Recently there have been a number of articles in local newspapers here in Southwest Louisiana relating how ominously dangerous the burgeoning coyote population has become in the parishes of Calcasieu, Jeff Davis and Beauregard. The terrain for the most part, is remarkably like the rolling pine clad hills around my old stomping grounds where I was reared in LaSalle Parish, a coyote haven.

\par }{\plain Before I left Central Louisiana to relocate in Sulphur, I had had several discussions with bird and deer hunters, Louisiana WIldlife and Fisheries Predator Eradication Specialists, and those who spend a lot of time in the great outdoors in forestry-related jobs, concerning dwindling wildlife populations and the possible threats to wildlife.

One subject that repeatedly came up was how much of a threat coyotes (Canis latrans) were to wildlife like quail, turkeys and whitetail deer fawns. Not only did they declare in unison that they were taking a considerable toll on the above-mentioned wildlife, but a new breed of predator that is reproducing like rats or nutria is the bobcat (Lynx rufus). But even though they're coming on strong population-wise, they can't hold a candle to 'Wile.Y Coyote'.

It's also surprising how an endangered species known as the black bear is rapidly populating, especially in the low-lying sump areas of the eastern portion of the state, and they prey on wildlife also!

It's not a question of whether urban sprawl is encroaching upon the coyote, but rather, is he encroaching upon us? The truth is that as human settlement continues to spread out, we are inadvertently altering the environment where many wildlife species live. So it becomes a mandatory rule - adapt, or die out, but the coyote chose to live on, and are achieving it with great finesse. Their range was formerly the southwestern U.S. but as early as the 1940s they began invading Louisiana with a vengeance. They will subsist on prey like rodents, rabbits, wild turkeys, insects, house pets (dogs and cats); split-hoofed animals like deer fawns, baby calves and weakened cattle.

In researching this feature I read an excellent article by Tommy Kirkland in a Louisiana-oriented periodical, and according to my own sources the scenario he painted is repeated time after time, season after season, in the wilds of Louisiana.

"Very stealthily, a lone coyote moves through a copse of woods, its nose to the ground; he periodically halts his sniffing to raise his head and gaze intently at the surroundings. A female deer has suddenly materialized nearby. The new mother is highly alert and somewhat frantic as the coyote draws ever nearer to her fawn cuddled at her feet. Surprisingly, she starts toward the coyote and this causes him to halt; then they begin to dart in erratic, circular maneuvers. Un-expectantly the deer suddenly jumps at the now rattled coyote, and then snorts loudly and stomps her left front hoof. This action begins a staring contest for perhaps 15 seconds, swiftly the doe sidekicks at the coyote, which deftly jumps out of the way. After several more charges and loud snorts by the deer the coyote retreats to hunt another day, and the doe's fawn survives a predator one more time".

A biological study conducted in a neighboring state determined that coyotes and bobcats account for 23% of fawn mortality, thus it's no wonder the deer hunter has concluded in the last few years that whitetail deer are becoming more elusive, and why deer sightings are down. Plus "deer-dogging" which made trophy bucks evacuate their thickets, for all practical purposes, has become a time-honored custom of the past.

For over 75 years predator eradicators have been trying with little success to rid different model areas of coyotes and have come to the conclusion that at least 70% of the coyote populations has to be wiped out, by whatever means, for at least five generation to achieve any meaningful results, but first they have to overcome the fact that a pair of coyotes will birth six surplus pups per year, and if left unchecked will repopulate an area almost overnight.

The best solution to conflicts with coyotes in populated areas is to prevent problematic behavior and coyote attractions before they begin.

1) Small pets themselves are potential prey and food sources, but food left outdoors is also a powerful draw.

2) Garbage, fruits, and seeds from trees, vines and gardens provide food for coyotes also.

3) Use lights, air horns, noise and generally harass them every time you get a chance, but once they start acting boldly around humans hardly anything will stop them short of a 30.06.

4) Work with local governments and governmental agencies to form a plan of action before the canine carnivores inundate you.

5) Use public education resources to inform the public about this hungry pest, but also let them know that resources to control them are limited. It's easier to change human behavior than it is a coyote's rascally traits.

6) Lastly, realize the coyote is here to stay.

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