The Wilderness-Sportsman is all about hearing both sides of the issue. With that, we took the time to have a conversation with Rob Erickson, the trapper currently handling the controversial Wheaton coyote job.
First, let me start this article off by saying that everyone needs to tone things down a bit. There’s no need for some of the nasty comments I have heard coming from both sides of the isle. I have received bogus emails and things that just don’t make any sense. At this point it’s important to move forward with a sense of caution in regards to the facts. Remember, this is about what to do with the coyotes, not about hating your neighbor.
When Rob and I talked, we both felt it was only fair for his side of the story to be told. He wanted to set the record straight and I wanted to hear his side too.
Lets go point by point:
The “shooting skunks from a moving golf cart” issue was something he said he never did in Illinois, but engaged in while working other state(s). Rob notified me that in Illinois, you have to have your gun secure and put away when in moving vehicles, and that you cannot fire upon the animals from a vehicle(except in cases of disability permits). He also mentioned that in some other states, this practice was in fact legal.
What happens is the skunks favor the grubs that emerge from the golf courses. He said you can technically use the cart to look for the skunks. Also, he mentioned that road hunting was legal for pheasants in Iowa. And that it wasn’t all that uncommon across the U.S.
The next issue was the matter of stunning the coyote with a baseball bat. According to Erickson, the practice of knocking out the coyote with a bat and then going behind the animal to break its neck is known as “cervical dislocation”. According to Erickson, the animal is already knocked out, not “stunned” or “dazed” but fully knocked out. He made a good point as to why would you go behind an alive animal? It would be too risky. Erickson told me this method is approved by every trappers association in the nation.
While some would still not approve(myself included), It’s more humane than breaking the neck of an animal that is still “with it”.
To further round off that point, Erickson said he didn’t/doesn’t practice that regardless, and was simply asked by the interviewer what he would do if he could not use a gun.
One of the last major issues was the foothold trap scenario. In an earlier article from another magazine, it was inferred he had out 100 foot hold traps on any given day for coyotes. He emphatically denied this, saying he respected the animals way more than that. He indicated these might be the traps for all the animals he monitors, but not specifically coyote. Erickson told me that he only had four foothold traps out in Wheaton and was monitoring them incredibly closely. His tone was sincere and I believed him.
He also mentioned just how fast he got to the trap sites despite living 45 minutes away from them at times, and how he would not let a coyote go too long. For example, he does his best to get to a foot hold trap within 30 minutes once he gets sent an email from a remote camera. He indicated by law that you don’t have to get there so fast but that he cares for the animals and doesn’t want them to suffer, seeking to euthanize or move them as fast as possible.
In one example, he was awoke at 3 AM to an email alarm and drove to another suburb to check a foot hold trap. He got there at 3:30 AM, only to have another foot hold trap go off in another location, which he then immediately traveled to and arrived onto the scene at 4 AM. From there, he went home and slept, only to be woken up at 9 AM this time to go check a foot hold trap. By law, you only have to check once every 24 hours. After arriving on the scene at 9:30am,, he went home again only to be woken up at 12:30 to go secure a trap forty miles away. This demonstrates to me a sincere eagerness to not let the animals suffer.
In his observations, Erickson told me that there may be several people “feeding” or placing feed in their backyards which are causing the coyotes to approach humans. He feels this is what causes the habituation and ultimately his response to the situation. In fact he seemed to implore and stick on this point. He wished people could be fined heavily so they would not feed the animals.
Erickson also told me he has stopped numerous people from “taking things into their own hands”.A specific example would be anti-freeze. People think the coyotes will drink it, but they don’t. All the other wildlife does though which causing a large poisoning of animals. He feels that by taking a few of the coyotes in a precise, controlled fashion, he can save most of the coyotes and other animals from suffering.
During our conversation and after, I felt Erickson was sincere and spoke with passion.
One of the key points he mentioned is that the Wheaton coyotes he caught are being euthanized with a .22 firearm to the head which is a swift way to die. I think this is an interesting revelation because none of the papers really went into this.
