Predator

They need us whether they realize it or not. Who are “they?” They are everyone from the general population to wildlife managers. Predator hunters have an important role in wildlife management, and it is something about which we can and should be proud. Suburban soccer moms don’t like it a bit when Wile E. Coyote kills their pet dogs and cats, nor do farmers and ranchers like it when feral pigs tear up the countryside and destroy fencing as they maraud across the land. Most folks in society are removed enough from the wilds that they neither understand nor appreciate where hunting in general and predator hunting in particular fit into the bigger picture.As predator hunters, we are not merely voyeurs who go out and ogle wildlife and nature. We are an active and integral part of it. Hunting is a necessary part of wildlife management. In fact, it is crucial in the sustainable use conservation of countless species around the world. The funds generated by hunters and hunting in many parts of the world are the only difference between having thriving wildlife populations or no wildlife at all. This is because when wildlife has no perceived value in and of itself, it suffers from things as disparate as human development and other land uses such as intense farming.That’s a noble outcome of hunting when it comes to species that are in danger. For example, hunting and the funds it has provided has even been responsible for the return of viable populations of species here in the United States — wild turkeys and pronghorns to name just two. These conservation successes have happened because of regulated hunting that has provided the funds necessary for game agencies to conduct the programs necessary to assure a bright future for wildlife.Part of that kind of effort involves the setting of both hunting seasons and quotas/bag limits to assure that the numbers of animals either increases or, at worst, maintains acceptable levels. That’s what’s known as sustainable use wildlife conservation. But there are some species that are considered invasive, such as feral pigs, or those that adapt well enough that there is no need for seasons or quotas in many places, such as coyotes.It is humorous when folks talk about the “balance of nature.” Nature actually is a study of imbalance. And since various species exist in the same places at the same time, wildlife managers must do what they can to assure that one doesn’t cause declines in others. For them, it is a balancing act. Historically, the answer to that challenge by wildlife managers and property owners was the use of poison to cut down the overpopulation of some species. Poison is a very effective tool, but it also is indiscriminate and can kill unintended species. Hence, it is not used as widely as it once was.More and more wildlife agencies are battling budget challenges, due to everything from overall inflation to the whims of political decisions that are made to get votes rather than to help wildlife. So, what are they to do? Where applicable, they can and do establish that there are no seasons or bag limits for specific species. Think wild pigs, coyotes and even Eurasian doves.Here is where predator hunters come into the picture because we are out there, thinning the overpopulated numbers as a result of what we do. We are not the only answer, but we are a necessary part of the overall answer and for that we should be commended. When we hunt those kinds of predators, we are performing a public service.Historically, some states used to hire professional shooters to cull problem animals. They did this because they wanted to control specific groups of animals and it was very expensive — money that many of these agencies no longer have. And in some instances, government agencies find themselves having to waste precious wildlife management money on frivolous lawsuits filed by anti-hunters. Or they find themselves being responsible for overall management that has been confounded as a result of ballot box interference where political decisions by the uninformed public further the whims of the antis while simultaneously making it difficult, if not impossible, for there to be meaningful wildlife management.We’re talking about critters such as wolves and grizzly bears here, among other species. Wildlife management needs to be done scientifically and not politically. However, when the science doesn’t fit their perverted view of nature, the antis waste no time going to court or to the ballot box to force their will on everyone else.So, to the extent that predator hunters help keep the populations of species such as wild pigs and coyotes in check, we are truly the good guys because we help solve a social problem while pursuing our passions. In fact, I insist that being a hunter in general and predator hunter in particular goes DNA deep. Heck, if the playing field was level, we would be eligible for protections just like some other demographic groups in society. But don’t hold your breath thinking that the political structure is about to do that.However, every overpopulated predator that we take is one that wildlife managers will not have to worry about. We pay for licenses and provide money via the Pittman-Robertson program when we buy guns, ammo and that sort of thing that helps fund wildlife agencies. And then on top of that, we spend the time and money it takes to hunt and bag predators — especially those that otherwise would overpopulate and have adverse effects on other plant and animal species. From a state funding perspective, there can be no better solution since we pay to do exactly what they would have to pay to have done if we weren’t doing it. It’s a win/win situation. But more than that, by being a part of nature rather than outsiders looking in, we represent a necessary link in the chain that ties everything around us together. “They” need us whether they realize it or not.

Did you know that a wolf will catch and eat fish when given the opportunity? This trail cam video proves it!

Blood poured down my face after the recoil of the .277 Fury chambered Sig Sauer AR I was shooting caused the thermal scope to slam into my face, leaving a gaping cut on the bridge of my nose. Sitting in the dark, I knew instantly what had happened and immediately assessed that I could breath, so my nose wasn’t broken. And I could see, so my orbital bone was intact. My target was a large, wild hog 70 yards away in the pitch black of night. My host, Wade Chandler, had offered me the use of his gun and, unfortunately, I was not prepared for the recoil. In my defense, I managed to follow through on the target and as the pig ran I got off two more shots. Two more cuts were added to my face — for a total of three bloody semicircles.We lost the hog in the dense brush and the only thing I have to show for the encounter is three cuts between my eyes. I know the scars will eventually fade, but Wade will never let me forget my amateur mistake.

By adding coyote vocalizations to their repertoire, savvy predator hunters can deliver a fatal one-two punch

Application periods are open in both states for the summer seasons popular with big- game hunters seeking a unique experience.

