This commentary is by Lisa Winkler, a resident of Middlebury.
I’ve been following the painfully (figuratively and literally) laborious process the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has been rolling out to amend or install Act 159 and Act 165 laws covering trapping and hunting coyotes with dogs.
Once again, state officials have allowed the public to respond, and although many of us have done this in the past to no avail, I felt compelled once again to write to the board. (The following was submitted to the department on May 22, 2023. People have until June 30 to write to ANR.FWPublicComment@vermont.gov.
Have you ever had your dog caught by a leghold trap? I have, and the ensuing pain and panic will never be forgotten. Luckily, it was an old, rusty trap left illegally by some thoughtless “sport” and did not cause any physical damage. The mental and emotional damages were harder to quantify.
And I know, though mental and emotional harm are not weighed by the state Fish and Wildlife Board, they have as much effect as physical harm.
Why is trapping considered a sport and whose rights are infringed upon by banning such a “sport”? Surely, the sports who leave traps to rust are not going to abide by stricter rules or limits. They will do what they have always done. And that is why trapping must be banned.
Regulating a fringe group has proven impossible and even detrimental to intended results time and time again. Banning will be difficult to enforce, but it’s the only solution to an unseen but horrendously hurtful “sport.”
Dogs chasing coyotes through the woods and fields is as barbaric as trapping and much more harmful to both the prey and the pursuer.
Have you ever listened to a group of coyotes gathering for their night hunting? It’s an incredible vocalization that transmits multiple messages and nuances. It is a beautiful chorus of the wild that is disappearing right before our eyes.
Neither our domestic dogs nor their wild cousins the coyote need the stress, danger, or brutal and uneven chase that gives people a thrill while giving the animals dangerously high levels of adrenaline and cortisol, which have lasting effects on their fight-or-flight abilities. The meat is not eaten; the pelts are worth far less than the cost of the chase.
Again, is this a “sport”? Both dogs and coyotes deserve our protection from this cruel pastime.
The definition of sport as found in Merriam-Webster is as follows:
a: to amuse oneself : FROLIC
lambs sporting in the meadow
b: to engage in a sport
and
1a: a source of diversion
b: physical activity engaged in for pleasure
c: a particular activity (such as an athletic game) so engaged in
SPORTSMAN
a person considered with respect to living up to the ideals of
a good sport
a poor sport
a companionable person
Are we amending and upholding two antiquated laws for the amusement of poor sports? Or to provide some diversion to poor sports? On the most simplistic level, these practices are hardly sporting as defined.
I hope the board of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department reconsiders its stance, which is in the minority, and bans both trapping and hunting coyotes with dogs as soon as possible.