Misinformation and purposefully biased testimony on display from antihunting activist groups
The following legislative testimony concerns S.258, which would prohibit hunting coyotes with dogs and bait, and also remove rule-making authority from the Fish & Wildlife Board. The bill passed the Senate with many changes and much resistance and is now in the House Environment and Energy Committee, where this testimony was submitted.
by Chris Burke
I am writing to voice my concerns with some particular testimony that the committee on environment and energy heard in favor of Bill S. 258 on Friday April 19. He boasts about his work “monitoring” coyote hunters in Vermont. On February 10th, 2024, he encountered a hunter in Sutton Vermont, that hunter happened to be myself and his recollection of this incident varies from what really happened as I barely looked at him while he filmed a fraction of my hunt. His opinionated narrative of this encounter shows his willingness to spread misinformation to pass this bill.
The morning of February 10 began as an average day of hunting. I happened to have a friend with me this day. We both rode in my vehicle to a farm where the owner encourages hunting coyotes with the aid of dogs. This farmland borders a large parcel of state land. There is roughly 950 acres between state and private land in this area that the owners have encouraged hunting coyotes on. When we arrived at the dairy farm, I unloaded two of the three dogs I had with me and walked them down an old road on the property in search of a coyote track. About 300 yards below the farm, we found a track and both dogs began to trail it. Scent conditions on this day were far from optimal and after attempting to follow the scent for about 200 yards my younger dog turned around and followed his back track to me. Meanwhile my ten-year-old dog continued to follow the faint scent trail.
I decided to load the dog back in the truck and drive to the other side of this block of the woods. I parked at the state land access point and walked in about 100 yards and my dog was still trailing this track so told my friend to let my other two dogs out of the truck. These dogs made their way towards me and as they ran across the coyote scent both began to follow their nose. To someone who does not understand hunting with dogs this may seem mundane but to watch my young dog find the scent of the game I have trained him to pursue made me ecstatic. Personally, I think this part of the hunt far exceeds harvesting a coyote.
I made my way back to my truck excited to tell my friend how proud I was of this young dog’s progress. As I began to tell him he interrupted me and said “who’s that” as he pointed at a truck parked with two people standing by it just up the road. As I looked closer, I could see one was aiming a video camera at us. Immediately my feelings of joy and excitement were replaced by anxiety and fear for I knew this was Rod Coronado of Vermont Wildlife Patrol.
I have seen his YouTube videos where he antagonizes hunters in hopes of creating a confrontation. At this point my dogs were still trailing the coyote scent parallel with the road towards where Rod was parked so I was forced to drive around to once again be ahead of my dogs. As I drove by, he had his camera at his side, and I gave him a wave and he gave me a quick one back but just as I passed him, I looked in my mirror and saw him snap his camera up watching as I drove away.
I parked my truck where the coyote crossed the road and two of my dogs were together and continued following the scent trail while the younger dog followed at his own pace. I decided to walk down into the woods to meet this puppy and praise him for what he had done. I led the dog back to my truck on a leash and as I entered the road, I could see the two individuals were still standing by their truck with a camera being pointed in my direction. I opened my tailgate and the puppy jumped into the dog box.
As I began traveling in the direction of the two dogs that I had previously allowed to continue trailing the coyote across the road there was a brief conversation between my friend and I whether to proceed with the hunt or not. I have seen Rod Coronado’s content on YouTube, and I knew that any footage he filmed of my hunt would ultimately end up online with his own narrative written into it. Therefore, I decided to prematurely end my hunt. We drove about 300 yards up the road where I walked about 100 yards down in the woods and waited on the coyote track for my dogs to follow it to me. When they arrived, I spent a minute petting them and telling them they did a good job then leashed them and walked them to the truck where we loaded up and went home.
On my way home I contacted my local game warden and explained my hunt in detail from beginning to end. I knew that this would end up as an exaggerated story on YouTube and I wanted to make sure I let someone know how my hunt went before this happened.
