RE: Why the Hatred towards Coyotes?
<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Hawks, foxes and wild house cats can be added to the "kill anytime you see one" list (well, maybe not hawks all the time ...)
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Stealthycat,
Wild cats are huge nuisance around here, but NY state has now made it a felony to shoot a cat (most unbelievably stupid law I've ever seen, bar none).
For those who don't think coyotes have an effect on the deer population, I suggest you contact your wildlife department and get their opinion on it. In the east, the yotes are big and more than capable of pulling down deer, especially since they almost always hunt in groups of two or more. I've personally witnessed coyotes chasing deer on several occassions.
A group of my friends and myself, belong to a beagle club and are frequently running our beagles. It's become a major problem with coyotes hearing the packs and then coming in a picking off the beagles in the rear of the pack. Have something like that happen to you and you'll want to kill them too.
Coyotes are a cunning, resourseful creature that is amazing at ability to survive. We could shoot everyone we ever saw and I'm sure they would still prosper.