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twitterCoyote hunt doesn’t sit well with neighborhood
Tuesday, March 3, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Beyond the Sun
A Henderson outdoors shop is bringing back an old Nevada tradition, but residents of a nearby rural neighborhood are feeling anything but nostalgic about it.
When residents of River Mountain Ranch Estates, a rural preservation neighborhood in southeast Henderson, caught wind of a coyote hunting competition March 13-15 sponsored by the new Sportsman's Warehouse at 390 W. Lake Mead Parkway, they were immediately concerned about hunters tracking animals nearby.
The event's organizer, however, said residents have nothing to worry about. Matt Judd, the hunting floor manager at Sportsman's Warehouse, said the competition is governed by a strict set of rules, including one that states no hunting may take place within the Las Vegas Valley.
Judd said hunters will be heading to remote locations outside the Las Vegas Valley and to neighboring states to find coyotes in their natural habitat. Judd said every participating team will receive a map of the no-hunting zone as an added precaution.
"We don't want to hunt neighborhoods," Judd said. "In the hunting community, that sounds absurd because that's not where the coyotes are."
Diane Booker, president of the neighborhood's homeowner's association, said coyotes are frequently seen wandering through the neighborhood at night and in the early mornings, and residents were concerned that hunters would be in the area stalking the animals.
"We don't want to see people who live out near the foothills having their homes shot at," Booker said. "People here are very upset."
Judd said he doesn't know where the neighbors got the impression that hunters would be in or near their neighborhoods. It was likely a false assumption that was blown out of proportion, he said.
According to Nevada law, Sportsman's Warehouse does not need any type of permit for the event, and competing hunters do not need a license. Doug Nielsen, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, said coyotes are considered a varmint, so their hunting is not regulated.
The only exception, he said, is if the coyotes are being hunted for their fur, in which case the hunter must have a trapper's license.
Nielsen said coyote hunts are fairly common, especially in the western United States, but that they are generally done in more rural areas. He said this is the first one he's aware of in Southern Nevada in several years.
Nielsen said the event is not big enough to have a significant impact on coyote populations, which he said grow at rapid rates. His only issue with the event was an early flyer that claimed the Department of Wildlife would be judging the competition, which he said was never true. The department will have no official capacity in the hunt, he said, but some of its officers may be watching the hunters as part of their regular patrols.
Judd said the flyer's statement was a misunderstanding and that it has been corrected.
The hunt begins March 13 at the Sportsman's Warehouse store. All teams must be present at the kickoff, and they will have two days to hunt before they will be required to check in by 2 p.m. March 15 with their kills.
Teams that have trapper's licenses will be able to sell their coyotes to fur traders, Judd said, while the remaining ones will be bought by Sporstman's Warehouse and local taxidermists for stuffing. None of the coyotes will be wasted, he said.
"Not only are we trying to promote ethical shooting sports in the area; we're trying to become an intricate part of the community," Judd said.
Jeremy Twitchell can be reached at 990-8928 or jeremy.twitchell@hbcpub.com.
Discussion: 26 comments so far…
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The Sun
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The word is "integral," not "intricate." Typical. If you want to be an integral part of our community, put down your guns and stop killing defenseless animals for sport like a bunch of goons.
I think that we need to have these hunters working in our neighborhoods to remove those yapping dogs that are left outside all day long by our tip dependent dumbbells. They rent houses on the cheap, work all night, sleep and scr**w all day, and could care less about their neighbors. Future coyotes, for sure...
Wonder how these good ole boys on ATV's would like it if we had a recreational hunt on them?
Wonder how these good ole boys on ATV's would feel if we had a recreational hunt on them? Varmint hunters are some of the most worthless Americans out there.
Hunting is a part of American culture. Sunlizard and Dirk should probably keep there uneducated coments to themselves. Everybody gets a little more ignorant everytime they read the garbage people like yourselves post.....just food for thought.
Sunlizard -- Talk to some ranchers about "varmints" before showing the rest of us how ignorant you really are. What a buffoon.
This is absolutely disgusting. Are they going to eat the coyote meat? Of course not - There is no reason to kill an animal just for the sport of killing or hunting. It's bad enough they hunt deer but at least they eat the venison (or at least I HOPE they do). This is just plain barbaric - maybe the hunters should be hunted on their own turf and see how THEY like it. Sickening.
seems to me we should think about all pets and humans attacked by these coyotes. ranchers feel the loss of newborn calfs and full grown sheep. there have been small childern attacked and some killed by these dogs and i can never justify that so shoot all the coyotes.
I kind of like the idea of some of the posters going to the hunters and suggesting that they be allowed to hunt the "good ol boys". As long as "bubba" and the boys are allowed to shoot back this would be better than any UFC fight at the MGM.
I have worked and lived on ranches, owned cattle in rural Nevada. I have seen attacks on calves by packs of domestic dogs. No attacks by coyotes. Coyotes eat rodents and carrion. Killing animals for sport that are an integral part of the Nevada desert environs is unconscionable conduct. We can watch our kids, leash our dogs, secure garbage and keep cats in the house. I'd rather have coyotes in the desert than these so called "hunters." These sport hunters, the 2 legged predators, are the real danger. Also, Sportsman's Warehouse marketing strategy by organizing this 'hunt' is reprehensible. Time to boycott Sportman's Warehouse stores.
