Coyotes causing more problems in Huron-Kinloss

By Darrell Ziegler

The township’s livestock evaluator, Paul Murray, submitted three more reports of wild animals attacking domestic animals to council at its September 18 meeting in Ripley.

The first was for the amount of $472.50 to Robert Emerson, to cover the loss of a calf.

Sharon Bouwman was compensated $156 for the loss of a lamb and neighbouring landowner Steve Write, was allowed $133, also for a lamb. The two live in the Langside area in the former Kinloss Township.

All three animals were lost as a result of coyote attacks.

Incidents of this nature have been on the increase this summer in the township, according to Murray.

In July, council reimbursed two township farmers $472.50, each for losing a calve and in June, $262 was paid to Lloyd Graham for the loss of three lambs. Janet Write also received $102 for a lamb. Once again, coyotes were to blame for the losses.

Murray has been the township’s adjudicator since 1992 and has never investigated a lost calf until the three that were killed this year.

Lost sheep and lambs are also up in 2006. Murray says that he has filled out about ten reports this year, while other years there have been none.

The incidents are not isolated to one particular area. “They are pretty much spread out around the township.”

Murray says that the attacks are likely not done by a pack of wolves or coyotes, as some may believe. “One coyote could easily take down a sheep or a calve.”

He says coyotes can be “pretty sneaky” and not always easy to be rid of. “Not as many landowners have guns as they use to. A lot of the younger people taking over the farming operations either don’t hunt, or don’t have guns at all. All the new rules and regulations in regards to guns may also be a deterrent to younger farmers. Many of the older ones just can’t be bothered going out hunting anymore.”

Murray believes there is no need for alarm with regards to the public being bothered by the animals. “I wouldn’t think there is a risk to people. It’s like a bear or any other animal, just leave them alone and they will carry on their way.”

Although attacks are up in the township, many other townships have it worse. “Brockton has had about 40 attacks this year compared to our ten,” he says. Farther North, they will go into a dairy barn and take down the hind-quarter of a cow while it’s tied up. They can get pretty nervy.”

Sharon Bouwman agrees. “The first one I lost in the spring was only a few feet behind the barn,” she says.

Along with the recently lost lamb, Bouwman lost an 80-pound sheep in August and believes that about 12 lambs were simply carried off by coyotes this summer, as they were never found.

“They just disappeared,” Bouwman says. “They were small enough that they could easily be carted off. They ate the others there in the field. All that was left of the larger one was the head, spine and wool.”

“It’s very disheartening to go out into the field and find a carcass with buzzards feeding from it.”

No compensation was paid for the 12, not only because they were never found, but they were also too small for compensation. Payments are calculated by what the animal’s meat is worth on the market. “These lambs were too small to be worth anything, as there was very little meat on them at that young age,” she says.

Murray says it’s not uncommon for an animal as small as a lamb to simply be carried off and eaten elsewhere.

Bouwman has recently purchased a lama to help scare off the coyotes, but says she will likely have to do more to keep the predators at bay. “Having a lama is good, but if it’s on one side of a hill and the lambs are on the other, the lama won’t do much good. We’ll buy more fencing, divide the fields up into smaller fields and keep the lama in with them.”

Bouwman takes other precautions, such as leaving the lights and radio on in the barn and keeps the yard lights on, but she still worries about what will happen this winter. “Ewes start to lamb in October and finish around March. If they get into the barn, we’re going to be in serious trouble.”

“Sheep and lambs are easy pickings. I’ve heard that they will go after dogs and cats too, once they lose their fear of man.”

Although the Bouwmans don’t hunt or own guns, they have nothing against the sport. “Hunters are very welcome to come out and hunt them.”

Bouwman has discussed the problem with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). “They told me that coyotes are very territorial. If you have some in your area that do not go after domestic animals, it’s best to leave them alone. Having the good ones around will keep the bad ones away, as they will not allow them into their territory.”

Jody Scheifley, an MNR fish and wildlife technician in Owen Sound, says that going after domestic animals is a learned behavior. Once they find an easy food source, they’ll keep coming back. They then pass their habits on to their young. They are not easy to get rid of once they know where food is.

In Bruce County, there is no bounty for coyotes, however an old bylaw states that hunters can be hired by the township to help with the problem, but proof needs to be provided that there is indeed a problem with coyotes.

The Township of Huron-Kinloss is looking into that possibility further.

Wally Motz knows the township and the wildlife in it well. He has hunted it for years.

Motz is a director for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and says coyotes are not uncommon in the area. He says coyotes can cause serious headaches to farmers and the owners of other domestic animals alike.

“Farm animals are not the only things at risk, dogs and cats are as well. It would be nothing for one of them to go after a cat that’s out running around.”

“They are a powerful little animal, about the size of a collie, with quite the set of teeth on them.”

He also says that coyotes aren’t limited to rural settings. “I saw one a couple of months ago right down the street from here (his home in Point Clark). It ran right in front of me a few-hundred-yards up and took off towards the lake.”

“Coyotes won’t forget where a food supply is and would not be afraid to wander around an area like this once it gets use to it.”

Motz believes that hiring hunters is not the answer. “There’s no sense hiring hunters. I could go out for a month and not see one. What they need (the township) is a bounty. There is a 12-month season on them in this area. If a hunter happens to see one, he can shoot it.”

“The winter time is the best. Hunters drive around a concession looking for tracks. When they see some going in but not coming out, they send the collared dogs in and hunt them.” Collared dogs wear a special electronic collar that makes it easier to locate the dog.

“The trouble is, a lot of farmers don’t want you hunting on their land.”

Trapping them is also not an easy task. “You can try trapping them, but they will out-smart you or I,” he says.

Another problem faced by those who lose domestic animals to coyotes is the restrictions on hunting.

“I can go out six days a week if I want, but those who work can only hunt on Saturday. Maybe if they were allowed to go out on Sunday, it may help in this situation, seeing as you can hunt them all year.”

Motz believes the township should think long and hard about allowing Sunday hunting, not only as a way to help with the nuisance coyote problem, but also as a way to keep the over-population of deer in check.

Not only do farmers suffer heavy crop loss from too many deer in the area, but also deer verses car collisions cost Ontario insurance companies millions of dollars annually.

Huron-Kinloss council voted down the idea of Sunday hunting several times, the latest vote was in April.

At that time, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH), sent a letter to council asking them to reconsider an earlier council vote, which rejected the idea.

The Ontario Agriculture Advisory Committee recommended that townships allow Sunday hunting. They said that each year $40-45-million in crop damage is caused by wildlife in Ontario, most notably from deer and Canada Geese. The committee believes crop damage could be reduced if Sunday hunting was allowed.

The MNR and the OFAH say that opening up Sunday hunting during regular hunting seasons would only mean 12 extra days of hunting, but those days would be beneficial in regard to population control, crop damage and vehicle accidents.

South Bruce OPP community services officer Chris Cossitt said earlier that Bruce County has “quite a substantial amount of car-deer collisions each year,” and that Huron County’s numbers are high as well.

“People have to take caution in this area when it comes to deer on the roadways,” he said. “Last year there were 193 deer-car collisions reported to the OPP in Bruce County.”

Huron County OPP report that as of Oct 4, 2006, there have been 162 deer verses car collisions in 2006.

The Ministry of Transportation says that in Ontario, one in every 18 accidents involves a wild animal. That averages out to one vehicle-wild animal collision every 38 minutes.

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