RutlandHerald.com - We Are Vermont

Coyote hunt is senseless slaughter



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Published: March 16, 2006

This past Friday, March 3, the Fish and Wildlife Department, in testimony before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, committed to begin the process of considering a ban on coyote hunting tournaments (not on coyote hunting). This will be a four- to eight-month process that will include public meetings designed to give all Vermonters a chance to voice their concerns.

Meanwhile, the final coyote hunting tournament of the season, sponsored by the Whiting General Store, was scheduled for this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In all the letters and articles written on this subject during the past year, I have read no valid justification for these hunts: They will have no appreciable effect on the coyote population since the coyotes will just breed more to fill any vacuum created; they will not help the deer herd population since, according to studies done by Vermont's Fish and Wildlife Department, coyotes are not a significant factor in the health of the deer herd, though they do prey on fawns and some adult deer. Banning these hunts would not impact an individual's right to hunt coyotes and would not infringe on one's right to pass on the traditional values of hunting in Vermont. Banning these hunts would have no effect whatsoever on buck pools or fishing derbies.

When you cut through all the rhetoric, what you're left with for reasons to join in these contest hunts is to win some prize money or to have fun killing wildlife for no good reason other than to relieve winter boredom. Killing wildlife for money and killing wildlife for the pure blood lust of killing are not values normally associated with hunting traditions passed down in Vermont from generation to generation. These hunts are the antithesis of the traditional hunting value of "Take only what you need; use what you take." It is no wonder that so many Vermont hunters have condemned these hunts and refused to participate in them. They are not good for the image of hunting in Vermont and are not representative of the respect Vermont hunters have traditionally shown for all wildlife. By any moral or religious standard that I know, these senseless slaughters are immoral and unethical.

JIM HOVERMAN

(President,

Vermonters for Safe Hunting

and Wildlife Diversity)

Middlebury








READER COMMENTS


I have read several of these articles that Jim Hoverman has been quoted in regarding the Coyote Hunts that have been taking place and my conclusions based on my own research the "FACTS" and other information that Mr. Hoverman has presented is very flawed and incorrect.
Jim Hoverman has labeled these hunts as a "Slaughter"..... Now what exactly does this mean? Is Mr. Hoverman saying that there are large numbers of coyotes being killed as a result of these hunts? Is he trying to say that coyotes are herded into a field then surrounded by hunters to be gunned down? What exactly are you trying to say Mr. Hoverman ??
I can tell you that these hunts result in the taking of a very small number of coyotes, in fact they are not really increasing the number of coyotes that are taken during a season. I can also say that the sportsmen and sportswomen that I have come in contact with practice fair chase ethics and also safe hunting methods. When is the last time you heard of someone being shot while coyote hunting?
Jim Hoverman has also said that there are a large number of Vermont sportsmen believe as he does on the issue of these hunts and on how the future of hunting should be in our state. Well I am very active in several outdoor sports organizations in Vermont and have yet to meet one of these sportsman (or women) that even agree on one of Mr. Hoverman's issues. So where are these large numbers of Vermont hunters that are supporting Jim Hoverman and his beliefs?? Based on the facts at hand this number is very small and most probably have never been hunting for anything short of a cup of coffee at break time.
There is another issue that bothers me, how is it possible for Jim Hoverman to say that voting laws into effect to prohibit these coyote hunts will have absolutely no impact on other outdoor sporting events in Vermont? The last that I knew our legal system has grown to what we have today based on a precedence being set. We pay our lawyers big dollars to research relevant cases and judgments to apply to our cases in order to have the outcome go our way.
So based on these and other facts my conclusion (as is with a large number of other Vermont sportsmen) that Jim Hoverman and the organization that he is leading , Vermonters for Safe Hunting & Wildlife Diversity, is bending some and misrepresenting most of the facts to achieve their goals. I can speculate on what exactly these goals are but only these people that are trying to trick us into believing what just isn’t true can answer that question.

Michael Johnston
-- Posted by Michael Johnston on Sat, Mar 18, 2006, 11:12 am EST

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I don't care one way or the other about the coyote contest, but to you Mr. Hoverman and your out of state support(HSUS), I don't want to hear the B.S. your group is pushing on the public about this law not effecting the Fishing Derbies or Buck Pools. I did my own research and made a few phone calls. I found out from the HSUS DIRECTLY that your group and them are trying to form a class to go against "Killing contests" and that this class DOES include "fishing derbies and buck pools". May I quote the nice woman from the HSUS when I called, "..this class would cover such slaughters as crow shoots, coyote contests, bunny dinners, BUCK POOLS.." They also said to get in touch with your group that you could fill me in on the details. So what are they?

Hunters, checkout the HSUS.org if you want to know the truth about this B.S. and their NERO newsletter.

So how can you say that this law won't effect fishing derbies and buck pools and that in another state(NY) where the Fund for Animals(later to merge with the HSUS) tried to out law a crow shoot only to change the wording of the bill to include buck pools and fishing derbies??????? See NY state assembly website senate bill. S.00633

Your group doesn't doesn't fool me. No matter what you call yourself. Vermonters for Safe Hunting and Wildlife Diversity??? Or should I say, Out of state funded Anti-hunting lobbying group in disguise of Vermont traditions.
-- Posted by Jacob Miller on Thu, Mar 16, 2006, 8:21 pm EST

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