13) The Coyote Bounty

I am currently taking a Plant and Wildlife class, and one of the major assignments we had was to research a natural resource controversy.  I decided to write about the coyote bounty being offered in Utah.  There were two bills passed in 2012 that created the programs that offer $50 rewards to Utah residents for killing coyotes. The Predator Control Funding Bill and the Mule Deer Protection Act were passed with the intention of increasing Mule Deer populations in Utah by decreasing the amount of predators through offering $50 for every killed coyote.  I learned through research on this topic that there is an ongoing controversy over this effort.

The argument in support of the Mule Deer Protection Act is that coyotes mainly prey on newly born Mule Deer, and if populations of coyotes are decreased, future mule deer populations will increase.  Supporters of the act also argue that it is important for mule deer populations to remain steady for the hunting season because a large proportion of Utah's economy is made up of hunting registration fees.

The argument against offering a bounty on coyotes is that eliminating coyotes will not increase mule deer populations because coyotes killed may not be in areas where deer herds live.  Another argument is that dishonesty can occur. All the proof that is needed to receive the $50 reward is to provide the lower jaw and scalp of the coyote.  Hunters could be bringing in coyotes from out of state that may have been rewarded for in Nevada or other states that offer bounties.  In addition, history has shown that it is nearly impossible to eliminate coyote populations.  When other programs like this have tried to kill off coyotes, coyotes have easily maintained their population size.  Coyotes adapt and are able to have more pups in a litter, as well as changing their behaviors to avoid hunters.  These coyote bounties may just be creating more resilient coyotes.

If I were left to make the decision on this controversy, I do not think I would offer the $50 bounty on coyotes because I do not think it will help mule deer populations.  I would probably search for other ways to help the mule deer populations.