Wildlife Service's Service

[shoots-straight]

I was just taken a gander at the Wildlife Service's animal damage page and found in it that Montana spends 3.2 + million dollars controlling predators and such. Our livestock producers loose and estimated 1.5 million dollars worth of livestock a year. Wouldn't it be cheaper to just give the livestock industry the 1.5 million and be money ahead.

Now I know they would loose more predators without the Service's Service, but it would take 2 1/2 times as many loses to break even.

I like hunting coyotes, and would seam that ranchers would be the ones asking for hunters if this was the case. Cool concept.

 

[shoots-straight]

Here's what coyotes were controled in Montana in 2006 and by what method. I didn't know that they could use 1080 which I think is the gas cartridge.

Intentional Target dog 438
Intentional Target traps, leghold (steel jaw) 164
Intentional Target snares, neck 703
Intentional Target m-44 cyanide capsule 478
UnIntentional NonTarget traps, leghold (steel jaw)
Intentional Target firearms 6,667
Intentional Target gas cartridge, large 165

Total : 8615 coyotes

 

[Oak]

Predator control is a huge waste of money. One of the reasons I stopped supporting the Mule Deer Foundation was the amount of money they spend on coyote control.

Compound 1080 was banned in 1972 but was re-approved for use in livestock protection collars in 1985. There have been a few attempts recently to get it banned again, due to the chance of terrorists using it against humans. I believe the gas cartridges referred to above are the ones with sodium nitrate and charcoal, which are used in dens. Light them, throw them in the den and seal it.

 

[1_pointer]

IIRC doesn't animal services handle other pest problems like grasshoppers, crickets, etc?

 

[MarvB]

Yeah but it's damn hard to call in crickets and they jump right out of those leg-hold traps......

 

[1_pointer]

Yeah but it's damn hard to call in crickets and they jump right out of those leg-hold traps......

Bad Marv bad...