How Are Varmints & Coyotes Harmful? Benefit of Shooting?

[Phil3]

After reading the title, I want to be very clear that I am not some animal rights activist and have nothing against hunting, or killing varmints, even if I am not a hunter. What I do want to know (because I am asked by some), is why kill these prairie dogs, squirrel, and coyotes, especially if the corpses are just left (which I understand to be the case). I surely don't want to say people shoot and kill thousands of varmints for "fun", with no other purpose. That sounds just cruel and sick. I do hear that ranchers and farmers hire shooters to come out, but want to understand the benefit by killing these animals. Must be something as I also hear that if shooters don't come out, even the state may poison some animals. Yet at the same time, a recent post here says 'dogs are seemingly quite scarce nowadays. A little education would help me out explaining any harm these animals cause to some others what the varmint hunting achieves.

Phil

 

[357Mag]

Phil -

Howdy !

As regards " soybeanus digestus ", that monicker says it all.

Where lived on a farm in NE Indiana, groundhogs were causing more soybean loss; than occured due to weeds
With a good hervbicide regimine in-place, pretty much only groundhogs, droght, or flooding would cause any significant loss of crop. Since Indiana is not prone to drought, and heavy flooding is ( thank God ) sporadic.... groundhogs are a serioius problem... for those farmers that are infested w/ them.

Groundhog propensity to put safety dens actually out-in the field, has been know to cause broken legs in live stock; and
has also been proven to result in the occasional tractor axle break. I've tripped into a few, my own self !

Groudhogs absolutely love eating 'beans in their 2-leaf stage ( from just sprouted to seversal inches high ).
I've seen a plenty simply lie on a bean row, eat massive amounts of bean leaves @ one end; and put out a steady stream of green poop out the other. Dens for groundhogs that are on the edge of soybean fields end-up being quite easy to find, as they sit at the small end of a " fan shaped " area of crop destruction; that radiates out from the den.

Whether by nature or by fluke of "evolution", groundhog pups ( historically in NE Indiana ) have their arrival timed to where their first outing w/ momma is right when 'beans are in the two leaf stage. Co-incidence ? Hmmm......

And while groundhog sheer numbers appear on the decline, they ain't listed as " endangered " ... no by NO means.
In Indiana, there's no season, no license, no calibre restrictions; et all on grounhog shooting. That tells you something.

These critters DO have a place in God's creation, they surely do. But... they ARE going to take some hits !


With regards,
357Mag

 

[GSPV]

My mom was really against me killing coyotes on her place...till one of them almost killed one of her pet beagles. Then, she was saying "Kill 'em all!".

It's amazing how having some personal knowledge of a varmint impacts peoples' opinions.

 

[coford]

I lived on a cattle ranch while I was growing up. I actually saw coyotes eating baby calves on several occasions. The coyotes would chase the calf through the fence and then commence to kill and eat it. We shot coyotes with a vengeance! We also had a horse break its leg by stepping into a prairie dog hole - the horse had to be put down. The biggest problem with prairie dogs is the huge amount of grass they eat. Ranchers and farmers own grassland to feed their cattle and the prairie dogs destroy their land and eat the grass that would otherwise go to feeding their cattle. Farmers and ranchers where I live appreciate help with the eradication of coyotes and prairie dogs. Several of the farmers and ranchers that I shoot varmints on also let me deer hunt because of it. That is why I shoot varmints.

 

[bheadboy]

Phil,

i do not kill anything i do not eat except GH and PD, reason.

example, a rancher friend in Wy has cattle on pasture, horses etc also. 2 years ago he and i were walking up a fence line and found a horse with a broken leg, dead being eaten by crows etc.

on the same rance where i pd shoot, i have found dead cows on at least 5 occasions, due to broken legs,

a pd hole will have a mound about 3-4 inches high over a 5 sq ft area, the hole in the middle can be as much as 6 inch dia, enough for a cow horse, person to step into in the dark/ snow/ rain.
one pare of pd will have 6-8 young and each of them may reproduce within a year, they all eat, and with the 3-6 inch of rain in the cattle area grass is at a premium --pd can devistate a pasture.

each pd mound "home" will have 2-4 exit holes connected by tunnels if you will email me i will send you a picture of a pd town and you may have a better understanding of the problem

Bob

 

[Phil3]

I am sending you a PM. - Phil

 

[jhord]

A groundhog and her pups can eat, let's say, 1/4 of an acre of soybeans. Soybeans are $15/bu, and let's say marginal ground along a fencerow will yield 40bu/acre of soybeans. So that's $150 per groundhog den, basically. Not to mention damage they can do digging around barn foundations, etc.