Contrary to his video on YouTube and his testimony to the House Committee on Environment and Energy, I did not use this “bait pile” that he took upon himself to investigate to pursue this coyote. As a matter of fact, it is 1.2 miles from where I initially released my dog on this coyote track to the “bait pile” that Rod insinuates I used. Also, if Rod Coronado were willing to do some minimal investigation, he could have asked the owner of the land that this “bait pile” was on. He would have been informed that this is where he has dumped beef scraps for years from cows that he has raised for food. But this would be counterintuitive to his narrative against hunting coyotes with the aid of dogs. He also mentions that there were multiple hound trucks. There was only my truck with my friend who was riding with me. I guess one truck with only two hunters in it doesn’t make for a very colorful story. The last misleading language he used to describe his footage of my hunt was that my dogs had to be “physically captured.” I simply lead one dog out of the woods on a leash in front of him.
I hope this letter invokes some awareness of the lengths anti-hunting organizations are willing to go to advance their agenda. Individuals and organizations that willfully spread misinformation deserve much scrutiny, but our legislature seems to be taking their word as gospel. The traction Bill S. 258 has gained is absolute proof of this. As a lifelong resident of this great state, I urge all of the Vermont legislature to oppose Bill S. 258.
Editor’s note: Rod Coronado lives in Orange and also submitted testimony on S.258 to the Environment and Energy Committee. His Wikipedia entry says Coronado is a militant animal rights activist who sank two whaling ships in the 80’s. After being imprisoned as a terrorist, he publicly renounced violence and “has been involved in gray wolf conservation” since 2013. His Wikipedia entry reads in part:
Rodney Adam Coronado (born July 3, 1966) is an American animal rights and environmental activist known for his militant direct actions in the late 1980s and 1990s. As part of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, he sank two whaling ships and destroyed Iceland’s sole whale-processing facility in 1986. He led the Animal Liberation Front’s Operation Bite Back campaign against the fur industry and its supporting institutions in the early 1990s, which was involved in multiple firebombings. Following an attack on a Michigan State University mink research center in early 1992, Coronado was jailed for nearly five years. He later admitted to being the sole perpetrator. The 1992 federal Animal Enterprise Protection Act was created in response to his actions. The operation continued with a focus on liberating animals rather than property destruction. Coronado also worked with Earth First.
His activism continued in the 2000s. He was jailed another eight months in 2004 for sabotaging an Arizona mountain lion hunt and was targeted under an anti-terrorism law in 2006 for having recounted details of his Michigan State incendiary device in a public setting. During his active sentence, he renounced violent tactics, influenced by years of imprisonment and his new fatherhood. He served an additional year for the incendiary device charge and an additional four months for a probation violation. Since 2013, Coronado has been involved in gray wolf conservation in the contiguous United States. He founded Wolf Patrol, a nonprofit that monitors treatment of wolves and reports illegal wolf hunting.
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Categories: Commentary, Legislation, Outdoors
I do not hunt coyotes with dogs, but it takes very little investigation to determine that coyotes are just the first step in the antis crusade to abolish hunting with dogs. Here in Vermont they have already made it known that they also want to stop hunting bears with dogs. Can night time coon hunts be far off ? How about rabbit hunting with beagles ? Ruffed Grouse with your favorite Brittany ? These people are anti-hunters, plain and simple and will not be happy until they have turned Vermont into that idyllic world that they think is so much more “natural”, you know, the one where the lions lay down with the lambs, and don’t eat them ?
Why do people have to kill everything every animal is in a chain of food why not let nature take its place. Not killing everything that moves but let the animals have there chain of life. And yes trapping is the cruelest thing ever. No one could change my mind in that.
But as you can see Caroll, those on here who remain too fearful to identify themselves actually call for all domestic cats to be killed – and another again mocks those who believe in treating all God’s creatures humanely.
And with that it ends as we expected: that it is trappers and “sport” hunters who truly loathe animals and all their past blather with respect to their self-importance in “wildlife population control” was, as we already knew, just pure folly.
I am not trying to change anybody’s mind but I would like to say a few things in favor of hunting.
First, we humans are part of the food chain. We are natural hunters. The view that we should “leave wildlife alone” carries the assumption that we somehow live apart from the natural environment we are in. We don’t.
Second, hunting and trapping are a very important part of what makes Vermont the special place it is. The economy of this region (northern NY, Canada, Vermont, NH and Maine) was almost entirely dependent on trapping for centuries. Those who engage in trapping spend enormous amounts of time studying their targeted prey and they are very keen to make sure that the population of these animals remains healthy. To focus on the treatment of an individual animal (which is treated even more cruelly by other animals) risks losing sight of that.
