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Tips and Articles Our Contentious Covert Coyote Conspiracy by Jim Slinsky There is no question that in the last ten years we have seen the development of what I call “a love affair with large predators”. Not only have we seen predator reintroduction programs across the nation, but we have witnessed a full court press to protect these dangerous animals. Canadian grey wolves in Yellowstone are the obvious example, but the inland grizzly bear, the red wolves of the Carolinas and the Mexican wolves of the Southwest are all ongoing reintroduction programs. Cougar populations are exploding and they seem to be over-protected wherever they exist. Just a few weeks ago three people were killed by alligators in Florida in the same week. With Florida’s nearly two million alligators, they are rapidly spreading north. In the east we have seen the black bear spread into states where they haven’t been for half a century or more. In all cases these animals feed on deer, domestic livestock and family pets raising concern for their existence and the intent of the reintroduction programs. However, none of the above possesses the confusion of origin like the eastern coyote. There are those who believe the eastern coyote was always with us, those who believe they migrated from out west and those who believe they were put here. Getting a handle on the first eastern coyote sightings and unraveling the details of origin would be a major investigative undertaking. Pennsylvanians accepted the uncertainty of origin for many years until recently. Something has changed. Our coyotes are now tipping the scales at 80 pounds. From personal contacts I can think of three animals recently trapped and shot that were 78, 79 and 83 pounds. While all of this madness is playing out, a few Pennsylvanians have come forward to tell eyewitness accounts of cattle trucks loaded down with coyotes observed on our country roads. Mr. Ed Wolford, a farmer and coyote hunter from Shickshinny, PA recently wrote a letter stating he saw two cattle trucks loaded with coyotes in 1999 parked in the PGC Regional Office parking lot in Dallas, PA. I spoke with him and he is willing to testify in court to this sighting. Helen Erway, a writer for the Renovo Record, penned a story in 1999 that she witnessed a truck releasing coyotes on Summerson Mountain in Clinton County. She was severely criticized by the PGC as being delusional. A few years ago after writing my last coyote column, a magistrate contacted me and also told me a similar story. In this case he witnessed a cattle truck carrying coyotes traveling at an extremely slow speed on a rural road in WMU 2G. Of course, there are coyote stories popping up on a regular basis, some are very credible and some are not. From a personal interview with a predator researcher from Maine, a key fact has become apparent. Eastern coyotes do not grow to these weights. The eastern coyote averages 40 lbs for females and 45 lbs for males. In the opinion of this expert, these 70-80 lb critters are indeed hybrids. Genetic testing has revealed these larger specimens carry red wolf or eastern Canadian wolf genes in most cases. I will do a radio show with this researcher in the coming weeks and load it on my website. Of course, hybridization opens up the conspiracy theory to a new level. When did these animals hybridize? If you believe one hundred years ago, then why haven’t we seen these large animals for the past one hundred years? Why have these 70-80 lb animals become so common in the last decade? Isn’t it interesting that many coyote stocking stories occurred in the 1999-2000 time period? Didn’t Dr. Gary Alt and the deer herd eradication program get traction in that same period? Personnel at the Game Commission will go to their graves denying any involvement in stocking coyotes. Maybe, they are telling the truth. Maybe, this matter is much bigger than most of us can conceive? Clearly, the Wildlands Project is alive and well in PA. An integral part of the Wildlands Project is the return of all large predators back into their original habitats. In any event hasn’t the time come for a full investigation into this matter? If someone or some group is illegally releasing wolf hybrids in PA, shouldn’t we track them down and prosecute them? Shouldn’t we be conducting genetic testing on our coyote/wolf hybrids as other states have? Is it possible to have a sustainable deer management program with wolf hybrids roaming the land? Maybe, we need a legislative hearing to get the ball rolling. Jim Slinsky is the host and producer of the “Outdoor Talk Network”, a nationally syndicated, outdoor-talk radio program. For a station near you or to contact Jim, visit his website at www.outdoortalknetwork.com