Story from Convergent
Anyone who acts as a steward of the land (be it public or private) bears the responsibility of managing the land and the animals which live there, with an end goal of striking a healthy balance between predator & prey species. This sort of balance is beneficial to both the predators and the prey, and hunters who may partake of nature’s bounty – and even rural & suburban homeowners.
Professional predator and hog hunter Byron South says hunting predator species such as coyotes have long-term benefits for them as well as the prey – with no risk of forever wiping them out.
“Any good conservation plan includes managing predator numbers,” says Byron. “When not managed, predators and prey species often go through a boom/bust cycle which is not healthy for either. Mother Nature can be brutal.
“For instance, when prey is abundant, the predators abound and reproduce more offspring. If left unchecked, this offspring can create an issue when they too begin reproducing. When this predator boom happens, it will often create a bust cycle for the prey species due to over-predation.
“When the prey species become depleted by an out-of-balance predator population, a bust cycle begins for the predator population. During this bust cycle, you will also see a rise in conflicts between predators and farm animals & family pets in rural neighborhoods and even in suburban home developments.”
Byron points out that the health of surviving predators will suffer as a result of an unbalanced wildlife population.
“The bust cycle creates stress on both predators and prey,” says Byron. “One manifestation of bust-cycle stress on coyotes is the occurrence of sarcoptic mange. All coyotes have mange mites, and a healthy coyote’s immune system keeps the mites in check. However, when stressed, their immune system can’t defend against mange mites (nor other parasites that afflict canines), and the population suffers.
“As good stewards of our land, we must strive to help Mother Nature stem this brutal cycle and do our best to create a sustainable balance.“
Hunters who may worry that hunting coyotes aggressively will cause irreparable damage to their population need not worry; nobody has succeeded at that yet.
“Rest assured that even with your best efforts, you will not have a detrimental or long-lasting effect on coyote populations,” asserts Byron. “Farmers and ranchers have tried to do so for years and have learned they will never eradicate the coyote but can only do their best to maintain a healthy balance by reducing their numbers at every opportunity.”
Allowing predators to flourish does a disservice to them, prey species, and to your fellow humans.
When you’re ready to do your part to manage predators, please consider Convergent Hunting Solutions products to give you the best chance at success.