While the Wilderness-Sportsman may disagree with the killing of coyotes of any form, I think Erickson is sincere in his beliefs, and I’m glad he got to tell his side of the story on this site.
I also think it’s important that everyone really take things down a notch during this controversy.
We are all people in the end trying to do the right thing in our own way.
UPDATE:
Under very extreme circumstances, the DNR may write a permit for shooting animals form a moving vehicle although the DNR Captain I spoke with today said it would be “an extreme situation” and “unlikely”. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t be done though. Something to consider.
Also, Rob wanted me to post this photo in an effort to maybe prevent people from feeding wild animals. Some of you may find it a bit harsh so I made it smaller and in link format. It is a photo of a recent Wheaton coyote which was sick from mange. This is one of the four coyotes Rob has taken in the Wheaton project.
Rob asked to show it so people could see the kinds of animals he was taking. He does indeed target the sick ones. Also, he made the observation that it is very possible this sick coyote made it through the winter only by being fed by humans or was habituated to humans.
I have to say it’s been an interesting learning process the last few days. I’ve learned considerably more about trapping from Rob. This may irritate some of my readers, but as I’ve always said, the truth is more important than anything else.
Mike good job on”manning up…really but Daily Herald is where the public apology should be to this guy….you don’t have to agree with trapping…or me for that matter….but the comments are brutal-radical ”animal rights activists”draw the attention of much bigger organizations-BIG BROTHER is watching,and somehow they affiliate themselves with you,and are promoting this website as a backer/might want to clear the air on where you stand on that also….or not
It’s good to hear both sides, that’s why I like this site! Everyone can post their view even if you disagree. The convo’s are civil, too.
I heard about this site,and had my first visit today.I have to say im impressed with mikes value and passion for wilderness and our ever vanishing open areas!We definetely have some common ground here.If we can agree to respect nature,and mother earth,i may stay and listen.We may have differences but are similarities on appreciation,and put back for conservation,wetlands,and habitat restoration-might be more common-
Mike,
I appreciate the fact that you followed up and gave Rob Erickson an opportunity to present his side — you deserve props for that; but I have to take you to task that your original article was full of hyperbole and you played on emotion rather than present the facts from both sides of the issue — if you worked for a legitimate journalism publication, I would suspect that you would have been shown the door after that piece. I guess that’s why blogs are what they are — opinion pieces and nothing more. I don’t say that to depreciate the value of your site because you do provide something of a service in information gathering…but it’s important that people to realize what these blogs are.
In any event, thank you for having the integrity to post this follow-up…you’ve earned my respect.
If mange makes a coyote dangerous then trap and take it to Willowbrook Wildlife Sanctuary in Glen Ellyn. As a volunteer, I say we are glad to heal it and release back into the wild. We have been doing that for decades.
Judy if your so ”concerned” about coyotes why don’t you take your services to the woods yourself and treat all the coyotes with mange?I
It is crazy how everyone has an opinion on trapping ,but 99.99% of the comments against it ,are from people googling on there computer who have never asked any questions.If i was at the doctor’s office i would ask questions-im no medical expert-yet all against trapping have limited knowledge–some none at all–
Mike good job on all the follow up and the picture speaks volumes.Im going to visit a friend of mine who is a trapper.He was floored at all the negativity and comments by the citizens of Wheaton.When i explained to him it’s a developed area he still is upset how this guy is being crucified by the media.I know you have lost a few followers by speaking up ,but regardless i think you did the right thing here.
Judy’s desire to help the mange ridden coyotes seems sincere, but in Illinois it’s ILLEGAL to trap and relocate a coyote like that. They have to be euthanized by law.
Judy, a question. Lets say you treat this animal and bring it back to a healthy life. This animal has already learned that people provide food. How are you going to treat and release a habituated animal back into the community? Does Willowbrook wildlife do this often? If it does, I think some of the citizens of Wheaton would like to change that practice. Can you guarantee this animal will not be a problem again?