 

[Raythemanroe]

Wood chucks in the NE aren't that plentiful and still cause havoc to farm equipment! Just think about it, if you had a long driveway with fifteen holes drilled in it!!! Knowing the financial side is enough for some folks to want to eradicate them! If I just spent ten grand on seed and fertilizer + fuel and payroll to fit a clover field that should go 4 yrs before I need to put corn or soybean and the chucks get it drilled in 2, I'm a little angry! Coyotes if there not killing calves and live stock or pets they are killing off all the good game animals that people pour money into local communities to hunt and feed there families...

 

[pacificman]

Must agree with about what all have said. There is usually a reason a varmint is called a varmint...LOL. The prairie dogs will destroy useful land and their holes will cause death to livestock. Coyotes also eat duck and goose eggs and will kill the young of most anything born. They used to poison years ago with little success and now the epa (hear in N. Calif.) has stepped in with regs. against poisoning. They must be controlled for the benefit of us all. Most varmints are not worth eating as there has been cases of plague, worms, etc. I will add that personally I would like to do away with most predators (wolves, hawks, coyote, snakes, etc.) as they kill a lot of game that is beneficial to man.

 

[STS]

Your friends wouldn't have to ask that question if the saw a coyote chewing the nose off a calf that has its head out of the cow during the birthing process. Especially if they owned the cow and calf.

 

[Raythemanroe]

Oh, It is fun!

 

[bheadboy]

yotes get the turkey eggs or young ones in Ga, along with the fawns, quail eggs, chickens, cats, young dogs, and the worst is a cross breed dog yote, they are not afraid of humans and mean as XXXXDFDDZVCSAVSZV

do not let one get near you or you will be sorry, i had a friend coming down from a deer stand greeted by a pack of cross breeds, they growled at him, he climbed back up, retreeved his rifle, the scattered, he came down and they came back, he managed to get to his truck, with them following him.

next time he carried a 1911 and two clips to the tree stand.
Bob

 

[CT10ring]

When I shoot PD's on ranches MT, WY, the owners always say kill them all.
Sometimes with a smile, but they mean it. They ruin the fields their cattle
(Livelihood) need. And they really can't be shot out, it seems.

 

[Raythemanroe]

I personally have had coyotes follow me out and through a field in Archery season! I have heard stories from people I trust that coyotes were on there downed deer before they were! Coyotes In NY get pretty large and when your hunting until dusk that is when you can hear the woods open up with there yips and chatters. Can make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, especially when you can't carry a side arm in Archery and they follow you out.. They need a good fear of man!!!!!

 

[CatShooter]

"I surely don't want to say people shoot and kill thousands of varmints for "fun", with no other purpose. That sounds just cruel and sick."

Phil

Well, I don't do it for fun. I hate shooting woodchucks, and PD's and the occasional yote.

And I hate having to spend my hard earned money on heavy custom varmint rifles, and all the loading stuff, and the hours wasted in testing ammo at the range.

But for the good of the ecology, and to benefit the farmers that grow our food...

... varmint shooting is purely hell, but somebody has to do it.

 

[CaptainMal]

Another issue is, it's great for the economy. People spend huge amounts of money traveling, eating, buying lodging, equipment and shooting supplies to hunt varmints. They are "varmints" that are negative to much of the environment but with hunting, they become a positive attraction.

Varmint hunters can make something good out of something not so good.

It's also great practice and hones the skills of many to make clean kills on game they might hunt and later eat.

Make no apologies for varmint hunting. It has lots of positives.

 

[rayster]

Ground hogs/wood chucks dig under my drive and retaining walls causing costly damage and adding to erosion. Squirrels/tree rats, will chew all the insulation off wires and you know what that can cause. I have coyotes, across the river, and when summer is in full swing they will come across the river to prey on the wild life that I spend money and time to cultivate (deer and turkey). Not to mention trying to fight and kill my dogs. Skunks will destroy my bee hives if given the opportunity. The list is quite long...

The majority of city dwellers and politicians just can't grasp the damage that these animals actually do.

I just realized, this is my first post, ha

 

[Phil3]

I will add that personally I would like to do away with most predators (wolves, hawks, coyote, snakes, etc.) as they kill a lot of game that is beneficial to man.

What is a hawk or snake eating that is beneficial to man? I have kept snakes for decades, and most (but not all) eat rodents. Same for hawks (who also eat snakes). Just curious. - Phil

 

[Phil3]

The majority of city dwellers and politicians just can't grasp the damage that these animals actually do.

Thanks, it is why I was asking. A friend who lives in the country is always firing shots at coyotes who constantly harass his sheep and some other kind of livestock. None lost yet, but they keep trying. Their four dogs seem to give the coyotes some pause.

Phil

 

[Rem6br]

I really can't see much difference between killing rats and Ground hogs and prairie dogs
There all a varmints,if it made one feel better i guess you could eat the ground hogs