Hunting and Wildlife: Predator Control

HUNTING AND WILDLIFE
Predator Control
Ignoring this New and Fast-Growing Complication of Game Management can Result in Rapid Loss of your Wildlife
—Ralph M. Lermayer
The economic and recreational benefits of managing wildlife on forestlands are
long-accepted. Money and effort spent on the likes of food plots, selective deer
harvest, and population control has proven to return handsome dividends in the
way of profits and the general well-being of the wildlife for those who control and
manage forest properties, as well as providing cover and feed for turkey and
upland birds. There is, however, one vital management practice more often than
not overlooked by the majority of landowners: predator control. The rapid rise and
unchecked population growth of predators on properties you own or manage can,
in a single season, undo all the dollars, years, and effort spent in enhancing your
herds, flocks, and coveys.
Normal populations of predators are
healthy, even vital, to the natural balance of any management program. They
have a place in the normal scheme of
things, but we are in the midst of a population and geographical expansion into
areas that never before contained these
animals, and the numbers can soon get
out of hand. The time to control them is
when they first appear and before they
grow unchecked.
Coyote
Coyote populations are on the rise
throughout the entire country, and have
the biggest impact on wildlife in the
spring. Nesting birds and new fawns are
most vulnerable. Some southeastern
counties are estimating almost a 90 percent loss of the whitetail fawn crop due
to coyote predation this year. This is a
phenomenon they have never had to
deal with before, but one that will soon
be felt by many counties and states previously unaffected. Nesting turkey,
waterfowl, and quail are equally vulnerable. Most land managers will not notice
the impact for several years to come, but
when they finally realize it is happening, it may be too late or take years to
correct. If you have noticed a recent
38
FOREST LANDOWNER
increase in coyote on your property, the
time to deal with it is now. Waiting can
be devastating.
ote, their impact will not be immediately apparent, but long term effects can
prove devastating.
Feral Hogs
Bobcat, Fox, and Raccoons
Feral hogs breed as early as eight
months of age, can have multiple large
litters each year, and some folks claim
can be born pregnant! Numbers are
increasing fast with expansion into new
territory reported every year. Feral hogs
may soon become the single biggest
crop and wildlife problem landowners
have. If you have any, soon you will
have more than you can handle.
Other than the damage they do to
crops and food plots, they will raise
havoc with nesting birds, small game,
and have been known to take fawns.
Squirrels bury their winter food stash
just inches underground. Hogs have one
of the keenest noses in the entire animal
world, and easily root out these stashes
of acorns and nuts, resulting in a winter
die-off of your squirrel population.
Turkey and waterfowl nests are easy
pickings for these voracious feeders.
Populations go from a few sightings
to critical numbers in just a season or
two. The only effective time to control
them is at the first sighting. Like the coy-
Again, proper balance should keep
these predators in harmony with other
wildlife. They belong, but when their
numbers grow excessively, the impact is
felt up the ladder. As they significantly
diminish, the smaller prey, rabbits,
rodents and such (food sources also
favored by coyotes), they force the larger predators to pursue larger game such
as fawns and turkey. Too many bobcats
can quickly lead to a deer reduction
when they share habitat with coyote.
Control
When formulating a management plan
for predators, first check with local fish
and wildlife authorities. Some of these
predator species fall under furbearer
regulations in some states and you may
need special dispensation to thin them
out. As more state agencies begin to
realize the magnitude of predator problems, special programs are being put in
place to control them.
Hogs can be effectively baited and
trapped, but trapping of coyote, bobcat,
www.forestlandowners.com
HUNTING AND WILDLIFE
fox, and raccoons is slow and requires
professional skill. The best method, and
the most cost effective, is hunting. With
just a little effort, you will easily find a
host of volunteers to do the work for
you.
Check with the local sporting goods
shops for the names of local predator
hunters or clubs in your area. Predator
hunting is the fastest growing segment
of the shooting sports today, and enthusiasts as well as formal clubs are popping up all over the country. You might
consider holding and sponsoring an
annual “Spring Predator Calling” event
on your property. That is the easiest time
to take the new pups before they
Predator Xtreme Magazine
Predator Xtreme offers the most up-to-date information on controlling predators
with specifics on hunting techniques, biology, and habits of all types of predators, as well as the newest and most effective predator hunting gear.
Find professional information on predator control and contacts for your local
predator hunting clubs and events at Predator Xtreme Magazine, available on the
newsstand or by calling 1-800-260-7323 or go to the Predator Xtreme website at
www.predatorxtreme.com.
become wise to the call, and the time
coyotes have the biggest impact on your
desirable game.
Invite the local predator hunters, as
well as your regular hunters, to climb
back in those deer stands in the spring,
set up an electronic call where legal, and
do some direct good for the deer and
turkey they want to harvest during the
regular season. Those prime deer blinds
and stands cannot be reserved for just
the fall hunts any longer—they have a
key job to do all year.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006
39