Third, the jibe that anti-hunters are invariably “flat landers” who arrive here from places with little to no wildlife to tell the locals what to do is true. And it’s more than just an insult. Because the most ardent conservationists I have ever met are hunters. They seek to balance human needs with a healthy ecosystem for wildlife. If we remove the hunters then we separate ourselves from the natural systems we are in. The wildlife get forgotten and the needs of humans (more houses, more strip malls, more wind turbines etc) are met at the expense of the wildlife.
It is no coincidence that the most wildlife rich areas of this country are those with active hunter/trapper communities.
And I am not even a hunter.
Caroll Dixon, you say (…trapping is the cruelest thing ever.) But, have you ever seen what, “nature taking its place” looks like. Nature can be extremely cruel.
Much of the “misinformation” the writer describes as such as presented by animal advocates has been documented via means of videotapes, photographs, and personal testimony by veterinarians who witnessed the injury and/or deaths inflicted by traps or by catch dogs upon Vermonter’s pets. Further documentation is oft supported facts as presented by the US F & W, as well as data collected & distributed by organizations such as Nat Geo & affiliated biologists. I’d state that most of the testimonies provided by those sources can, in fact, be taken at their word whilst the number of years spent within the confines of any particular state’s borders, as always, remain irrelevant as per the Freedom of Movement Amendment provided to all American citizens by a document referred to as the US Constitution.
All boards and commissions within this state wherein members are appointed should always be fully transparent, non-partisan, and embody equal representation for all the citizenry – not merely a select or minority body as the current F & W commission is currently composed.
Thank You and good luck next hunt!!! We are engaged in a great spiritual battle for the heart of Traditional Vermont Culture and the self-reliance of land based lifestyles, jobs, families, education and communities that respect individual choice. Our enemies lack integrity and choose lies and deception as weapons of their self-righteousness. Keep the Faith!!
As an avid follower of my Christian faith, I personally possess deep certainty that God, as the creator of all living things mourns whenever His creatures are tormented or tortured in the name of “sport”. He would do so as well but of course whenever His followers’ beloved animal companions are maimed or lose their earthy lives prematurely & under great duress in a trap set for wild “prey”. He also would expect, as Gospel readings offer insight of, that leaders act even-handedly in all matters of governance and not to demonstrate partisanship or preferentiality.
However, most of all, using the Lord’s name in any attempt to assuage how leaders cast their votes in an instance such as this is not altogether different to President Biden’s recent attendance at a pro-abortion rally wherein the supposedly “devout” Catholic blessed himself as he advocated for the “right” to kill the unborn.
now i can assume that all the anti hunting crowd would never be seen buying meat at their local store//////
Or owning a cat. Anyone who professes to “love” our wildlife and those who would ban hunting should first campaign to cull all domestic cats in Vermont. These animals interfere with the ecological balance by hunting species that sit at the bottom of the food chain. They are a menace.
This bill has ZIPPO to do with hunting, though that is the propaganda the folks on here want you to believe. And you bit.
Why not read the bill before commenting on it? S.258: Provides for transparency & well-rounded appointments to the F & W commission & prohibits culling coyotes assisted by catch dogs.
I don’t know anyone in the USA who eats canid meat. Do you?
The majority of Vermont residents (just over 70% – are in favor of these changes)….not that what the majority wants or having impartial & balanced public boards mean anything to this crowd.
Only when an issue that THEY demand change for do they clammer for fairness, impartiality, & democratic processes.
And by the way, though s.258 MAY pass the legislature, it will then predictably be vetoed by Scott. Then, the process will eventually begin all over again. In the interim, those who torture & kill animals for “sport” & because of “tradition” will hoot, holler, taunt, party, disparage others, and they’ll trigger all the players in this yet again & another bill will be introduced. And it will begin again.
Mark my words.
Or wearing leather shoes or belts.
VtRocks: I recommend that you use your ACTUAL name per the rules of this site as opposed to hiding behind anonymity and also draw up a bill as you describe & present it in front of the legislature? You know, put your money & your name out there in order to stand as a man for your principals?
Your comment merely evidences the hatred and animus you & so many fellow “hunters” have for animals. Thanks for that!