I'll start by saying that I live in this neighborhood and that it is overrun by coyotes. I have friends who have lost pets due to coyote attacks. The most abundant concentration I have seen them is on the corner of Wagonwheel and Appaloosa. There is are two bus stops on Appaloosa another on Palamino (adjacent to the foothills) then one more on Equestrean (adjacent to the desert and water treatment plant). Kids are usually up picked around the same time coyotes prowl the neighborhood should we take the chance of a child being mawled?
I have hunted predators for years now and I must say it is some of the most challenging fun I've ever had. I think it is great for the sport to have these competitions. I am looking forward to the contest next weekend. Furthermore, I think that praerieuluv_skrive, azsk8fan, sunlizard, and dirk along with any other haters out there need to keep their opinions to themselves. Instead of trying impose your radical beliefs on others, take a good long look in the mirror and worry about your own issues! Seriously! Boycott Sportsmans Wharehouse? What a joke! That company was created for the hunter and outdoor enthusiast. If that title doesn't fit in your personal description than you don't belong there anyway. So please keep your opinions to yourself and don't spoil the fun for others.
I stand tall and firm with my gun in my right hand. You sorry worthless no good librals need to go back to California or where ever you may have crawled out of. In my opinion I would rather live with roaches, I would rather roll in pig crap than listen to the nonsense that people like you moan about. If you havn't figured it out yet,I absolutly agree with the varmint hunter, as well as all the other fellow sportsmen out there. It really comes down to one decision you can either let us hunt or you can be hunted by these wild animals that pray on the weak (possibly your very own children). In Califonia people with the mind set much like yourselves complained until they shut down mountain lion hunting. Within a few short years they had several attacks on humans,so if thats what you want, that's what you will get. Chances are that none of you will take this to heart so I'll see you when the gunsmoke clears.
yours truly,
The Critter getter
Nature abhors a humaaan.
We all share the Earth together. If humans are compelled to kill animals to "protect" themselves, well then maybe there are too damn many humans impinging on too much of animals' habitat. All of this protectionist talk is just excuses for these small-anatomied idiots to go out and kill something, to make them feel better about themselves--to feel more macho, be a big maaaannnn! Maybe the planet would be better off if they turned a gun on themselves.
God didn't put these animals here for sport shooting, leave them alone!
Anyone interested in protesting/boycotting this hunt and Sportmen Warehouse? Post a schedule here, or if someone has a website.
We all know there are two sides to every debate. here are some FACTS for you protesting/boycotters. NDOW est. 750,000 plus coyotes in the state and the coyote is one of the top killers of the endangered desert tortoise and many other species. It is also a fact that a single coyote will kill 2.4 deer a year as well as Desert bighorn,elk,antelope and many other non-game species. The las vegas valley reported 185 coyote attacks on dogs and cats last year and that is est. to be about 50% of the actual number. I know that is hard for one who does not hunt to understand hunting but hunters in what they do and what they spend (piman-robertson act) every year safe guard ALL wildlife for everyone to enjoy. Theodore Roosevelt once wrote " The wildlife cannot speak, so we must and will, we must safe guard the future of all wildlife".
Just another comment for some of you that suggested hunting the hunters, been there done that, United states Marine corp, 9 years and served in Desert shield and storm, so before you shoot off your mouth, know what your talking about.
You know which neighborhoods are being over run by coyotes - the ones where the builder keeps building closer and closer to the coyotes habitat - it's no wonder they're off the mountain and wandering the neighborhood - they don't know where the heck to go anymore - and trust me - they're more afraid of humans than we are of them and they're not very likely to attack anyone unless they're being threatened - they will see you or detect the scent of human and run -
Ok varmithunter let me see if I have this straight - YOU think it's FUN so you can spout off all you want -- while those of us who do NOT find this 'fun' should keep our opinions to ourselves? Now why is it that YOU can voice your opinion in FAVOR of this adominable thing you call FUN but all others should just keep their opinions to themselves - you've just lost all credibility when you try to supress someones freedom of speech simply because it differs from your own opinion.
I think it is time to stop talking and form a predator hunting club. Lets get orginized and hold several contests a year. ANY TAKERS?
