Hunting

Hard truths about Hunting, Activism, and Wildlife Conservation — Furbearer Conservation

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Hard truths about Hunting, Activism, and Wildlife Conservation — Furbearer Conservation

The North American Model of Wildlife Management has set the standard for maintaining healthy wildlife populations upon the landscape by providing public access to public resources, and providing engaging recreational opportunities to connect folks with the landscape. A few years ago I was asked how I thought we could get more people interested in conserving land and water, and my answer was simple.

Teach them to hunt, fish, and trap. Give people an activity which intimately connects them to these resources, and then give them a place to do it.

Hiking, bird-watching, and photography are great, and I enjoy them all, but hunting is immersive to a degree which simply cannot be replicated by less demanding interactions. This very fact has driven the success of the North American Model. Hunters, trappers, and anglers, have worked hand-in-hand with state and federal wildlife agencies to restore and maintain healthy wildlife populations for over a century.

Cyclist Crashes into Deer, Flips Over Bike, But Escapes with Minor Injuries

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Cyclist Crashes into Deer, Flips Over Bike, But Escapes with Minor Injuries

When cyclist Reed Soehnel came cruising down a mountainside, the deer that just happened to cross the road at the time had seemingly timed it perfectly. It appeared that maneuvering out of the way was not an option. Soehnel crushed into the deer with his front tire, flipped over the bike, and slid down the roadway as his bike tumbled past.

urban coyotes feast on pets, study finds | Environment | The Guardian

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High-cat diet: urban coyotes feast on pets, study finds | Environment | The Guardian

It’s a common story in southern California, and one now backed up by research: a new study by the National Park Service has found that 20% of urban coyotes’ diets is made up of cats.

Once restricted to the western plains, coyote populations are surging in cities across the US. They are master adapters who have learned to survive in urban environments – a recent study found coyotes present in 96 out of 105 cities surveyed. But many communities are struggling to figure out new ways to deal with predators in their neighborhoods.

In Los Angeles there were 16 coyote attacks on humans in 2016, up from two in 2011. For small pets, the danger is even greater. Reports of coyotes attacking cats in the daytime – even in Hollywood – have popped up on social media. A neighborhood in Culver City recorded 40 pet deaths from coyotes in just six months last year. “Coyotes are the top – besides us – in urban landscapes,” says Justin Brown, a biologist for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area who conducted the study.