Perry Coyotes

It’s time to reduce the number of coyotes in the midstate, so says a Perry County hunting club:

A Newport hunting club says the number of coyotes roaming through the midstate is at an all-time high, potentially even taking a toll on the deer population.

Members hope a coyote hunt later this month will help thin the coyote ranks.
The Pennsylvania State Hunters’ Organization is hosting the event from Feb. 23 to 26 at its Newport grounds. Hunters can either hunt on the grounds or elsewhere in the state. The minimum purse is $500.

I wonder why they aren’t combining for the statewide coyote hunt February 17-19, 2006?

Ah, because they want to take advantage of the new rules:

Pennsylvania has always had a liberal policy toward coyote hunting, according to Jerry Feaser, press secretary for the state Game Commission.

Under new regulations that go into effect Feb. 20, hunters will receive additional tools to hunt coyotes, including use of man-made bait, decoys and electronic or mechanical devices to hunt and trap.

So coyote hunters will soon get to cheat, but deer and bear hunters have to do it the old fashioned way.

“They have no natural predators,” he says. “The only thing that’s going to kill them is probably a mountain lion.”

Mountain lion? I didn’t think there were any mountain lions in Pennsylvania.

Interested: Contact the Pennsylvania State Hunters’ Organization at (717) 567-3305 from noon to 6 PM Sundays, (717) 444-2211 at other times or e-mail pahuntersorg@yahoo.com.