For ricky bobby’s info, mange cannot be treated in the woods. Takes special care over weeks in a controlled environment. For Gill, a government agency is allowed to trap, treat and release on the agency-owned property.
I have to question the validity of the photo. How do we or Mike know that photo is of a recent Wheaton coyote? The only coyotes I have seen in the Wheaton/Lisle area have been very healthy looking. But a photo of a seriously sick animal(Bob doesn’t care where or when) goes a long way in justifying Erickson’s killings.
Ya that was sarcasim [judy] i was hoping you would realize how silly your idea really is.It doesn’t suprise anyone that you question the ”validity” of the photo either,my guess is if erickson took you by the hand from start to finish you STILL wouldn’t believe anything except what you want to.This is the problem with the general public”animal lovers”. It doesn’t matter what he does ,to you….probably another cronie from the Daily Herald website-they are still bashing this guy over there,quite pathetic,and childish.
Judy, why don’t you contact the Wheaton police and ask them what condition the animals were in, they must have seen them, as they are paying for the removal, or if they don’t aggree with your position, are they lying too? I think we should tell every village to bring all the manged coyotes over to Glen Ellyn. I really am interested on where they release these habituated animals after they are healthy. Is it in Glen Ellyn? Is there a written record of where this is being done? I think they better start tagging them to identify if the animal has been treated and relesed, then if there is an incident, Willowbrook can and should be held responsible for the actions of that coyote. Judy, you said it take weeks of care to cure them. During that time I assume you are feeding them, is this correct? If so, are you not again showing them humans are a food source? What guarantee are you giving the citizens in the area you release these animals they will not become a problem? Please enlighten us.
Silly, really! We have over 6000 animals go through the rehab center every year and ;most get released back into the wild. But you would have us euthanize every one of them. Just animals — not worth saving. If we humans can’t save our wildlife and learn how to live with them, we won’t be able to save ourselves. We’re all connected in the chain of life.
No judy,i wouldn’t have you kill every one of them.If you think you can go around and save every animal ..good luck! What i would like to say is people are always much more important than animals-100% of the time.Im not advocating if someone kicks a dog to death because he had a bad day it’s ok…it’s not..that’s wrong to do! The problem is most people who are against trapping are trying to correlate THAT behavior as the SAME as trapping …THAT IS GARBAGE TALK..PERIOD!They say killing by trapping or hunting is torture ..IT IS NOT! What fuels me is how these same people have never seen how most animals meet their fate in the wild ,or would want to interfere with the food chain.The trapping going on was needed and will do good ,but only erickson and me and a few other people are smart enough to realize it,the rest are like kids complaining because they don’t like reality…my cure is open your eyes and look at how CRUEL life really is,disease and mange,and rabies is far worse than killing a few yotes by trapping–period!
I assume the property you are releasing on is Dupage County Forest Preserve. Many residents that border these areas should be informed of your relocations of habituated coyotes. Again There should be a law mandating either chipping them or tagging them, unless transparency is only for people against trapping.
The only habituation of coyotes is done by those humans who live near the forest preserves or in areas where coyotes are frequenting. If they area being fed by those people, they will habituate. All rehab centers take great care in keeping human contact to a bare minimum when healing a wild animal whether it is an owl, hawk, raccoon, woodchuck or coyote etc. Rehabbers are highly trained, knowledgeable and caring. I might add that leaving small dogs outside alone or allowing cats to run loose are the same as feeding a coyote. They don’t know the difference between a wild animal and a pet. It is up to us as pet owners to be responsible. No cat needs to run loose(my 3 are inside) and dogs can be fenced in if the owner must leave the dog outside alone. In a study done by the Cook County Coyote Project they found no attacks on humans in Illinois since 1990(the period of study) yet 3 million children are bitten by dogs every year.
