SMOKY LAKE, Alta. – Graham Smith doesn’t mind coyotes when they keep their distance.
But a few days ago four coyotes walked right past his house.
“They’re getting pretty brassy,” said Smith, a Smoky Lake, Alta., farmer who attended a coyote seminar put on by the County of Smoky Lake. He and 23 other farmers want to learn how to control coyotes.
The coyotes aren’t harassing Smith’s livestock yet, but he wants to be prepared. The problem is, he hasn’t fired his gun in years and isn’t sure of the rules on coyote hunting. He needed a refresher course.
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“I haven’t shot for a lot of years. I felt it was a good opportunity to get things lined up again,” said Smith during the day-long seminar.
John Bourne, vertebrate pest specialist with Alberta Agriculture in Vermilion, said Smith’s position isn’t unusual.
“Most farmers really need this training to get their firearms sighted in. Most of them are way off,” said Bourne, who spent the afternoon at the gun range in Smoky Lake helping farmers develop their shooting skills and sight their guns.
Lawrence Klutz, predator specialist with Alberta Agriculture in St. Paul, said learning about coyote habits and resighting their guns gives farmers the confidence they need to deal with coyotes if the animals harass their livestock.
Big problem
Roy Krekoski said he has a “tremendous” coyote problem on his St. Paul farm. The coyotes have no fear of his dogs and come into the yard at night to steal dog food right off the porch.
Krekoski blames coyotes for the loss of about 100 piglets from his farm several years ago.
Until then, “I never realized the gravity of the situation,” said Krekoski. “I don’t really have no use for guns. I don’t hunt. I haven’t had a game licence in 30 years, but it’s a tool I need for farming.”
Bill Sadoway of Warspite is in the same situation. His guns have sat unused for years but he used the chance to have his gun sighted and get a refresher on gun laws.
“I’m not really into killing. For me the coyotes are kind of a friend. They look after the mice population.”
At the end of the target practice session Marilee Sklerek of Vilna, Alta., looked at her paper target and was pleased with her aim. Three bullet holes were just centimetres from the bullseye.
“If that was a deer, we’d be having kubasa.”