Your comment demonstrates the dangers of sharing one’s name on a public comment board. It also exposes you, yet again, for the authoritarian you are.
I did not “call for all domestic cats to be killed” as you claim. I called for some ideological consistency on the part of the anti-hunting crowd. You twist peoples words to suit your rage agenda just as you did here. I have no doubt you would use a person’s identity to destroy them in real life if you could.
You are not conservative. You do not believe in individual liberty. You harass, name call and misrepresent anyone who disagrees with you.
Dog Whistle time! (Again).
‘Xactly. I’ll make certain this is all disseminated appropriately. Not to worry.
When I look at people who are climate or environmental activists, they tend not to see the forest through the trees. The whale hunts replaced with windmills erected in the whale’s living room and migrating bird paths. Chemtrails sprayed into the sky to filter down into wildlife habitats and food sources. PCB’s in our water and theirs. Solar panels shedding toxins into the soil (the materials on those panels are not organic or natural) and destroying wildlife’s once pristine habitats. All the frequencies blaring out from towers for their cellphones radiating every living thing crossing through it’s path and into their cells – aka slow frying and cell destruction from the inside out.
While squabbling, huffing and puffing over one issue, the big issues that effect all living things is ignored – all by design – and it works for the corporation. Carry on!
You present accurate analysis. I myself am vegetarian. I admire vegans. However, I own leather shoes, coats, etc. There are paradoxes. History is woven of paradoxes.
S.258 is NOT an “anti-hunting” bill though it is being promulgated as such through the propagandized rhetoric on VDC by those who falsely believe that only those who trap & hunt/kill coyotes with catch dogs should be placed on decision-making public boards which affect the natural resources & outdoor areas ALL Vermonters utilize.
S.258 only pertains to outlawing the use of catch dogs to track down, harass, torment & then kill coyotes & to give all Vermonters the opportunity to participate on a fair & impartial wildlife board which PROPERLY reflects the population of Vermont as a whole – especially since the vast majority of Vermonters do not trap or “hunt” coyotes.
To demonstrate why this bill was introduced: The VT Department of F & W polled a random segment of the VT population and discovered that nearly THREE QUARTERS of Vermont residents OPPOSE trapping. These people who were polled included a cross-section of ALL taxpaying Vermont citizens who all, as per the US and Vermont Constitution, have an equal say & voice in this state.
Another reason this bill was introduced was because in the midst of trapping and of chasing down coyotes with catch dogs – numerous Vermonter’s pets – both dogs and cats – have been injured, maimed, & tragically killed as a result of either trapping or pets being attacked by hunters’ catch dogs. These pet owners testified personally in front of the legislature & provided both photographs and veterinarian testimonies concerning the deaths & injuries that these “hunters” methods directly caused.
In addition, and according to the data collected by the US Fish & Wildlife Service – trapping also is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of endangered and protected species across this country annually – including within VT.
Lastly, despite the blatant propaganda that certain posters claim – S.258 is very obviously not a bill supported merely by “flatlanders” as VT’s F & W poll attests to. MOST Vermonters do not support trapping REGARDLESS of where they were born.
And as far as hunting goes, ALL fifty US States afford hunting and people within all 50 US states partake in hunting – it is NOT an endeavor that is specific to Vermont “tradition” and never was. Such rhetoric is simply the usual “us against them” divisive tactic that democrats & progressives frequently utilize in light of its effectiveness —- and the minority population of trappers & coyote hunters on here use it to accomplish the same.
Taking coyotes with the aid of dogs …is a form of hunting ! Therefore , you blatantly lie .
Trapping may infrequently involve the deaths of species other than the targeted ones , but it pales in comparison to the untold millions of deaths caused by domestic cats annually !
The Fish and Wildlife board has never jeopardized the population of any species of animal since it has been in existence ! It has overseen the wildlife in Vt very successfully , to the benefit of ALL Vermonters . S258 will not enhance any wildlife population in Vt . It is a perfect example of inane anti hunters trying to force their misinformed , emotional will upon other people .
