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According to George Smith, blogger and former executive director for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, the Maine Legislative Appropriations Committee, approved a supplemental spending budget for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) for $350,000, of which $100,000 is supposed to be used for “LD 372, An Act to Reduce Deer Predation”.

On January 24, 2012, in an article comparing efforts by outdoor sportsmen groups from Maine and Utah, I seriously questioned whether or not promises made by Maine’s Governor Paul LePage, during his gubernatorial campaign, was all talk and no action.

If Maine and the governor honestly are committed to the rebuilding of the deer herd to keep a vibrant industry providing jobs and upholding traditions and heritage, the value of investment would be realized and the Governor and Legislature would find the money to kill a lot of coyotes, reduce bear populations, protect wintering habitat, etc.

To continue my expounding on the doubts of Maine’s total commitment to deer hunting as a necessary part of that state’s economy, along with the long and storied heritage that has been a part of what makes Maine great, on March 15, 2012, I exposed MDIFW’s sparce commitment due to it’s lack of a publicly written and easily accessed “mission statement.

In all honesty, how can the people of Maine feel any kind of certainty that MDIFW is committed to managing it’s game population for surplus harvest, if they cannot publicly state that? Not doing so only leads us to believe that is NOT their goal and as such, why throw away tax dollars for MDIFW’s wildlife hobbies?

On March 28, 2012, I wrote an article in which I questioned whether Maine was “all in” when it comes to this commitment to rebuild a deer herd. I asked many questions.

So, where is Maine’s commitment? What has IFW done? Are there studies that could be done with a commitment of money? Who is finding that money? What has the governor done? When was the last time that senators Snowe and Collins got involved in Maine’s commitment to restore the deer herd? If Sen. Reid can find millions of dollars, can we assume that Snowe and/or Collins could as well? Have all Maine’s hunters and trappers and outdoor sportsman’s groups anted up?

If the commitment is lacking, then perhaps there is also lacking a firm belief in the seriousness of the problem. Or, the belief exists but a poor job of selling and recruiting all influential people stands in the way.

On May 1, 2012, I wrote:

I am assuming, which might be a mistake, that before the Governor and MDIFW made a public announcement of their commitment to rebuild Maine’s deer herd, they crunched some numbers and explored all aspects of the hunting industry in order to decide whether or not declaring “all in” was an investment that was responsible and in the best interest of the people of Maine.

Surprising many, the Maine Appropriations Committee has coughed up $138,000 on two programs to be used to directly or indirectly help the deer herd. It’s now up to the Governor to sign these bills. Will he?

If Gov. LePage signs these bills, it will be far from “all in” but it would be far more encouraging than the crickets we were hearing prior to this and no positive words that any money would be available.

I suggest sportsmen get on the phone and email and let the governor’s office know you urge him to sign these bills.

Tom Remington

This is perhaps the best video I have ever seen that accurately and understandably explains what Agenda 21 is, that it is real, how it works, why it works and what it is doing to you and me.

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Our trip this past weekend was one that was long over-due.  We headed down to Keaton Beach on Thursday night and we immediately unloaded the boat in the public ramp.  We didn’t get out of the channel until after sunrise, and since it had been a few years since our last visit, we basically had to start all over in searching for trout.  We tried a few different spots north of Keaton and then went south to try our luck there.  The weather was beautiful but the water was a little too calm.  Friday came to an end with a total of 10 keeper Trout and a couple of Black Sea Bass.  We did catch a few smaller ones including a couple of saltwater Catfish.  After dinner and showers, we got everything ready so we could be the first ones out before sunrise the next morning.

There were several crab boats coming in as we headed out the next morning.  We decided to head north again and try a couple of spots where we were before.  The temperature was cooler and it was overcast.  The wind and tide was in our favor as well, making the waters choppy!  My husband caught a few Pinfish for us to use as live bait, so between those and the Berkley Gulp shrimp, we had 5 keeper trout in the boat before 9:00am.  There is definitely a distinct difference in catching trout on live bait verses soft baits.  They put up a real good fight with the live bait!  And that’s exactly what got us hooked several years ago!  After drifting a few times, we changed locations and went right back to one of the spots we fished the day before.  There were several boats in the area so we gave it a shot.  The sun started coming out about noon and the bites began to slow down.  We decided to go back in for lunch and a quick nap.

Our afternoon on the water was a little more interesting as far catching slightly different fish.  I caught a Bluefish and I’m surprised his sharp teeth didn’t cut the line before I got him in the boat!  My husband finally caught a couple of decent size trout. He caught an 18” trout and later he caught a 19” trout.  I hooked into a Lady fish and she put up a good fight!  It was FUN reeling her in!  My rod tip was curled over and she was trying everything to go around and under the boat, but we finally got her in the net and in the boat!  We didn’t keep her, but she was fun to catch and reel in!! Kent and May caught a couple of sharks and even hooked a Remora fish.

