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kenna/UFA UFA 0191 Pickseed_AFE.indd File Name: UFA 10191 Pickseed_AFE Project: Pickseed Image Area or Trim: 3.08” x 1.83” Publication: Alberta Farmer Express
11-10-27 10:31 AM
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Trappers and producers can work together to manage coyotes BAD RAP Negative perceptions
of trapping are out of date, as new traps and snaring devices are much more humane BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF | MORNINGSIDE
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Greg McKinnon, a trapper from Blackfalds, demonstrates how to set a coyote foothold trap.
PLUS:
PHOTO: ALEXIS KIENLEN
hen coyotes get out of control, who you going to call? Greg McKinnon recommends a trapper. “Trappers are different than animal control and hunters,” said McKinnon, a trapper from Blackfalds and a member of the Alberta Trappers’ Association. “Trappers study the animal, understand the animal, and use their knowledge of the animal in order to capture it.” Animal problems in the province are increasing as acreages expand and urbanites move into rural areas, he said. “Today, there’s a need for trappers to be on the landscape and we’re dealing with the animals with the best tools and knowledge that we can use.”
Negative perceptions of trapping are out of date, he said, as new traps and snaring devices are much more humane and continually being improved, he said. Traps are so humane now that a neighbour’s dog can be trapped, and released without injury. “When you kill an animal, you should do it as quickly and as effectively as you can,” he said. Coyotes generally hunt mice, gophers and other small animals, and the best strategy is to take out the troublemakers. “You should be focused on the problem animal, not the species in general, because you will not wipe out coyotes,” said McKinnon. Coyote management on a ranch should be done continuously, and the cost part of the annual budget. A wellmaintained fence should be
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