It is very important to understand that coyotes have never been strangers in Virginia. Despite that, you will observe that this highly social (with their own kind) animal can be located in every state in America except for Hawaii. The last one is just a matter of time since nearly every animal on the island state got there at one point in their lives or the other.
In its capacity as the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, the state officially classifies the coyote as a nuisance since population numbers are far too high. Suburban area homes are growing concerns since coyotes are also reaching the areas, and sightings are also on the rise. The Virginia coyotes are a unique type of breed of coyote which is larger than the western type coyotes and are not indigenous to Virginia.
According to the percentage of related genes the animal had 13% similarity with the gray wolf and 11% with the east wolf. The rest is mostly coyotes, this DNA sample contains 1/10 part of the coyote and 9/10 part of the domestic dog. This means that the side which makes them larger in size is the wolf side of the couples’ phenotype.
Population Size Of Coyotes In Virginia
The coyotes for instance are now residents of Virginia and live in such large numbers that the creatures are now migrating towards major cities and suburbs. People see them occasionally in Richmond and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries provides information and informative handouts concerning them to the local population in each county. Their populations have been estimated to be slightly over 50,000 in the entire region, according to Virginia Tech. They exist in such numbers that now the USDA is speaking of increasing the coyote quotas for some of the Virginia counties. Most of the time, coyotes have no direct negative effects towards people, except when one or more of them are affected by rabies.
But to the Virginians, these are considered more of an irritation species. Numbers of any sort and particularly large and growing, not only do not help; they interfere. Consequently, most folks believe that coyotes are in Virginia merely for the purpose of managing the deer. At least, that is the idea, which has become a part of the literature world myth. But the true story which is far less dramatic is the migration story of the peoples of the Americas. Well, coyotes just went there and now they have fared quite well.
Stories about wolves and mountain lions were familiar to Virginians who knew these predators roamed the rolling hills, coastal plains, Blue Ridge and the Appalachian mountain ranges. With the expansion of population and the increasing number of people who arrived in Virginia, these animals shifted their range northward, leaving the space for coyotes to overtake and they did.
Common Locations of Coyotes In Virginia
Thus, due to the continuous and constant information provided by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources we have realized that coyotes are indeed widespread in Virginia to an extent that they cannot be said to originate from any specific place. That’s because the common location can be anywhere in the state.
They are encroaching into the cities, the suburban regions and they are still prevalent in the rural regions of Virginia as well. There are also usually constant changes in these behaviors in order to avoid coyotes to approach one’s property. Hunting is most of the time held responsible for significantly low deer populations in some counties. But surprisingly, it is real life, where coyotes have a central role to play in dramatic drops in deer numbers.
Coyotes are night operators and they are relatively very sensitive animals when it comes to responding to human presence. Despite the numbers of the coyote and their almost unlimited options as to where to live, they are still elusive creatures. But when you begin to notice them parading around the city, be it Main Street or anywhere else, there are only two possibilities of this; development of a rabid coyote or overcrowding.
Hunting Rules For Coyotes In The State
There is essentially a policy of shooting or hunting any coyote that a hunter desires want to kill because of the overwhelming population in Virginia. No kill permits are necessary and the only thing on the mind of trappers or hunters is safe and legal method of handling the remains of animals afterwards.
Nevertheless, they may vary depending on the legal systems of the countries or states that you live in depending on how strict they may be. If someone feels that they have a coyote problem on their property the person should first go to the county or city. Since coyotes are a nuisance species, most of the regulations regarding the hunting, capturing orब killing of non-game animals are not applicable.
Coyotes in Virginia
Here are the few things that Virginia has put in place that anyone hunting or trapping coyotes must adhere to.
- Do not feed them as this will help in minimizing their apprehensive relating to human beings.
- Avoid capturing and transporting of coyotes because moving of wild creatures in Virginia is prohibited by the law.
- Lathered foam at the mouth, unsteady movement, falling down and tendency to bite are symptoms of rabies and one should report to the local health facility.
- For more information, it is recommended that one contacts his or her local county’s sheriff to find out if there is a bounty or not.
- It gets embarrassing when people limit their food outside; we should avoid feeding dogs, bird feed, or having an open trash can.
- Ensure that there are no gaps under the house or in a shed or barn so that they cannot find their way inside.
- It would also be advisable to keep a fence for small animals/dogs.
Majority of these factors are obvious especially due to high population density which also reduces the need for kill permits and an open season policy.
Conclusion
The recent years are evident of coyotes presence and the disturbance they cause in the regions of Virginia. Having a population of 50000, it is therefore expected that but surges in coyotes and human interfaces. Still, that is even when the state can be 88% rural in some cases. At the moment there are no specific times of the year when hunting or trapping coyotes is prohibited.
Kill permits are not necessary in Virginia too. The good thing is that coyotes moved to our area on their own; thus, they did not have to be brought to the area for some reason. Although, they are the best example of how nature intervenes, this serves as another reality of man’s struggle against an aspect of nature and coming to terms in order to coexist.
