Coyote attacks on people happen, but they aren't very likely. They usually happen in places were the coyotes have gotten use to the people being around (i.e. recently or partially developed land). Adults have been attacked, but children are more at risk because they are a more appropriate size.Kreutz wrote:Yarddawg wrote:No point in it as long as you don't mind a rabid animal attacking your pets, children, spouse, or you!
100% of them have rabies? That seems unlikely.
And my understanding is they're rather afraid of people and avoid them. And if the occasional poodle gets chomped on, great, we need less of those damned things in our country anyway.
Its just the whole shooting things for fun part I can't get. Unless you've caught one just about to snack on Fifi or Timmy, I have to venture you're killing it for pleasure. They have every right to be here too and all that crap.
You should read up on game management programs. Like most varmint they don't always interact with well with human activities. States that severely restrict the hunting of them usually spend millions of tax payers dollars reducing the populations through other means. Poisons work, but are not particularly humane and there are risks to other animals. Shooting varmints is one of the most humane (if not the most) way of keeping pest populations in check. A typical varmint bullet kills the target instantly and yes, the results are usually gruesome, but the pain and suffering is usually not.
Yes, hunting varmint is often a sporting activities. If the varmint provided anything of value, we would use it just like we use the meat off of other game. Some furs are useful, some are not. E.g. groundhogs are all over the place in VA and cause substantial damage to livestock if not kept in check (their holes and tunnels cause livestock to break their legs and then they have to be put down...also, the government has prohibited the sale of dead livestock for most purposes, it must come alive into the processing plant). However, a groundhog has nothing of real value. If you wish to use the land, you must either shoot or poison them.
Shooting varmints is a challenge, is useful for the development of shooting skills and intersects with human needs for effective use of the land. Extermination is not the goal, managing the populations is.