You did not answer the question. Is there any record or are the animals tagged or chipped when released? I aggree that any pet running loose is a bad thing, that’s why there are leash laws. Can you, or Willowbrook guarantee the animals you release are not going to cause problems? If coyotes were endagered or rare in
the area I can understand treating and releasing, but with the populations as high as they are now, I see it as only adding to an already full ecosystem. I don’t know how many manged animals you treat at Willowbrook but through the public information act I sure will find out. I keep hearing that the coyotes were here first. Bull! Go back to any newspaper in the area, Wheaton included and post where a coyote attacked a dog in a urban area. How many coyotes did Willowbrook treat with mange in the 70′s and 80′s My guess is few or none. Populations are at all time highs because coyote have no natural predators. You would have us use diesease and starvation as a management tool. That is real animal abuse, not trapping or hunting.
Hey william king: you are getting the double talk from judy.Trust me i have dealt with her kind for years.She is not concerned in any kind of positive role that trapping can do-simply put she doesn’t believe it and never will.Who cares about any study on bites??? really?This is what they do-blurt out bite statistics,trying to draw you into an arguement about statistics-my advice -DONT DO IT! This is about coyotes ,and trapping that is it! and as mike has boldly stated this guy is ethical,is smart[you have to be to trap coyotes]and is doing a fine job-they need to get over it”judy” is unheard on Daily Herald thats her screen name and she is simply coming on here and running back there-look for yourself!
My final word on this topic is to clear up the confusion caused by “ricky bobby”, Mr. Know-it-all. I just checked the Daily Herald comments to try to understand what know-it-all was trying to say. I have never commented on Daily Herald website. Unheard is not me! Have no idea who it is but after reading this person’s comments I have to say he/she sounds like a reasonable and intelligent person unlike mr. know-it-all. so long
Thanks Ricky Bobby, I did check the Daily Herald site out, What a bunch of nuts! Can you Say reality check? However if she is really associated with Willowbrook she might be giving them all they can handle. I filled out the paperwork today, to get the FOIA on where and how they are releasing habituated animals in the Forest Preserves, that are surrounded by homes. They can thank her for that. I will post the info on here when I recieve it. They sure like to dish it out, but we will see how they can take it.
Most wildlife rehab centers follow a very careful set of laws and policies as determined by local, state, and federal governments. These agencies should be careful to follow strict catch and release policies or they could easily jeaopardize their funding base and alienate their publics. Typically, since these animals come from the wild and are therefore legally considered public property, they are often returned to the wild if deemed a proper candidate. Depending on the type of animal and reason for it being taken to a rehab center, many die shortly after arrival or can be euthanized if deemed to not be a viable release candidate. What I am trying to say is that these wildlife centers typically catch and release only those species in which they specialize. Many work in conjunction with local veterinarians, animal control officials, residents, etc. So, they just don’t release any animal back into the wild and any responsible agency will do so in compliance with the support of local people and local laws. I used to hunt, trap, and do some basic taxidery, but I don’t anymore largely because I live in an urban area. However, since I grew up with animals, I need contact with nature and animals as often as possible so I also participate, from time to time, in wildlife rehab. Sometimes the most humane act for an animal is to euthanize it and it’s hard for people to understand that they are an animal–not a human. Some animals can be rehabbed and released and some cannot or should not be-just like some people. I agree if some people could see how raw living in the wild care be, they would be appalled. We need all type of creatures from cockroaches to coyotes to crows, they clean up a lot of smelly offal and we don’t have to pay them according to union scale. What matters is that Wheaton has contracted with Mr. Erickson to cull nuisance coyotes. Providing they have checked his credentials and he follows suite using the most humane practices possible, then we must let him do his job. This website allows people to express their opinions–whether pertinent or not. It also serves as a means for people to discuss what are or are not acceptable wildlife management practices. It’s important for people to be involved in public policy to track how public dollars are spent and decide if the actual services rendered met the contracted obligation. I trust that Mr. Erickson has been reading this blog and that is great. If only such grass roots effort could be applied just as effectively at our state and federal levels.
