Going after coyotes 'dangerous game'
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=26bd75cc-4d05-4480-ad45-923d0ec7317c&k=57170
*Image & Caption
Osgoode's Paul Mussell, of Heritage Wildlife Management, is trapping
nuisance coyotes in the rural areas south of Ottawa.
-Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen
Greely citizens told not to hunt pet-eating beasts; Ottawa councillor hires
trappers to fix problem
Tim Shufelt, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, January 18, 2008
Ottawa officials are warning Greely residents not to take matters into their
own hands in dealing with problem coyotes.
Efforts to foil the wily coyotes recently took on Looney Toons proportions
when a Greely resident apparently put out antifreeze-laced dog food in an
attempt to poison the animals.
The idea nearly proved fatal to a neighbour's dog, however, which got into
the food, according to trapper Paul Mussell.
The pet survived, which surprised Christine Hartig, a city policy officer
dealing with wildlife bylaws. "That will kill a domestic animal. It will
kill any animal," Ms. Hartig said.
"That's a dangerous game, especially when there have been people hired to
address the matter," she added.
City Councillor Doug Thompson, whose constituency includes Greely and
Osgoode, took it upon himself to pay two trappers out of his office budget
to deal with the coyotes.
Hundreds of sightings have been reported in the area. Some of the coyotes
have even killed small pets.
"I've been trapping them in the residential areas. I've been trying to get
these bold ones in and around houses," said Paul Mussell, one of the
trappers.
Last week, he nabbed a particularly aggressive coyote outside a house where
a family's lhasa apso was attacked and killed by coyotes in early December.
The animal was caught in a humane hold trap and later put down, Mr. Mussell
said.
Another 15 traps set in the Greely area lay in wait, but so far no other
coyotes have taken the bait.
They are a particularly difficult animal to track, he said, because they
don't live in one place. "They just travel wherever. So it may be a four-day
route, and they may travel 15 miles," he said.
Their sense of smell is also about 100 times better than a person's. "They
smell your traps, smell your boots, smell everything."
The prospect of bagging a coyote is much higher in Greely's outlying areas,
where hunters have the benefit of guns, Mr. Mussell said.
"Out in the rural areas, it's a little easier to hunt them. With good
hounds, that works the best. But in a residential area, you just can't do
that."
And efforts certainly have been more productive outside of Greely's
subdivisions, Mr. Thompson said.
"Within a radius of five or six kilometres from Greely, there have been
maybe 14 coyotes that have been harvested. The hunters like to say
'harvested.' "
However, harvesting can be dangerous for the hunters, as well. A Metcalfe
resident was admitted to hospital on Wednesday with serious head injuries
after being thrown from his snowmobile while tracking coyotes in an area
east of Greely.
Mr. Thompson said the man is a retired Metcalfe resident and an avid hunter.
According to the city policy officer, Ms. Hartig, most farmland in the
Ottawa region is exempt from a general prohibition on discharging a firearm.
For years, farmers have been shooting pesky coyotes, which can prey on
livestock, she added.
But she said she doubts the problem is nearly as big as it seems. "A lot of
those (sightings) would be the same animal, and I bet you a lot of those
would be of dogs at large."
In dealing with the problem animals, she urged people to leave the job to
the professionals. "Let the trappers deal with it and the farmers will deal
with it on their property."
In the meantime, she advised against putting pets outside in unfenced areas
or allowing them to roam freely.
� The Ottawa Citizen 2008
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=26bd75cc-4d05-4480-ad45-923d0ec7317c&k=57170
*Image & Caption
Osgoode's Paul Mussell, of Heritage Wildlife Management, is trapping
nuisance coyotes in the rural areas south of Ottawa.
-Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen
Greely citizens told not to hunt pet-eating beasts; Ottawa councillor hires
trappers to fix problem
Tim Shufelt, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, January 18, 2008
Ottawa officials are warning Greely residents not to take matters into their
own hands in dealing with problem coyotes.
Efforts to foil the wily coyotes recently took on Looney Toons proportions
when a Greely resident apparently put out antifreeze-laced dog food in an
attempt to poison the animals.
The idea nearly proved fatal to a neighbour's dog, however, which got into
the food, according to trapper Paul Mussell.
The pet survived, which surprised Christine Hartig, a city policy officer
dealing with wildlife bylaws. "That will kill a domestic animal. It will
kill any animal," Ms. Hartig said.
"That's a dangerous game, especially when there have been people hired to
address the matter," she added.
City Councillor Doug Thompson, whose constituency includes Greely and
Osgoode, took it upon himself to pay two trappers out of his office budget
to deal with the coyotes.
Hundreds of sightings have been reported in the area. Some of the coyotes
have even killed small pets.
"I've been trapping them in the residential areas. I've been trying to get
these bold ones in and around houses," said Paul Mussell, one of the
trappers.
Last week, he nabbed a particularly aggressive coyote outside a house where
a family's lhasa apso was attacked and killed by coyotes in early December.
The animal was caught in a humane hold trap and later put down, Mr. Mussell
said.
Another 15 traps set in the Greely area lay in wait, but so far no other
coyotes have taken the bait.
They are a particularly difficult animal to track, he said, because they
don't live in one place. "They just travel wherever. So it may be a four-day
route, and they may travel 15 miles," he said.
Their sense of smell is also about 100 times better than a person's. "They
smell your traps, smell your boots, smell everything."
The prospect of bagging a coyote is much higher in Greely's outlying areas,
where hunters have the benefit of guns, Mr. Mussell said.
"Out in the rural areas, it's a little easier to hunt them. With good
hounds, that works the best. But in a residential area, you just can't do
that."
And efforts certainly have been more productive outside of Greely's
subdivisions, Mr. Thompson said.
"Within a radius of five or six kilometres from Greely, there have been
maybe 14 coyotes that have been harvested. The hunters like to say
'harvested.' "
However, harvesting can be dangerous for the hunters, as well. A Metcalfe
resident was admitted to hospital on Wednesday with serious head injuries
after being thrown from his snowmobile while tracking coyotes in an area
east of Greely.
Mr. Thompson said the man is a retired Metcalfe resident and an avid hunter.
According to the city policy officer, Ms. Hartig, most farmland in the
Ottawa region is exempt from a general prohibition on discharging a firearm.
For years, farmers have been shooting pesky coyotes, which can prey on
livestock, she added.
But she said she doubts the problem is nearly as big as it seems. "A lot of
those (sightings) would be the same animal, and I bet you a lot of those
would be of dogs at large."
In dealing with the problem animals, she urged people to leave the job to
the professionals. "Let the trappers deal with it and the farmers will deal
with it on their property."
In the meantime, she advised against putting pets outside in unfenced areas
or allowing them to roam freely.
� The Ottawa Citizen 2008
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