Friday, August 19, 2011

Coyotes causing deer draught?

Today in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, outdoor-writer and author David Willette talks about his new book "Coyote Wars: A Deer Hunter's Guide to Hunting Coyotes." Willette's thrust? The need for a coyote cull in northwestern Mass. to get the local deer population back to where hunters want it.

From T&G writer Mark Blazis:

"Willette knows coyotes have a role in our ecosystem, but he feels their "saturated" populations are largely responsible for a drastic reduction in our deer herd and less than satisfactory deer hunting. He goes far to convince us that coyote hunting is a great and challenging sport that not enough of us dedicate ourselves to."

In fact, says Willette, you can even eat the wily guys: "Coyotes meat is pale, fine, and has the texture of veal," he [Willette] says. "It does need some help to taste good, though.'"

Got that?

Willette's assumptions about the coyote's role in reduced deer numbers is later (fairly persuasively) debunked---from a local-biology-perspective, that is---but the author, Blazis does go on to describe Willette's recent book so:

"Willette's book is undeniably very instructive and a notable accomplishment... With a little help, we can all be coyote hunters."

So, what say you? Coyote parmesan, my place, 7?

Here's the whole article.