Well she still never answered the question. You were so right ricky bobby. We will never convince her or any like her what is right, but most educated residents will see that trapping plays a very important role in managing diseased animals.
If the trapping or killing of these animals is done ethically and humanely, that is all that matters.
Jim, most educated people would aggree with your assesment. I doubt that any rehabber could have saved the animal in the photo. It seemed too far gone. I don’t want to attack Willowbrook, I am sure they do good things. It is just that people like Judy, who just want to inflame the situation gives the Wildlife center a bad name. If she does speak for them, which I highly doubt, they need to make sure she sticks to the facts not her opinion, or their funding will be in danger. A prime example would be her saying the picture of the manged animal was not from Wheaton. I asked her to call the police and ask them if they saw the animal, as you can see no answer in her comment, so it must have been one of the animals. Thats what is bad about the internet. Attack, attack, attack, press send and bingo you got the last word without backing your statements up with any facts whatsoever.
Jim i agree,and i have said it before and i will say it again.I do not know this guy”erickson” personaly,I have never met him and know nothing about him, except that he is a trapper.My problem is the vocal few who are so ”hell bent” on portraying this guy in a bad light,at any cost.First it starts with him,then all trappers,than hunting etc, etc,-you can maybe see why i personaly take a stake in this ,i will not under any circumstances let them go unchallenged.They only want to portray trapping as a bloodsport used by ”animal torturing” psycho’s who get there jollies out of animals being tortured.First off the word”torture” is usually used be one group”ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS’S/peta being just one of the many.Secondly they for the most part are in complete denial about the suffering animals go thru-from survivng the winter,and disease-mostly because they don’t want to know,or have never spent that amount of time outside to see it.3rdly- the worst kind of hypocrite to me is one who like here in wheaton,defends these coyotes in wheaton,from the trapper,because they don’t think ANY animal should be killed,yet they sit down at the end of the day and shovel ,chicken,or steak,or any other ANIMAL someone else killed for your enjoyment in their mouths-again since ”they” have never seen this process they won’t acknowledge it happens-They are not vegans,because vegans never shut up about their diet ,it’s always on their mind-This is what boils the blood of true hunters& trappers- we care about animals and yet can kill some ,by trapping ,or hunting,and they cannot believe you can be both,i have freed deer caught in barbed wire,and had to mercy kill a possum someone hit with their car,yet we are always portrayed as uncaring,uneducated ”torturing machines”because they do not like what they think we are and will never believe us to be anything else but less than-this what they believe and this why i stand up every single time-every single time.
Yes, there is killing and there is torture. It’s like the story an old scottish woodsman told me about a fur trapper that took great delight in killing his prey by sticking a knife in it’s eye rather than quickly killing it. I admit one time when I was a kid that I found a cat by the side of the road that had been hit by a car and was still alive with half its guts sticking out. Yes, the only thing handy was big rock and I felt terrible and the cat squirmed a lot but it lasted about 10 seconds vs. letting it lay there another hour or two or half a day before it died. I have a hard time killing cats and dogs because they are part our our daily life. I admit that I am of the belief that if you kill something you should eat it. I have no problem with rabbit and coon and squirrels and game birds but I draw the line there. No o’possum, no porcupine, no muskrat. I believe that yes, humans have encroached worldwide on many animal territories here in the U.S. and abroad. Look at the Indians killing their magnificent tigers because they kill farmers who keep moving onto the tiger’s hunting territory to expand their farmlands. Of course most of the tigers in China are in zoos and poorly taken care of. Many of these animals end up being secretly sold, killed and eaten by those fools who think animal parts will make them healthy or give them super powers and long life. I won’t touch that topic–I wouldn’t shut up. When animals and humans share the same land, we need to manage them two ways. One is to protect their habitat and species in perpetuity–we want our kids to be able to experience them in the wild as well. And two, we must carefully and selectively manage our