The bait we used was 4” Berkley Gulp shrimp under Cajun Thunder popping corks.  The shrimp colors that worked the best for us were Pearl White and Natural. My husband even caught a couple by fishing the bottom with his bait-caster.  But the Pin fish bait gave a better fight once the hook was set!

All in all, we had a great time on the water and most importantly we remained safe.  We will definitely be going back soon in hopes of catching those big ‘o shakey-heads!!!

Even though predator lovers and protectors hate to admit that coyote attacks on humans do happen, their worn out claim that it is rare, is now quite worthless dogma. According to WCVB in Boston, coyote attacks on people, pets and livestock are becoming quite common. In addition, these wily varmints are showing up in large urban locations like the one that was seen running through the Ted Williams Tunnel in Boston.

What isn’t being honestly addressed are the real reasons why this is happening. An official reported in this article that Massachusetts has an estimated population of coyotes at around 10,000. My years of experience in this sort of “estimating” tells me that more than likely there are at least double that number and the annual growth rate sometimes approaches 30%.

So long as states’ fish and game departments, many of which have been hijacked by environmentalist organizations, and the organizations themselves, insist on predator protection, this problem will only become exacerbated.

While the linked-to article provides some useful information, I would like to take a moment to expound on something the wildlife official said about coyotes becoming “confused” about their prey.

Coyotes are very territorial, especially in late winter months. Dogs, and in rare cases small children, can be confused as competition or prey.

There is a certain degree of truth to this statement but falls short in telling the whole story. Dr. Valerius Geist, professor emeritus at the University of Alberta and world recognized wildlife expert, has studied and written extensively about wolves and coyotes. He presents his seven stages in which these wild canines can become a danger to humans. Please take the time to read that information found here.

The Massachusetts’ professional at the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, was correct when she said that coyotes, like wolves, are “opportunistic and omnivorous so they will eat whatever is easiest and most abundant”. When prey and/or food supplies are adequate and/or abundant, then there is more truth in the statement that coyotes, being territorial, might become confused and attack a pet dog or a small child. But that is not the only time this happens. Consider the story at hand. The coyote attacked the man walking the dog, not the dog. If the coyote was territorial, thinking the dog was another coyote nosing into to the wrong territory, why did the animal attack the man. The truth is we may not know for sure. But let’s not hide behind what we know as fact.

As Dr. Geist points out, circumstances effect the behavior of wild canines. If Mother Nature really did “balance itself”, and it doesn’t, there would remain only those actual rare events, but in Massachusetts anyway, they are no longer all that rare. So, we must ask why.

With predator protection, the coyotes will continue to grow and expand. All things relative, they would grow until they eat up all their food sources or die of disease or both. Coyotes running out of food isn’t going to just make them go away. If you were that hungry, what would you do.

Through overpopulation, due to protection, coyotes are forced into places they shouldn’t be; like your backyard and in the Ted Williams Tunnel. Too many coyotes and not enough “natural” food and/or garbage, will alter the circumstances on the ground that forces the animals to change what we like to refer to as normal coyote behavior.

This brings us back to Dr. Geist’s seven steps. At this point, hungry coyotes go where they can find food. There are more and more coyote sightings and more encounters with humans. That is what Massachusetts is seeing now. Coyotes come into your yard and study it. They see you and your pets. They discover how to attack. They kill your pets and livestock. If conditions are right, they attack people, usually children first.

The utmost important bit of information that Dr. Geist provides, that pertains to these news events, is the following:

6) Wolves turn their attention to people and approach them closely, initially merely examining them closely for several minutes on end. This is a switch from establishing territory to targeting people as prey. The wolves may make hesitant, almost playful attacks biting and tearing clothing, nipping at limbs and torso. They withdraw when confronted. They defend kills by moving toward people and growling and barking at them from 10 – 20 paces away.

7) Wolves attack people. These initial attacks are clumsy, as the wolves have not yet learned how to take down the new prey efficiently. Persons attacked can often escape because of the clumsiness of the attacks.

Isn’t this what is taking place in Massachusetts? The little 9-year-old girl said she thought the coyote was a dog and put her hand out. The coyote bit her. If the coyote was in full attack mode, I doubt the animal would have approached the young girl in such a manner that the girl thought “it was a dog”. I would be willing to wager the coyote had been studying this situation for some time, perhaps for days.

The coyote was testing his potential prey by “examining them closely for several minutes on end”, finally approaching the girl and biting in order to catch a response. This is all part of learning to attack an unfamiliar potential food source.

From the information provided and the expertise of people like Dr. Geist, it is reasonable to conclude that Massachusetts probably has too many coyotes, at least in some specific regions. Too many coyotes has probably already led to a reduction of prey and food sources, forcing the coyotes to begin looking at alternative prey, i.e. pets and people.

Coyotes belong in the wilderness not in our backyards. Protecting these creatures, believing that man and coyote can coexist in close proximity, is unrealistic and ignorant.

Tom Remington

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