Ten wolves were released in Colorado’s Summit and Grand counties in December in an effort to establish a population there.

Today’s in-line muzzleloaders are more accurate and reliable than ever before. Using one in pursuit of a black bear adds another layer to the challenge and, in some cases, extra spice to the season.

The ability to consistently choose productive stand locations is a crucial element of predator hunting that separates good callers from the bad.

Quality bolt-action rifles are a predator hunter’s best friend when dependability and accuracy are first and foremost. Two models from Ruger and Christensen Arms are standouts in a crowded field of these tack drivers.

My companion was amazed when he peeked over the piled-up sagebrush and saw a coyote ravaging some kind of critter 200 yards below us. Wondering, no doubt, how I had seen the barely visible canine from the highway a half-mile away as we drove past the lower end of a draw. His deliberations ended abruptly as the sharp crack of my Bushmaster AR .223 flattened the coyote where it stood. He was even more amazed when we got to the downed canine, and I pointed out the two expired snow-covered coyotes, snared in the oak brush 20 yards above a scavenged horse carcass bait Later, as I watched my journalist companion scribbling notes in his ever-present notebook, I cogitated on the fact that I might be involved in the epitome of my trapping, predator hunting and fur buying career! Working on a unique lifestyle career article for none other than Penthouse magazine! Yikes!A week earlier I’d gotten a call from Jim Foster, who explained that he was a transplanted freelance journalist from Washington D.C who had moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to avoid the political and corrupt B.S. in our nation’s capitol. Over time he had heard a lot about the outdoors, trapping and the booming fur prices from several outdoor oriented friends.After some judicious research, he’d sent 50 queries to editors, pitching an article on the boom in fur use, prices, trapping and such and had gotten two assignments for his efforts. One was from an Albuquerque newspaper for their Sunday supplement and other from none other than Penthouse magazine for a unique job column they were doing! Yeah, right, I thought, until I verified the assignment and even got a photo assignment from them to back up his writing, rather than them sending a New Yorker out to handle it. Jim wanted to key in on Colorado and apparently during conversations with several predator hunters, trappers and game wardens, my name had come up. Hence, the call and request.When he showed up at my home a week or so later for three days of actual in-the-field experience that I insisted on before agreeing to the venture, he admitted he had never hunted, trapped or been an avid outdoorsman. The only time he had ever shot a gun was once on a law enforcement pistol range. Talk about a challenge.During the first day, while we were driving and checking traps and snares that produced two coyotes and a bobcat, I explained the smart way of using baits, snaring, trapping and the rudiments of handling furs and fur buying. I figured to give him firsthand experience at calling coyotes the following morning.That afternoon, I pulled off the highway a couple miles from my house and led him to a fresh roadkilled elk I had found two days earlier. I had managed to drag it out of sight and into the brush 100 yards from the road. The coyotes had found it and were really working it over as I expected. I instructed Jim on how to choose a snare location and coached him as he excitedly set four snares on the well-used trails.The following morning, he told me he had hardly slept all night, dreaming of catching a coyote, and was ready to go check his snares. He almost was in tears when I told him we weren’t going to check them until the next day, and he kept bugging me all day to relent.We set up and called in several good locations in my trapping area and finally conned a large male coyote to within a few yards of my Feather Flex fawn decoy, where I dumped him in the knee-deep snow, much to Jim’s amazement. Later, we spent some time with several local rancher/coyote shooters and a retired government trapper at the local café, where Jim was enamored by some of their experiences and tales of predator encounters. That afternoon we graded, repaired and worked on finishing some furs I had previously bought, and I let him spend several hours going through my transparency files, which contained some 200,000 images.The following morning, his last day, Jim was raring to check his snare sets and stated he, again, hadn’t slept all night. After almost running to the elk carcass he found two prime pelted coyotes hung in his snares and was as ecstatic as I have ever seen an individual. I told him he needed to analyze and elucidate on those feelings and the eager anticipation and enthusiasm in the article he was assigned — pointing out that hunting is a natural phenomenon for humans and the excitement and anticipation he experienced as a non-hunter/trapper is completely normal. When we lose something, we HUNT for it, I told him, and one of the first games we learn as a youngster is “hide and seek,” a form of hunting.We ended his research by skinning and stretching one of the coyotes and skinning and preparing the second for him to take to a taxidermist for a remembrance of his first trapping venture. Unfortunately, a change in personnel at Penthouse dropped the column idea on unusual, old-time, modern-day professions, but I did get a nice check for the photography, made a good friend and converted a non-outdoorsman to an avid believer. And that ain’t all bad.

Sometimes the game plan requires improvisation — such as when coyotes show up unexpectedly.

Getting busted by coyotes isn’t the end of the world — it sometimes just feels that way.

Beware! Humans are not always positioned at the top of the food chain.

X-Vision Optics has expanded its lineup of advanced thermal scopes, sights and monoculars with the introduction of the Beyond Series Thermal Binoculars.

Officials have approved Kaput Feral Hog Bait, which contains a warfarin-based toxin, in the battle against the invasive species found throughout the Lone Star State.

New from Remington, .22-caliber Golden Hunter Ammunition provides improved performance on small game and varmints.

State officials say they’re going to sue the USFWS about wolverines being listed as a threatened species in Big Sky Country.