day to day contact with these animals to minimize their habituation and desire to be around humans. I am particulary fond of wolfies and predators but I get really upset when they are taken our of the natural habitat and humanized. A wolf that likes people is a dead wolf. Just like a bear, a coyote or whatever. We will end up either hitting them with a car or having to remove them because they are a “nuisance” animal. Releasing any critter back into the wild once it has been caught by humans is a very serious game–and not to be taken lightly. Most people don’t realize that when you call up your local pest control company that they will take your nice little backyard pest and simply shot it once the customer is out of earshot. Is it not humane to release a squirrel into the local park, not unless it’s an area where there is not an overpopulation of squirrels and adequate food supply. If it’s in the winter, the squirrel would die anyway. It’s like this for all species, there must be adequate space to establish a territory, food supply, and most of all minimal impact with humans. If reintroduction of a species to an area doesn’t follow this approach–it will fail. The wolves in Idaho are a prime example of this issue. Before it was done–it should have been a collaborative agreement and effort of both the USFWs and the state, and (most importanly) support of Idaho residents–ranchers and farmers included. I don’t live there so I can’t comment intelligently on the specifics anymore than what I have but I do know that successful wolf reintroductions must have local support or they should not be done. We should not experiment with our wildlife management–it’s too risky and only draws public disapproval. A result is disagreement ensues and nothing gets accomplished. Look at our policitians and healthcare–not only are they screwing it up but people who live healthy lifestyles will end up subsidizing those people who don’t take care of their health. Why should I work my tail off to provide for my family only to pay higher health care fees for someone who doesn’t pay a dime for healthcare and is 100 pounds overweight and smokes. If these people would go outside and take a walk in our great outdoors, maybe they would be healthier. But healthcare isn’t the reason for this blog site, so I shall end my soap box commentary.
Just a heads up here : im really concerned about one of the posters on Daily Herald,im not sure if this guy is all talk or if he is a disgruntled city employee,but anyone who gets up at 5am on the computer bashing erickson,and trapping ,and the city of Wheaton like this guy does,and doesn’t get off the computer till 11pm at night has something wrong w/them….im not trying to stir anything up im seriousely concerned this guy might do something,he hasn’t directly threatened anyone ,but his rants have gone on for almost a month or more now.Just when you think this guy will get off his computer another story pops up /i believe some of the stories to the editor may be ”fabricated”just so he gets more air time,if you will.If im the only one who feels this way i will let it go,i just want to make sure this guy isn’t the next headline about someone who ”went off” and there were signs-this guy has a fixation with erickson making money that he can’t let go…..also with the city council of Wheaton–i hope someone is watching what he is doing or saying-it’s gone beyond normal protesting-just my opinion-
Ricky bobby, what is this guys screen name. I think someone should report him to the P.D. I will be more than happy to do that.
Typical animal rights nutjob. One of the most idiotic statements uttered in the 20th century was PETA’s Ingrid Newkirk who coined the phrase “a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy”. That kind of rationale is dangerous if a person can’t make the distinction between an animal and a human life.
And someone here recently called predator hunters “violent” people. Whatever…time to look in the mirror.
BTW, Mike — just wanted to give you credit for doing this follow-up on the trapping story and shedding some light on the trapper’s side of the story…this lends you a lot of credibility and sets you apart from the usual rhetoric we read from the anti-trapping community. Thanks for being a stand-up guy.
Interest isn’t it? No response from ricky bobby to william king’s request for the screen name of the ranting “disgruntled city employee”. Maybe just a figment of RB’s imagination gone wild. So irrational he’s seeing monsters in all of us. I’m thinking Ricky Bobby is really Bob Erickson the trapper. What a scam he’s got going on this blog.
Judy – I appreciate your comments, but I can tell you that Ricky Bobby is not the trapper. I can see all IP’s on this blog. There are no posters assuming two names. I like to allow all sides to speak here as long as it never crosses into name calling or vulgar language.
