Bret,
Most of the time I and the landowners would agree, however on a program like this I tend to think long term. These students are from all over the country. In the top picture the young lady on the right is working on a PhD in wildlife biology, from Connecticut, and running this program for three years. The guy with the green hat taking a picture is her boyfriend and will be a SD game warden in thirteen weeks and originally from southern Mn but planning a career in SD. The guy holding the coyote down is from Nd and looking to run a program like this next year, also majoring in wildlife biology. The young lady opposite him is from Il. And not sure what she wants to major in, so took this position to see if she might further her education in wildlife or fisheries. I watched her work several animals, including a badger with an attitude problem, and she showed a real respect towards animal welfare, and is a real nice girl.
In the second picture, the guy with the blue shirt is from Texas and duck crazy! He wants to be working in wildlife field with long term goal being something involving duck research. The young lady opposite him is from Florida via Mo. and also interested in wildlife field and interested in invasive species research.
Not pictured are five other students whom were working duck nest surveys. These five came from,Ms. Nc, Nd.,Ga.,and Wi., all seeking careers in the wildlife field. We all lived together in a pheasant lodge NW of Zell, SD.
In a combined effort, in about eleven weeks of trapping, these students managed to capture,collar and ear tag a variety of small mammals (coon,skunk,opossum, badger) but only three coyote, two of which died. In their defense, they received some bad advice pertaining to correct equipment and methods to capture coyotes (live restraint methods). The program, to be successful, required some of each species present be caught and collared to give a true picture of travel patterns and nest predation within the study areas. Not an easy task for those with little to no trapping experience, especially since none of them were even from the area. Also consider the spring weather we had this last year.
In short, these students will be part of the people making laws and seasons in the not so distant future. I’m pretty certain programs like these give them practical experience and can shine a favorable light on the future of trapping and wildlife management they can’tget In a classroom setting.also consider the average life expectancy of a coyote in the wild is under two years, so the program will outlive even the coyotes released!!