Trapping is despicable.
there is now proof that vermonters would rather dance in their own puddleofpiss than face the out side forces coming their way//// stay tuned for future events////
In the real world, anyone who has committed acts of terrorism on the scale of this
Coronado character would be spending the rest of their days confined in prison, as they have demonstrated that they are an existential danger to society…
the nice lady of a thousand words can really keep the coy drama flowing////
Indeed, thank you for your objectivity. I’d even go so far as to say I’m more tenacious than any man setting a forged-steel bear claw trap awaiting his next unsuspecting wildlife victim whether it be lactating bear, a beautiful Bobcat with kits fresh out of their den, or a beloved dog or domestic cat exploring the brush & their natural environs the way in which God intended.
…and I have to wonder why we in Vermont are so lucky as to be graced by his presence???
I’m guessing because there is zero chance of repercussions for his vapid “conservation” efforts.
I can’t help but think “Coronado & Kathleen” would be the perfect name for a left-swinging, eco-terrorism Netflix mocumentary.
Hi Rich, I suspect we are “so lucky” for the same reason that we are so lucky to have the rest of the lunitic fringe represented here in this state. They think they can come here and change Vermont into Disney Land, and us into their utopian dreamland servants, you know, because we are so compliant. It’s time the —- hit the fan ! Real Vermonters have to come out of their self imposed shells and “Take Back Vermont!”
Known Eco-terrorist, surprised he is allowed, by the FBI, to continue his activism, given his tendency toward extreme behaviour…it is clear he is not reformed.
Given this, I suspect that he is a clear and present danger, to anyone he disagrees with, given his history.
His obsessional activism borders on insanity, in my opinion.
Something should be done to protect law abiding hunters, who were hunting the hills and forests of Vermont, long before he popped up on Vermont’s radar.
If he hurts anyone, or does illegal damage, I lay it right on the FBI’s/law enforcements and the leftist politico’s back, for not doing their duty, to serve and protect the people of Vermont.
Universal Citation: 10 V.S.A. § 4708.
§ 4708. Interference with hunting, fishing, or trapping
(a) A person shall not intentionally interfere with the lawful taking of fish or wild animals by another nor intentionally harass, drive, or disturb fish or any wild animal for the purpose of disrupting the lawful taking of the same. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit any incidental interference arising from lawful activity by land users including farmers and recreationists.
(b) A person shall not take, injure, destroy, or wilfully interfere with:
(1) a trap, when lawfully set for the purpose of taking wild animals; or
(2) wilfully interfere with a person in the act of trapping animals. (Added 1961, No. 119, § 1, eff. May 9, 1961; amended 1981, No. 85, § 10; 1981, No. 127 (Adj. Sess.).)
Back in the day, antiwar activists blew up an ROTC installation on a college campus. Lives were Lost. The perpetrators were “slapped on the wrist”. They should have been imprisoned for murder. Meanwhile, a murderous, totalitarian regime took over Vietnam.
What’s concerning is that the Vermont legislature even took testimony from Coronado when many may have know his past committed crimes, how many more crimes went unnoticed, it’s sad that the legislatures would align with him.
It remains so sad to witness here in writing a gaggle of self-professed “Constitutionalists” who have formerly claimed to support self-governance & oppose iniquity within it — demanding that ONLY “hunters” & “trappers” be allowed to participate on a public board that has a hand in providing recommendations that regulate the use of the common, public outdoors areas that ALL Vermonters use, recreate in, and pay for through their tax dollars.
Once again:
1.) ALL. FIFTY. STATES. engage in & afford the ability for hunting within them.
2.) Vermont is NOT & ever has been one of the only states wherein hunting is permitted.
3.) S. 258 has NOTHING to do with hunting & everything to do with trapping & using catch dogs.
4.) When “native” (for whatever otiose & banal inference that might hold for a select few) Vermont residents & all other legal citizens of the state were polled – nearly THREE-QUARTERS of all Vermont citizens OPPOSED trapping specifically.
5.) Torturing & tormenting wildlife is neither “sport” nor “tradition” – it is cruel and inhumane.
6.) According to statistics provided by the US Department of Fish & Wildlife – Trapping kills hundreds of thousands of both PROTECTED & ENDANGERED species annually.
7.) In VERMONT alone – numerous domestic dogs and cats have been maimed & killed by “hunter’s” traps as per photographic evidence and testimony given to the VT legislature by these beloved pet’s owners & by veterinarians.
8.) S. 258 seeks to impart impartiality & equal opportunity for ALL Vermont residents to participate in all aspects of government as it pertains to F & W management and NOT just a SELECT few.