I am what my name says I am, an outdoor enthusiast. I enjoy camping,hiking,biking,hunting,etc.Yes I do hunt coyotes, and yes I will be in the sportsmans warehouse tournament that will start four nights from now, at about this time. As a coyote hunter, I can understand that yes there are many coyotes in Nevada and in America for that matter.Although they are still an animal of the wild and I believe that keeping their numbers in check is acceptable however, killing off packs of coyotes in my book is forbidden. For instance for me, this will be the last weekend until the first weekend of October that I will hunt this animal and any others due to breeding season. Yes they are "Varmints" in the book but, as a hunter I don't know how someone could shoot April- September knowing that they could kill a dog full of pups. When I say killing off packs, this would pertain to that. Now for the tournament itself; Yes there are coyotes in our towns here in Vegas regardless of expansion(in other words there always has been) but as Matt Judd announced hunters will be hunting outside of Las vegas and it's surroundings. Hunters will be hunting urban areas in this state as well as surrounding states. Also to answer the comment of eating the dogs. As you know, of course we don't eat the dogs, we do however use the animals fur. Yes this may sound horrible and to some people it is. Some hunters shoot a coyote to hang it on the wall while others may use these pelts to earn extra income through the depression while others have been doing it for fourty years and may make a living off of hunting and trapping these animals. Although we may not ever keep the coyotes out of your backyard, taking the life of one coyote may end up saving hundreds over a life span of the dog. And again as long as we're not decimating the species of the canine and just keeping the numbers in check, we will always see these creatures for generations to come which is the way it should be. sincerely,
Outdoor enthusiast.
Lake Arrowhead, CA Coyote Drags Toddler From Front Yard. Animal Releases 2-Year-Old Girl When Mom Appears; 3rd Incident In 5 Days. A coyote grabbed a 2-year-old girl by the head and tried to drag her from the front yard of her mountain home in the third incident of a coyote threatening a small child in Southern California in five days, authorities said.
The coyote attacked the girl around noon Tuesday when her mother, Melissa Rowley, went inside the home for a moment to put away a camera, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in an incident report.
Rowley came out of the house and saw the coyote dragging her daughter toward a street. She ran toward her daughter, and the animal released the girl and ran away, said
ok let me get this straight. diane booker thinks we as preadator hunters are going to be hunting in her neighborhood as well as the other uneducated people that (live with the coyotes in her neighborhood).obviously she knows more about padding her pockets with money through homeowners fee's than about hunting or gun laws. because if she did she would know that it is illegal to shoot in the boundaries of a city.or close to houses.so diane keep padding those fat pockets with the money that your homeowners work hard for.and keep fighting to keep those coyotes around the neighborhood for them...........
AND TO THOSE WHO WANT TO HUNT THE HUNTER YOU BETTER FREAKING PACK A LUNCH!!!!!!! TO VARMINTHUNTER/ CRITTER GITTER/ AND CATMAN. THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP AND INFORMING THE UNEDUCATED PEOPLE WHO CARE MORE ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR NEEDS THAN BECOMING EDUCATED ABOUT SOMETHING BEFORE THEY COMMENT OR GIVE THEIR INPUT. WHICH IS THE SAME THING THAT GOT US INTO THIS MESS THAT THE COUNTRY IS IN NOW. GOOD LUCK TO ALL IN THE CONTEST THIS WEEKEND. LETS ALL TRY EXTRA HARD TO HAVE SUCCESS AND WATCH OUT FOR THE HUNTER OF THE HUNTERS. LOL
IM A PROFESSIONAL LIZZARD HUNTER TOO.
Dianne Booker is a complete moron to think that hunters would be seeking coyotes throughout the neighborhood. This has to be the most assinine thing I have ever heard. I suggest that you get out a little more and understand the subject before you go spouting off your mouth. As for you other uneducated, libral bunny huggers that want to hunt the hunters, bring it on. I would love to see what kind of pelt damage my bullet does on your hides. See you at Sportmans.
I want to comment on this because after several minutes on google trying to find out about wild coyotes and/or wolves in Las Vegas, no matter how I word it, all I come up with are articles relating to "coyote ugly".
It is June 26th, 2009. I live in the middle of a subdivision surrounded by other subdivisions, near Eastern and many local businesses.. I'm in the MacDonald Ranch area.
I went out around 3am this morning to find one of my cats horribly killed and eaten in my neighbor's yard. Another cat is still missing and it's totally unlike her. I'm hoping she's hiding and just freaked out.
I spotted the animal which was either a very BIG coyote or a small wolf (if they exist in this area.. again, I googled it and can find NOTHING on this topic in las vegas or henderson.
You cannot find a bigger animal lover on this earth than me. But the comment about "innocent animals", I can only hope you don't step outside to find your beloved pet brutally murdered and half eaten when it was so close to making it home where it was safe.
I live in a quiet area. My 5 (now 4, maybe) cats like most cats, stay in all day sleeping and only go out late at night to just hang out, enjoy the grass, lay around on the drive way and walk around. I was devastated to find my cat in that condition and still wondering what happen to one of my other babies.
I called police to warn them of a "wild animal" in the area and they politely stopped by around 3:30am but didn't seem to interested. I thought they'd want to know about a wild animal in the neighborhood that could endanger more pets or kids.
I had no idea this was an issue in this area and if these animals are out of control then yeh, people need to do something about it to keep our families (which include pets) safe.
I just cannot believe I can't find anything on the internet about this area and to see if wolves live in this area or is it only coyotes. I followed the animal with my car to chase it further away in the subdivision.. I had my headlights on it a long time.. it was tall and skinny and I can't believe it was just a coyote considering it was as tall as my headlights.. and NO it wasn't any lost wild dog. No way.