number of coyote and their impact on the deer population. Fish and Game Commissioner Don Clarke, of Claremont, says he has no illusions that expanded night hunting will reduce the coyote population. "I just happen to believe that they are a very challenging game animal and that, by whatever means, people could get a lot of enjoyment out of hunting these devils," he told the Concord Monitor.
Eastern coyote, which are larger than their Western cousins, are often blamed when house cats disappear. According to the Department of Fish and Game, they are highly intelligent and adaptive. If their numbers shrink, they often have larger litters of pups, sometimes twice a year. New Hampshire has no reports of coyotes attacking people. Eastern coyote typically weigh between 30 and 50 pounds, and sport large bushy tails. They eat anything from mice and squirrels to garbage, livestock and deer.
Coyotes typically select lifelong mates and both parents care for the young. Maine allows year-round hunting of coyote, as well as trapping and night hunting. Vermont also allows coyote hunting any time. Massachusetts restricts trapping of coyote to one month of the year but allows them to be hunted during the winter months outside of deer season. Lee Perry, executive director of the New Hampshire Fish and Game department, said his agency has taken no official position on the proposal. "We’ll wait and see what the public has to say and think about it and make recommendations to the commission," he said. Two public hearings are scheduled in April in Concord and Lancaster. The commission is expected to make a decision in May.
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