Here’s a concept: Let’s have the minority population of trappers in Vermont blow that proverbial dog whistle yet AGAIN & keep repeating the same exact erroneous verbiage on VDC over & over ———— whilst those who believe in fair representation and impartiality in government retort them consistently for eternity?
As in the past, the erroneous, misleading, manipulative statements being bantered about by trappers & Sport “hunters” with Catch Dogs who have directly caused the deaths & dismemberment of Vermonter’s dogs, cats, endangered & protected species in Vermont requires fair & balanced & impartial oversight —– as do ALL appointed boards & Commissions in government.
I myself would not agree with such a one-sided board. This is a difficult issue. In this case Mr. Coronado may very well have been within his rights.
VtRocks:
It is YOU who do not believe in personal liberty in VT or obviously anywhere else. It is YOU who seek to PREVENT the establishment of a fair & unbiased F & W board comprised of a diverse group of VT residents – and not one that embodies only your friends & cohorts.
You continuously post on VDC under a cowardly veil of anonymity as well as by removing the “reply” icon – whilst spreading manipulative & farcical statements as “fact” INCLUDING randomly & unwarrantedly attempting to impugn my reputation as a law-abiding citizen who has served as a public official for years within my community. It is you who are harassing & threatening those who “dare” to oppose your ideologies.
You INDEED called for “culling” all domestic cats and your callous disregard and abject loathsome words are preserved for posterity for all, including the legislature, to see right on this thread. Cull: To intentionally hunt or kill. And your verbiage as well as the numerous skewed commentaries on this thread have once again been disseminated to the legislative body.
Hi Kathleen,
I’m hiding the reply button again. You are banned from replying to me!!! I am reporting you to the Vermont legislature’s office of the prevention of rude internet posts. It levies fines and potentially heavy prison sentences on those who would lie on the internet.
If you hate hunting. If you hate trapping. You should kill your cats.
I like hunting. I like trapping. I won’t kill my cat.
http://www.protectourwildlifevt.org — For those who wish to be apprised via both photographs & videos of the damage and carnage exacted upon the wildlife AND the domestic animals of Vermont by trappers & “hunters” using catch dogs to torture, kill, and then indiscriminately dispose of coyotes who fought for their lives for hours before being dispatched as but trash.
Why don’t they leave mother nature alone. Every time they try they mess it up.
AMY ALEXANDE: (who also doesn’t possess the courage to keep her “reply” icon next to her post): Unlike you who NEVER posts on VDC, but responds only to the aforementioned “dogged” dog whistles of your fellow maligners on here – I possess my years’ long record testifying to my staunch conservative values which do NOT include killing or maiming domestic PETS or slaughtering ENDANGERED & PROTECTED animals.
Tell us again how torturing & killing domestic PETS and ENDANGERED & PROTECTED animals is “CONSERVATISM” to you & to your trapping friends, Amy?
BTW, your VDC comrades neglected to let you be keenly aware that attempting to bombard VDC with feckless rhetoric doesn’t silence me —- it EMPOWERS me, as evidenced by all the dozens of articles that have gone before & my testimony to the DANGERS & the INHUMANITY trapping wields.
Kathleen, posters on this website do NOT have control of whether there is a reply icon next to their posts. Thread length is limited to 3 replies or if the publisher deems a thread finished.
I don’t know how to ‘deem it finished,’ or even if such a thing is possible. I do know the setting is for two levels of comments per post, then no more.
Genesis 27:3 “Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me.”
The F&W Board is responsible, after receiving scientific input from the Department of F&W experts, to make the rules and regulations that manage our Game Species.
All Game Species in Vermont are abundant, with most flourishing, with this result being due to the management by the F&W Board as that is their responsibility and duty.
With all game species abundant – it should be clear to all (well, almost all) that the F&W Board is not just working, but working exceptionally well – with ALL Vermonters benefiting – regardless of whether they hunt, fish or trap, or whether they do not.
To suggest that S.258 has nothing to do with hunting when it changes the composition and authority of the Board (with that board being responsible for the creation of hunting, fishing and trapping rules and regulations); not to mention the inclusion of a new ban on a long-established form of hunting – is ludicrous.
