How do a few thousand raccoon killed make a difference when the population is in the hundreds of thousands?
Really how many would be females that would pup and then what would you have then and the next year?
The reason this is a wonderful idea from Governor Noem, is that for the most part this will never be longliners or skimmers in trapping, who take the cream and move on. The thousand animals taken so far are creating pockets where no predators will be present for the summer. Pockets mean reared birds.
I was speaking to an ADC out of that state and he stated that by midsummer the tallies would pick up with the females and the young ones moving around. For those who think this was just males harvested, this is South Dakota and it was snowing not that long ago. Most animals were just coming out of hibernation, and those trapping are hitting the hibernation sites where the fur was concentrated, and that means dens,and translates to females.
Nothing is perfect in this. The ADC trappers welcome it, as this will take the burden off of them in trash calls. They can concentrate on beaver and yotes. That is what the ADC was telling me was his project. If poor people are picking up 10 bucks from road kill, so be it, as just like Reagan, that money will be spent in the local community. That 500,000 dollars is going to people who are going to be buying fast food for a quick 10 bucks or if they get into the 200 plus range will be buying traps, firearms and other things which will help businesses in the state.
I was also informed they gave away a large number of traps. Of course all are not going to be used this year, but this a numbers game in creating pockets. People are being paid who normally trap out of necessity as coons kill kittens as much as chickens.
As for the problem with dumping. Look to city people as that is the source of that, as country people throw things in the back of their trees. There is not any real way of stopping it, and for the record, a few hot days will render the problem to the unseen. It would be better if people had the sense to dump them in a slough or behind a tree, but this is city people, probably from small towns without garbage pick up, and that is the remedy they chose.
I would that all of our states had someone like Governor Noem who is willing to do something for wildlife. I was told SD handed money over to Pheasants Forever too. Swtichgrass for habitat raises lots of chicks as bird and fur predators can not get at the little ones. That is something which SD has to remedy, like most wildlife departments who employ people whose main focus is raising predators as they are not like trappers or hunters who call up the capital and complain what deadbeats they are.
