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Show Sheepman seeking answers Predator killings increase By RANDY DANIELS Record Reporter The range where seldom is heard a discouraging word is not to be found in southern Utah, according to local livestock owners who continue to battle predators: "This is the worst year in a long time for predator killings," local livestock owner Brent Hunter said. "Coyotes are killing lots of lambs, and it's a hard time getting them to stop. As many as four or five lambs are lost each night, and that doesn't take into account the ones you can't find in the rough terrain or the ones you're just too busy to look for." However, the loss is felt hardest in the pocket books. Livestock owner Roy Lundgren said, "My overall loss for a twelve month period is around 10 percent of my lamb crop, and for a herd of 1,200 to 1,400 that's 140 lambs killed by predators during the year." Hunter added, "Lambs last year sold for 70 cents a pound. This year they are going for only about 50 cents a pound." Simple algebra tells that depending on the size . of the herd, thousands of dollars from predator loss can be expected for some livestockmen. Tom Williams estimated his loss at, "Just around $2,000 for the spring and summer and $3,00 loss during the year." "The problem lies in the predator control," Hunter remarked. "Livestockmen aren't bloodthirsty; they just want to control the animals that are doing the damage. Coyotes are pretty smart. It's not easy to outsmart them. We've tried bells, ribbons and all sorts of ideas, but they . just aren't effective." ef-fective." Local sheepmen agree that the best control for coyotes is the canine poison 1080. Lundgren stated, "Our only real salvation is to put that 1080 poison back on the market which was banned a few years ago. They do have government govern-ment trappers and a few private trappers keeping Sheep such as these, and the sheepmen sheep-men who own them, may be in trouble. According to local livestock- men predators have become a major nuisance to their herds, killing and maiming large numbers of the sheep. the coyote level down." But, according to Williams and Hunter, trapping is too expensive and not that effective. Nelson Bulloch added, "People have got to be educated to the fact that poison is the only thing that works, and it's a . canine poison that just works on dogs. It doesn't harm the eagle or cats or any thing else other than coyotes." The problem is not just centered around the coyote. Other predators due their share of the damage. "I lost 45 lambs in one night and 400 lambs during one summer so I got out of the business," stated Bulloch as he talked about what one mountain lion did to his sheep. Lundgren said, "The mountain lion only eats a small percent of what he kills. He just goes through a herd playing with the lambs and destroying them." So the predator list continues: coyotes, mountain lions, and city dogs. City dogs? "I don't blame the coyote, they need to kill something to eat, but city dogs that run in packs destroy a lot of animals, and their masters don't do a thing about it," Hunter stated. Some believe that with a president from the West, the nation's capital will be a little more sympathetic to the livestockmen's problems. "1080 would be less expensive and more effective. We hope to bring 1080 back with a western president's attitudes," at-titudes," commented Williams. In the meantime it seems the predators have found their home, home on the range. |