Picture this. We fire the entire board (as S.258 calls for), it hopefully gets re-populated (with people who willingly want to put themselves onto a contentious Board and can demonstrate almost unattainable capabilities), and it becomes advisory. A new governor comes in, and that governor has a particular focus on some type of activity controlled by the F&W Department, say deer hunting with a bow. That governor could order his Commissioner to do their bidding under the threat of being fired, with only advisory citizen oversight, and wildlife management becomes political.
As for trapping: The hypocrisy of the anti-trapping community is palpable with their failure to include mouse and rat traps. With rodents: It’s only inhumane when they are big?
And yes, I am a paid lobbyist on 2A and F&W issues; but I operate on logic, not emotion.
All that I have written on the topic of S.258 is already contained within the posting which are contained within this thread. In addition to these, I have composed numerous paragraphs on this topic repeatedly over the course of the last year or more and the factual data, statistics, and sources which I have cited & disseminated via VDC can easily be accessed through a perusal of past threads pertaining to this topic and it is these very threads which have been – and continue to be – submitted to the members of the Vermont legislature so that they can more easily witness the often crass, cruel & even disordered opines penned by trappers including, but not limited to the culling of domestic cats and referring to those who are involved in animal advocacy as women (there were dozens of men advocating for the passage of S.258 last I saw in Montpelier) who are “old” & “cannot locate suitable mates”.
In short therefore, I remain unequivocally committed to all I have stated on VDC and all the sources I have cited which have included statistics from the US Department of Fish & Wildlife and National Geographic magazine with date & issue published previously in aforementioned past thread(s).
The odd notion that pro-trapping “enthusiasts” appear to have is that by virtue (or by unvirtuousness, dependent upon how one views repeating the same dialogues over & over) of repeating their disinformation and making juvenile, sexist, unqualified and offensive remarks is somehow efficacious and should be to their advantage in having the legislature reject S.258. If that is indeed the tact that this recalcitrant group who comprise the small minority of those engaged in the “sport” of torturing and maiming wildlife deems is indeed beneficial, so be it – but I have the sneaking suspicion, call it intuition, that such poor behaviors do not reflect well on your cause —- which is to continue to demand partial and partisan commissions that involve wildlife manage. In fact, NO commission or board within the USA should be comprised of partisan, partial, or prejudiced members as ALL Vermonters have a right to have their voices heard in ALL matters which are publicly funded.
AS far as Mice & rats – that nonsensical “argument” was also long ago addressed; please again access past threads for additional information.
Trapping is cruel & inhumane and NOT practiced or endorsed by the vast majority of the citizenry.
In regards to Coyotes, they are an invasive species in Vermont, and here is a link to news articles that pertain to Coyotes doing bad things.
https://assets.nationbuilder.com/csbvtfsc/pages/75/attachments/original/1709233618/Coyote_Article_Links.pdf?1709233618
What if the child in the video below was yours?
https://www.foxnews.com/us/father-springs-into-action-after-coyote-attacks-toddler-outside-los-angeles-home
Genesis 9:1-3
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.
ALL wild animals have the capacity to do “bad” things as you characterize it. Human beings do VERY bad things to one another, to children & to animals with whom they share the planet with 24/7. Humans murder each other with intent. They commit sexual assaults & rape. They steal & distribute toxic drugs to one another – the litany of violent, abhorrent, malicious “bad” things committed by human beings upon each other and upon innocent animals has no bounds & cannot be refuted with evidentiary data compiled by the FBI/DOJ.
Coyotes are not an “invasive” species – they are canids who existed in North America long before any European settlers arrived. Along with Native Americans, they are the true natives here. They serve an important link in the proper balance of the ecosystem and are, also in fact, the last of the apex predators in Vermont with human beings having the temerity to exterminate any & every species that they deem might do “bad” things – such as engaging in natural behaviors such as hunting & killing prey —– precisely what human hunters do & advocate for doing. The only difference in this between the two species is that Coyotes hunt & kill to survive while humans do so for survival & pure “pleasure” in the act of killing for killings sake – for “sport”.
In 2020, the FBI recorded over 21,000 murders within the USA alone. In stark contrast, according to Urban Coyote Reseach Project, between the years 1960 to 2006 across both the USA & Canada, approximately 142 attacks on humans were reported with no fatalities during the span of those decades. The very first documented attack on a human being by a coyote pack which resulted in death was in 2009 in Canada. Over 21,000 humans murdered by humans annually vs. 1 killing of a human by a coyote – despite math not being my forte – I’d say WE are to be considered to be the more dangerous creature inhabiting this planet. By. far.
