It’s not all armchair quarterbacking here on the Wilderness Sportsman. After being published in the Daily Herald last Friday and invited to talk at the Wheaton City Council meeting tonight concerning the coyote problem, I have been thinking about a possible solution. After a week of thought, I feel that bear spray is the best solution.

For those in Wheaton who have no idea what this is, bear spray is a device used in the northern Rockies and Alaska to stop grizzly bear attacks, or grizzly bears that get too close. Bear spray usually comes in a long metal can with anywhere form 8 to 12 ounces of spray. At the top of the can is a trigger which activates the stream of spray. The spray effect is a 17-30 foot wall of spray which causes the eyes of an animal to sting, causes coughing and massive irritation. Studies indicate that bear spray is far more effective than firearms in deterring bear attacks. You can view a brand of bear spray at this link.

I feel that this approach accomplishes a few things:

1. It specifically targets and conditions the few “bad” coyotes. They coyotes that get too close will associate pets and humans with a very unpleasant sensation.
In effect, you are “teaching” the bad coyotes to be good coyotes. By keeping these “taught” coyotes in the gene pool, you increase your chances of good coyotes in Wheaton over the long haul.

When Trapper Bob goes out there and blindly traps any coyote, he is more than likely killing good coyotes. Why would Wheaton want to take good coyotes out of the gene pool? This is perhaps the most unintelligent action you could take. Bear spray, when used by residents in problem areas will precisely target the problem coyotes and condition them. You keep the good coyotes, and you create better ones. Or, you can take Trapper Bob’s coyote lottery and hope that he traps all the bad ones. But what if he traps only the good ones and the bad ones dominate the gene pool in the Wheaton area?

Watch out for that folks.

2. Killing coyotes makes more coyotes. This is a proven fact. Also, killing coyotes makes for more desperate packs. Desperate packs will eat your pets as they look for easier prey in stressful situations. Killing alpha females will cause other females to breed, exploding the Wheaton coyote population. This is backed by hard science, not some trapper’s emotional guesswork. Please see this study which has reached these conclusions:

Dr. Crabtree’s Coyote Study conclusions

One of the more interesting things in the Dr.’s report is the fact that young adults who normally disperse will root down in areas where lethal coyote control took place:

(7) Reductions cause young adults (otherwise prone to dispersing) to stay and secure breeding
positions in the exploited area. This phenomenon is well-documented. There are other
demographic responses that negate the effectiveness of control practices but the aforementioned
covers the most important.

3. Concerned residents of Wheaton can take control of the situation themselves if the bear spray method is used. By giving Wheaton residents control, fears are abated and a sense of personal responsibility takes over. This is a far superior method to just killing as many coyotes as you can. Instead, bear spray embraces the reality that coyotes are here and we can not get rid of all of them – but at the same time, we can learn to live with them and take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of our pets.

4. Big government. The bear spray method reduces the need for government intervention and saves taxpayer dollars in a time of budget deficits and economic hardship.

5. Lessons learned form the past. Previously in Illinois, we wiped out our elk, our mountain lions, our wolves(the coyotes natural predator, by the way). By taking personal responsibility, we teach our children that killing something because it may slightly scare us is not the way to go. Illinois history has proven that the quality of life is reduced when we take that path. By doing the right thing, we become more enlightened in DuPage County, with a trickle-down effect to our children.

I spoke with Counter Assault, one of several bear spray makers and they absolutely vouched for the sprays use against coyotes in suburban areas. This is a device meant to stop 700 pound grizzly bears, folks. It will work on coyotes. When a coyote gets too close to you or you pet(moving forward to you within 20 feet in an aggressive manner), grab the spray from the holster and aim it at the coyote. Make sure people or pets are not in the line of spray. If you do get some on a pet, wash it in lukewarm water immediately, especially the eye area. Do not use any kind of soap other than perhaps Dawn dish soap(this helps remove the grease of the spray). Symptoms from being effected would last about 45 minutes.

After careful analysis, this could not be anymore clear cut. If only everything in life were so simple.

The Wheaton coyote problem is over if bear spray is implemented. But hey, if you are still interested in Trapper Bob’s Coyote Lottery, spin the wheel………

-Michael Hodges

webmaster@wilderness-sportsman.com