As for a “scam”, all we are doing is presenting both sides. something I have always tried to do, at least with the comments.
Herb – No problem. The big thing for me was talking to Rob on the phone. I enjoyed our conversations, and he does know a lot about trapping, obviously. The important thing is to put out good information, whether your or I agree with each other or not.
Judy did you ask the police if the coyote was from Wheaton? How about the other questions asked? If you want to comment be decent enough to defend your position without the name calling. Or is your goal to just inflame here? As soon as that starts your credibility goes down the drain.
To W.K. I have tried several times to call Wheaton police but get no answer each time. Perhaps they had to redirect funds for manning the non-emerg. number to Erickson. I’ll keep trying. As to your other questions, all animals are released all over Dupage county in forest preserves generally in the area in which they were found to begin with. Don’t know for sure if records are kept as to where but I imagine they are. Rehab centers are not fly-by-nights. Willowbrook is not the only one. There are several in the Chicago area. Does your doctor guarantee after he/she heals you that you will never get sick again? Does your car mechanic guarantee you that your car will never break again? Does the prison guarantee you the prisoner will never violate the law again? No one can guarantee the behavior of an animal. That’s an absurd request.
As to name calling — mr. know-it-all got that name with his statement “The trapping going on was needed and will do good ,but only erickson and me and a few other people are smart enough to realize it,the rest are like kids complaining because they don’t like reality”. Smart he is not. Then there’s this statement: “What fuels me is how these same people have never seen how most animals meet their fate in the wild ,or would want to interfere with the food chain.” Who’s interfering with the food chain? The culling advocates-that’s who. Take out the coyotes and you end up with more rodents, geese, deer etc. R.B’s statement that we “for the most part are in complete denial about the suffering animals go thru-from survivng the winter,and disease-mostly because they don’t want to know” is complete and utter nonsense. No one knows more about the suffering animals can experience in the wild than the true animal advocates. So now is he saying we should put all wild animals out of the misery they endure in life? That’s a poor excuse for culling if I ever heard one. Also not the one being used by Wheaton.
I have no personal gripe against the trapper other than I think he is less than honest with the public. He says he’s careful to target nuisance and sick coyotes but that is not possible. Traps don’t work just on the nuisance and sick animals. They work on anything that steps into them. I live just south of the Wheaton border on a park and until 3 or 4 weeks ago I had the pleasure of seeing a pack of 4 coyotes every few days come through the park. They were as healthy and beautiful as they could be with very thick coats. But funny thing. I haven’t seen them since the culling. I have no problem with killing a seriously sick or injured animal. Those animals are suffering and could be a danger to people. The average coyote is no danger to people if people would learn how to live with them. When you live near wildlife you have to take special precautions. That’s a fact of life. And it is worth the life of the animals. My biggest gripe is with people who think humans are at the top of the food chain and all other life is for us to use, abuse and kill at will.
This whole situation started with one family who allowed their dog off-leash and got attacked. Plus a few whiners complaining about seeing coyotes. They are the ones who created panic in Wheaton. Glen Ellyn is the only other suburb that has complained about a problem with coyotes. Everyone else in the Chicago area seems to have learned how to live with them. They aren’t going away. In fact with the culling we will probably see more of them. That’s how nature works. When there are few, they make more babies. When there are many, food becomes a problem and they have less babies.
Mike,
When you said, “The important thing is to put out good information, whether your or I agree with each other or not” hit it out of the park. However, the problem is that most of your reporting are the few a-holes slobs of the hunting/trapping/fishing world and it paints a pejorative picture of all hunters/trappers/anglers, which simply isn’t the case. If I pick up the paper and read about a murder or a robbery — should I now believe every human being is evil? Of course not, but that’s what newspapers report. Your blog does the same kind of thing and while it’s good to get the news out on these dredges of the outdoor world, you miss a golden opportunity to show the good that sportsmen and women are doing in terms of conservation work AND preservation. I’m not sure if you’re doing us a service by fueling the very people (PETA, et al.) that you claim you don’t endorse by only highlighting the negatives.
