SOCIAL CIRCLE, GA (Feb. 17, 2017) – In order to encourage the taking of coyotes from March to August, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division is introducing the Georgia Coyote Challenge. Each coyote killed, up to five (5) a month per hunter/trapper, will earn an entry into a monthly drawing for a lifetime license (or equal credit for purchase of hunting/fishing licenses).
“Currently, scientific research suggests that removal of coyotes during the spring and summer is the most advantageous time to reduce the impact of predation on native wildlife,” says Georgia DNR Commissioner Mark Williams. “We want to encourage coyote removal efforts during this critical period.”
The coyote (Canis latrans) is a non-native predator that can be found in every county in Georgia and has the unique ability to live in a variety of habitats. Trapping and/or hunting are legal and recommended methods for managing coyotes. Because they did not historically live in Georgia, there is no closed season for their harvest.
How do you participate in the Georgia Coyote Challenge?
o Game Management Region offices
o Riverbend WMA office
o Waycross Fisheries Management office
o Demeries Creek Fisheries Management office
o Richmond Hill Fish Hatchery office
The sponsor of the first lifetime license (or equal credit for purchase of hunting/fishing licenses) giveaway is the Georgia Hunting and Fishing Federation (www.gh-ff.org).
For more information, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/hunting/resources/CoyoteChallenge.
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When I first saw this, I thought it was parody. A related Channel 2 News story started stated, "This is being done to protect the wildlife." New flash. Coyotes are wildlife. I don't buy the lame argument that they don't belong and are 'non-native'. They are North American natives and are naturally filling a role left empty when we also wrongly removed cougars and wolves from the landscape. It has long been known that predators do not control prey populations, it is the other way around. Ecosystems are always more stable and healthy when predators are present. Yes, coyotes take wildlife, but that is the point. They are an integral component of a balanced system that can also include human hunters. I myself lost two domestic cats to likely coyote predation, but that doesn't mean I am going to lose my perspective on the big picture. Perhaps this is an attempt to draw some balance into play, but I fear it may be based more on upward flowing public hysteria based on ignorance moving up to politicians and on to the GDNR rather than sound research flowing down to sound management practices. It could also be an academic culture clinging to outdated ideas rather than updated ecological principles. Evidently, progress in wildlife science sometimes moves slowly. Let's hope we eventually get this one right, or we and wildlife will suffer.