Bounty could help with coyote problem

Coyote ugly or ugly coyote? It depends on how you look at them. 

Coyote populations seem to be on the rise, and that means that more contact with humans and their animals. There is one farmer who has not had a full night’s sleep since his calving started, not because of birthing problems but because of the constant attempts from the coyotes to make a meal of his newborns. 

The cows make a commotion and he and his son run out with guns at the ready, a dangerous situation for all involved. The son went off to an area where he heard a noise, turning on his cell phone light he found five pairs of eyes staring back at him; he did the wise thing and got out of there. 

It’s not just calves that are being killed but a large number of lambs, ewes and even rams. 

The CEO is a certified livestock evaluator – sounds grandiose but really means that he goes and takes pictures of the kills, or what is left of them, documents the time, etc. and presents them to the township that then passes it on to the kill department of the government. Based on current markets, the farmer is compensated for his loss. 

Collingwood has been hit with coyote attacks on the pet population as well as local farmers have had a large number of barn cats lost to coyotes as well. Barn cats serve a purpose on the farm in varmint control; they deserve to be recognized as a loss as well. 

So what do we do? There is a bounty on coyotes in some municipalities, although not here in Clearview. In order to cash in on the bounty you just have to bring a pair of ears in to prove the kill. Some might think this cruel and unusual, but what if it were your livelihood? How would you feel? 

I mean businesses have alarm systems, so why wouldn’t it be any different for a farmer trying to protect his investment? 

As for the farmer who runs out to chase away the coyotes nightly… the coyotes finally got a meal. This is a growing problem that certainly needs to be addressed. Will the powers that be only put on a bounty when a small child is attacked? I would hope that something is in place before it comes to that.