Humans have no right to annihilate species. Bounty hunters and trappers have already long wiped out the native Gray Wolf population here as well as the Eastern Rattlesnake population, and the Catamount. We do not own this planet, we live upon it as do millions of other species, created by God, which are vital to the survival & management of the ecosystem.
Being alive is inherently “dangerous”. Risks abound. There remains a very minimal, rare risk that attack by a bear or Coyote or any other living being in those deep, dark woods might hurt you, however, much more likely from a statistical standpoint, we will meet our demise through a violent human encounter or accident or disease or advanced age. And those are the facts. The Big, Bad Wolf was a fairy tale not a truism.
On the site — vtfishandwildlife.com — The Department states: “Although a recent addition to the state (but NOT to North America as I distinguished in my previous post) they have adapted well and play an IMPORTANT ECOLOGICAL ROLE.. Vermont Fish & Wildlife does NOT consider the coyote an invasive species in our state…..”
Fortunately, though, ALL the “variables” which are being posted relentlessly on this thread have long ago already been broached on VDC – from the nonsensical mouse/rat traps to the incorrect statement of coyotes being “invasive” to posters demanding vegetarianism being a prerequisite for animal advocates, etc. etc.
And again, the legislative body has already viewed them, digested them, and will decide one way or the other based upon the facts and the reality and the personal & professional testimony of all those who have been deposed or voluntarily provided such testimony on this issue.
In the end, nearly three-quarters of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife poll taken from randomly polled residents from across the state oppose trapping. And yet again – according to the US Fish & Wildlife Department – tens of thousands of protected & endangered species are killed by trappers across the USA. Those are but two of the facts that will be taken into consideration by the VT legislature — and certainly not who posted the “last word” on VDC – fortunately or maybe unfortunately, the legislative body couldn’t care less, although disparaging & demeaning commentaries certainly don’t make anyone look good.
Hot off of the press, copied and pasted straight from the often misquoted Vt. F&W survey (https://vtfishandwildlife.com/vt-residents-furbearer-survey) ! Copy and paste it yourself in your browser .
“The majority of Vermonters support regulated trapping.”
“Overall, 60% of residents strongly or moderately support regulated trapping; 29% strongly or moderately disapprove of it; 10% didn’t know; and 6% were neutral (page 20).” The last I knew 60% was a might more than 29% ! More than 2 to 1 !
htpps://vtdigger.org/2022/11/22/lisa-jablow-in-fish-wildlife-survey-nearly-two-thirds-of-vermonters-oppose-trapping/
By Lisa Jablow, Vermont Digger, November 22, 2022 — SEE ARTICLE ONLINE. According to VT Fish & Wildlife, the department also spent over $40,000 on that survey in 2022.
And now just over a year later, state residents & presumably legislators(?) are expected to believe that:
1.) The majority all of those previously polled by VT F & W who opposed trapping one year ago —-now suddenly “approve” of trapping.
2.) The VT Department of F & W “selectively” polled specific demographics and/or persons in order to alter the previous random poll.
I smell something fishy…….oh never mind, it’s the Department of Fish & Wildlife, after all!
One of the keys of taking & presenting unbiased polling is the manner under which survey queries are asked. In this instance, apparently at least according to the post above by Patrick Finney, – respondents stated they approved of “regulated” trapping.
Presently, there are virtually little to no “regulations” for setting traps (with the exception to barely minimal changes only very reticently made based upon the intervention & insistency of the animal advocacy group “Protect Our Wildlife VT”.
Interestingly, S.258 does just that – provides REGULATION for “sports” trapping & the use of catch dogs to run down & ultimately kill Coyotes. Further, in terms of regulation, it seeks to afford fair and impartial membership on F & W boards that offer recommendation to the state for such regulatory purposes.
Thus far, “sports” trappers & those who use catch dogs to recreationally run down wildlife have all adamantly opposed unbiased, fair, & impartial board appointments and are therefore adamantly opposed to S.258. It shall provide: regulation. Precisely what trappers & recreational “hunters” do not want.
Digger……. yup.