By Gary W. Kenny

Several years ago I asked my brother-in-law, a metal sculptor, to craft me a weathervane. I specified a realistic-looking coyote howling at a crescent moon, and I e-mailed him an image from the internet. I forgot about my artist brother-in-law’s penchant for interpretation. What I got looked nothing like what I had requested. On the top of our sheep barn now is a stylized coyote with a four-foot-long neck, head upturned with jaws wide open, howling into space. Remember the gangly Looney Tunes cartoon character Wile E. Coyote, the hapless predator that repeatedly attempts and forever fails to catch the far more wily Road Runner? Our weathervane bears a striking resemblance.

My brother-in-law and I had a good chuckle when he unveiled his creation. For some people in Grey County, however, coyotes are no laughing matter. More than a few landowners complain about hunters marauding through the countryside in trucks following dogs fitted with GPS collars, and illegally entering their property to shoot a cornered coyote.

I am one of them. In February 2017, while walking with my dog into an upland deciduous forest on our farm, I was startled by three gunshots. They were fired, it turned out, a mere 150 meters away from where I was. Suspecting trespassing hunters (they had been on our property before), I ran to intercept them. Two had crossed from a neighbouring farm on snowmobiles over a rail fence, following their dogs, and had shot a coyote. I got the name of one and later called the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). The hunter could be charged, I was told, if I would give evidence.

The following day two MNR field officers with a sniffer dog came to our farm and conducted a sophisticated CSI-like forensic investigation. Evidence of the hunters’ presence and the kill was ample. Charges were laid, the case went to trial, and the hunter was convicted and fined for trespassing under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

As I learned, the majority of hunting-related complaints MNR receives from landowners concern coyote hunter trespassers. Yet few complainants will give evidence needed to lay charges, usually because they don’t want to risk rocking the neighbourhood boat. For my part, I drew no pleasure from the entire affair. But hunters who disregard the law and show no respect for private property (not to mention the lives of property owners like me who have a right to walk their land without fear of stray bullets) should be held accountable.

I don’t hunt, but I’m not opposed to hunting and support hunting that is lawful and responsible. Neighbours hunt deer on our property annually. They know they have blanket permission, yet they still check in every year. Now there’s an example of hunting enthusiasts who respect landowners and their property.

Based on my experience, I learned a few things about coyote hunting and the perceived need to hunt coyotes, not the least of which is how emotional a subject coyotes and coyote hunting is for many.

First, as an apex predator, coyotes play an important role in the region’s ecosystems. They have a right to be here – to hunt, reproduce, and live out their lives. Of course, wherever human occupation and development intersects with wildlife habitat, conflict is bound to occur.

We hear stories of coyotes attacking livestock and pets, and they are, sadly, real. Any farmer who loses sheep or calves to coyotes, or any pet owner who loses a dog or cat, has my sympathy. I too would be upset. But farmers and pet owners are ultimately responsible to protect their animals from coyote attack. Yes, even with the best defences in place, occasional incursions will occur. But this doesn’t mean that coyotes are malignant or “worthless vermin” as I heard one hunter describe them. Most wild animals will take advantage of an easy meal if they can get one. They can’t be blamed for that.

I wish people who hunt coyotes and trespass to do so would think more deeply about what they are doing. They are not hunting in the normal sense of the term, in my view. In many cases it’s unnecessary killing, seemingly for the fun of it. Such hunters may be giving all hunters a bad name. I’m aware that their actions are leading some landowners to ban all hunting on their property.

The excuses that coyote hunter trespassers often utter in their defence include, “We have no choice but to follow our dogs wherever the scent might take them,” and “Our dogs might be injured by a coyote they corner and need our quick attention.” These pretexts don’t wash, in my opinion. What the hunters are effectively saying is, in an entitlement sort of way, our right to hunt coyotes wherever we please supersedes the rights of landowners.

There may be situations in which a coyote becomes a particular problem and elimination is justified. I get that. But hunts should be undertaken responsibly. That means in consultation with appropriate MNR officials and with the prior and express permission of landowners whose property may need to be accessed.

Landowners have a responsibility, too. If they are opposed to hunting on their property, they should make sure all perimeters are signed appropriately.

As a kid I enjoyed watching the Road Runner outwit Wile E. Coyote. As an adult I’m on the side of the landowners whose rights coyote hunters in particular should be aware of and respect.

Gary W. Kenny is a Grey County resident and farm owner.