Oklahoma Coyote Control with Highly Trained Decoy Dogs
By Glen Wunderlich
When John Glynn goes hunting, he means business. He and his decoy dogs, Nuts and Scrap, are the primary protectors of 1800 head of cattle in S.E. Oklahoma, which roam freely on his 10,000 acres. So do the coyotes. Lots of them.
John manages his livestock so that his cows give birth at the same time. And, with myriad calves being born simultaneously, the coyotes can smell the “dinner bell”. Most of the time, however, they’re coming for the afterbirth. But, sometimes they’ll tear a newborn calf to shreds before it hits the ground. He’ll lose about 200 calves with some 25 to 30 percent related to predation. And, at a future value of over $1000 per animal, that’s bad business.
And, that’s why he and his two dogs work as a team. Read more
Federal dollars are igniting a new conservation partnership in northeast Michigan. Huron Pines, a nonprofit organization, recently received $171,000 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Joint Venture Habitat Restoration and Protection Program (Joint Venture Program). The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding will be used to plant 2 million jack pine seedlings in Kirtland’s warbler management areas, streamline community outreach programs and offer landowners cost-share opportunities. [Photo on the right: A male Kirtland’s warbler, seen during a recent viewing tour near Grayling, sits perched on a jack pine branch. Photo credit: Gene McGarry, Woodstock, NY] 