SES50
Well-Known Member
So, I am probably going to get a bunch of **** for this and probably someone will say it is because I live in California, but I enjoy seeing predators when I am out hunting. I have run across a number of mountain lions and a lot of coyotes over my life time of hunting. I have been within 20 feet of a coyote that did not even know I was there. I watched him for 10 minutes while he checked out ground squirrels that he was going down to hunt for the evening while I was deer hunting over the same canyon he was hunting in. I figured the best that could happen is he would possibly kick up a deer that was in the brush down in the canyon. I thought that experience was pretty cool.
I have no issue with people shooting mountain lions or wolves when getting tags for them but I also think that predators play an important role in the eco-system. Most of the time the predator (mountian lions, wolves and coyotes) keep the rodents and other small critters in check and do take the weaker larger animals. Before the white man showed up in North America there were huge herds of animals and lots of predators. It seems to me that we are harder on animal populations than predators are. Predators will self regulate where people tend not to. I hear other hunters in the area complain about seeing mountain lions and blame them for wiping out the deer population. I have always filled my tags even when there is a bunch of mountain lion sightings in the same area I am hunting in.
Lastly, with all the pictures that I enjoy looking at on this sight I am surprised at the major negativity to seeing predators. I do not always think that just because you see predators while out that they need to be dropped and that if you do not take care of that predator it is going to ruin your hunting season. I especially do not think it is worth the possible fines and loosing my hunting rights if you were to get caught. Never know who is watching. Now if we were a bunch of ranchers trying to make a living raising sheep I may see your point that predators are going to destroy your life. Probably all of the other hunters going out and hunting in the same area as you have a bigger detriment to your hunting than the predators do.
Just my 2 cents.
Sherman
I have no issue with people shooting mountain lions or wolves when getting tags for them but I also think that predators play an important role in the eco-system. Most of the time the predator (mountian lions, wolves and coyotes) keep the rodents and other small critters in check and do take the weaker larger animals. Before the white man showed up in North America there were huge herds of animals and lots of predators. It seems to me that we are harder on animal populations than predators are. Predators will self regulate where people tend not to. I hear other hunters in the area complain about seeing mountain lions and blame them for wiping out the deer population. I have always filled my tags even when there is a bunch of mountain lion sightings in the same area I am hunting in.
Lastly, with all the pictures that I enjoy looking at on this sight I am surprised at the major negativity to seeing predators. I do not always think that just because you see predators while out that they need to be dropped and that if you do not take care of that predator it is going to ruin your hunting season. I especially do not think it is worth the possible fines and loosing my hunting rights if you were to get caught. Never know who is watching. Now if we were a bunch of ranchers trying to make a living raising sheep I may see your point that predators are going to destroy your life. Probably all of the other hunters going out and hunting in the same area as you have a bigger detriment to your hunting than the predators do.
Just my 2 cents.
Sherman