I’ve been reading about the latest controversy over the continued approval of M-14 sodium cyanide for coyote control in certain western states. Some observations I have:

• Traditional foothold traps are best for catching and dispatching coyotes. With a foothold you can check to ensure you’ve reached the target species before dispatching the coyote with your firearm. After you’ve killed the coyote, you can recover the pelt in good condition for sale.
• Running trap lines in very remote country can be challenging as you have to check have the traps every 24 hours or maybe 48 hours to see if you have gotten anything in the trap. The M-44 traps kill the animal and don’t need to be checked daily.
• Supposedly, the M-44 sodium cyanide baits break down quickly and does not bio-accumulate but I would still be worried about secondary poisoning of eagles and other raptors. Nature picks up after dead carcasses as they’re just food to other species and you don’t want to kill non targeted species.
• Don’t kid yourself, coyotes are an enormous problem on the modem ecosystem. Yes, they do help keep field mice and certain other species in check. But they also a ample breeders with limited predators. They kill deer, elk, and other game species – along with attacking calves and even cattle giving birth. Nature ain’t pretty, coyotes do whatever they have to survive.
• While I don’t support killing animals without a purpose, I do think predators must be kept in check as humans are putting pressures on other parts of the ecosystem and need to keep balance. Regulated trapping can and does help to control wildlife population.
• I think it’s reasonable to consider ways to get more people to hunt and trap coyotes in areas where they are a nuisance by subsidizing pelt sales, promoting the market for coyote fur, placing a bounty on coyotes and hosting coyote hunting contests.
• Sometimes unpleasant things are necessary to protect our natural resources. Nature isn’t always pretty. But the coyote that can be harvested via hunting and trapping, the more we can avoid using potentially harmful poisons like M-44.