Anyway, at the risk of sounding condenscending, this exercise has been encouraging that you had the conviction to give this Rob Erickson an opportunity to tell his side of the story…please continue to do so in the future. Thank you.
I can make my post short and efficient..judy i disagree with 90%of your opinions-and the poster is already on the radar of authorities on daily herald-
R.B. You have a right to your opinion just as I. I wouldn’t have expected any less than 90% disagreement from the likes of you.
Judy I am glad you are trying to contact the police about the animals in question. I takeit you have never trapped. If I am correct how do you know there is no way preventing sick animals from being caught? I see he uses cameras to observe, that could be a way to pattern the sick animals travel and maybe set traps on those patterns, I don’t know as I don’t trap, but you don’t know either, so why comment that he is lying? You judge him without having a clue. I know the old untruth that all the traps mame and kill. That I do know is a bunch of bull. How do you think that study you quoted, caught all those animals? Are they all three legged, due to chewing off their foot? Coyotes don’t enter cages, I have read, by research, not trappers. I am glad we agree that a sick animal should not suffer, and sometimes needs to be put down. I guess thats a starting point. Just because you have not seen the coyotes lately that does not mean the trapper caught them. Maybe the people feeding them stopped bringing them to the area because of all the attention. I hhopoe you continue to find the truth about the manged one and report back to us. I am very interested in the truth also.
Like I said, it is all about dialog–whether we agree or not.
Well, it seems like Judy did not get the answers she liked. I guess the coyotes really were manged. I spoke to a Commander Grossman and was told the animals were in deed severly manged. I guess he must be lying too. Sorry Judy, R.B. seems to be right on point, your credibility is going down the tubes fast here.
If one wants a historical perspective on mange in canids, in 1909, wolves experimentally infected with scarcoptic mange were released in Montana as a wolf-control measure. It’s believed by many that is was how mange became so widespread throughout the wolves in the Canadian prarie region. This type of mange is prevalent in canids and can be highly contagious–particularly since it’s spread by mites. Severly manged animals can die in the winter because of their compromised health and inadequate fur to keep them warm.
In reality, one can’t be a purist about whether to kill or not kill an animal. The criteria is how the creature is killed and for what purpose. Sometimes the animals that come into contact with humans are those that cannot survive on their own for whatever reason. Perhaps, it’s an aging predator that is missing a canine tooth and must find an easy meal or scavenge which brings it in closer contact with humans. For years mankind has not managed it’s wildlife, but killed it willy nilly as our needs increased for land and resources. Well, if we wish to have wild animals (those that are not humanized and live exclusively in zoos) we must intelligently “steward” each and every animal on this planet. If people like you and I don’t get involved in wildlife management and environmental decisions then people (who are not informed or don’t care) will make the decisions for us. Sometimes we may not all agree on the process but I think we all agree that we want to keep our wilderness and our rights to enjoy it.
Good point jim:I guess that is why i even decided to post on here in the first place.It appears to be a site where the ultimate goal is to come together on how valuable these wild places really are.They are”priceless”…in my opinion,and discussion is just one part.It’s nice to know there are others out there that are still appreciative of the great outdoors.My goal is to respectfully engage people who might not understand what a critical role hunting provides in management,the moneys that are raised and the good that is done.I believe NOW more than ever ,hunting and trapping have only gotten bad publicity for the most part.Like in the case here,most of the wheaton people think of the trapping as a negative and can never see the positive role.Sometimes it’s needed and sometimes it is not.
I see they are still milking the coyote pages for every last drop on Daily Herald.How is the trapping stopped a story? let alone something that warrants critical commenting? I think it’s at something like over 30 articles on that site about the coyote ordeal.In my neighborhood trapping coyotes wouldn’t have even raised an eyebrow let alone been news worthy!Im proud to live in the country,not some suburb that thinks blackwell is the mountains and forests -paleeze