By Paul Bean and Guy Page
Tuesday evening, The Vermont Federation of Sportsmen held their annual legislative mixer at the Vermont Statehouse. They were there to show solidarity and stand against S.258, a bill to severely restrict trapping and coyote hunting and – more important, critics say – takes away the authority of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Board to make hunting and fishing regulations.
Wednesday morning, the Senate Natural Resources and Energy introduced an even tougher version of the bill. In addition to taking the power of majority appointment of F&W board members from the governor and giving it to the Legislature, Draft 1.2 would completely prohibit trapping and hunting of coyotes and even further remove the Fish & Wildlife Board as a hunting/fishing/trapping regulator.
Specifically, the draft would:
- Require a balance of ‘licensed users and non-licensed users’ (hunters/fishers/trappers and non-participants in those activities) on the board
- Expand the board from 14 to 15 members, with at least one member from each county – thus requiring a shake-up of current membership
- Reimposes trapping ‘setbacks’ prohibiting trapping near human habitation or trails
- Repeals all regulations for hunting coyotes with dogs and replaces them with: “The Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife shall not issue a permit to hunt or take coyote with the aid of dogs.”
“We have in our nation and locally, an imbalance of people who are breaking the contract which our society has been built on..” said John Klar of Brookfield, farmer, sportsman, and former candidate for governor and state senate. “Part of that in this state has always been a balance where we allow a department of wildlife people whose expertise is in studying deer, bear, and other animals, make regulations that govern us. Because of extremists who are taking over the system in every dimension as a one party system, they even want to actually bypass those people who have spent their lives studying biology.”
S.258 calls for a structural change in how members of the fish and wildlife board members are appointed by the legislative bodies, taking one of the appointments from the Governor, giving more power to the Democratic supermajority within the legislature. It also calls for a complete ban on coyote hunting and trapping.
“That’s a bill to essentially dismantle and reorganize the fish and wildlife board,” said Chris Herrick, Vermont Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife. “I think a lot of people understand that this bill is ill conceived. It’s going to change the way the fish and wildlife board has been doing business. I think they’re very concerned about that. The fish and wildlife board works and functions very well.”
The Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife Chris Herrick spoke to the crowd of sportsmen explaining to them exactly what changes this bill was seeking to make, and how they affected them. There were genuine concerns from the crowd that in a few years there would be significant bans on all types of hunting.
“We’re starting to feel like it’s a death by a thousand cuts, they knew taking little pieces out of what we feel our foundational and cultural rights are,” Said John Rodgers, a former Vermont legislator. “Now trying to get rid of the Fish and Wildlife board, which has worked very well at controlling herds and creating fish and wildlife regulations, since, I think it was instituted in 1969.”
Earlier Tuesday, David Appleton of Reading shared a gruesome photo of a moose calf eaten alive by coyotes on his property. The photo was accompanied by this text:
“I have actively worked with my forester to manage my 80 acres of forest land for wildlife and timber production. As a landowner, hunter, fisherman and wildlife observer I am very concerned with this Idea of dismantling our state’s proven methods of managing our wildlife.The current set up of our wildlife board and Fish and Wildlife Dept. has worked very well for many years.. Now the brilliant idea is to screw that up and cause constant infighting and controversy between citizens, hunters, fishermen, the F+W Dept. and activists who use emotion rather than proven scientific methods to govern Vermont’s wildlife management. I strongly oppose these proposals.”
Also, he idea to put more restrictions on trappers is ludicrous. The photo [above] was taken on my property recently. The moose (and deer) populations are seriously affected by coyote predation. Moose are hammered by brain worm and winter ticks and the survivors (especially calves) are lucky to get through our winters without coyote encounters.This moose calf was eaten alive while its mother tried frantically to defend it. A pack of coyotes ham-stringed it and literally ate it alive. Please don’t let anyone use the “inhumane” argument when talking about coyote control.. a coyote’s methods of obtaining food is about as far from “humane” as one can get. Coyote populations need to be monitored and controlled.. PERIOD.”
S.258 is expected to be voted on in the next 2 weeks before “crossover.” VDC will continue coverage of this story.