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[SomethingNew]

3. Counterpoint:

Last edited Sat Jan 26, 2019, 05:07 PM - Edit history (1)

For context, I grew up in the west in a ranching family.

Coyotes, in many states, are so far from endangered that worrying about their population from hunts like these is, frankly, absurd. They are designated pests, meaning you can shoot them without a license and without a limit, because of their huge and bothersome population. They kill livestock. They kill pets. They kill working dogs. They are a threat to the livelihood of many in these areas. I saw one study that said coyotes kill over 10,000 sheep and lambs in MT every year. That's about a quarter of the total loss and represents a serious threat to the people raising those sheep for a living.

On top of that, the killing is swift and not cruel and the numbers taken are so miniscule that it has no impact on the population. Montana Fish and Wildlife has said there is no concern at all that hunting will cause a population decline in coyotes. In fact, government agencies and trappers kill more coyotes every year than hunters do.

As to the foxes, I don't know much about that but I'd assume it's a very similar story. For the person above concerned about endangered foxes: I think it is safe to assume, and actually pretty obvious, that the species being targeted in these hunts are far from endangered.

Why are you trying to silence debate by deleting threads when someone disagrees with you?