Question from the
Field:
"In your
opinion, to what extent has the introduction of coyotes back into the states
predator pool some years ago affected the hunter success rate?"
This question
will start a series of posts on coyotes but first let's start from the
beginning…
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Evolution is
taking place every minute of every day, it is an unstoppable natural process.
It happens before our eyes often unknowingly, for many changes take thousands
of years before they are permanently manifested. Some, however, happen in the
blink of an eye. Take for example the coyote.
I remember as a
child being awe struck the first time I heard a coyote howl, or should I say
yip since a coyote howl pales in comparison to that of a wolf. The high-pitched
whine was a new sound for both me and my dad, for back then, coyotes were
practically unheard of east of the Mississippi. Fast forward 30 years, the mere
blink of an eye for Mother Nature. That yipping sound fails to strike any awe whatsoever. Don't get me wrong, it's still a beautifully eerie sound but no longer is it
unheard of, in fact, it is now considered common place throughout Tennessee.
So where did they
come from?
Coyotes have a
long been considered a western species, known primarily from the Great Plains
and the Southwest. Prior to European settlement, they did not venture much into
the eastern forests for it would've been a risky move since competing. and much
larger predators, already filled that niche. The rich and diverse forests of
Tennessee were already home to bears, cougars and wolves. Now enter Europeans
and their thirst to conquer and tame new lands. Their first order of business
was to clear the forests. Besides providing lumber for construction, the newly
opened lands provided croplands for food production. This changing landscape
not only altered the plant species that grew in response, it altered the animal
species they supported.
As most of you
know throughout the 1800s and early 1900s most of Tennessee was clear-cut.
Pictures in the various museums around the state often show the Tennessee
landscape as desolate hills stripped of their forests. As you could imagine,
forest dwelling creatures had no place to go and were systematically wiped-out.
Wolves, cougars, and elk were extirpated (completely eliminated from the state)
while other game species such as deer, turkey, bear and waterfowl dipped to
precariously low numbers. Most of this was attributed to habitat loss and
market hunting. With no wildlife laws in place, animals were shot
indiscriminately by whoever wanted them. Now enter the birth of wildlife
management in the early parts of the 20th century. Wildlife laws were enacted
and animals were protected in order to conserve the species. But now that the
animals were offered protections, which animals were to come back? That is
where the altered landscapes come into play.
Tennessee no
longer had large swaths of mature forests in the mid-1900s. This open landscape
was more conducive to some animals over others. Obviously small game species
which coveted early successional habitat (aka scrubby fence rows and fallow
fields) thrived. I'm sure many old-timers reading this very post recall the
days of quail and rabbits that burst from underfoot as they traversed the
hillsides. As you could imagine this open and diverse habitat was also
conducive for restoring deer and turkey populations, often times in numbers
that were not "natural" to the original system.
So what the heck
does this have to do with coyotes?
Simple...a
Tennessee landscape full of small mammal prey species and devoid of large
predators was an invitation coyotes simply could not refuse. Hence, coyotes
began their own manifest destiny but this time, they were heading
eastward.
Sometime in the
latter half of the twentieth century coyotes secured a firm foothold in
Tennessee and their numbers began to multiply eventually filling every corner
of the state. Keep in mind, the whole time this was happening the landscape
continued to change and revert to more historical conditions. In other words,
the forests began coming back.
Enter today...
Tennessee is a beautifully rich and diverse state exhibiting a plethora of
thriving ecosystems. However, some things are a bit out of kilter. Though the
plant communities are getting in better shape every year the historic animal
communities are not like they once were. The state has a new predator in town,
the wily and highly adaptable coyote. And unless there's a plan to bring back
wolves and cougars (which there's not) I don't think he'll be going anywhere
anytime soon, so we as humans will have to learn to adapt to him.
So if anyone is
wondering where coyotes came from...it was us, not so much in our infinite
wisdom but rather in our finite forethought that coyotes are now a part of our every day lives.
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