This commentary is by Rick Cowan of Rockingham. He is a member of Protect Our Wildlife Vermont.
The Thanksgiving shooting of a beloved pet dog in Dummerston illuminates one of the paradoxes of our otherwise progressive state: Despite widespread citizen opposition, our wildlife laws are the most retrograde in the region.
Sadie, a black lab mix, belonged to Jared and Amy Stewart, who were visiting their parents and grandparents. The pet was lured to her death by a bait pile of deer meat intentionally dropped by neighbor John J. Wehner in his backyard. This practice, known as baiting, is kind of like opening a McDonald’s for coyotes and then killing those who come to eat there.’
As reported by Bob Audette of the Brattleboro Reformer, Wehner shot the dog twice from the window of his home. Although he has no livestock to protect, Wehner has proudly stated that he has baited and killed more than 100 coyotes and an unknown number of bobcats in the past 20 years. Kelly Price, the game warden who investigated the incident, admitted that Wehner’s grim hobby of killing baited coyotes from the comfort of his home is perfectly legal.
Want to shoot a mother bear with her cubs in tow? Go right ahead. How about pursuing a terrified bear across private lands with your pack of radio-collared hounds and then shooting it out of the tree where the exhausted animal seeks refuge? No problem, according to Department of Fish & Wildlife rules.
You’re free to leave a bobcat or fox in a leg hold trap suffering excruciating pain, blood loss, thirst and hunger for 23 hours. There are many documented cases of animals chewing their own legs off to escape. But the majority are shot or clubbed to death by trappers to save the cost of a bullet. “Dispatched” is the word Fish & Wildlife regulations use to describe this last step.
Of course, trappers who snare trap and kill “non-target species” such as great blue herons face no consequences as it’s written off as “incidental take” by Fish & Wildlife. Videos depicting these horrors are easy to find on YouTube, most posted as digital trophies by the hounders, baiters and trappers themselves.
To its credit, Vermont’s Legislature finally responded to citizens disgusted by such practices by passing Act 159 last year. But Fish & Wildlife Agency’s leadership was not to be thwarted. In open defiance of Act 159 and the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules notification, Commissioner Chris Herrick issued hounding licenses in January.
The Vermont tradition of deer hunting is a valued and important part of our rural heritage. Starving and destructive herds in states to the south of us illustrate the need to control populations. Forest health is compromised by overbrowsing of tree seedlings. Even Brenna Galdenzi, founder and director of Protect Our Wildlife Vermont, acknowledges the importance of deer hunting. So the question before us is not whether we will ban hunting but rather how we can reach a common understanding of what sport hunting is and is not.
While the state’s wildlife theoretically belongs to all 646,000 residents, the 91% of Vermonters who don’t hunt, hound or trap have no voice in the management of wild creatures. The resumes of those on the board largely depict hunters, trappers, hounders and fishermen.
Why not include someone who sees the intrinsic value of moose, foxes, coyotes, wolves and bears as living creatures rather than game in the 14-member board of the Fish & Wildlife board? An opaque nomination process and a governor supportive of trapping and hounding ensure that any prospective member who doesn’t view wildlife as a “resource” to be “harvested” never gets near the boardroom.
In the current instance, Fish & Wildlife may have finally pushed the Legislature too far. In November 2023, the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules warned the department and board that their proposed rules did not meet legislative intent and provided multiple opportunities for the department and board to amend the rule. In early January, both entities ignored the warnings and lifted the moratorium on coyote hounding that was imposed through Act 165 by accepting applications
Since state agencies are bound to implement laws passed by the Legislature, a Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules notification objection on file with the secretary of state is a rare occurrence in Vermont. Fish & Wildlife’s refusal to comply with the provisions of Acts 159 and 165 seems to confirm what some critics see as the agency’s arrogance. On Jan. 17, the three animal welfare organizations — Protect Our Wildlife, Vermont Wildlife Coalition, and the Center for Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action — took the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and Board to court over their illegal new rules for trapping and coyote hounding.
In an ideal world, this suit would end Fish & Wildlife’s long tradition of aggressively stonewalling those who seek even modest changes to hunting and trapping laws. No progress can be made without respectful communication leading to compromise. The best place for that to happen would be in the Fish & Wildlife boardroom rather than a courtroom.
But until the department is willing to consider more humane ways of managing the wildlife we share and respect all Vermonters as stakeholders, the lawsuit must proceed.
