There is a bill in committee (HB 442) that aims to prohibit Coyote hunting in New Hampshire between April and August each year. The reasoning is that it coincides with pup-rearing, and pups reared without parents can become problematic creatures.
- First, let it be stated that Coyote is an invasive species, meaning they are not native to New Hampshire
- Second, Coyote pups are typically born in May, so it is unclear why the entire month of April is included in this
- Third, about 9% of Coyote DNA contains Wolf DNA, meaning they have bred with these fiercely-predatory animals and have the propensity to attack and kill animals larger than just squirrels and mice (as in, your little Shih Tzu, “Muffy”).
According to the NH Fish and Game website, “Coyotes are elusive, adaptive, intelligent animals that manage to hold their own when living in close contact with humans. Most coyote management attempts have been designed to reduce their population numbers, however, due to their fecundity, behavior and adaptability, those attempts have failed.”
Well, it sounds like we should be passing a law to help increase their numbers, right? Give them a fighting chance, right?
Wrong.
In a time when coyote populations are rising everywhere, it isn’t clear why legislators are suddenly concerned about this issue. Instinctively, it feels like they saw a largely unregulated aspect of hunting and came up with a bleeding-hearted excuse to regulate it (someone read an article on The Sierra Club website) – and, to boot, further regulate hunters.
Funny, when you look at how other states are dealing with Coyotes, all you see are programs to reduce their populations (Georgia, South Carolina, Utah, California, New York, Connecticut) which tells us that some in our Legislature are just thinking backward.
But, finally, here is the salient point about why this bill is wrong: we have a state Fish and Game agency. Their paid, professional mandate is to study wildlife and to determine the appropriate season and bag limits for each species, creating an optimum balance with us humans.
When things inevitably change (as a result of development, weather patterns, management results), Fish and Game is free to alter their policies. Case in point: we’ve seen a dramatic rise in wild Turkeys in New Hampshire, so the Spring bag limit was increased to 2 from 1. If that unexpectedly reduces the population, they change it back to offset.
I don’t recall NH Fish and Game making a stink about protecting Coyote pups. Do you?
Passing a law severely restricts the hands of Fish and Game. Their hands are tied if they see a dramatic rise in dangerous Coyote-human interactions as a result of this law, if passed. The only way to reverse it is to pass another bill through the House and Senate, then have the Governor sign it.
This is NOT the job of the NH Legislature. This is why we have a Fish and Game. If anything, Governor Sununu should see this as an attempt by the Legislature to manipulate his executive agency.
Contact the members of this committee, telling them to kill HB442. If not for the silly attempt to increase the Coyote population, then for the attempted end-run around our Fish and Game experts.
Committee website: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/committeedetails.aspx?id=28
Sponsors:
- Representative Ellen Read [D] (primary) ellen4nh@gmail.com 603.292.5376
- Representative Sue Mullen [D] Sue.Mullen@leg.state.nh.us 603.647.0120
- Representative Sherry Frost [D] Sherry.Frost@leg.state.nh.us 978.255.3924
- Representative Ivy Vann [D] Ivy.Vann@leg.state.nh.us 603.533.0357
- Senator Ruth Ward [R] ruthward@myfairpoint.net 603-271-4151
Better yet, show up at the committee Executive Session this Tuesday and let them know how you feel, face-to-face:
Executive Session: 02/05/2019 01:00 pm Legislative Office Building 206-208
UPDATE 2/5/2019: The Fish and Game and Marine Resources committee held an executive session today and voted to ITL this bill, 14-6. “ITL” stands for “Inexpedient to Legislate”, which is the committee’s recommendation to kill the bill when it goes to the House floor. In NH, every bill, regardless of the committee’s recommendation, must go to the House floor for a vote. While it can still pass then, the ITL recommendation makes that not very likely, as most Representatives follow the recommendation. The sponsor, Rep. Ellen Read [D] appears to be a rabid anti-hunter and anti-Fish and Game legislator. She had a somewhat-hostile temperament in today’s session.